Winnebago Travato new model # 59K

[Davydd]

The pedestal just doesn't look big enough to me and even so they may be missing an opportunity to increase fresh water capacity. That video where they enter the van from the rear shows the bed underside briefly and it did not look as if they are used for storage and no mention was made. So I am guessing a lot of utility is stuffed into those spaces including maybe the fresh water tank. The backend large storage cabinet kind of reinforces that thought and the comment that bedding could be stored above the cab led me to believe the more logical spot under the beds is not available. Ain't guessing fun?

[gerrym51]

the driver side bed has the truma-combi under it. you see the heat vent is on the side of that bed.

[wincrasher]

From a weight balance standpoint, it may be better to use that underbed area for equipment or tanks. Stuff has to go someplace I suppose.

As far as blocking the door area, it's less than a lot of vans. Most have the kitchen on the passenger side and it blocks half the doorway. That is one reason I like the Shire floorpan so well - the entire aperture is open.

When I'm parked, most of the time I have the door fully open and the screen door closed. I like the wide aperture, and would prefer to have the full width open. But the 59K is not so offensive, especially getting that nice table to use for a computer workstation or a place to eat. I'd have to look at the Roadtrek Zion again to see how it compares. The Pleasureway blocks the doorway in a more traditional sense with the kitchen counter and you have no swivel seat, and no table for that seating position to use.

[stanw909]

A little note on the passenger side pedestal that sticks into the side rear entry way. It may make sense to just open the door a little to enter but when you turn the passenger seat around their feet would dangle in space so something needs to be there .Pleasure Way does it with a little ledge. Winnebago chose to make a more substantial platform. It may as well have function and there may be a little more storage in it for a couple wine bottles.

[markopolo]

Just a guess here re: Travato 59G & 59K

I'm wondering if there's the 2015 Travato 59K which has some differences but is similar to the 59G.
Then the new one might be the 2016 Travato 59K which has a very different layout to the 59G.

It was introduced at an industry trade show not an RV show for the public so I think of it as a "future" model available in 2015.

Winnebago Travato owner manuals refers to a 59K for 2014 and 2015 but I doubt that those specs are for the 2016 Travato 59K.

Just a guess though!

[Davydd]

It is an all keeping up with the Joneses deal. Things are moving fast. In the dealer market Roadtrek is pushing the boondocking and etreknology dream pretty hard. People who buy Zions or Travatos are probably not going to be your premium price plug in KOA campers. They probably are looking at bargains across the board and that means boondocking more and keeping their daily average camping cost down, and more adventurous destinations. Winnebago went in with a traditional plug in at an electric campsite strategy with the 59G. The 59K looks like something someone would rather park on the beach. The Zion is all in on that idea.

[rtz]

Very interesting floor plan indeed:

[youtube99ksjxz]WJVaFjzpwe0[/youtube99ksjxz]

[CyclingCamper]

Originally Posted by Davydd

It is an all keeping up with the Joneses deal. Things are moving fast. In the dealer market Roadtrek is pushing the boondocking and etreknology dream pretty hard. People who buy Zions or Travatos are probably not going to be your premium price plug in KOA campers. They probably are looking at bargains across the board and that means boondocking more and keeping their daily average camping cost down, and more adventurous destinations. Winnebago went in with a traditional plug in at an electric campsite strategy with the 59G. The 59K looks like something someone would rather park on the beach. The Zion is all in on that idea.

I don't necessarily think that Zion or Travatos buyer are "bargain shoppers" at all. My wife and I have been looking at Class B RVs over the last 6 months or so, we can afford any Class B RV that is on the market. The Zion is the first B class that we've seen that offers what we are looking for.

1-Twin beds with no nightstand or anything else blocking access of the aisle from the rear doors. We would like to store bicycles inside occasionally including our 8' long tandem -
2- Compressor fridge
3- 200-400W Solar
4- No Onan generator- If we "need" to use the rooftop air we'll go somewhere with shore power. We have never used or needed air conditioning when camping anywhere.
5- Under 22 feet long
6- Propane water heater and furnace
7- reasonable size water and waste tanks
8- Full wet bath
9- Gasoline powered , not Sprinter based- I'm done with owning German cars

I was hoping someone would make a Class B built on the Ford Transit DRW version with the Ecoboost Engine but so far I've heard nothing from the maior manufacturers- No even "that we're working on it" . Now it looks like both Roadtrek and Pleasure Way have Promaster units out that there probably won't be a Ford Transit based model?

We'll be awaiting the actual spec sheets but what i've seen so far the Zion will probably be the one we buy.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by CyclingCamper

I don't necessarily think that Zion or Travatos buyer are "bargain shoppers" at all. My wife and I have been looking at Class B RVs over the last 6 months or so, we can afford any Class B RV that is on the market. The Zion is the first B class that we've seen that offers what we are looking for.

1) Twin beds with no nightstand or anything else blocking access of the aisle from the rear doors. We would like to store bicycles inside occasionally including our 8' long tandem -
2) Compressor fridge
3) 200-400W Solar
4) No Onan generator- If we "need" to use the rooftop air we'll go somewhere with shore power. We have never used or needed air conditioning when camping anywhere.
5) Under 22 feet long
6) Propane water heater and furnace
7) reasonable size water and waste tanks
Full wet bath
9) Gasoline powered , not Sprinter based- I'm done with owning German cars

I was hoping someone would make a Class B built on the Ford Transit DRW version with the Ecoboost Engine but so far I've heard nothing from the maior manufacturers- No even "that we're working on it" . Now it looks like both Roadtrek and Pleasure Way have Promaster units out that there probably won't be a Ford Transit based model?

We'll be awaiting the actual spec sheets but what i've seen so far the Zion will probably be the one we buy.

i feel the exact same way about the zion-as far as the transit it is not as wide as the promaster-i think the promaster width adds to its allure

[wincrasher]

There is a lot to like with the Zion.

Stuff I'd like to see, or understand better, on it, after looking at the 59k:

Is the cabinetry laminated plywood like other vans, or is it particle board? With there be other color schemes?

I'd like to see them use the combo water heater/furnace that Winnebago is using.

I'd like to know if you can run the AC for a couple hours safely with the inverter off the alternator and the engine idling. Think that is the max I'd need without an electrical hookup. Note that the Zion has a nice little space between the rear door and the sofa you could store a 2000 watt portable generator.

Would like to see them use a flip down sink in the bathroom. It's nice that they've gone with no wood or fabrics in the bath, so it doesn't need a shower curtain. It's also sizable for what it is, but a bit extra space would be great and the flip down sink would give you that.

Would like to see the sofa/beds have a flip up option so you can maximize the cargo space when needed.

What I'd like to see on the 59K after looking at the Zion:

The beds are nice, but they need to be convertible into sofas. They also need the option to push together into one big bed. It can be done, but it would be choosing cushions over a full time type mattress.

They really need to include an extra battery or two and a solar option.

Ideally, they would offer an extra alternator and omit the Onan. This is probably not in the cards with Winnebago. Roadtrek may have a lock on this idea with patents, I don't know.

They really need to put glass down both sides of the fan. The current look is too budget compared to what everyone else is doing.

[Davydd]

There are always exceptions, but for the most part the Promaster is trying to tap a lower cost market. Roadtrek with the Zion is setting up to move away from Chevy which was filling that need. Pleasure-way has clearly signaled that or has done that already with their Promaster adopting the Chevy Lexor name.

[gerrym51]

Transits were last out. i can't imagine that there will be no transit b's

[wincrasher]

I think if you look across the lines of the various manufactures, you're not going to see a lot of differences in the vans, other than the platforms and the options list. A "budget" van is really a misnomer.

If you look at the Travato and the ERA, the millwork is about the same, and the basic appliances are largely the same. But the van platforms of course are different, and you can get a few more goodies on the ERA (because it's bigger, and because MB offers things like getting leather seats). So the pricing difference is largely the platform cost, and those extra options. It's not like they construct the Travato out of crap materials, and put fine woodwork in the ERA. If you understand my meaning here. You'll largely pick a van based on if you want bigger or smaller and if you want diesel or gas.

Same with the Roadtreks. The Zion is not really built as a budget van other than the options list will be smaller and it's on a much cheaper chassis. Again, they aren't making a van out of crap materials and cheap components.

I see that most manufacturers had to start offering Promasters as their lower cost offerings, simply because they have no choice. You can get a more spacious van for the same money as a Chevy. Ford delayed too long and is basically missed the boat. Chevy also erred by not offering huge price reduction on this very old platform, knowing the Promasters were shipping in quantity. I think the demand for the Chevy based units just evaporated almost overnight. The only folks that would want one now are those folks with intentions of towing heavy trailers or cars behind their van. They are now largely out of luck unless they go with a MB or wait and see if anyone builds on Transit.

[rtz]

I'm really surprised we haven't seen any Transit prototypes by now. The "conversion van" market has had them for a while now:

http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/camp ... tures.html

https://www.youtube.com/user/sherryvans

http://vans.sherrodvans.netlook.com/det ... 83211.html

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

I think if you look across the lines of the various manufactures, you're not going to see a lot of differences in the vans, other than the platforms and the options list. A "budget" van is really a misnomer.

If you look at the Travato and the ERA, the millwork is about the same, and the basic appliances are largely the same. But the van platforms of course are different, and you can get a few more goodies on the ERA (because it's bigger, and because MB offers things like getting leather seats). So the pricing difference is largely the platform cost, and those extra options. It's not like they construct the Travato out of crap materials, and put fine woodwork in the ERA. If you understand my meaning here. You'll largely pick a van based on if you want bigger or smaller and if you want diesel or gas.

Same with the Roadtreks. The Zion is not really built as a budget van other than the options list will be smaller and it's on a much cheaper chassis. Again, they aren't making a van out of crap materials and cheap components.

I see that most manufacturers had to start offering Promasters as their lower cost offerings, simply because they have no choice. You can get a more spacious van for the same money as a Chevy. Ford delayed too long and is basically missed the boat. Chevy also erred by not offering huge price reduction on this very old platform, knowing the Promasters were shipping in quantity. I think the demand for the Chevy based units just evaporated almost overnight. The only folks that would want one now are those folks with intentions of towing heavy trailers or cars behind their van. They are now largely out of luck unless they go with a MB or wait and see if anyone builds on Transit.

wincrasher- the most expensive part of a b after the van is labor costs. roadtrek has enginered the zion to use a minimum of labor

[Davydd]

I suspect Winnebago shares that idealism of minimizing labor. So far they are beating everyone on price on the same type of vans.

[tmshih]

Eh? FlaggRV is MA just listed an incoming Travato 59K as a diesel.

http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2015-Wi ... -113733316

http://www.flaggrv.com/default.asp?page ... lInventory

Looks like people already snapped up the 59K's from Las Vegas and Florida so I wasn't able to look those units up to compare.

It will be interesting to see how this unit is priced. However with gasoline dropping to less than a bottle of "Two Buck Chuck" from Trader Joe's it will be hard to justify buying a diesel unit based solely on mileage numbers.

[stanw909]

I would say the low gas prices are a blip. The Saudi's are trying to break the back of our domestic oil producers. The real reason for the diesel advantage to me is the 23- 25 mpg , a stronger drivetrain and possibly a higher tow rating.

[wincrasher]

I passed several Travatos on my way to the Keys. Several had the bike rack you see at the show. After this trip, I definitely want to get one. Just need to know where I can order it.


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[bobojay]

Wincrasher, if that's a Winnebago installed part, call Lichtsinn RV parts up in Forest City Iowa and ask about it. They can have it drop shipped to you if you want.....