Zion SRT

[islandrog]

The wife and I have been looking at RVs since fall. We were hoping the local RT dealer would have one of their in stock Zion's at the Seattle RV show but they only had one Sprinter B on display. So it had been awhile since we last saw the Zion in person. We took advantage of the show pricing and with additional help from the RT Regional Sales Mgr to put together a package and placed an order for a Granite Metallic with Cherry interior, EcoTrek 400, under hood generator, solar 200w, leather, screens, TV/DVD, VoltStart and power ft door steps. We were told an end of March delivery. Opted for the SRT in part due to parking and as a second vehicle when needed. We did look at the PW and RT short Sprinter Vans and liked them so the SRT should fit our needs just fine.

[gregmchugh]

Very nice, consider joining the Roadtrek Owners Group on Facebook, several owners of new Zions are there including at least one like yours.

[swo]

Exactly what I was thinking of getting.
Still sorting out whether ZION SRT or a Travato 59G would be a better fit for our life style. Neither are available for viewing within 150 miles. I'm going to a nearby roadtrek dealer this weekend to look at a Zion he has in stock w/ rear sofa vice benches- it should be similar to the SRT only more compact and I can assess the workmanship/quality.

No one ever quotes what they paid in these forums - but I'll ask the question in a different way. Assuming taxes, tags, and dealer fees, did the dealer/Road trek discounts bring the MSRP down to below 80K (like closer to 70K) ?

[islandrog]

No..........

[wincrasher]

Roadtreks typically trade for 85-95% of MSRP, depending on the dealer and the model.
Winnebagos typically trade for 75%-80% of MSRP, pretty much across the board.

There is a pretty good difference in the MSRP prices between Zion & Travato.

It's not unusual to pick up a Travato for around $70k plus your tax & tag.

Good luck shopping!

[islandrog]

Somewhat surprised this evening after going through an exercise comparing pricing on the RT Agile and the SRT with the same options. I will not argue the Sprinter is of a higher quality but looking at upfront cost of almost $40,000 more as well as cost for normal maintenance over the course of say 15 years the difference is substantial. But then again I do appreciate German engineering.
Regarding Wincrasher's comments on MSRP I think he is right on target. We looked at the Travatos as well but issues like one model has a 3-way frig and the other is a compressor, no factory under hood generator or volt start as well as the floor plans played into our decision. I also think if you are factory ordering from a dealer as opposed to picking up something he has been carrying in inventory makes a big difference as well.

[wincrasher]

You can get a similar product to Voltstart for your Onan for around $700 retail. It's an easy DIY project we've talked about on the forum.

[GigaGeek]

When looking at the Zion SRT be sure to try the bed(s), which are shorter than the standard 21' Zion - I couldn't stretch out in there at all unless I went diagonal. Also found that the beds in both Zion models were not very comfortable and will need a memory foam topper to be acceptable, provided that you can fit.

The Winnebago Travato beds are MUCH more comfortable with the Froli Sleep System and you can get a convection microwave with the 59K. The oven in the Zion is a tiny microwave-only unit and their bathrooms are like a broom closet.

The Zion's most appealing features are the under hood generator (in place of the noisy, higher maintenance Onan) and the Lithium battery option. As Wincrasher mentioned, both of these Zion advantages can be addressed with the Travato at a lower price in the aftermarket.

When looking at a motorhome, relax and take some time to sit in each model, in several spots, and imagine what it would be like living in it with those you plan to take along. Get past the emotions and the whiz-bang features so that you can be realistic about the practical everyday flow of life inside and outside the coach. I've seen too many folks buy on emotion and shortly after realize that the model they chose does not meet their needs. They often take a big financial hit on the trade in.

Don't let a salesperson pressure you into buying today (or else) if you're not sufficiently sold on the product. There are plenty of RV fish in the sea.

Best of luck in your search.

[swo]

I looked at and test drove a Travato and a Zion this weekend.

One thing I noticed on both the Travato and the Zion were dimples in the side body right above the silver slider door track. It appears the track has studs that allow it to be bolted to the side of the body . There were visible "dimples" about every 6-9 inches in the body along the top edge of the track where it attached to the vehicle. It was more visible on the Travato maybe because of the darker color (the Zion was white). Do you Promaster based owners see these also?

[gregmchugh]

Were they spots from spot welds?

[swo]

I knew I should have taken pictures... the silver track has visible spots from spot welding - I assumed they welded studs to the back side of the track so it could be bolted onto the body. My thought was (especially on the Travato) they might have over tightened those "bolts" (if in fact it is attached with bolts) causing "dimples" in the van side sheet metal at each attachment point.

Now i'm wondering if the track is spot welded directly to the van body instead of being bolted.

Either way it was noticeable from all angles on the sunny day with Travatos Gray metallic finish- less on the Zion in white. I may take a run over to the local Dodge dealer to look inside one of the Promasters since this is likely how they are delivered to Winnebago and R/T.

[islandrog]

We picked up our new SRT The Wild Goose (aka The Goose) last week. 200 W solar, EcoTrek 400, under-the-hood generator (GU), Volt start, etc. We took it to one of our favorite parks, Ft Worden, Wa. for a 2 night shake down camp. Although we had full hookups I only used the dump when we packed up to leave. Being on the cool side never needed the A.C. or the heat (although fired it up to test). Battery indicator stayed full the whole time, we used the microwave, the TV a couple of hours, etc. Other than a flying open silverware drawer and one of the windshield privacy screens anchors pulling lose all worked pretty much as expected as we figured out all our new Zion. All and all a successful camp.....loving our Ram 2500 Promaster and the upbuild Roadtrek did!

[ClassB4Me]

Nice to see a happy ending to a new RV shake down. Look forward to seeing pictures and reports on your experience with the Roadtrek.

[islandrog]

Some of the recent changes to the Zion was to moved the propane tank/connections to the passenger side just in front of the rear wheel. The spare tire is now just in front of the rear bumper. The dump cover is now hinged and just swings down (big improvement). The side sliding screen door is now a curtain with Center magnets.
Our SRT:

[islandrog]

Some other pics I have tried to upload show up sideways no matter how I change them on my Pad.... Also seems I can't load more than one at a time....