New Agile SS - Is it real?

[PleasantonMac]

Hi everyone! First post for me here.

We've been researching like crazy to find the best new Sprinter 144 van to purchase, and have finally (I think) settled on the RoadTrek SS Agile as the best for us. Here's my question, though: Has anyone actually SEEN, with their eyes, a real honest-to-goodness Roadtrek SS Agile later than 2019? I know the story about RoadTrek's death and resurrection in 2019, and you can find plenty of reviews and commentary for 2019 (and older) SS Agiles. And if you search, you'll find dealers advertising 2020 and 2021 SS Agiles. However, the RoadTrek website itself only mentions the 2019, with a "2021 coming soon" note.

So what's the deal? Are dealers who are advertising a 2020 Agile flat-out lying to get me to click? If so, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with them.

As an aside, I do realize that ALL sprinter-144-based vans are in short supply right now, with long lead times and all that. My question is simply, has anyone actually seen/touched a 2020 or 2021 SS Agile?

Thanks!

[rowiebowie]

Welcome to the forum Mac!

Sorry, I haven't kept up the "new" Roadtrek production.

[themexicandoctor]

Sometimes units built on a 2017, 2018 or 2019 chassid but not finished as an Upfitted Van until the following year, etc are listed upon completion date versus the date of the chassis purchase.

This isn't a legal answer but what many of us have discovered when buying in my case a 2004 Chevy labeled as a 2005 model Roadtrek.

And I do think labeling chassis units that are older than 2 years is rare.

Maybe they were units that were already purchased & were sitting in storage until the new production was able to restart.

[themexicandoctor]

Why the Agile or are you open to what possibly may be, better units for you, specifically the Pleasureway Ascent or the Airstream 19.

I personally wouldn't purchase a new Roadtrek unless there were must have, no other choice options.

Roadtrek had a great name when the Family owned it, like most family start ups. But once you added the Venture Capitalists & the Vultures that parasitically attach to them once they were bought out, everything went downhill.

And you the owner, are left high & dry.

[RossWilliams]

I have not seen an actual Agile made under the new ownership. I suggest calling Roadtrek and asking them if there are any out there.

We have a 2015 Etrek which we love. We bought a Roadtrek because every Roadtrek owner we ran into in campgrounds gave an enthusiastic endorsement. I am sure that is no longer true since we all lost our warranties when it went into receivership. But the models listed on the website are based on the same design we love and the new owner, Rapido, is a family owned company that seems to have a good track record in Europe and know what they are doing..

[PleasantonMac]

So after more phone calls today, it seems that Westfalia/Rapido hasn't actually released any production Sprinters yet. The RoadTrek Zion (Ram chassis) is shipping, but from what multiple RoadTrek dealers have told me, there are no Sprinters yet, so anyone promising me one might not be completely forthright with me.

Truly, I cannot begin to tell you all how shocked I am to learn that there might be RV dealers out there that are more interested in hooking me into a sale than looking out for my best interests.

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

Why the Agile or are you open to what possibly may be, better units for you, specifically the Pleasureway Ascent or the Airstream 19.

The Pleasureway Ascent was actually our #2 choice, and just became our #1 choice now. And a new wrinkle: the three closest RV dealers in my area ALL said that they are only scheduling service and warranty requests for their own customers, meaning, if I buy somewhere else and need warranty support, I go to the back of the scheduling line (4 months out). So, my nearest RV dealership happens to be a Pleasureway dealer, so I'm gonna be talking to them some more tomorrow. I'll post some Pleasureway questions in a separate thread.

[Rocinante]

I have to say, the floor plan for the RoadTrek SS Agile appears to be one of the best I've seen in that size class. They actually address the question of how to create a two-person lounge in the front of a 19' Sprinter, whereas it appears neither the Pleasureway Ascent nor the Airstream 19 even make the effort. The front lounge in the SS Agile may not be perfect, but it's so much better than the alternatives that it bears further examination.

Regarding dealers who are only willing to schedule service for people who bought from them: it's foolish and self-destructive, because an excellent service department is a key feature that helps bring in new business. I know it's a common behavior, probably because they don't have as many service bays as they could. Given how much more revenue (and profit) they'd bring in if they added more bays and qualified techs, it would make sense to grow that aspect of the business if the demand is there...which it generally is. Also, maybe you didn't buy from them the unit they're servicing for you today, but they're being well paid for the work, and hey, maybe you'll buy you next one from you if they take good care of you. Business is a funny thing, and maybe I've got it backward, but this restrictive service behavior makes little sense. That said, the behavior is out there, and it's wise to be aware of it depending who's closest to where you live for ease of scheduling service calls (assuming you're not full-timing).

[Davydd]

You have to turn around both the driver's seat and passenger seat fully, IMO to have a good solution. The Agile driver's seat is restricted by the galley cabinet to about a 135 deg. turn around thus necessitating a center shared table which means you have to slide over the passenger seat to occupy the driver's seat when the table is in place. Consequently, the driver can't get up without disrupting the passenger. That's why I opted to have dual Lagun type tables so both driver and passenger can get in and out of their seat at all times. I could have a shared table as well but experience as I cited makes it less desirable for me.

My Pleasure-way did not have turn around seats and I put one in for the passenger after wards. The Pleasure-way also had the bathroom wall tight to the driver seat so much I could not get full extension or recline the back. That was not to bad for me but a six footer might have had a problem. There was a bit of claustrophobic effect as well.

Both my Great West Van seats turned around but the cabinet still restricted full function for the driver seat. I pulled back the cabinet in my ARV enough to put a functional drop down table mainly for my 19" laptop computer. On my planned 144 Sprinter I pulled to cabinets back even further to where I could stretch my legs out in a full 180 deg. turnaround.

Since I've designed for only two and no accommodations for others, I deemed the popular European design of two side by side passenger seats with a table between the cab seats a waste of floor space for a perceived occasional need especially for a short van. I wouldn't wish those upright bench second roll passenger seats tight together on owner's with children.

Just something to think about. I've gone four iterations and four van size lengths on this subject. I hope I got it right on the shortest van.

[Excelwpg]

Coming soon...

https://www.roadtrek.com/models/ss-agile/

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by PleasantonMac

Truly, I cannot begin to tell you all how shocked I am to learn that there might be RV dealers out there that are more interested in hooking me into a sale than looking out for my best interests.

Do I detect a bit of sarcasm there? LOL (I sure hope that wasn't sincere surprise)

And the whole pushing people to the back of the service line is common to nearly all RV dealers. La Mesa is famous for that.

The last interview that I saw with Rapido said that they planned to start up their second factory line any minute for the Sprinters. They started with the Promaster models... probably because they were the best sellers pre-crash... and they could easily get the platforms. Started with two models in order to get their new crew trained and organized.

If not for the Covid shut down, I suspect that Sprinter models would have been hitting the dealers any minute. If you have any interest, I would call the factory and ask them.

But... nothing wrong with Pleasureway either. Both these rigs have their pros and cons.

[themexicandoctor]

Pleasureway are far superior to Roadtrek.

Starting with the Build Quality.

For me, the Ascent is what I would want in stock form but there are a couple of mickey mouse design issues with the Agile that I never liked, specifically the ridiculous big cabinets in the back above the beds & the extension of the bathroom sink attachment. Plus Roadtreks rattle.

Rant over.

Chintzy design.

Cheap materials.

How do you feel about the Airstream 19, Airstream have been in business for forever...

[themexicandoctor]

Looks very cramped up front for the driver ...

https://www.airstream.com/touring-co...19/floorplans/

[PleasantonMac]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

Looks very cramped up front for the driver ...

https://www.airstream.com/touring-co...19/floorplans/

You know, you're right about that airstream driver claustrophobia... https://cdn.airstream.com/wp-content...ck-Gallery.jpg

But given all of the very recent (like, in the last few weeks) upgrades made to the Pleasureway (being discussed in another thread), it is really looking like an awesome choice now.

Edit: The PW Ascent may have a similar issue, now that I look at it. The floorplans are nearly identical. And the 170 wheelbase version (the PW Plateau) STILL has the wall behind the driver. The Agile avoids the wall behind the driver by putting the bathroom on the right-hand (passenger) side and the galley on the driver side. That's great, but the tradeoff there is a lack of right-hand-side window visibility from the driver's vantage point. Given that choice, for me, I'd rather deal with the driver wall behind me and have that traffic visibility, especially since I'm going to be using this for day trips / mobile office a lot.

[themexicandoctor]

That's the great thing about choices.

How critical to you is the front seat being limited when dining, etc?

For me, I do prefer the Ascent or Nineteen over the Roadtrek & the Ascent over the Nineteen.

[themexicandoctor]

How tall are the two of you?

Have you owned RV's before?

Have you rented?

Whereabouts in CA are you?

If in Canada there are a couple of Rental companies that carry a lot of Ascents.

And in talking with dealers many years ago, everyone agreed with this statement from a large dealer in the Midwest circa 2011 "You know with the Pleasureway units we just don't seem to get many in for Warranty work, they are usually out on the road for a couple of years ..."

I love the Pleasureway Lexor (at the time), & had my Heart set on one -was ready to fly cross country to get one when the Roadtrek 190 Versatile turned up at a great price & very careful owners & low miles.

Let me also talk about the Elephant - Rapido sounds warm & fuzzy but* its still the Honeymoon Period for them to break into the USA Market however since 2007 quality has gone rapidly downhill at Roadtrek.

The Hannemayer's were the originators & they really put their family name behind the company until it was sold to the Devil.

*how does anyone think of a corporation as warm & fuzzy operation? Large companies are all about growth for the shareholders.

[Davydd]

Until Rapido clears all the inventory they bought and then start anew I don't think we can judge them or their quality. I do think they need to dump that so called proprietary Etrek battery system. They bought a white elephant in that. Everyone has surpassed them. They got the name--Roadtrek. It almost became like Kleenex to the Class B world.

The other European, grass is greener across the pond, company, Hymer, came in with a lot of hope and fanfare as Rapido now. More reason to wait and see if they can adapt to North American RVing.

[PleasantonMac]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

How tall are the two of you?

Have you owned RV's before?

Have you rented?

Whereabouts in CA are you?

We're 5'7" and 5'8", so not too tall. We should be comfy enough. Never owned an RV. Have rented Class Cs a couple of times and drove a 12 passenger Sprinter or Transit (can't remember which) for two weeks through every national park between Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain NP.

We're in the San Francisco bay area. Being quoted $139k for a new Ascent over the phone right now. Have to see if / what I can get that down to.

Let me also talk about the Elephant - Rapido sounds warm & fuzzy but* its still the Honeymoon Period for them to break into the USA Market.

This, right there, is ultimately what made my wife say "forget it" with the SS Agile. She's not a fan of uncertainty.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by PleasantonMac

We're in the San Francisco bay area. Being quoted $139k for a new Ascent over the phone right now. Have to see if / what I can get that down to.

Unfortunately, I'm reading the rv dealers are selling everything on their lots plus new inventory is already spoken for. Hope this is an exaggeration, but the current Covid mania has people seeking an "isolated" way to travel. It's a Seller's Market.

[PleasantonMac]

Absolutely true, I'm afraid. Right now, there's pretty much no such thing as a new Sprinter class B on a dealer's lot. Most are sold before they hit the lots. You can find a handful of Winnebago Solis or Travato and Coachmen Beyond 22, and that's pretty much it for dealer inventory.

[themexicandoctor]

Covid 19 creates as many opportunities as it does, dilemmas.

I personally, not being in the top 80% of Americans, financially would never* buy a new rig, off a dealership floor.

*I do buy weekly Super Lotto tickets though on the bet my present financial environment, could change.

But because of the build quality of the Pleasureways*, you cannot go wrong buying a used unit, with some due diligence & a thorough inspection of the unit, by a hired RV Professional Repair Guy.

*they may not have the plug & play requirements of the latest options you need. But the Warranty or out of Warranty repair shops & dealerships remain the same.

Note these facts;

You are sitting upon the shoulders of Class B do it yourself, improve over the standard, highly competent Giants like Booster*, David, George RA, Avanti, etc who will at least advise you, how to build your own systems, that far out perform the compromises many manufacturers sell as state of the art aka state of the pencil pushing accountants fighting the wishes of build engineers.

*I use Booster as an example a lot but there are so many other qualified Giants amongst us. What I like about Booster's story is that he is operating out of a 2007 unit that out classes, out engineers & out performs the newest rigs on the road (within limits).

He cannot buy off the showroom floor at high dollar the integrated performance across the entire coach that he & his wife depend upon.

The enormous personal satisfaction of crafting such perfection is part of the journey & what Covid takes away, it gives back in Time.

Buying a gently used, hyper inspected secondhand Ascent, might be another option worth considering.