Question for Roadtrek 190 popular owners.

[Atlee Hokie]

Why did you choose a 190P instead of a 210P?

I like the Popular because we can sleep north south, rather than east west in the Versatile. Also, the 3rd seat in a Popular allows us to occasionally take our 3 grand kids, one at a time of course, for several days camping trips.

My wife likes the 210P because of the 5 cf fridge. I like the 210P for the enclosed bathroom. I don't like the 210P because of the nearly non existent cargo capacity.

I like the 190P because of the shorter length and the nearly double CCC. However, most 190p's do not have enclosed bathrooms, and those that do lose the 3rd seat, which causes problems with taking our grand kids camping.

[hbn7hj]

Just an opinion but the 210P rear axle is overloaded. The 190P is heavy but good to go with the addition of lift bags. The fellow that put dually wheels on his 210 had it right.

My 190P has a fully floating rear axle. My friends 210P does not. Maybe because mine has the towing package. His rear axle has had to be rebuilt. He has abused the rear hitch load and I have not.

[booster]

We have an 07 190 Popular.


Smaller size so less cumbersome than a 210.


We actually prefer the aisle bath as it uses less space and for us in more comfortable to use.


More load capacity albeit with a bit less storage space. We have a cabinet in place of the third seat.


Easier to stay within weight limit.


Bigger frig would be nice but we get on fine with a 3cf now compressor frig.


By 2010 I think most of the 190s made had the enclosed bath and also had the benefit of the 6 speed transmission (which IMO is a big deal).



The trailer towing package is a good option to find on either as you get the 10" locking rear axle and a transmission cooler.


Our ideal 190P was never made. It would be Maple woodwork with the audio cabinet that was on early units like ours, aisle bath, armoire cabinet for third seat, 6 speed, trailer towing package, no aluminum wheels.

[Jon in AZ]

I didn’t choose mine; it chose me, but I prefer it to the 210. The idea of chopping off the whole rear body of a perfectly good van and welding in all-new framing to support a slightly larger fiberglass shell seems wasteful and weird to me. Might as well buy a small C at that point with dual rear wheels and a higher GVWR.

I prefer to stay within the stock steel body, even at some sacrifice of space. Yes to a more compact footprint, yes to greater margin on weight, yes to better towing. Big yes to longways sleeping and the 6.0L, 6-speed drivetrain (available on both, of course).

Ours has the enclosed wet bath (wife insists) with aisle shower extension. It also has the rear folding sofa option with two additional 3-point belts. It would be possible to make a child cot across the front seats. In a pinch there’s room on the floor for a second child.

I come from a backpacking background, so I view the lack of storage as an opportunity to pare down and travel light, just as we were used to doing with our tiny 10’ Scamp travel trailer. We supplement the small fridge with an ice chest for drinks and fruit. It’s a narrow, upright one that fits behind the driver’s seat and allows us to access snacks without opening the fridge too often. More frequent grocery stops are fine with us, part of the travel experience.

We moved the spare under the rear sofa for towing and found we still have more storage than you’d think. Shaves off some weight and nearly a foot of overhang (nice when parking), easier to open the rear doors (which we do a lot), and a cleaner appearance.

[Stevemo]

The 190 is big enough for 2 people and sleeping the long way in the van is better than our Versatile that slept sideways. The Dodge Versatile wasn't quite wide enough for someone who is 5'10. That being said, the Versatile had enough that it was adequate and there is stuff in the 190P that we never use.

Things we don't use in the 190:
-underneath storage
-hot water tank
-shower
-outside shower
-bug screen covers for the doorways (one of the previous owners must have thrown them out)
-indoor water tank
-microwave
-generator gets used rarely...only really necessary when boondocking in horribly hot locations or when the drivetrain is hot and cooking you through the floor

I'm not really a fan of the beavertail spare tire. It is easy to move out of the way of the door on the 190 but realistically it only gets used once every 10 years if you completely ignore your tires and let one explode. I removed mine last year to pull a trailer (not enough jack knife space with the spare in place) and may not put it back on unless I go into the wilderness. It also interferes with the view if you have a backup camera.

The real drawback on some of the 190s is the storage space for the batteries. I have a few threads started where I am resolving this on my 2004 so that it can support a 2000+ watt inverter. I am also installing a wardrobe in place of the 3rd seat but I probably bought the last one in existence.

Where do you intend to buy one? I was trying to appraise the value of mine yesterday and there are none for sale in Canada.

[Atlee Hokie]

We are looking in the US. From when we started looking nearly a month ago, they have almost dried up here also. I only have for that I'm interested in currently. 400 +/- miles is about the farthest we will drive to find one. There are several in CA, WA, and OR, along with Arkansas and Texas, but they are too far. I will drive to Florida which is 600 to 800 miles, but my sister in law lives there so we would visit and look at RV's. Besides it's a lot warmer there than in Virginia.

There is only 1 210P still on my list I plan to go look at right now.

Originally Posted by Stevemo

The 190 is big enough for 2 people and sleeping the long way in the van is better than our Versatile that slept sideways. The Dodge Versatile wasn't quite wide enough for someone who is 5'10. That being said, the Versatile had enough that it was adequate and there is stuff in the 190P that we never use.

Things we don't use in the 190:
-underneath storage
-hot water tank
-shower
-outside shower
-bug screen covers for the doorways (one of the previous owners must have thrown them out)
-indoor water tank
-microwave
-generator gets used rarely...only really necessary when boondocking in horribly hot locations or when the drivetrain is hot and cooking you through the floor

I'm not really a fan of the beavertail spare tire. It is easy to move out of the way of the door on the 190 but realistically it only gets used once every 10 years if you completely ignore your tires and let one explode. I removed mine last year to pull a trailer (not enough jack knife space with the spare in place) and may not put it back on unless I go into the wilderness. It also interferes with the view if you have a backup camera.

The real drawback on some of the 190s is the storage space for the batteries. I have a few threads started where I am resolving this on my 2004 so that it can support a 2000+ watt inverter. I am also installing a wardrobe in place of the 3rd seat but I probably bought the last one in existence.

Where do you intend to buy one? I was trying to appraise the value of mine yesterday and there are none for sale in Canada.

[Buc22]

I wanted the 190 exactly for being built on a van chassis and gives me comfort to know how solid my rig is. I like the stealth look of the 190 not looking like an RV as we always just pull over at rest stops, but mostly look for truck stops for the night when we travel. Able to get a spot at a military campground in Destin, FL with just a week notice to campground due to size of rig apparently not a lot of demand for RV spots only 24 feet long. My 190 only seats 2 people but it is only us traveling anyway.

[glenncoenen]

Originally Posted by hbn7hj

Just an opinion but the 210P rear axle is overloaded. The 190P is heavy but good to go with the addition of lift bags. The fellow that put dually wheels on his 210 had it right.

My 190P has a fully floating rear axle. My friends 210P does not. Maybe because mine has the towing package. His rear axle has had to be rebuilt. He has abused the rear hitch load and I have not.

This is glenn, i have a 1995 190P. I have bad van control in heavy winds, semi passing and at faster speed. I put a stabilizer bar on the front end and that may have helped a bit. Would air bags in the back help? Or a rear stabilizer bar?

[dchristaortiz]

We have a 210P and love it and contrary to the other respondent we use everything except for the propane stove. I have a portable induction burner which works great! Sleeping using the twin bed layout is more convenient than making it into a king and much better access if one needs the restroom at night. I like the layout, in that we put a curtain up in front of the bathroom and kinda created two rooms. So one can be sleeping or watching TV and the other can turn the swivel seats around and read or whatever. Much more space when the seats are turned around. Pet peeve, I wish the drain for the shower was in a better location, when the wetbath shower is used and door is closed, need to squeegy the water to the drain and that can be quite a feat in dexterity.

[kimbpdx]

What Jon in AZ said. I believe in having your cake and eating it too. Look for a 190P with a full bathroom and the power couch bed which can seat 3 with seat belts included. This is what we have in our 09. Parks easily in any standard parking space. Easy to drive. The only sacrifice is the fridge size; we have not found this to be a problem at all. Be patient - you may need to wait to find the perfect one.

[glenncoenen]

This glenn again- we bought our 1995 190P Because of the layout of the interior. It allows us to get up in the middle of the nite to use the bathsroom without waking the other person--lots of cabinet space--always doing some upgrades--but overall, it was in beautiful shape--well taken care of. Any other FT owners have handling problems in high winds, semi passing and at higher speeds? I did put front swaybar on and it may have helped a bit. But we need better control. i noticed that another RT owner put air bags on the back. Anyone have ideas what we could do to improve driving control.

[Buc22]

Originally Posted by glenncoenen

This glenn again- we bought our 1995 190P Because of the layout of the interior. It allows us to get up in the middle of the nite to use the bathsroom without waking the other person--lots of cabinet space--always doing some upgrades--but overall, it was in beautiful shape--well taken care of. Any other FT owners have handling problems in high winds, semi passing and at higher speeds? I did put front swaybar on and it may have helped a bit. But we need better control. i noticed that another RT owner put air bags on the back. Anyone have ideas what we could do to improve driving control.

My rig is on a Chevy chassis and I personally would rate number 1 Bilstein shocks as the most improvement in handling, number 2 Hellwig rear sway and combined with my latest addition of the Black Sumo Spring for the front I can all but drive with one hand now. No more gripes about handling for me completely happy with how it handles the interstates. In process of installing 2" front spacer and airbags for rear to gain ground clearance.

[Renwick]

Hi Glenn I had 1995 RT 190 same problem steering handling on high, Took it mechanic he recommended replacing the steering gear assembly did help a little bit my next move replacing front and rear shocks with Belstein. The front sway bar you mentioned what brand is it if you don’t mind.
Thanks

[GeoB]

Originally Posted by Atlee Hokie

Why did you choose a 190P instead of a 210P?

I like the Popular because we can sleep north south, rather than east west in the Versatile. Also, the 3rd seat in a Popular allows us to occasionally take our 3 grand kids, one at a time of course, for several days camping trips.

My wife likes the 210P because of the 5 cf fridge. I like the 210P for the enclosed bathroom. I don't like the 210P because of the nearly non existent cargo capacity.

I like the 190P because of the shorter length and the nearly double CCC. However, most 190p's do not have enclosed bathrooms, and those that do lose the 3rd seat, which causes problems with taking our grand kids camping.

We have a 2000 190P. Purchased new with most of the fixings. Gen, tow pkg, etc. We picked the 190 over 210 because of better maneuverability around towns, in cities and in parking spaces. Also, the length of 19’ was the economical limit on many ferries.It’s comfortable for the two of us and a grandchild now and again. The bath can be pretty private if need be with the door configuration. Since we were originally tent campers this was a palace. We’ve now run it 295k miles, all the lower 48 and across Canada and many Fl-ME trips. We’ve looked at most all the B’s and have no regrets or wishes (well, maybe a bigger frig). It’s getting long on tooth as we are but we hope to keep it going. Definitely a 190P over a 210 for us.

[glenncoenen]

Don't know what kind of sway bar the front one was. I have new shocks also but at the time i Didn't know about the belsteins. I did the new steering box and the front end is tight. And I put heavy duty Michelins all the way around. Wish i had known about this blog a couple of years ago.!! I guess my next step will be the Hellwig back sway bar. I have found that a regular auto mechanic, even if good, doesn't really have a clue.

[Atlee Hokie]

Thanks for all the comments so far. DW really likes the idea of a 5cf fridge. I, on the other hand coming from a truck and trailer background, am always obsessing over cargo capacity and weight limits. I do like the added margin the 190P gives, compared to the 210P.

[peteco]

Originally Posted by Atlee Hokie

Thanks for all the comments so far. DW really likes the idea of a 5cf fridge. I, on the other hand coming from a truck and trailer background, am always obsessing over cargo capacity and weight limits. I do like the added margin the 190P gives, compared to the 210P.

Fridge size and larger enclosed bath on 210P were key factors for my wife. I am overweight sometimes. I need to remove some less than necessary tools and other items.

[Renwick]

I replaced the old 2310 Dometic fridge TF130 got it from truck fridge.com run straight with 12 volts DC compressor been running 24/7 with 2 AGM battery power 200 watts solar installed top of the roof. I think it’s 4.6 ft fridge capacity. My wife was so happy with it little bit pricey.

[HeistHL]

If your Dodge Van based Roadtrek handles poorly check the track width of the rear vs front. On my 1999 170 the difference was 3.5 inches. I installed wheel spacers (1.75") and now the van drives great.