Travato question

[Matt Ward]

About to purchase a Travato. I have the choice of 2 models, wondering if anyone has advice on which one to go with. The two are a 2019 59k with about 25,000 miles, sell price or 85,000. The other is a 2020.5 National Park Edition 59KL with about 50,000 miles for 90,000. Any recommendations or considerations you think I should consider?

[mkguitar]

Hi Matt, Hello and Welcome


I have no opinion or knowledge of those models.


What is your experience- if you are starting at zero, consider your use and their use of space on the interior.

many of the fold down bed models are not great beds.

watch sales videos on youtube and watch how easily ( or not!) the sales person moves around inside the cabin.

and if they have to move 3 things to access a feature... Ive seen some where setting up a table requires "3 hands, a flashlight and patience"

it's a huge chunk of change, make the right choice the first time.

when we were near "zero" we looked at about 30 units and when we saw ours we knew it was the right choice.
criteria:
gas & domestic chassis
length ways bed ( no climb over in the middle of the night and longer)

[mkguitar]

2.) just looking at a sales video for a KL model. I wouldn't want dark paint- it takes alot of energy to cool a hotter van.

esp with solar on the roof requires you park in the sun

the propane fitting seems to hang low & at the centerpoint of the wheel base, easy to break ?

weird not to have ALL the cable and hoses on the driver side- the cable tv on the pass side


for the electric system, I would read up on that with a critical eye- some of the "newfangled" electric systems and/or controls create many questions


not much in the way of storage in the galley

a mid bath often allows open rear doors at the bed when camping at the beach- I'm not big on a rear bath


but pretty cool vans ! I rented a peugeot diesel 6 spd version of the promaster and liked the way it drove

[Urlauber]

Originally Posted by Matt Ward

About to purchase a Travato. I have the choice of 2 models, wondering if anyone has advice on which one to go with. The two are a 2019 59k with about 25,000 miles, sell price or 85,000. The other is a 2020.5 National Park Edition 59KL with about 50,000 miles for 90,000. Any recommendations or considerations you think I should consider?

What helped me a lot in figuring out which model was right for me was to watch a lot of Youtube videos. There are plenty of discussions, walk-throughs, and comparisons that help you make up your mind.

IIRC the KL is the lithium version which allows you to run your A/C off the batteries for a little while. This adds quite a bit to the initial cost, so if you can get both for a similar price it's something to consider.

I like the simplicity and lower cost of traditional AGM batteries, and don't mind running the generator if I need AC and am not plugged in somewhere. Others prefer the cutting edge and higher energy density of lithium cells.

Same with rear bathrooms, some like them (i do), some won't. You need to figure all of that out for you and besides going to the dealer and sitting in the camper, the best is watching videos...

[jakegw2]

The NP edition has a even larger than normal Lithium battery setup, enough to run the AC through the night and then some. For only 5k more and a year newer I would say that it would be the winner if it were up to me.

Getting the non-"L" version Travato upgraded to a basic Lithium power system will cost you somewhere around $3-4k, and that will be nowhere near as capable as the one included in the NP-KL.

[MsNomer]

No-brainer. Get the lithium. We had AGM for six years before switching to lithium. The difference is night and day, even without an air conditioner.

[scooter]

We have a 2018 59K with the AGM batteries, solar panels and a generator. I love the redundant systems. I can charge my batteries via solar, vehicle alternator or shore power. I can run all the systems on shore power, batteries or the generator. The only thing I can't run on the batteries, alone, is the AC and the microwave. We love the rear bath, for ease of use in the night time. No crawling over a partner/spouse to answer the midnight call. We love the big windows and openness of the 59K model. We boondock a lot and prefer the natural ventilation of this model. Perhaps, you can rent the model you are interested in and see if it works for your needs. Good luck with your hunt.

[bobcat66]

We have a 2016 59K which we purchased new. Love the floor plan as it is very open to the outside. Had considered upgrading to a 59KL, however a number of owners have had issues with the Volta lithium battery charging system. Because of that, if at some point we do upgrade it would be to a model with the quieter generator.

Good luck on your decision!

[prostar]

I have the 2020
59K most roomy love the unit

[prostar]

I have the same as yours only the 2020 model and you are so right!!

[Mpruet]

The K will have a bit more storage under the passenger bed than the KL. My thoughts are to go with the K, but that might be because I have a 2017.5 59K.

The KL ‘probably’ doesn’t have a generator, but instead relies on an auto start + alternator mechanism when the batteries get low, much like a Prius in ‘ready’ mode.

I have a 59K, so have regular AGMs. Mine are the original OEM batteries, and even though they are over 5 years old are still holding a great charge. The only thing that requires alternating current in my rig is my Air Conditioner and Microwave. I rarely use the Air Conditioner, but do use my Microwave. I do boondock a lot so use my generator when using the Microwave. Mostly I only need the generator for less than 5 minutes unless I’m using the Microwave in convection oven mode.

I’m toying with the idea of doing drop-in Lithium replacements when my AGMs need to be replaced. But I just got back from three months in Alaska/Northern Canada and my AGMs proved to be holding a charge even after 5 years.

The only problem with getting a KL vrs dropping in Lithium in a K is that the KL has more components than the K+Lithium, and my experience is that the more stuff there is the more that can break. But there is a drawback to K+Lithium drop-ins as the current location for the batteries is exterior to the main chassis and that runs into the cold weather charging problem.