Winnebago Era 70C info

[nodigg99]

Anyone on here that can share good and bad for this unit? I have been looking for a B that we can downsize to and ran across this model recently. Pros and Cons of actual owners appreciated.

[Engdavis]

We bought our 2015 Era 70C about six months ago with 29,000 miles on it. We've only taken one trip of about 600 miles to date, but here's what I can share with you:

Pros:

Great driving experience compared to our 2010 Pleasure-way Excel TS. It is much more stable on the highways and doesn't react too much when passing other large vehicles.

Power is surprisingly good from the tiny 3 liter V-6 Mercedes Diesel. Even towing the Smart car we had no issues maintaining highway speeds in the hills of Northeast Georgia.

Love the fuel efficiency. We got 16 mpg while towing a small Smart car, and 17 without the small car in tow.

Everything I've worked on has been easy to access and maintain except the optional second house battery. It's located on the driver's side and some plumbing has to be removed to get to it. I had to take it to a shop that had a maintenance pit because it was not practical to try to do it on the ground due to very restricted access under the sides of the body.

We liked the sound quality of the entertainment system. We watched movies and the surround sound with the subwoofer was impressive for a small RV.

Cons:

The slide out with the bed is very narrow. Only a little over 4 feet wide. We were not able to get comfortable due to the restricted width inside the slide out and the cushion gaps that result when the bed is open. We bought an air mattress and use that on top of the bed and that works okay, but it's a hassle to deal with it in the confined spaces.

Cabinetry is not top quality. One of the drawers doesn't line up flush with the others and one of the latches doesn't engage properly and I'll have to replace it. Probably not an Era problem as much as a previous owner issue.

The shower door is not a great item. It moves stiffly on its track and we're replacing it with a different type of shower door.

The sliding screen door was not on ours when we bought it. So I bough one of those Velcro attached magnetic bug screens and it's a perfect fit. Works great.

We had two more trips planned this year and will probably discover other pros and cons then.

I hope this helps you.

Mike

[nodigg99]

Much appreciate the time to respond in detail.

[RossDinan6]

Like Engdavis, we got ours about the same time. It gets out about once a month, normally long weekends within a few hours of home.

The road manners are great, it is after all a Mercedes. My mileage is similar, though I haven't dragged a toad yet. The power is quite good due to the torque. The brakes are also good. Ask me how I know. Hey stupid people, when you are about to miss your interstate exit, DON'T STOP!!!

Moving from a 32' class A outside storage was a concern. Having the back door storage space is great. The interior storage is quite good as well for a class B.

I have had to do some minor repairs as expected. So far it has been solid.

We do not have a problem with the size of the bed, and I find the fold out bed plenty comfortable. The other half may have been the model for the 'Princess and the Pea". She has been through several different "improvements" Currently a two inch firm foam mattress pad. It works well but is a bit of a pain to deal with. Traveling it stores in the shower Camping it is rolled up on the driver's seat. Not an unreasonable compromise in my opinion.

As mentioned, house battery access is tough being underneath the coach. I rerouted the interfering plumbing when I removed the batteries to test. The generator is not much better. I was able to service the batteries and generator without jacking or a lift. Not sure how many more years I can do it, we'll see.

Doing my due diligence, I was a bit concerned about the DEF and regen systems. I have added a Scan Gauge to monitor regen and DPF status, among the other things it can do. I am a bit data driven.

If this is half as good as my '05 Sprinter, there should be 150K relatively trouble free miles. Time will tell.

Ross

[Engdavis]

Mercedes is conducting settlement on these sprinters.

You can read about it here. You will need to know if the previous owner had it completed.
ahttps://www.mbbluetecsettlement.com/

[nodigg99]

Originally Posted by RossDinan6

Like Engdavis, we got ours about the same time. It gets out about once a month, normally long weekends within a few hours of home.

The road manners are great, it is after all a Mercedes. My mileage is similar, though I haven't dragged a toad yet. The power is quite good due to the torque. The brakes are also good. Ask me how I know. Hey stupid people, when you are about to miss your interstate exit, DON'T STOP!!!

Moving from a 32' class A outside storage was a concern. Having the back door storage space is great. The interior storage is quite good as well for a class B.

I have had to do some minor repairs as expected. So far it has been solid.

We do not have a problem with the size of the bed, and I find the fold out bed plenty comfortable. The other half may have been the model for the 'Princess and the Pea". She has been through several different "improvements" Currently a two inch firm foam mattress pad. It works well but is a bit of a pain to deal with. Traveling it stores in the shower Camping it is rolled up on the driver's seat. Not an unreasonable compromise in my opinion.

As mentioned, house battery access is tough being underneath the coach. I rerouted the interfering plumbing when I removed the batteries to test. The generator is not much better. I was able to service the batteries and generator without jacking or a lift. Not sure how many more years I can do it, we'll see.

Doing my due diligence, I was a bit concerned about the DEF and regen systems. I have added a Scan Gauge to monitor regen and DPF status, among the other things it can do. I am a bit data driven.

If this is half as good as my '05 Sprinter, there should be 150K relatively trouble free miles. Time will tell.

Ross

Another informative answer. Many thanks!

[ArtDeco]

I have an earlier model ... a 2010 ERA 170 with the pre def engine ...and am very happy with the driving performance of the sprinter van. I don't tow, but get a solid 19 mpg uphills or on flats with excellent climbing and road handling. The cabinets and appliances Winnebago installed all still work well 12 years later (but I don't know how much use they got from the previous owner since it had very low miles) and would buy another ERA if I was looking. Good luck with your search.

[nodigg99]

Thank you the experience you have had.

[RossDinan6]

OK, my turn.

While I haven't torn the RV completely apart looking, does anyone know where they hid the converter? No issues, but I have no documentation and would like to know what's there and inspect.

Ross

[dashriprock1974]

Converter in my 2017 Era is beneath the wardrobe, behind the drawers and circuit breaker box.