E-450 Godzilla!

[Samson16]

Shopping and considering a Class C RV, and while looking at some Sprinter 3500 chassis models I noticed a Phoenix Cruiser E-450 RV that was very different in appearance, but very similar in length and width.
It runs on unleaded gas with the Ford 7.3L V8 and 6 speed transmission. At only 25’ 11” long and a GVWR of 14,500lbs it’s a little tank lol.

If anyone has experience with the E chassis or these class C RVs in general, I would appreciate your thoughts. ?

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[Dakar09]

I'm starting to look at these myself. My brother rented a few of these down in Florida and out in Wyoming, and he specifically looks for the this size and Ford powertrain when he can get it. They don't go anywhere quickly, but he was pretty impressed with it's performance (but not MPG, lol). He never drove the Sprinter, but IMO, with Mercedes quality on the downturn lately, I'd be just as keen to go with the E-chassis over the Sprinter. I would be willing to bet the Sprinter has a better suspension overall, but I haven't test driven either myself. And a vehicle this size isn't going to be carving up any mountain passes anyway.

The size works out well for him, too. It's he and his wife plus 10 y.o. twins and they have the room they need. Sometimes their German Shepherd goes with them, too, which makes it a bit tighter stepping over the dog due to floor plan, but it still works out.

I like this size because of the bathroom/shower layout. Anything smaller and they typically do the toilet & shower combo space, which is not my cup of tea.

Let us know what you think if you drive one!

 

[powerboatr]

Most important is cargo capacity and axle weights
These type of coaches tend to be nearly at max axle weight
Other than that , they are great alternative for short trips , and park easy

 

[UGADawg96]

No interest in a class C on the transit 250/350 platform with the 3.5 ecoboost ?

 

[Samson16]

I'm starting to look at these myself. My brother rented a few of these down in Florida and out in Wyoming, and he specifically looks for the this size and Ford powertrain when he can get it. They don't go anywhere quickly, but he was pretty impressed with it's performance (but not MPG, lol). He never drove the Sprinter, but IMO, with Mercedes quality on the downturn lately, I'd be just as keen to go with the E-chassis over the Sprinter. I would be willing to bet the Sprinter has a better suspension overall, but I haven't test driven either myself. And a vehicle this size isn't going to be carving up any mountain passes anyway.

The size works out well for him, too. It's he and his wife plus 10 y.o. twins and they have the room they need. Sometimes their German Shepherd goes with them, too, which makes it a bit tighter stepping over the dog due to floor plan, but it still works out.

I like this size because of the bathroom/shower layout. Anything smaller and they typically do the toilet & shower combo space, which is not my cup of tea.

Let us know what you think if you drive one!

Will do!
Apparently the chassis is strong but very dated, and needs help to manage the load and stability challenges the heavy RV packages present.

 

[Samson16]

No interest in a class C on the transit 250/350 platform with the 3.5 ecoboost ?

Yes! The Transit is definitely on our list if we go smaller. I think they’ve detuned the 3.5 just a little bit to help with heat dissipation ? ?

The LTV Wonder is not going to double as a daily driver or win ego races so calm her down and help her run cool. Still plenty of power there compared to the competition.

 

[Samson16]

With the 3.5 or the 7.3, I Hope I can extend the warranty out like I’ve done with my PB. It will only apply to the Ford cutaway portion, but still that’s huge if we’re keeping it.

 

[NavyChief]

The only negative to me would be they still use the 6spd vs the 10spd as I feel that would keep you in peak engine performance but I’m sure the 6spd is fine.
the biggest upgrade I would recommend on any of them is a big rear sway bar as that helps stability and driving comfort going down the road. A bigger front bar wouldn’t hurt either.

 

[Larrymoe]

The only negative to me would be they still use the 6spd vs the 10spd as I feel that would keep you in peak engine performance but I’m sure the 6spd is fine.
the biggest upgrade I would recommend on any of them is a big rear sway bar as that helps stability and driving comfort going down the road. A bigger front bar would hurt either.

Given the worry everyone has for some reason over the 10 speed around here, I'm sure they'd be super happy about the 6spd.

 

[Dakar09]

I would agree with above. I think they may have left the 6 speed for a reason.

If I was to buy one, I would definitely modify the sway bars and probably get a tune for the engine/trans, if they made one. Honestly, a diesel would make more sense in a vehicle of that size/weight, imo.

 

[Samson16]

I would agree with above. I think they may have left the 6 speed for a reason.

If I was to buy one, I would definitely modify the sway bars and probably get a tune for the engine/trans, if they made one. Honestly, a diesel would make more sense in a vehicle of that size/weight, imo.

Owners seem to be happy with the 7.3V8 over the V10. Runs stronger. Runs cooler. Gets better mpg than the old gas engine did. I like the simplicity it offers with easy power for the length model I’m interested in.

For example: Minnie Winnie 25B is 26’4” long with no slides. $60K less than the Sprinter model easily. Worth considering for me lol.

 

[Dakar09]

I know people were completely underwhelmed by the V10. The idea is cool but it was a disappointment in this application.

 

[Samson16]

I know people were completely underwhelmed by the V10. The idea is cool but it was a disappointment in this application.

Now this V10 ?

 

[Samson16]

Most important is cargo capacity and axle weights
These type of coaches tend to be nearly at max axle weight
Other than that , they are great alternative for short trips , and park easy

Found an Entegra Odyssey 24B. 26’8” overall length. E-450 chassis with #2608 OCCC and #7500 tow. The 7.3L sounded confident when I fired it up ?.
Entegra Coach has “EZ-Drive” which includes Hellwig helper springs and rear sway bar along with some additional rubber isolation pieces. Internet recommends adding a Safe-T-Plus steering damper and front sway bar or get used to white knuckles lol. ??‍

I don’t know. The PB is my first full sized truck so now what am I getting into!

 

[Dakar09]

The F150 (any one) will ride, handle, and accelerate like a dream compared to those big campers, even with the helper stuff. But it's a different driving experience for a reason...it's a house on wheels!!

I say get the one that has stout enough performance and can be upgraded a bit for suspension/handling, but more importantly...has the amenities and size inside that you need. As you know, there are way more features to those than just the chassis and powertrain!!

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