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Louisville Show 2007
The 2007 RVIA Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky was almost exciting.
One of our volunteer RV Reporters, Roger Bassett, reports some changes that might tickle your fancy.
| Newmar's 42-foot behemoth toyhauler mid-engine class A sports two kitchens along with a full bath and a half-bath. The back half has a big slideup door that opens into a two level serving area with a large slideout grill. |
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| Among motor home manufacturers, Damon RV is the first to display a six-slide vehicle. And nearly every motor home manufacturer now makes at least one full-wall slide model. Where will the race for space end? |
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| First came the slideout, then multiple slideouts, and more recently the full-wall slide. Now, there's the slide-up. The 2008 Outback Loft by Keystone features an upward-expanding roof panel with canvas sides that creates a second bedroom. |
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| Speaking of slideouts, the full-wall slideout has heretofore been a motor home phenomenon. For 2008, Carriage is introducing a 30-foot full-wall slide in one of its fifth wheel models. The slide incorporates parts of both the living area and bedroom. |
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| Even Chalet, manufacturer of pop-up A-frame campers, has added a hard-sided dormer that gives the RVer headroom in the wraparound kitchen. Probably a nice innovation, but it does add weight. |
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| All types of RVs are becoming more like mansions on wheels. In addition to granite and marble galleys and baths in high-end RVs, fireplaces are now standard even in some moderately-priced units. For example, the Crossroads Seville features what resembles a real stone fireplace. However, the wall, which also incorporates a large-screen TV, is made of composite material. |
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- In response to the weight issue, Ford introduced two new class A motor home chassis rated at 24,000 GVWR and 26,000 GVWR, respectively. RVers will now have more choices among the longer and heavier class A's, which have, up to now, been dominated by Workhorse. These Ford chassis come standard with a 6.8L Triton V10 gas engine.
- With prices of large motor homes often topping $500,000 and fifth wheels running as high as $150,000, the RV industry appears to be leaving the middle class behind.
- For the more conservative RVer, Roger found that some manufacturers are claiming an effort to address fuel economy — a legitimate concern for middle-class buyers. Some claims:
| Winnebago claims that its new 2009 Era — a class B on a Sprinter chassis — will get at least 19 miles per gallon. |
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| Coachmen claims that its new Prism class C gets between 17 and 19 miles to the gallon -- an improvement over most class C's that average 10 to 11 miles per gallon. (This claim may be hard to swallow.) |
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As a final note:
In addition to the expected 2008 models, Roger found an unprecedented number of 2009's, complete with brochures, displayed at Louisville. We understand that some of these vehicles are already available on dealers' lots. Year designation has almost ceased to have meaning. For example, if someone buys a 2009 now, in 2007, and then sells it late in 2010, it may be sold as a 2009, but it could already be as much as three years old! Buyer Beware. |
Independent 
