TrvMan
Arizona
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Wife and I went to a dealership in Mesa yesterday to start the process of upgrading to a new DP. I do not know what manner of coach was used in the June FMCA mag review of the new Fleetwood Excursion, but was a far cry from the one we test drove. We have an 07 Fleetwood 32v and will now keep it forever after our test of the new Excursion.
I would be interested in others impression of this coach but ours was not good. Handling was very poor, the coach rattled throughout, while power was adequate at starting the power curve at crusing speed and acceleration was only fair to poor, (without tow vehicle). Fit and finish were unimpressive with the shower door latch breaking half way through our test drive. The table for the sofa was loose at the base and seems to be a challange to adjust.
I truly hope we just picked on a lemon and that Fleetwood in total has not lost the quality edge we experience in our existing 32v.
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The Texan
Meridian, Idaho
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Joined: 01/16/2004
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Just remember, those "reviews" are not unbiased.....FMCA sells advertising and Fleetwood buys that advertising space and writes reviews. You figure out if you should base your buying on that combination, I know I won't.
Bob & Betsy(FishNFanatic) - USN Aviation Ret'd '78 & LEO Ret'd '03 & "Oath Keeper Forever"
'05 HR Endeavor 40PRQ, 400 Cummins-Pulling our '11 Silverado LT, Ex Cab 6.2L NHT 4x4, w/2010 Rzr or 01 V Star in back.
Where the wheels are stopped today
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two-niner
las vegas, nv
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Joined: 01/02/2007
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Sometimes the truth is ugly...But The Texan is on the money.
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wolfe10
Texas
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Trvman,
Thanks for the post. Would be interested in the FACTS here.
What chassis do you have? The 33A in the article has the Freightliner XCS with 208" wheelbase. Wonder if tire pressure had been set-- generally not on in-stock units. What handling issues did you experience with the new one that would not have been exhibited under what conditions with your coach.
Power: The 33A in the article has the 300 HP Cummins ISB with a wet weight as tested of 21,480. What engine and weight coach is yours? Also, the brand new one will not be broken in yet.
Not defending or refuting-- just want to get some facts on how they SHOULD compare.
Brett Wolfe
1997 Safari Sahara 3540
EX: 1993 Foretravel 36' U-240
FMCA Forum: www.community.fmca.com/index
Diesel RV Club:http://www.dieselrvclub.org/
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wny_pat
Western NYS
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Joined: 08/11/2007
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two-niner wrote:Sometimes the truth is ugly...But The Texan is on the money.
Funny part is that the Fleetwood Excursion was also reviewed in the July issue of Motorhome by a different author, also with glowing results. Personally, I do not like the floorplan that was provided. But the article sounded like the authors (Chuck & Teresa Campbell) really liked the unit. The FMCA magazine article was written by Lazelle Jones. Chuck Campbell is listed in Motorhome magazine as a "contributor", but not listed as a staff member. Lazelle Jones is a travel writer/photographer, likely free-lance. Both probably do public relations work for travel related companies. The FMCA magazine article included a interview with John Draheim, president and CEO of Fleetwood RV.
I've done some PR work in my time. You don't knock the company who contracted you. And newspapers and magazines are ready to grab up your contracted work to publish it.
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fishboat1
southern ca, SW Riverside County
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July issue of Motorhome magazine also had a road test of the 33 foot Excursion and mentioned 12.9 mpg during the test although they did mention vibration on poor roads that are prevelent in Ca. Coach was OK on smoother highways. Overall the coach received high ratings.
Mike H
2007 Allegro Bay 34XB FRED
2002 Dodge Dakota 4 wheel drive Toad 4.7 v8
Four Winns fishing boat
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obgraham
Eastern WA
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I've been reading these reviews for some 20 years. They're almost always "glowing". The magazines' claim is that if they really don't like the unit they don't publish the review.
I take them for what they're worth.
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rolnhome
Casa Grande, Az
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Joined: 11/19/2007
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Trvmam,
Just a few thoughts. You have a gas rig it will accelerate at any speed alot faster than a diesel. Your rig is a top of the line Fleetwood Gasser. The rig you drove is an entry level DP so your not going to have the top bells and whistles and fit.
The handling issues may be you are not use to the difference in the handling of the two rigs. The DP won't have the "sportscar" feel of a Gasser. As for the rattles my guess is you took it of the lot and drove it. I think once things are stored and drawers have stuff in them these rattles will disappear. The latch and the table are easy fixes in a walk thru PDI.
We're in Arizona
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TrvMan
Arizona
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Wolfe10,
To answer your questions, the unit we drove was the exact model and specs in the FMCA article. According to the sales rep., the PSI had been set in accordance with a "dry weight" setting and thus I can only assume low relative pressure however the rep could not give me exact specs. In comparision my coach (Ford Chassis on the 32v) is set for full fluids, 1/2 carrying capacity, each corner is individually weighed and PSI set per specs. Having said that, even with uneven and almost full PSI when we purchased the existing 32v, the worst handling on the 32v given these factors was by a far shot better than the handling with the new Excursion.
I understand the fact that the engine was not broken in however having owned a previous ISB Cummins (05) in a Monaco Neptune, I can assure you there was a definite power problem even givin a break-in factor. Again, considering the fit and finish and general rattling, one has to assume there is perhaps a quality issue here. And it must be stated that this could be an isolated instance.
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rolnhome
Casa Grande, Az
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Just a suggestion but why not look at a newer used DP.
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