Introducing our 2020 Winnebago View 24D.

With our favorite mode of travel- Cruise ships- grounded since early 2020, we decided to use the money saved from all our canceled cruises to purchase a lightly used RV to serve as our land yacht.  After much research, we decided to find a nice class C motorhome.  We have had prior experiences with a rental class C motorhome which we had rented from Cruise America many years ago for a rock hounding trip with our kids to the desert southwest.  We also spent many years pulling a bunkhouse travel trailer up and down  the west coast for swim meets as our children grew up to be highly competitive club and then college swimmers.  That trailer got sold after we found ourselves empty nesters.

We chose to go with the Winnebago View mostly because of its reputation for quality and innovation over the years.  The model 24D is equipped with a Murphy bed and a single nearly full length slide on the driver side which holds the Murphy bed and dinette.  

With the slide deployed, there is room for a table between the sofa and galley which can serve as a useful prep island as well as dining space.  We also appreciate that the bed requires minimal making up.  If the sheets and blankets are left tucked at the foot, everything just folds up into the wall in seconds with the push of a button.  Putting the bed back down is just as quick and easy.  There is no fussing around with mattress pieces that have to slide over each other as is the situation with rear slides, and we can access the bed from either side.  We can each get out of bed and use the bathroom which is situated across the rear of the coach, without having to disturb each other.

Importantly, when the Murphy bed is put away, and the slide is retracted for driving, there is still a sofa that is comfortable enough to easily nap on during brief stops on the roadside, and access to the bathroom in the back is unimpeded so that we can use the restroom in flight if necessary.  

This model also has a cab over bed that can sleep two small adults comfortably, and a dinette that can also sleep two adults.  When the slide is out, there is also enough room for a small cot between the dinette and galley that can sleep a 7th in a pinch.  There are only seat belt positions for 4 people including the driver and front passenger. 

Our 2020 Winnebago View 24D is built on a Mercedes Benz VS30 Chassis, which is the latest chassis design. It features a 3.0 liter turbo diesel with an 8 speed automatic transmission.  We had hoped to get one with the 9" center display because that is equipped with adaptive cruise control, power heated seats and a high level of luxury, but our particular unit was built with an "Economy" version of the cab, featuring vinyl manually adjustable seats, Lane minders and collision alert warning, but no adaptive cruise control.  I actually have to drive the vehicle myself.  But the standard cruise control does a good job at maintaining speed even on descents where it downshifts and brakes as necessary.  It has a 7" center display with navigation and satellite radio, as well as built in Apple Play functionality.  There are USB-C outlets in the tray on top of the dash, as well as on the middle of the center column below the dash.  There is a small step down from the coach into the cab, and a retractible hand brake next to the driver seat allows both passenger and driver seats to be pivoted around to face into the coach for additional seating.  

The manually adjustable seats are comfortable enough, but we miss our power leather seats which we have in all our other vehicles.  The seat back recliner function requires turning a knob at the base of the setback which is slow and awkward.  We fitted our seats with sheepskin covers to keep them cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.  

There is ample storage in the cab including a lockable glove compartment above the driver side sun visors.  There is also a covered glove compartment in the center top of the dashboard which houses 2 USB-C outlets including one dedicated to Apple Play devices.  

The coach portion of the RV is well finished with clean light and simple decor, reminiscent of the sensibility seen on Viking cruise ships.  The appliances include a single burner LP cooktop paired with an induction cooktop.  There is a versatile stainless steel microwave/convection oven/broiler beneath the counter top, and there is a lot of actual counter space in this particular layout.  The refrigerator is run on an electrical compressor so it will run even if the coach is not level.  It draws 69W in day mode and 45W in night mode. It is paired with rooftop solar panels (200W standard- we added another 110W) and a solar charge controller and 2000W inverter.  There are two Group 24 Flooded Cell 12V batteries in the coach.  These should allow us to run the refrigerator under most conditions, but there is also a LP Onan generator to provide backup AC power.  Because it is possible that the induction cooktop and microwave running together could exceed the 30A rating of the RV's electrical system, there is a device installed that cuts off power to the inductive cooktop if the microwave is drawing more than 10A.  So we have discovered that meal planning will have to include budgeting power between the microwave and induction cooktop.

A relatively new innovation is the Truma continuous hot water system.  It features a recirculation system to minimize time for water to get hot at the main sink and bathroom sink, but it still takes some time for hot water to hit the shower when it first starts up.  But because it is a continuous hot water system, we don't have to worry about running out of hot water when hooked up to a city water supply.  You just have to keep an eye on the grey tank levels.  

Other niceties include automatic lighting on all of the cabinets and drawers that illuminate the contents when they are opened.  The lighting is all LED, and in addition to ceiling and undercounter lights in front and rear zones, there is accent lighting above cabinets and below the toe kicks that are ideal for watching the TV or relaxing.  The reading lights also have a blue nightlight mode and white reading mode.  All cabinets and doors have locking latches to keep them secure while driving.  

We managed to save many tens of thousands of dollars buying a slightly used (8500 miles on the odometer) coach from the original owner.  She had recently lost her traveling partner, and didn't think she could manage to travel by herself with her little dogs.  She had outfitted the rig nicely, saving us a lot of time, effort and money.  She added indoor/outdoor carpeting over the standard vinyl flooring which helps quiet the coach and take some of the chill off the floor.  I will detail our own personalizations and modifications in future blog entries.  Part of the fun of RVing is accessorizing and customizing the RV to suit our own personalities and needs.