New 2016 Vegas 24.1 First impressions

[Jason977]

We picked up our new Vegas 24.1 (E450 chassis, 6-speed tranny) Wednesday. Unfortunately We haven't had much time to play with it, but I have a few first impressions. I will also be comparing it to the '15 25.1 we rented a couple months ago.

During our PPI, we caught a few little issues.

• The TV over the door was not mounted properly, and they took care of that.
• The white interior seal at the front of the slide was torn. The tech basically told me "they all do that" and he'd replace it, but it would just tear again where it rubs against the slide rack.
• The velcro on the couch cushion back is apparently stronger than the fabric, and tore the backing fabric
• The bathroom doors rub and bind with each other
• there is condensation inside the front marker lights
• Front door drags on the latch

On the way home, I was very pleased with how it drove. Our rental unit had a tendency to "pull" when going over bumps or uneven road surfaces, and ours does not. The 6-speed tranny is nice. Since I was buying new, I wanted to make sure I got the newer chassis, but I can't say it's obviously better than the 5-speed. I varied my speed on my 200mi drive home, but drove at a good clip, mostly just over 70mph (75mph speed limit), but up to 80mph. Always handled great, with great power. Due to my speed, I got about 8.5mpg on the trip home. Still not too bad.

Drove across the scales on the way home with a full tank of fuel and empty water (although I didn't drain the black and grey, there might be a bit in those). With 200lb me in the driver's seat, my weights were 4680 front and 6700 rear for 11,380 total.

The heat/AC controls on the dash are garbage. I believe the rental had the Ford control panel, and this is some aftermarket junk. Two of the dials are already broken.

Once I got it to my house, I realized there is a problem with the furnace. It will almost always light the first time, but subsequently the fan will come on but not light. I pulled the cover and I'm getting a 2-flash error. Added this to my list of items for the dealer to address.

All in all, I am very pleased and looking forward to taking it out. We very much prefer the 24.1 floorplan to the 25.1. In our opinion:

• The shorter overall length is nice, since we're looking for something small to begin with.
• The rear bedroom area is better in every way. The 25.1 essentially has 2 gathering areas while parked, and while this might be nice for some, we don't expect to have that many guests. The 2 twins are nice as well, not sure if we will use them as twins or with them made into a King.
• The bathroom is okay, but we think the bathroom sink is silly. We'd gladly brush our teeth in the kitchen sink if it meant we could have a larger shower. The doors opening to extend the bathroom space is clever and works well. Plus if you're sitting on the toilet and need a new frosty beverage, it's right there
• The Dinette vs couch is pretty much a wash for us. Biggest down side to the couch is it's not great for playing games/ puzzles, etc. We'll probably just end up bringing chairs in to sit opposite the couch. The dinette makes a nice bed, while the fold-out couch with air matress seems much less ideal. But once again, probably won't have that many folks sleeping with us.
• I think we'll miss the extra couple inches of countertop and the pantry of the 25.1. In all the campers we've had, counter top space is always short.

In the upcoming weeks, I'll do some of the mods I've read about here, and get the warranty and alignment taken care of. My TPMS should arrive shortly, I ordered the TST 507 internal system. Luckily I have access to tire machines, so I can break them down and install them myself.

Thanks to all on this board who provided insight and helped with our purchase. I hope to contribute as I do my own mods/ repairs.

Jason

[Chance]

Jason, where in Texas did you rent? And did they have other models besides the 25.1?

[Jason977]

We rented from an individual in the Houston/ Spring area. He has 2, both 25.1s

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Jason977

Our rental unit had a tendency to "pull" when going over bumps or uneven road surfaces, and ours does not.

It is possible that the dealer never got an alignment on the rental!

Originally Posted by Jason977

The white interior seal at the front of the slide was torn. The tech basically told me "they all do that" and he'd replace it, but it would just tear again where it rubs against the slide rack.

Ours was torn, the dealer replaced it and it hasn't torn since.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Jason977

....cut....

• The shorter overall length is nice, since we're looking for something small to begin with.
• The rear bedroom area is better in every way. The 25.1 essentially has 2 gathering areas while parked, and while this might be nice for some, we don't expect to have that many guests. The 2 twins are nice as well, not sure if we will use them as twins or with them made into a King.
• The bathroom is okay, but we think the bathroom sink is silly. We'd gladly brush our teeth in the kitchen sink if it meant we could have a larger shower. The doors opening to extend the bathroom space is clever and works well. Plus if you're sitting on the toilet and need a new frosty beverage, it's right there
• The Dinette vs couch is pretty much a wash for us. Biggest down side to the couch is it's not great for playing games/ puzzles, etc. We'll probably just end up bringing chairs in to sit opposite the couch. The dinette makes a nice bed, while the fold-out couch with air matress seems much less ideal. But once again, probably won't have that many folks sleeping with us.
• I think we'll miss the extra couple inches of countertop and the pantry of the 25.1. In all the campers we've had, counter top space is always short.

.....cut....

Jason, I'm not following why the dinette versus couch is a wash? Every other point is as I would have expected -- the 24.1 bedroom is very efficient, the bathroom is a little small, and kitchen countertop space is limited.

However, wording on your point about couch versus dinette seems to favor the dinette yet you call it even.

When we've had both a couch and dinette (our Class C and all rentals), we end up using the dinette far more than the couch. I'm curious what you like about the couch that you didn't mention to make it a wash?

[Oneilkeys]

Interesting discussion on the dinette vs. couch. We are at the Tampa RV show (actually starts tomorrow) and are thinking of going just a little bigger from our Vegas 24.1. We have 25,000 miles on the Vegas and are looking to see if there is anything out there there under 30' that we like better than the 24.1. In my "homework" there are almost no (only one that I can find) coaches (Other than Vegas/Axis) that offer a couch rather than a dinette. We spent 3 months in our Vegas two years ago and 4 1/2 months in it last year to Alaska and back and much prefer the couch. We enjoy eating looking out the window - that's why we travel, for the scenery, and the couch is much more comfortable to sit in and read or watch movies. We must be in the minority however, based in the number of dinettes vs. couches on the market in under 30' RVs.

[EA37TS]

My prior Class C (28 foot) had both the couch and dinette as well as a walk around queen bed.

The dinette got the majority of its use during inclement weather (rain or snow) while the couch was used daily. The majority of the time our meals were outdoors so the dinette was not used very often. In fact the dinette was used more by the dogs while travelling than by any human.

[Chance]

To me it seems that the main TV over the door has to influence much of the Axis/Vegas' design, including couch versus dinette seating.

The TV over the door would seem to favor watching from a couch, while a TV mounted at rear of living area facing forward (like attached to bathroom wall which is common on many floorplans) would favor watching from driver and passenger seats, plus the dinette's rear-facing bench.

I prefer a dinette for its function, but wouldn't want to watch TV sitting sidewards or constantly looking to the side. Since all Axis/Vegas TVs are over the door, that creates some functional limitations.

Given TV isn't easy to relocate, I'd like to know how Axis/Vegas owners sit to watch TV when they have a dinette.

[JamieGeek]

Our 5th wheel had both the couch and a dinette. The TV "nook" (didn't come with one) was to the left of the couch. With that setup we would bring in a chair from outside and one would sit in the chair while others would sit on the couch to watch TV. Rarely did we use the dinette for watching TV (it wasn't that comfortable).
We would frequently use the dinette for dining, however.

In our Axis: We leave the front table setup and watch TV from the couch & driver's seat (in some rare instances someone will sit & watch TV from the passenger seat as well). Our problem comes because there are 3 of us and in many cases someone wants to lay down on the couch to watch TV. In that case the 3rd person has to find a spot (usually they either just go lay on one of the beds in the back, or go outside and do something out there--we don't have the exterior TV option).

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

Interesting discussion on the dinette vs. couch. We are at the Tampa RV show (actually starts tomorrow) and are thinking of going just a little bigger from our Vegas 24.1. ....cut....

Do you expect to see any new models or floorplans? I'm not that familiar with the Tampa show or what's expected, but it sounds like it may be bigger than the Houston show next month.

I'm in Florida and would make an effort to get to Tampa show if I thought there was going to be a greater selection of smaller Class As.

[hudson0231]

Are you sure the E-450 cutaway has a six speed transmission i've heard that the E-450 cutaway still uses a five speed transmission, how would a person know for sure?

[EA37TS]

According to the Ford Specs the 6 speed is optional. It will depend on whether or not the contract between Thor and Fords specifies the 6 speed. More than likely Thor will take what Ford has in stock at the time so you may see a mix of 2016 units with 5 or 6 speed transmissions.

[Jason977]

Chance:
Funny thing is, when I was typing that list I kind of thought to myself, "what was it that I like about the couch again?" Perhaps I just convinced myself that it's not a downside since my final choice was for the 24.1 floorplan. But here are some couch pro's:
With the table out, it's very roomy in the living area, and very easy to come in and plop down on the couch.
Although it's short and I'm tall, I could still probably nap on the couch comfortably
The The couch provides an extra seat belt up front, for 5 occupants total up front, whereas the dinette has 2+2+2 seating. We (Me, wife, 3yr old) are planning a trip with a couple of friends, and we can all sit within earshot.
When it's just the 3 of us, we're much closer to each other with our daughter sitting on the couch rather than the forward facing seat of the dinette.
TV viewing is better with the couch, but we don't really watch much TV.

Time will tell, our opinion may change with use.

In the past, we've had 3 toy hauler trailers with no sides. The first two had the fold-out couches on either wall, and the last one had a couch on one wall and a fold-out dinette on the other. The couch seemed to get more use, just because of its ease of entry/ exit.

Hudson:
To tell if a particular unit has the E450 chassis with its higher payload and 6-spd transmission, run the vin through this vin decoder: VIN Decoder - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

My understanding is that for '16, the 6-speed is standard with the V10, whereas optional for the 5.4L, and all Axis/ Vegas models come with the V10, so all units built on a '16 chassis will come with the 6-spd.
My gear indicator is labeled 'PRND421'. Don't know if that's different from the 5-speed models, but it would be a handy thing to know if it was.

[Chance]

All new Ford specs I've seen show that starting with 2016 Ford model year chassis, all E-350, E-450, and F-53 chassis with the 6.8L V10 have the 6-speed 6R140 transmission.

The 5-speed transmission was initially limited to the 5.4L V8 in Ford 2016 model year; but even that seems to have changed because the 5.4L V8 appears to be on it's way out.

According to newest Ford specs and their website, all E-Series cutaway now come with the V10 and therefore the 6-speed transmission.

To get a 5-speed in a cutaway with a V10 engine you'd have to find a motorhome that's been around a while. I would hope all 5-speed chassis have already worked through the manufacturer's pipeline, although they can sit on dealer lots for years.

Attached picture from Ford site doesn't even show the V8 on cutaway chassis any longer.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Jason977

....cut....
My gear indicator is labeled 'PRND421'. Don't know if that's different from the 5-speed models, but it would be a handy thing to know if it was.

That is different than all 5-speed I've driven.

So how does that work exactly? If you put it in "4", does it start in 1st and go through gears normally until you get to 4th, at which time it stops up-shifting and holds 4th gear? If not what?

What if you manually want to hold or limit 3rd or 5th. Is there a way to achieve that?

[EA37TS]

I checked Ford's site before my post. The V10 5 speed is standard with 6 speed optional on the 2016 stripped chassis.

[Jason977]

Originally Posted by Chance

That is different than all 5-speed I've driven.

So how does that work exactly? If you put it in "4", does it start in 1st and go through gears normally until you get to 4th, at which time it stops up-shifting and holds 4th gear? If not what?

What if you manually want to hold or limit 3rd or 5th. Is there a way to achieve that?

I think the position you put the selector in determines the highest gear that it will shift to. Though I haven't tried it in this particular vehicle. Which means no, there's no way to hold 3rd or 5th. Shame, because it would be really nice to have a manual mode in certain situations.

[hudson0231]

Thank you for the information on how to find out what transmission I have that's very useful and I do have the six speed i'm very happy for that. 🤗

[EA37TS]

Just checked Ford's site again. for 2016, the V10 with 6 speed is standard on the F53 and the E series cutaway chassis (Class C). The V10 with 5 speed is standard with the 6 speed optional on the 2016 stripped chassis.

The Axis Vegas uses the stripped and not the cutaway chassis.

Here is the link for the stripped chassis specs.

2016 Ford Stripped Chassis Commercial Trucks | Stripped Chassis Super Duty, E-350, E-450, F-53 & F-59 Commercial Trucks | Ford.com

Here is the link for the cutaway chassis specs

2016 E-Series Cutaway | Explore Available Packages for E-350 & E-450 Models | Ford.com

[Oneilkeys]

If you put the transmission in the Ford five speed it shifts thru the gears 1-2-3-5. Five is an over drive. When it down shifts it shifts 5-4-3. Reportedly, the new six speed shifts 1-2-3-4-6 and downshifts 6-5-4. In the Ford chassis, the 10th digit in the VIN # tells you the year. F is 2015 and G is 2016. There are still plenty of 2015 chassis's on Ford dealer lots. If you search the dealer nearest northern Indiana he still has a bunch. So look at the VIN#. It does not lie.