Thor Axis/Vegas 25.5

[TowJumper]

I am still in the market for my first class A and have been intrigued by the new 25.5 floorplan.

I finally found a decent walk-through of a Axis 25.5 and thought I would post a link. This is from a dealer. I do not know them and certainly I do not mean this to be a recommendation.

It is between this floor plan and venerable 24.1 for us so far in our search.

Here it is: https://youtu.be/M_eFQlgM2gE

I would love to know your thoughts.

[JamieGeek]

There was a lot of discussion about this floorplan when it was first announced: http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f17...-5-a-5239.html

[TowJumper]

Thanks for the link I could not find it searching "25.5" - too short a phrase I suppose.

[JamieGeek]

yeah 25.5 didn't work I had to dig a little deeper.

[Chance]

We saw it for the first time at the Tampa Supershow and liked it better than I thought I would.

The Twin/King bed arrangement in middle of coach with toilet at rear limits using the bed as a King if others are sleeping in front of motorhome. That's the main flaw I see.

In small motorhomes I very much like the beds to double as something else to make their space more useful. In this case it makes a great lounge area, except we found the beds very uncomfortable as goucho sofas. Like on most day beds they are too deep for our backs to reach the backrest. I moved the backrest forward by placing an extra spacer behind it and that made it much better. This could be an easy fix for us with extra cushions or some other spacer.

With two large goucho sofas I would prefer a dinette at front instead of couch. Setting the goucho sofas as a dinette blocks access to bathroom.

Kitchen counter space is limited compared to other 27-foot-long Axis.

I would prefer generator not to be on curb side (awning side).



As mentioned before, I'd like to see Thor offer this bed arrangement in the 24.1 as an option for those who want to convert the rear into a lounge area. The beds are not quite as wide but plenty wide for us. Plus they could be converted into King without blocking aisle and bathroom.

Too bad we can't choose the best of each plan.

[TowJumper]

Originally Posted by Chance

...With two large goucho sofas I would prefer a dinette at front instead of couch. Setting the goucho sofas as a dinette blocks access to bathroom. ...

I would prefer generator not to be on curb side (awning side).

Thanks for the perspective Chance. One of my questions was if there was room to get to the bathroom with the table setup between the the sofas. Were you able to see it in this configuration?

Never thought about the generator location; how quiet are the on-board Onans compared to a portable small Yamaha or Honda generator?

Regards!

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by TowJumper

how quiet are the on-board Onans compared to a portable small Yamaha or Honda generator?

Very loud. There is little to no muffler on the Onan. I usually don't run ours in a residential neighborhood.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by TowJumper

Thanks for the perspective Chance. One of my questions was if there was room to get to the bathroom with the table setup between the the sofas. Were you able to see it in this configuration?

Never thought about the generator location; how quiet are the on-board Onans compared to a portable small Yamaha or Honda generator?

Regards!

You can see table in video that Jamie posted, and it's offset to driver's side. I snapped picture for your reference. This should make it easier to pass by on passenger side as long as no one is sitting there, and also more comfortable to eat by sitting on driver-side goucho because of shorter reach to table. On the other hand table is too far from curb-side goucho. If this arrangement were in back as in a 24.1 the table could be wider and centered -- but that's more wishful thinking on my part.

The generator is much louder than a Honda 2,000 -- probably by around 15 decibels which is a bunch. These Onans are close to 70 decibels while Hondas at half load are in the low 50s.

Beyond noise I wouldn't want the exhaust blowing so close towards people sitting under awning. Additionally, it sits just under rear edge of awning, so installing a Venturi extension to discharge exhaust above roof may be more difficult with awning above. Perhaps installing Venturi at an angle may work OK. For tailgating at college games we've gone last two years they require Venturi on all generators (not that everyone complies).

[Laco]

In my experience, the only way you get close to exactly what you want, is by buying something close, then modifying it to your liking.

[Chance]

I agree except when it comes to major or structural modifications. They are not always possible due to the way modern RVs are constructed. Even if you could make major modifications, the resale value of a motorhome could plummet.

As an example, to get close to what I want, I could buy a used Axis 24.1 (would never extensively modify a new one) and permanently remove the sofa slide. In its place I'd build a narrow 2-person booth dinette. The biggest problem is that not only would I spend lots of money on the project, I would also reduce the value of the MH. On the other hand if Thor deleted the slide and installed a dinette like on 25.2 floorplan, it wouldn't cost much (should cost less) and wouldn't affect resale nearly as much.

I could also relocate generator in a 24.1, and modify rear storage to make it more MegaStorage-like, but that too would add a lot of cost and adversely affect the resale value.

I think you are correct if talking about minor upgrades like shower curtains, adding solar, or even upgrading a refrigerator to residential, but any modification that is major would be a huge risk.

[Eratosthenes]

Originally Posted by Chance

...
On the other hand if Thor deleted the slide and installed a dinette like on 25.2 floorplan, it wouldn't cost much (should cost less) and wouldn't affect resale nearly as much.

I like the dinette on the 25.2 ... I wish Thor would allow this as an option like they make on some of their other models.

My perfect RV would be a stretch version of the 24.1, that is 1 foot longer (like the other 25 models). Then use that extra 1 foot of space to give us a bigger bathroom and more counter space in the kitchen. I love the rear twin bed sleeping arrangement, but find the shower to be too cramped.

Hope Thor is reading this ...

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Eratosthenes

I like the dinette on the 25.2 ... I wish Thor would allow this as an option like they make on some of their other models.

My perfect RV would be a stretch version of the 24.1, that is 1 foot longer (like the other 25 models). Then use that extra 1 foot of space to give us a bigger bathroom and more counter space in the kitchen. I love the rear twin bed sleeping arrangement, but find the shower to be too cramped.

Hope Thor is reading this ...

Below is a 27-1/2 foot as I would want it; although they could easily bring it down to the 27-foot length by simply going to a more common 24X36 shower, or by replacing dinette with one 72 inches long.

As can be seen in cut-and-paste sketch below, adding a foot to a 25.2 should be enough to replace the rear slide with the 24.1's Twin/King bedroom, which also adds more storage inside. And much more storage outside also since generator can go below dinette, freeing the rear for a true MegaStorage compartment.

Another change that I would want as an "option" are the Twin/King beds from the 25.5 floorplan that could convert the rear beds into a spacious lounge.


Edit: Meant dinette from 25.3 not 25.2.

[Chance]

For us the dinette could be much narrower since we travel alone most of the time. And on rare occasions when traveling with others, they could eat at the driver/passenger seats, or we could set the rear lounge like a large dinette as in the 25.5 floorplan. Basically it's just about making the design more modular so it can be used in more ways.

Picture below is of a used motorhome in Houston showing how spacious the kitchen/dinette area can be without having to go to a slide by simply using a 2-person dinette. Even if Thor wanted to keep the dinette wide enough for four adults, it could be made the width of the bathroom or a little less. A width of 38~39 inches may be a good compromise.

On previous post it can be seen that even a full-width dinette sticks less into aisle that table in front of sofa.

[JamieGeek]

Our first RV (a hybrid travel trailer) had a two person dinette like that. It could convert into bunk beds as seen here:

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Our first RV (a hybrid travel trailer) had a two person dinette like that. It could convert into bunk beds as seen here:

Very nice and efficient.

I saw a few narrow dinettes like that one that converted to bunks at Tampa Supershow. Most were in large Class As built into full wall slide, and were probably in the +/- 28-inch width meant for children.

I'd go a little wider if custom building my own -- around 30 inches. With two rear beds, and over-cab bed, I'm not sure we would ever need a bunk feature. I'd take that space for overhead cabinets and then bring a pad and sleeping bag along to throw on floor if needed for a child. But I seriously doubt we would overnight with more than 4 people very often. The Axis isn't that large.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Chance

But I seriously doubt we would overnight with more than 4 people very often. The Axis isn't that large.

When my son brings friends along we often make them pitch a tent and sleep outside

[Eratosthenes]

Originally Posted by Chance

Below is a 27-1/2 foot as I would want it; although they could easily bring it down to the 27-foot length by simply going to a more common 24X36 shower, or by replacing dinette with one 72 inches long.

As can be seen in cut-and-paste sketch below, adding a foot to a 25.2 should be enough to replace the rear slide with the 24.1's Twin/King bedroom, which also adds more storage inside. And much more storage outside also since generator can go below dinette, freeing the rear for a true MegaStorage compartment.

Another change that I would want as an "option" are the Twin/King beds from the 25.5 floorplan that could convert the rear beds into a spacious lounge.


Edit: Meant dinette from 25.3 not 25.2.

I love your floorplan layout! If Thor would make one of these I would buy it quickly! They can send two to Houston ... one for me and one for you.

[emoji1]

[Baddad53]

I have a 25.3. My opinion of 25.5:
I like the bathroom size especially the shower which is why I got the 25.3.
and that it has good leg room even with the slide in.

The counter space in the galley is small or atleast smaller than mine (but they all are) and the beds don't look comfortable. Going to need gel pad and have to store them at my age my wife and I would need them.

Most get the 24.1 its the most popular. Difference I see between the 24.1 and 25.5 is the beds are better on 24 and the bathroom is nicer on 25.

I thinks that's two cents worth

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Eratosthenes

I love your floorplan layout! If Thor would make one of these I would buy it quickly! They can send two to Houston ... one for me and one for you.

[emoji1]

We should start a petition requesting they build this as a 26.1 floorplan.



Won't hold my breath though. It seems Thor managers decided along the way that everyone buying an Axis or Vegas needs one slide whether they want it or not. They make Axis bedrooms without slides, and living areas without slides, but won't combine them in one floorplan.

I expect it has to be driven by marketing, because if they wanted, from a technical standpoint they could also design new floorplans on the E-450 chassis with two slides. And there is demand for that also, although I expect they will just go to full-wall slide first since that seems to be their recent trend.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Chance

I expect it has to be driven by marketing, because if they wanted, from a technical standpoint they could also design new floorplans on the E-450 chassis with two slides. And there is demand for that also, although I expect they will just go to full-wall slide first since that seems to be their recent trend.

eeww LOL I'd much rather have two slides than a full-wall slide.

Granted in an Axis/Vegas a "full wall slide" will only be about 15 ft!