Torn Between the Magnitude XG32 and the Quantum KW29

[TrainerBob]

Greetings.

We are torn between the Magnitude XG32 with the Ford F550 diesel and the Quantum KW29 with the Ford Triton v10. Can you share your experiences with the Triton and the F550? We will be towing a 4 door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (about 4,200 lbs) on an open car trailer (about 1,500 lbs) for a total weight of about 5,700 lbs. We plan to go out west (Moab, UT, Colorado Rockies, Yellowstone, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, etc.) from Ohio 1 - 3 times a year with the trailer and Jeep in tow. When the wife and I go out west one person drives while the other person sleeps. In other words, we go nonstop for up to 30 hours, depending on where we going. Will the Triton do the job for us or should we be looking at the diesel?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Bob

[JamieGeek]

IMHO: Both will work just fine. If your question is: "Is the V-10 enough?" Yes it is.

You'll burn more gas with the V-10 than you would Diesel fuel but you probably already knew that (if you get 10 mpg that would be a good day).

Having said that, you can get the XG32 in a 4x4..how cool is that! LOL

[Judge]

I have owned a 2018 Outlaw 29H with the Triton V10 on the E-450 and I now have a 2020 Magnitude SV34 with the 6.7 PowerStroke on the F-550.

There is no comparison..... period. It is like comparing apples to oranges.

Now there is a significant cost difference and that is also why it is like comparing apples to oranges.

If money is not an issue, go with the Magnitude and you won't be disappointed or look back.

Here is a real-world comparison based on my experience between the Thor Class C and Thor Super C:

Power Train

1) Fuel Economy: V10 = ~7 - 8MPG / PowerStroke = ~10 - 12MPG depending on speed
2) Transmission Performance: V10 = Significant shifting when going up grades and hills / PowerStroke = almost no shifting and plenty of power
3) Comfort: V10 = Revs high and is loud and generates heat in the cab / PowerStroke = Runs about 2200 RPM's at highway speeds and is quiet and generates no heat in the cab


Handling and Ride Quality

E-450

The E-450 is at its limits with a Class C body on it that is over 25'. Once you add two people and typical gear you will find you are near the GVWR. I found the E-450 to be a white-knuckle driving experience. It would wander in the lane and be easily pushed by wind or passing traffic. Four hours of driving and I was worn out. After driving it for 2000 miles and having enough of the poor ride and handling, I put $1500 in Hellwig Heavy Duty Sway Bars, Sumo Springs and a Roadmaster Steering Stabilizer to get the ride and handling where it should have been from the factory. I did the work myself or the cost of those upgrades would have been over $3500. Those upgrades were a must in my opinion.

The E-450 tires are a weak-link. The stock 16" tires are LT tires and not designed to carry a heavy load full-time. They area also going to be near their capacity after you load up. I was going to replace them with a Commercial Rated 16" tire that was meant to handle heavy loads constantly and had a higher weight rating. But I traded it in before I upgraded the tires.


F-550

The F-550 is what a Class C should be out of the gate. The handling and ride quality is superb. It is truly a heavy duty truck chassis vs a van chassis and you can tell the difference. The F-55o is a dream to drive. I can drive it for 8 hours without feeling worn out and I did not have to put a $1 into any chassis upgrades. It has 19.5" tires that are designed to carry heavy loads all the time at highway speeds. If you plan to tow anything, the Magnitude with the PowerStroke will be a better coach without question.


Fit and Finish


I found the fit and finish of the Magnitude and general quality to be much better all the way around when compared to the Outlaw. The full paint job of the Magnitude vs a body with decals that will fade and peel over time will keep the Magnitude looking better longer. There are also several upgrades in the Super C that are well worth it not to mention a larger shower and full size residential fridge.

[The Gritz Carlton]

I'm with Judge on this! Power and ride quality is what counts. The diesel will get better mileage but the consistent higher cost of diesel versus gas is nearly a washout. The quality of a commercially built truck chassis is another breaker point. Everything forward of the seats is built by Ford and superior quality to what goes into a typical Class A cab built by carpenters. Another huge benefit is having 2 more doors. Bottom line is the power. I tow an aluminum trailer (R&R from Michigan) with an XT5, spare generator(s), ladder and other junk. Total weight is around 7K. It pulls hills as if nothing were back there...it never downshifts on hills. Lastly...the cab is whisper quiet without the typical screaming of the gas engine running 4K+ RPM, lugging up hills as you roast your body sitting right next to the red hot engine. I can talk to friends sitting on the sofa and at dinette while driving at a normal speaking tone. The dash A/C system from Ford will keep the entire coach cool as you travel, eliminating having to run the generator and roof top units. The big sacrifice is the layout. There's no better floor plan than a flat-floor Class A....if only the build quality of the cab were better.

[MTcamper]

I agree with Judge & Gritz. We were looking for a Class A because of the floor plan and a dealer suggested we look at his Magnitude. Class C's weren't in our plan but we looked anyway. Changed my mind in a hurry! Having had a F250 with the same powertrain I knew power & cab comforts wouldn't be a problem. I didn't realize just how well it would drive-strong winds were blowing the day we took a test drive and it wasn't a factor. We really liked the XG32 but went with the SV34 for the more spacious bedroom & king bed. We will be pulling a GMC Canyon.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by MTcamper

I agree with Judge & Gritz. We were looking for a Class A because of the floor plan and a dealer suggested we look at his Magnitude. Class C's weren't in our plan but we looked anyway. Changed my mind in a hurry! Having had a F250 with the same powertrain I knew power & cab comforts wouldn't be a problem. I didn't realize just how well it would drive-strong winds were blowing the day we took a test drive and it wasn't a factor. We really liked the XG32 but went with the SV34 for the more spacious bedroom & king bed. We will be pulling a GMC Canyon.

You are our twin!!!

We bought a GMC Canyon last fall and will be pulling it with the SV34. That is on my list to get setup this year.

Right now we tow a Can-Am Spyder RT on an Aluma MC210 Trailer. The trike and trailer weigh about 1700lbs and I don't even know it is back there when towing it.

[MTcamper]

Originally Posted by Judge

You are our twin!!!

We bought a GMC Canyon last fall and will be pulling it with the SV34. That is on my list to get setup this year.

Right now we tow a Can-Am Spyder RT on an Aluma MC210 Trailer. The trike and trailer weigh about 1700lbs and I don't even know it is back there when towing it.

Funny! You have been a great resource in our journey to owning a Magnitude. Would be nice to run into you guys sometime and compare notes-I am especially interested in seeing if you came up with a better solution to the "tear-bed-apart-to-drain-refill" dilemma. I am researching electric valves after reading one of your earlier posts.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by MTcamper

Funny! You have been a great resource in our journey to owning a Magnitude. Would be nice to run into you guys sometime and compare notes-I am especially interested in seeing if you came up with a better solution to the "tear-bed-apart-to-drain-refill" dilemma. I am researching electric valves after reading one of your earlier posts.

It would be fun to meet up sometime. Montana and the weat is on our list once we retire next year.

Not to highjack the thread..... but..

I did come up with a better solution to drain the fresh water tank! There is enough PVC sticking out of the floor underneath the coach to add some additional plumbing under the coach.

I purchased a PVC coupler, ON/OFF valve, elbow and pipe, etc. I glued the coupler to the PVC pip sticking out of the coach and then routed it so I could reach under the coach and turn the valve to drain the fresh water tank without tearing the bed apart. I just leave the valve under the bed on all the time and use the second valve I added to drain the tank.

I did use some threaded PVC pieces in a couple places to make it easier to replace the valve if I ever need to but I glued a coupler to the piece of PVC sticking out from the floor underneath the coach.

[swiderskij]

Originally Posted by Judge

It would be fun to meet up sometime. Montana and the weat is on our list once we retire next year.

Not to highjack the thread..... but..

I did come up with a better solution to drain the fresh water tank! There is enough PVC sticking out of the floor underneath the coach to add some additional plumbing under the coach.

I purchased a PVC coupler, ON/OFF valve, elbow and pipe, etc. I glued the coupler to the PVC pip sticking out of the coach and then routed it so I could reach under the coach and turn the valve to drain the fresh water tank without tearing the bed apart. I just leave the valve under the bed on all the time and use the second valve I added to drain the tank.

I did use some threaded PVC pieces in a couple places to make it easier to replace the valve if I ever need to but I glued a coupler to the piece of PVC sticking out from the floor underneath the coach.

Thanks for the update above for Magnitude XG32 on the water drain! I too was looking at making this modification for draining. Another modification I will be looking at is filling the fresh water tank from the city water outlet as well as moving the filter and winterize port, all of which are under the bed. I can’t believe they built this without the ability to fill the fresh water tank from the drivers side city water/service center and only from the gravity fill on the passenger side. Other than these few items nd fixing the satellite connectivity issue, this is the perfect motorhome for design efficiency and drivability. The Ford F550 with the Powerstroke and Smart Diesel Engine braking practically drives itself. I have had most every Motorhomes made and this is at the top of my list.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by swiderskij

Thanks for the update above for Magnitude XG32 on the water drain! I too was looking at making this modification for draining. Another modification I will be looking at is filling the fresh water tank from the city water outlet as well as moving the filter and winterize port, all of which are under the bed. I can’t believe they built this without the ability to fill the fresh water tank from the drivers side city water/service center and only from the gravity fill on the passenger side. Other than these few items nd fixing the satellite connectivity issue, this is the perfect motorhome for design efficiency and drivability. The Ford F550 with the Powerstroke and Smart Diesel Engine braking practically drives itself. I have had most every Motorhomes made and this is at the top of my list.

I also thought about moving the water filter and winterization port. The challenge is where to move it. If it could be at the foot of the bed it would be easier but that is where all of the electronics are located and two drawers.

They do sell portable cartridge filers so you could delete the internal filter and just hook up a cartridge filter up at the city water port when you hook up to water.

To move the winterization port you would also need to move the shutoff valve that is between the port and the fresh water tank.

Now that I can drain the fresh water tank easily, I may leave the filter and winterization port in place since I would only need to access it once a year.

My last coach was setup similarly where the city water port was on the driver side and the fresh water tank fill was on the passenger side close to the entry door. I never thought of filling the fresh water tank from the city waster port. It would take a manual valve and some plumbing to divert the water to the tank instead of to the check-valve at the water pump.

Let me know if you do manage to make these changes. I would be interested in your ideas!

[MTcamper]

I have thought about adding an additional shutoff to the stub that extends outside also-my only concern is our cold climate and no way to heat that portion. I guess I could just use it during warmer weather which is when most of the draining & refilling happens anyway. Good to know that there are some others with the same situation and thoughts! I am going to continue to purse an electric valve-will let you know if I come up with a good solution.

[TrainerBob]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

IMHO: Both will work just fine. If your question is: "Is the V-10 enough?" Yes it is.

You'll burn more gas with the V-10 than you would Diesel fuel but you probably already knew that (if you get 10 mpg that would be a good day).

Having said that, you can get the XG32 in a 4x4..how cool is that! LOL

The 4 wheel drive is a great selling point to the Magnitude as we want to do a lot of camping on BLM land.

[Bob Denman]

The "Oil-Burner" will cost more initially, and have higher maintenance costs...
But it'll do anything that the "gasser" can do at ANY speed, and under ANY conditions... and do it better, quieter, and with less fuel.

[MCG]

I own a XG32 but because of the current corona environment we have only had it out for a short drive. But I was impressed with the power and smooth ride.

[Glensouth]

I didn’t know they offered the v10 in the super c 550 chassis. If you are talking about the Ford 450 van chassis, there is no comparison in the two. The 550 chassis with the power stroke diesel is the way to go if you want pulling better power, ease of handling, better quieter ride and better fuel mileage.

[MCG]

Originally Posted by MCG

I own a XG32 but because of the current corona environment we have only had it out for a short drive. But I was impressed with the power and smooth ride.

I bought the power stroke.

[Jumpy13]

After owning the SV-34 (F-550) for one year will not go back to gas.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Jumpy13

After owning the SV-34 (F-550) for one year will not go back to gas.

I could not agree more..... yesterday sealed the deal that a super duty truck chassis and diesel power is the only Class C that I would ever own.

We traveled from western PA to the KOA in Travelers Rest, SC (very nice CG by the way). The F-550 w/ 6.7 PowerStroke was amazing. I set the cruise control at 55 and enabled the automatic engine brake and rarely had to put my foot on the accelerator or brake pedal going through the Carolina mountains.

I was pulling our Spyder (~1700 lbs total weight w/ trailer) and could not tell it was back there. Going up the mountains, it didn't even have to down shift. Held about 1800 RPM's and just powered up the steep grades. My old Outlaw 29H would have been rev'ing high and shifting continually and I am sure the floorboards would have throwing a lot of engine heat.

I told my wife that while the Magnitude cost 2x the Outlaw, it was well worth the money if we were going to be spending a chunk of our retirement traveling out west.

Besides the superior engine and transmission, the handling and comfort of the F-550 chassis is unbelievably. I had been telling my wife 6 - 8 hours would be the max I would want to drive per day with our old Outlaw 29H. I feel that I could easily do 10 hours in the Magnitude if weather was good and traffic was not crazy.

We are very pleased with the Magnitude SV34 overall and there is very little to complain about.

[Pete'sMH]

We looked at a couple of super C’s and found a lot to like. But they are expensive and share many of the drawbacks (and advantages) inherit the class C design. We bought a leftover 2019 Newmar class A and like it enormously. Folks are understandably excited about the new models but there are some great bargains in the tried and true models if you aren’t into the latest and greatest. Take your time and shop carefully to make sure you get the machine that’s right foe you.

[TrainerBob]

Thanks everyone for all your input. It was very helpful and helped DW and I decide that the Quantum KW29 will be the right choice for us. All of your input and the fact that Thor is moving from the Ford Triton V10 to the Ford 7.3 V8 gasser on the 2021 models sealed the deal for us. As some of you pointed out the Magnitude diesel did have some advantages, but for an extra $70K we could not justify those advantages over the Quantum. Our next step is to go to the Hersey RV Show in September and look at one and then try to buy one locally. Thanks again for all your help.