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Well, I am a retired engineer so I do pay attention to chassis differences. Over the last year I had the opportunity to compare a coach based on the Mercedes Sprinter stripped chassis, the Winnebago Via which is no longer made and the Thor Axis/Vegas based on the Ford E350/450 stripped chassis.
I looked at the economics of the diesel vs the gasser, reliability of each, weight carrying capability of each and wheelbase/handling differences. Here is what I found:
1. Virtually no difference in fuel mileage and cost between the two. The better mileage of the diesel was almost wiped out by the cost of diesel vs gas. The requirement to add DEF and potential emissions problems with the diesel rounded out the difference.
2. The bare price difference between the two chassis new was something like $20,000 and the RV price difference was almost double that, but maybe part of that was the builders- Thor's approach vs Winnebago's
3. The gasoline chassis has much better reliability at least compared to the Mercedes due to emission system failures.
4. The Ford E350 chassis has 1,500 lbs more GVWR than the Mercedes Sprinter. That gives it a somewhat higher OCC and probably lets Ford/Thor be a little more liberal with construction materials and weight given that the dimensions are about the same.
5. The Thor Axis has a wheelbase of 188" vs the Winnebago Via's 170". Both are essentially the same length, so based on geometry the Thor should be less affected by wind gusts at highway speeds. Of course suspension/steering design also plays a part, but both owners complain about sway underway so I can't see any real difference.
I ended up placing an order for a Thor Axs 24.1 about a month ago.
David
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