Thor Forums

[CSR]

We recently purchase a Thor Aria 3901. Here’s a breakdown of our impression and experience after our initial shakedown period.

SHAKEDOWN SUMMARY:

We took multiple trips, roughly 2000 miles over 8 weeks, rough roads, long hills, fast paced interstates, high traffic areas, tight spots and a wide range of weather temps and conditions. We tested/used nearly every feature (i.e. utilities, appliances, generator, jacks, furniture, wet bay fill and dump, doors, drawers, compartments, windows, buttons, etc.).

STRENGTHS:

• Great floor plan. Thoughtful layout with lots of space. Super functional – better than we expected.
• Spacious master bath with large shower. Very nice, plenty of elbow room.
• Surprisingly comfortable bed. Tilt bed is great for extra space in bedroom when getting dressed. Plenty of room for two people to work around each other.
• Ceiling ducted AC/Heat pump (noticeably quieter than the standard exposed ceiling flush mount systems). Bonus – The heat pumps worked better than we expected. A nice feature. This coach has dual heat pumps. Many comparable coaches have one or none.
• Substantial storage inside & out. I’m not sure we’ll ever use all of it. We like the slide storage tray too. We’ll probably install another one.
• Large convection microwave.
• Induction cooktop works great and offers extra usable countertop space.
• Perfect sized refrigerator. Not too big & not too small, just right.
• Reclining theater seats and the 55-inch TV. VERY nice! A comfortable and fun way to watch shows while away from home. BONUS – All TV’s are Smart TV’s – We streamed our favorite shows nearly every evening.
• Very easy to drive with a smooth, stable ride. We experienced 22-26 mph winds from all directions across hundreds of miles and it handled very well through it all. No white-knuckle moments. I was also pleasantly surprised by how well it maneuvered in and out of tight spots.
• Washer and dryer (more so the dryer than the washer). Want to wear your favorite shirt twice in the same week or did you get dirt on your only clean pair of pants while out exploring? No problem, wash the single item in the sink (very little water use) and toss it in the dryer. Problem solved! Or if you want to get fancy, warm your towel while you’re in the shower.
• LED light dimmers in the living room & kitchen.
• We used the fireplace a lot. Sometimes just for ambiance and other times to quietly warm the room a bit.
• Nice cockpit. Attractive dash/instrument panel. Comfortable driving experience. My co-pilot LOVES the electric foot rest on the passenger seat.

WEAKNESSES:

• Weak acceleration. Plenty of power to haul, but the weak acceleration does take some getting use to. Takes long hills okay. If get-up-and-go is your thing, this may not be the coach for you.
• Basement storage doors do not seal completely.
• Several drawers/cabinet doors are crooked. Come on Thor…, don’t make it so easy for the critics!
• The “Hard Buttons” (black plastic buttons with white labels) on the Firefly multiplex controls are not backlit. You need to memorize the button positions to ensure you click the right one in low/no light. Also, the layout of the hard buttons in the bathrooms could be improved. Example – The buttons are positioned too close together so it’s easy to select the wrong button. In the half bath, the water pump button is located next to the light button. We’ve found that people often accidentally turn the water pump off or on while attempting to turn the light on or off.
• No brace to secure the lower right front cap/hood to the chassis frame. As a result, the front cap shudders under stress and/or strong head/cross winds. It should be easy to fix, but seems like it could be a manufacturing or design oversight. I’m curious to know if any other Aria 3901 owners have found the same issue.
• I wish I could say I am surprised by this one, but I can’t. The full wall slide has been a bit problematic, but nothing we have not been able to manage so far. The full slide often extends and retracts out of alignment. Most recently, the full slide started requiring a lot of finesse to get it to fully retract. The other slides work great. NOTE – Operator error? Any things is possible, but I suspect not. We ALWAYS take care to operate the slides under full power and ONLY when the coach is level. And, we always allow the motors to reset for a few seconds after the slide is fully extended or retracted.
• The single handle shower valve would be a strength, but unfortunately, it’s far too touchy. Bumping it ever so slightly will cause a sudden blast of cold water (kind of funny) or a scolding rush of burning HOT water (NOT funny).

IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOR (If they are listening):

• Note most of the items cited under weaknesses above.
• Did I mention backlit Firefly control panel buttons?
• Add a low profile raised rail on the edge of the left side of the kitchen counter top to help restrict items from sliding off and falling behind the adjacent theater seat.
• Add dimmer lights to all LED lights. Most of the LED lights are far too bright.
• Convert the single large pullout drawer under the kitchen sink into two separate pullouts. Mount the doors directly to the front of the pullouts. Doing so will eliminate the need to swing open both doors just to get to one side.
• Offset the heights of the selves in the pullout pantries allowing storage for taller items (e.g. Think cereal box).
• Add wood studs behind all walls where fixtures are mounted for improved stability (e.g. Towel rings, toilet paper holders, lights, handles, etc.).
• Replace existing bathroom sink faucets with faucets that extend a bit further over the sink. It would be nice to get both hands under the faucet without cramming them up against the back of the sink.
• The pullout storage above the vanity in the master bath is a creative concept for use of space, but the slide out shelves frequently fly open while traveling. Also, the shelves limit the size of the items you can store. A larger open cabinet design might prove to be more functional. Example – A large cabinet would allow users to store towels and other larger relevant bathroom items. Plus, it would weigh less, be faster and less expensive to build, and probably result in less warranty support (more saved time and money).
• Reconsider the placement of towel racks/rings in the bathrooms. Towels that hang just above the toilet present a certain unsanitary factor that render them impractical for use. In the 3901 master bathroom, a typical bath towel hung on the rack hangs down over the button to flush the toilet. In the small bathroom, a regular hand towel hung on the ring nearly touches the toilet.
• As a standard, add a junction box to roof with a through hole to the interior of the coach to accommodate wires for common upgrades like wifi and/or cell boosters or other similar upgrades.
• Add a 110v receptacle above or on the sides of master bed.
• Disclaimer – I don’t have a suggestion for how Thor could improve this one and I realize most coaches may have a similar problem, but it is something that is we find incontinent. The furnace air intake is centrally located in the main living area next to the fireplace (good for proper furnace function and efficiency), but the fan is very loud. When it’s on, the loud fan disrupts your ability to hear the TV or music. More often than not, temps usually drop in the evening and throughout the night, which is also the most common time for people to be inside watching TV and/or listening to music.

Although our Aria 3901 is not without its drawbacks (noted above), overall, we’re VERY happy with it.