Test drove the new Winnebago Grand Tour from the CC factory today
Yahoo Message Number: 113699
There's a big RV show at the Pomona Fairplex this weekend, and Winnebago is showing off the new Grand Tour that they're building on the old CC assembly line. They're very proud of it, and it's "lineage" from CC, and they offered me a chance to drive it and see how it compares. I'm intrigued - (especially by the turning tag axles - but not in the market to replace our Allure) so I went over to have a drive this AM.
Had a pretty thorough test drive with Kevin Atkinson, who is Winnebago's regional sales guy, and a former CC employee. First: it's evident just walking up to the rig that this is NOT your Grandfather's Winnebago! It looks much like the modern line of high-end 45' tag axle rigs coming from Newell or Foretravel including LED lighting all around and roof-mounted awnings fore and aft on both sides. It's powered by a 450 Cummins, which pushes it along at a good clip (felt slightly quicker than my 40' Allure w/ Cat C-9). The paint job is attractive, but not as high-zoot as CC used on it's later coaches. Inside, it's got some very interesting features and creative floor-plan, and good quality cabinetry (once again, not quite at the CC level, but better than most other new rigs we've seen lately). Good looking ceramic floor throughout, apparently hydronically heated The level of automation in the controls is almost scary. virtually every function is controlled by a couple of touch-screens or panels of micro-switches which are real impressive, but leave me wondering what the hell you do if some electron gets out of it's assigned orbit... On the road it tracks beautifully, and it's got a turning tag set-up which gives it a really impressive turning radius. Don't have the numbers, but the feel is that it turns as tightly as my 40' Allure with tag up. That's saying something for a 45 footer. Suspension is good - comparable to our CC, and body roll also no worse than we have in the Allure. Overall judgement - it's not a CC, but it's way ahead of comparably priced equipment like the Entegras or Allegro Buses. I liked it enough that I'll give Kevin a call next time I'm in Eugene and take the assembly-floor tour that he offered. Apparently they're building them at assembly "stations" rather than on a line - an idea that I like very much. Kevin also says that most of the assemblers are former CC folks, older, experienced, and really proud of their new product. That can't be a bad thing...
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