With factory visits accomplished, and a rather impressive number of owner contacts both in person and through comments and opinions received here at the website, we were ready for the last piece on this research project -- the test drives. Each of the three units under consideration has an impressive story to tell about its chassis construction, and how all that should translate to a positive driving experience. But as they say, the proof is in the puddin'. We were able to locate nearby dealerships in Oregon which carry the three coaches. This would be helpful, since we wanted to drive each of them over virtually identical paths -- the same highway segments, the same narrow winding country lanes, the same congested urban areas, and over a railroad track or two. By doing this all in the Eugene area, we could not only accomplish all that, but we could devote some extra time on a weekend to make one final appraisal of the "mood" of owners at both the Monaco and Country Coach service centers.
Country Coach:
On Friday, April 16 we met with Susan Graham of Guaranty RV in Junction City, OR. Our objective that day was to have a final look at Country Coach ("CC") and Monaco (both sold by Guaranty), and to test drive both units. We'd located Susan as a consequence of an earlier discussion with a new coach owner who recommended her highly.
Shortly after we'd met Susan, Kevin Atkinson joined us. Kevin is with CC Sales, and his office at CC is only a few blocks away. We'd met him this past winter at a rally near Casa Grande. He was obviously here today as a result of email communications between and among Susan, Carol Taylor-Clay (CC's Marketing Director) and me. Kevin took over the "selling job" for CC, with Susan playing a lesser role at that point. He artfully stated the case for CC design and quality, extolling the virtue of the airbag placement, weight distribution in the CC chassis, and the resulting driving characteristics it would demonstrate.
After about 45 minutes of discussion, we set off on our first test ride/drive. Kevin did a careful walk-around (and through) the coach, and then climbed into the pilot's seat. He didn't hurry, but rather took the time to adjust the mirrors and power seat, and then just assumed a very "relaxed and comfortable" posture. [Even the body language was carefully coordinated with this professional oral sales presentation!] Kevin drove the first 3 or 4 miles, demonstrating the relatively quick take off (acceleration) of the 350 Cummins. He also executed some quick lane changes, which the 36' Intrigue appeared to handle effortlessly.
Then it was my turn. As I climbed into the driver's seat I suddenly realized how different driving a diesel pusher would be. A number of things were unfamiliar. For starters, there is no shift lever. Instead, the automatic Allison 3066 gearing is selected using a touchpad on what would be the driver's door. Except of course there is no drivers door. The next foreign feeling derives from having what appear to be two accelerator pedals. However in this case the one on the left is happily the brake. Stepping on the air brake pedal is only sort of like stepping on a car brake. It seemed to require quite a bit more pressure to activate the brake; and there seemed to be some "delay" in response time. Of course this diesel pusher wasn't made to be like a car -- and it succeeded in that regard. Nevertheless, these things combined to make my prospective driving of this machine a new, and at first quite foreign, experience.
Now acutely sensing the very large proportions of this "house" I was about to drive, I let the vehicle drift forward a few feet at a time, trying to get the "feel" of this different braking system. I felt as if I needed to be convinced this type of brake could actually stop a 15+ ton mass if and when I actually moved it out onto the highway.
For approximately one hour I drove the coach through winding country lanes (some with no shoulders); around fairly tight curves (somewhat timidly) testing various speeds, through residential areas, and on the freeway. With hindsight I'm certain that the thing being tested most was me. By the end of the hour I had gained much more confidence in this machine, and I was beginning to think less of what I was doing, and a bit more about what the coach was doing. I began to be able to evaluate the ride, and get the beginnings of a "feel" for this coach. It was quiet, strong, comfortable and responsive. The steering wheel required virtually no "correction". There were no cross winds or huge trucks passing at high speeds to offer a sense of what impact that might have had. But judging from the secure feeling it offered on corners, my guess is that it would be reasonably stable in those circumstances.
There was a modicum of wind noise, even with all the coach windows closed. But there were no "harmonics" suggestive of a problem. And indeed but for the very quiet ride it would not have been audible at all. Crossing train tracks one could lightly sense the bumps, though they were well softened by the air suspension. The noise from crossing the train tracks, or from rough spots in the road, seemed well surpressed. The power seemed adequate to good in most circumstances -- particularly on take off from a stop light. However at some highway speeds "stomping" on the accelerator pedal resulted only in a slow, though determined, increase in speed. In those circumstances I sensed there was no passing gear available. Perhaps there's something more for me to learn about that. [We subsequently found the same in all three.]
After navigating all types of terrain, I drove back to Guaranty's Junction City facilities, and pulled into what would initially have looked like a difficult place to navigate. By now I was just beginning to get the feel of this large and powerful machine.
Monaco:
For our afternoon session, Susan took over completely to handle our test drive of a 36' Monaco Dynasty. She drove the unit a few miles, and then pulled over to let me take the wheel. In the main I found I was able to pick up about where I'd left off driving the Intrigue. Still, I cautiously tested the service brakes to get the "feel" of this unit. However, this one looked a touch less intimidating to the novice diesel pusher driver. There was a "real" brake pedal, rather than a second "accelerator pedal". And it seemed to require a bit less pressure to activate the brakes. Even so, I noted what appeared to be a bit of a "lag" in response time when I applied the brakes. But I'd become somewhat used to that sensation from the morning's outing in the Intrigue. One thing I did sense was that the accelerator pedal seemed to be just a bit further "up" and slightly to the right of where I would have expected it.
Soon we were off covering pretty much the same "track" we'd taken on the morning junket. This was helpful, because we could cross the same railroad tracks, and go around some of the same narrow, winding corners as we'd done before. Unlike the morning's ride, this time it was man and machine being more equally tested. By now I'd begun to be more confident that this heavy mass of engineering excellence would in fact start, stop, and generally go wherever it was directed.
The primary purpose for this day's research was to identify the differences between the ride and handling of the Intrigue and the Dynasty. From what had been described to us by owners and sales persons alike, the ride and handling characteristics should have been easy to distinguish and describe. We'd learned that Monaco's placement of the airbags well to the outside would cause greater stability, while Country Coach's placement of the airbags further towards the center would better absorb bumps, resulting in a smoother ride. Perhaps with the benefit of two long trips, one in each, these differences would be more pronounced. But with nearly an hour's run in each of them, I found it difficult to sense the differences which I should (theoretically) have experienced. Once you are used to driving a diesel pusher, both coaches seem extremely comfortable and well suited to fatigue-free long distance travels.
While these two coaches were quite similar in "drivability", I did have some perceptions of handling differences. But they are minor. The Intrigue seemed to be just a bit more "nimble", while the Dynasty seemed to be a touch more "solid". These might be terms one would use if describing two comparable luxury cars. But it surely would not lead to an objective assessment of which is "better". What I suspect I was seeing were some subtle differences that would appeal to different drivers in different ways. This just might be the ultimate in subjectivity!
As with the Country Coach, there was some perception of wind noise, though again this was primarily because of the quiet ride. The unit we were driving had just arrived from the factory, and had not yet been through the dealer's inspection. We found a few items which would require attention. The primary one was a steering wheel which made a sound as if something in the upper steering column was "too tight" -- a sound of a tube turning within a casing which was too snugly fitted. When we later pulled up the small living room accessory table we found it had a red tape stuck prominently in the middle of the top surface. We'd learned during our tour of the Monaco factory that red tape is used to identify items which were in need of adjustment or repair. In this case it identified a scratch on the surface which caused the table top to need refinishing. Unfortunately the inspector probably just put the table top back in its container, which hid the red tape from view -- at least until Stephanie pulled it out.
After covering virtually the same course we had pursued in the morning hours with the Intrigue, I pulled the Dynasty back into the seemingly always crowded Guaranty lot, this time with considerably more confidence in my ability to maneuver it into a parking spot.
ALPINE
On Saturday, April 17, we visited Sutton RV Center in Eugene. We'd again had a positive referral to an individual sales person, rather than just to a dealer. Sutton RV is apparently the leading seller of the Alpine coach, and both Terry Link and his partner Buck are well versed about this interesting new challenger in the diesel pusher market.
We chatted for the better part of an hour with Terry and Buck about Alpine -- its short history, and its emphasis on creating a chassis designed from the ground up with only one objective in mind -- drivability. The Alpine chassis is indeed different from any that we'd seen. While not the semi-monocoque design offered by both Monaco and Country Coach, Alpine is unique in its huck bolted assembly. The theory is that chassis which are welded together are more subject to stress, and less tolerant of torqueing. Welding, we're told, weakens metal. Another Alpine chassis feature is the use of steel panels which run to the outside wall, forming a series of "boxes" to support the house portion of the coach. The chassis is visibly different in another way: It is "sand blasted" -- but with baking soda -- to create a smooth surface. Next it's primed and painted with a bright white paint. The theory of the bright white finish is to make everything under the coach more visible.
When we reported we'd been driving the 36' models of Monaco and Country Coach, Terry requested the 36' coach that had recently made the trip to Perry, Georgia for the FMCA rally. Alpine presently does not offer the 350 Cummins in the 36' model, but rather the 330 HP model. Nevertheless, we were told that we'd find that engine quite pepppy because of the "horsepower to weight" ratio.
Terry took the wheel first, and off we went to the same labyrinth of country lanes, curves, railroad tracks, and Interstate segments we'd traveled the previous day in two other coaches. The airbag suspension in the Alpine uses 4, not 8 airbags. But they are considerably larger than in either Monaco or Country Coach. Moreover, they're located even closer to the centerline than Country Coach. One would think that this might provide for a relatively soft ride, but at the expense of cornering.
Terry soon dispelled this notion, as he soared around a corner marked for 45 mph at nearly 65 mph. The coach didn't mind a bit. But Stephanie was holding on to the coach with her feet dug firmly into the carpet. I was sitting facing forward in the passenger's seat, and it was clear this machine was going to handle corners very nicely.
Next, my turn. By now I'm feeling like a comparative "veteran" coach driver. I'd heard the controls on this unit were intended to emulate more of a "car" feel than a "truck" feel. And they do. The disc brakes seemed a bit more responsive, though I realized even at that moment it was because I'd not yet become fully accustomed to the air brake systems on Monaco and Country Coach. And the acceleration with the smaller 330 HP engine from a standing start appeared slightly quicker than either of the two coaches we'd driven a day earlier. In terms of handling, Alpine has created a coach that any serious RV buyer needs to drive. It may be that for those who are completely familiar and comfortable with heavy duty trucks, making a substantial machine such as this "feel like" driving a car would not be greeted with appreciation. But for those wanting to make the transition to a diesel pusher without experiencing the traditional "big truck" feel, it might be just the ticket. As this experience was showing, there's certainly no substitute for just "doing it".
As we zipped along through the country lanes, and across some now familiar railroad tracks, we noticed some things that compared less favorably to the two rigs we'd driven the previous day. First of all, there was a "wind noise" which seemed more significant than either Monaco or Country Coach -- though Terry advised that it was considerably more than it should have been, and would be diagnosed and improved when serviced. Second, while the airbag suspension did an excellent job of dampening the "feel" of the bigger bumps, the sound level in going over them was a bit more evident than in the other two. In general, the normal "over the road" sound of tires on pavement seemed slightly more pronounced. These differences in sound level would be difficult to document without the aid of some sophisticated measuring equipment, because in all cases the quieter the noise of the diesel engine, the more pronounced other sounds will be.
With a grand total of one day's experience in driving these rigs under my belt, I was now doing a much better job of challenging the corners and letting this machine show its stuff. Clearly this is what Alpine does best. It does not pretend to compete with the Monaco or Country Coach in terms of some of the interior niceties, though the most recent "editions" of Alpine are showing more signs of color and décor. But of course those differences are reflected in a more appealing price tag.
As we pulled back into the Sutton facility I again reflected on the "process" of test driving the three different coaches. Without any question the most important single factor in these test drives had been my growing comfort with driving a unit of this weight and size. It was almost as if one should drive each of them again, though the analogy to sawing legs off a stool surely comes into play here. It was clear to me at this point that any three similarly situated individuals could take these three units for a careful test drive, and reach three different conclusions about which one is the most "drivable".
Once back at the Sutton lot, we parked the unit and put it through its paces at leveling and operating the slider. The four point automatic leveling system represented the third type we'd seen. Country Coach uses the airbags for leveling, and Monaco offers a three point leveling system (though now an optional air leveling system as well). Each system has its own set of advantages and disadvantages which is beyond the scope of these writings, but is important for a prospective purchaser to understand. The Alpine system is a fairly noisy mechanical operation which takes perhaps 30 seconds or so to complete. Once done however, since the contact is with the ground, there's no need for subsequent adjustments as with the air systems. Yet because the contact is directly with the ground, if the ground below the coach is soft, some sort of blocking would appear necessary.
We next tested the slider system. This HWH system seemed to operate a touch more smoothly than the Monaco slider, but did not seem quite as "solid" as the Country Coach slider. Possibly if we'd seen each of them slide a half dozen times in succession the differences would have been less apparent. The Alpine slider uses a type of Teflon coated steel plates mounted from the side, and thus makes "rollers" unnecessary for support. However Stephanie spotted a tell tale mark on the carpeting where the slider had been slightly scraping against it. Another task for the service department, according to Terry.
Our test driving phase was now completed. It was a comfort to recall that before starting this process we'd prophesied that we didn't expect to find either the "perfect" motorhome, or even "the best" one. Rather we would find the one that best suited our personal RVing lifestyle. And we are now closing in on that decision.
NEXT: Owner Attitudes and Summary Impressions