Bill Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 My wife and I are newly retired and want to buy a Class B+ motorhome. We want to get one with a diesel engine. I wonder if there are RVers who can speak to the pros and cons of Ford, Dodge or Mercedes Diesel engines. Many thanx. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al F Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 As far as the Dodge & Mecedes, as long as you are referring to the Sprinter Chassis they are the same chassis, just a name plate change. If you are thinking about the Class B's built on the Ford Transit or the new Dodge Ram Pro-Master chassis, I have no info. Are both Ford and Dodge now offering a diesel on these new chassis. Ford and Chevy both stopped putting diesels in their large vans about 6-10 years ago. Al & Sharon 2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 2020 Chevy Colorado Toad San Antonio, TX http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted July 19, 2017 Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 First, let me say welcome to the Escapee forums! We are happy to have you with us. I have never owned a class B and while I have had a number of vans as work vehicles, none of them were diesel powered. I do presently own a 2003 Dodge Ram, 2500 diesel and have been very happy with it. The Dodge diesel engines are actually Cummins diesels as Dodge does not build their own diesel. Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgiaHybrid Posted July 19, 2017 Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 Kirk, He is not asking about the 6-cyl Cummins in the pickups. He is talking about the 3.0 liter, I-4 engine designed and built by Fiat that they put in their small vans. The Ford has a 3.2 liter I-5 designed and built by Ford while the Mercedes Sprinter has a 2.1 liter 4-cyl built by Mercedes that has been used in the Freightliner Sprinter, Mercedes and Dodge/Ram. None of them are powerhouses when it come to torque and HP and the Sprinters have had a problem in the past with DEF dosers and DPF filters at roughly the 100K mark. They might have corrected that but I have a few buddies in the business that seem to keep a few of them on their lots getting fixed for those issues. None of them had the GVWR or GCWR that we needed in a small B+ or C so we went with the Ford E450 chassis for our "close to home" RV. That chassis has the capacity to tow pretty much anything we would want to hang behind it and still have a decent size and build quality inside. What ever the OP decides to buy, make SURE that you know the CCC before signing on the dotted line. We have looked at a bunch of them over the past year that only had a total of 500 to 900 pounds of cargo capacity. Not much left after you add a few gallons of water, two adults and two dogs. In fact, one sprinter based chassis we looked at only had 375 pounds left for Cargo. That might work if you were single, weighed 90 pounds, only had two changes of clothes and went grocery shopping every day in the bicycle you had for a toad. Edit, as an aside, Dodge no longer makes trucks, Fiat decided to rename that division "Ram" a few years ago. Any newer truck by Fiat is designated as a Ram 2017 Kenworth T6802015 DRV 38RSSA Elite Suites2016 Smart Prime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobsallyh Posted July 19, 2017 Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 I talked to a gentleman in Alaska in 2014 that was parked beside us with a Class B Mercedes chassied and powered by the Mercedes diesel. Asked how he liked it, said "it was OK but hold onto to your butt when presented the bill for service". He said "sure they got Lazy Boys, free Wi-Fi, and bagels with cream cheese for on them in the waiting room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGO Posted July 19, 2017 Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 Once upon a time I bought a 380SL. 10K worth of car, 20k worth of ego trip. $97 for a service/oil change back in 1972 You'd have to see the movie to understand.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce t Posted July 19, 2017 Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 The Mercedes is built basically as a highway/delivery vehicle. Most Americans think of diesels as heavy duty tow vehicles. Not so with these European based diesels. The issue with carrying capacity is not a motor/chassis problem. Rather a problem created by body builders over building. Same happens with all motorhomes regardless of if it's a A,B or C class. I would be more than happy with a Sprinter 'provided' that the coach work/body wasn't over built. They are all over the world doing great work. They simply aren't a 'typical' American heavy iron motor. regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandsys Posted July 20, 2017 Report Share Posted July 20, 2017 Our Leisure Travel Class B was so overbuilt it only had 800-some pounds of CCC. We took out the TV and one cupboard to get more weight capacity. Our Winnebago View Class C was built on the Sprinter chassis but had more capacity. Who is doing the build really does matter. Linda Sand Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/ Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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