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Old 05-23-2017, 12:25 PM   #41
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True, but those are all cab-chassis upfits (no van body, just the chassis rails). The Era 70M is the first van I'm aware of to punch a slideout through where the second sliding door can go. Will be interesting indeed to see what AS does! If true, it will give folks one more thing to bitch about....slides that fail!!!
Leisurevans produced something on the van for a couple of years; but they've now given up converting vans. A pity since it was much better quality than Winnebago's offering.
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Old 05-23-2017, 01:43 PM   #42
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I certainly prefer Leisurevan's window-respecting approach to the bed.

Rear baths look nice, though it's a shame to have to give up those rear windows.

There must be some way of preserving more window space. At least Leisurevan preserved windows in the living space during the daytime!

Assuming they are going this way, it will be interesting to see how Airstream approaches adding a slide out while maintaining a balance between interior utility and windows that can be enjoyed and appreciated.
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Old 05-23-2017, 01:50 PM   #43
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Assuming they are going this way, it will be interesting to see how Airstream approaches adding a slide out while maintaining a balance between interior utility and windows that can be enjoyed and appreciated.
And CCC. One of the big pluses of the Interstate is it can haul a lot of crap, and one of the biggest minuses of the LTV products is an extreme lack of CCC (in some cases as little as 500lbs!!! ). Slides add weight, so it will be interesting to see the numbers if/when this little beast rolls off the line....
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Old 05-23-2017, 02:10 PM   #44
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And CCC. One of the big pluses of the Interstate is it can haul a lot of crap, and one of the biggest minuses of the LTV products is an extreme lack of CCC (in some cases as little as 500lbs!!! ). Slides add weight, so it will be interesting to see the numbers if/when this little beast rolls off the line....


Right you are about the CCC. I listened to Lichtsinn RV talk at length about the ERA and he hit that point pretty hard: 1,700 pounds of CCC in that unit. Of course the weight of things like water and propane would have to be subtracted, but that is a number Airstream can meet or beat if they want to.
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Old 05-24-2017, 11:16 AM   #45
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2018 Updates / Video

https://youtu.be/ovvsyr4Vdho
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Old 05-24-2017, 12:34 PM   #46
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Thank you Alex, very informative.
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Old 05-24-2017, 02:16 PM   #47
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Thank you Alex, very informative.
Yeah, good stuff. Thanks Alex.

The Good:

- Love the new multiplex panel. Eliminates a bunch of random systems throughout the coach.

But that's it.

- 300W of solar standard is great, but why why WHY did they stick with that awful Atkinson charge controller!?!? Big missed opportunity there.

- Am I understanding the new hot water system correctly and it's electric only now? I didn't see any way to select gas vs. electric on the new panel.....

- Sorry to say it but I'm not a fan of the rigid screen door. I'm sure it's more sturdy, but I prefer the accordion style on the '17.

- "Really cool change....new pillows". Did he really say that?!?! Oy....

Overall, typical Airstream "update". Small, incremental changes, nothing crazy. Maybe in '19 or '20 we'll see something akin to the EcoTrek RoadTrek/Hymer......
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Old 05-24-2017, 06:35 PM   #48
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Yeah, good stuff. Thanks Alex.

The Good:

- Love the new multiplex panel. Eliminates a bunch of random systems throughout the coach.

But that's it.

- 300W of solar standard is great, but why why WHY did they stick with that awful Atkinson charge controller!?!? Big missed opportunity there.

- Am I understanding the new hot water system correctly and it's electric only now? I didn't see any way to select gas vs. electric on the new panel.....

- Sorry to say it but I'm not a fan of the rigid screen door. I'm sure it's more sturdy, but I prefer the accordion style on the '17.

- "Really cool change....new pillows". Did he really say that?!?! Oy....

Overall, typical Airstream "update". Small, incremental changes, nothing crazy. Maybe in '19 or '20 we'll see something akin to the EcoTrek RoadTrek/Hymer......
And Airstream went out and bought a bunch of stick-on mirrors from Walmart for the sun visors! Wow!
A pity there's no further info on the solar and water heater upgrades. Perhaps it's a Truma or Webasto or something similar.
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Old 05-24-2017, 06:42 PM   #49
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He did mention a vent for the water heater, assumed that meant at least propane was used. Could electric even work for a "on demand" heater?

Gosh that "resonator" really quieted down the generator. Not.

Mine came w/ 3 pillows.

Do the blinds have to be synced to the same position before you can use the All button?

Is polished nickel better than chrome cabinet knobs?

It was bad enuf to shoot the video w/ a cell phone, but to shoot it in portrait mode instead of landscape was just inexcusable.
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Old 05-24-2017, 07:18 PM   #50
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And Airstream went out and bought a bunch of stick-on mirrors from Walmart for the sun visors! Wow!
A pity there's no further info on the solar and water heater upgrades. Perhaps it's a Truma or Webasto or something similar.
Actually, I think the new vanity mirrors are lighted. I remember seeing wiring for them in the schematics for my '17 and wondered if those would be added for '18.

On the water heater, he said it was from Suburban. I just looked them up, and I think I had it backwards. It looks like that system is ONLY propane, so it appears you lose the electric option when hooked up to shore power. Seems to be an odd combo. You'd only be taking long showers if you were at a CG with hookups due to the limited fresh water and grey water storage, but now you'll be burning your propane vs. using shore power. I'm not sure they thought through the use case very well......
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Old 05-24-2017, 09:04 PM   #51
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Do the blinds have to be synced to the same position before you can use the All button?
The had Mercedes design the blind system- after the door lock system.

So;
All blinds up or all down- press button and they go the other way.
Three blinds up two down- press twice, pause, press once.
Two blinds up, three down- press three times, pause, press twice
Two blinds part way up, three part way down- press 23 times, pause 2.3 seconds, press 16 times.

And so on- following the logical pattern above.

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Old 05-24-2017, 09:45 PM   #52
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I'm fairly cynical, but, the 2018 Interstate offers a nice set of improved features. Pillows weren't really worth mentioning, of course, but the rest was pretty cool.
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Old 05-25-2017, 06:30 AM   #53
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Agree that the Suburban water heater is propane only. Based upon the vent it appears to be their Nautilus system. I never did understand why they needed to have the large ugly side panel and am glad to see it go away. I agree that it would be nice to have both propane and electric options, though we mostly use the propane side of our current system. If we are camped at a place where there is electricity the campground usually also has a shower house, which we use instead of the Interstate shower.

Appears that they still use the smaller ME MR Magnum remote. I like my upgrade to the RE RC remote - with the battery manitor kit. I believe that the ME MR remote can support the temperature compensation but not the shunt.
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Old 05-25-2017, 08:58 AM   #54
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I've owned 7 coaches (waiting to pick up my 2016 grand tour on Tuesday) and every one of them have had to have VERY EXPENSIVE slide repairs....either hydraulic or electric. Slides are nice but they are always trouble.
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Old 05-25-2017, 09:02 AM   #55
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Gosh that "resonator" really quieted down the generator. Not.
I noticed that too. One less thing to buy.....
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Old 05-25-2017, 04:26 PM   #56
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Very nice video. I was watching from the viewpoint of "would this make me focus on an Airstream Interstate?" Pillows? Good heavens! We leave ours home now since we always found we were moving them out of the way! The central control screens are "cool", but the cynical engineer in me says...maintenance nightmare. Integrated controls are great until one system malfunctions. Actually like the rigid frame screen.....don't have one now, so I have no basis of comparison. Again with that Atkinson solar shunt controller...MISTAKE!!! It wastes valuable sunlight!!! An MPPT, or even a PWM controller would go a long way in eliminating "lot rot" for the dealers and increased boondocking function for buyers. Not sure about the water heater......
In summation.....nothing to make me want to trade my 2013 (with upgrades) for a new model. New model still has fundamental flaws (IMHO) and minimal cosmetic changes.....especially when compared to competitors offerings. I see an additional $10-20k investment required to simply get the same function I have now!
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Old 05-25-2017, 05:37 PM   #57
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Mine sounds like an angry gnome is trying to hammer its way through the bottom of the coach.

This is a LOL moment! Well put!
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Old 05-26-2017, 04:50 AM   #58
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Agree that they are grasping at straws in describing some (many) of the improvements. I added the resonator and took before and after db measurements. Measured with the generator running at idle and with the microwave running. Difference was about 3db reduction.. Measured inside standing at the counter and outside by generator exhaust. Biggest change to my ear seemed to be a reduction in sharpness of the bang rather than the reduction in noise level. It is still noisy as hell inside, but I at least feel less guilty about disturbing neighbors (in campground, rest are, or Walmart parking lot) when I fire it up to briefly use the mircrowave.
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Old 07-05-2017, 12:36 PM   #59
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we pick up our Classic FB 2018 end of July
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