New 19’ Interstate price and layout

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Saw this American Coach 19 ft layout very similar to the shorty. MHSRV
lists price as $109,999.

.

ROWIEBOWIE - Same size, different league. Saw a sample in person at last year's show. But still, there are many things I like about it. I like how they incorporate the headrests in their rear couch/bed. I kinda wish my AI was that way. No more pull outs and/or flip-down wing extensions, the induction, square galley sink, separate shower head & faucet, and the faux granite contrasting bath sink finish (or maybe it is corian, granted pretty trivial, but gives some contrast to our bland white bath sinks. And while they got Fusion Infotainment up front, they also have a separate one in back. It does look nice.

[skiphoyt]

[QUOTE=rowiebowie;2201272]Saw this American Coach 19 ft layout very similar to the shorty. MHSRV
lists price as $109,999.

Enjoying our AI 19 so much as a daily driver decided to put a deposit down on a 2020. Pricing not available yet and no information on changes for the coach as of now. There is enough upgrades to the MB chassis that I expect Airstream will incorporate in the new AI 19 offering that has me excited. The power side door and hopefully a move away from the Fusion informative system is enough! The three dealers I have talked with all expect April delivery. We all know that delays in delivery time is not uncommon. I am also sure the out the door price will be well above the $109,999 for the American Coach! I realize this is not an Airstream but that is great price for all the amenities, some of which I wish Airstream offered ie: induction cooktop, built in rear headrest, etc. I will watch this forum for any updates our members can offer.

[rowiebowie]

[QUOTE=skiphoyt;2201433]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Saw this American Coach 19 ft layout very similar to the shorty. MHSRV
lists price as $109,999.

Enjoying our AI 19 so much as a daily driver decided to put a deposit down on a 2020. Pricing not available yet and no information on changes for the coach as of now. There is enough upgrades to the MB chassis that I expect Airstream will incorporate in the new AI 19 offering that has me excited. The power side door and hopefully a move away from the Fusion informative system is enough! The three dealers I have talked with all expect April delivery. We all know that delays in delivery time is not uncommon. I am also sure the out the door price will be well above the $109,999 for the American Coach! I realize this is not an Airstream but that is great price for all the amenities, some of which I wish Airstream offered ie: induction cooktop, built in rear headrest, etc. I will watch this forum for any updates our members can offer.

Are you making sure that your 2020 will be built on the new Sprinter chassis? Just asking because they seem to be scarce and to get your desired features, you'll want the latest chassis, and they may be producing on the older models for a while.


The good news for you is, you have your current '19 to enjoy while you're waiting.
.

[skiphoyt]

[QUOTE=rowiebowie;2201439]

Originally Posted by skiphoyt

Are you making sure that your 2020 will be built on the new Sprinter chassis? Just asking because they seem to be scarce and to get your desired features, you'll want the latest chassis, and they may be producing on the older models for a while.


The good news for you is, you have your current '19 to enjoy while you're waiting.
.

Good question rowiebowie....my understanding is Airstream used all the remaining 2018 (37) 2500 chassis they could get to build the AI 19 and have been in a holding pattern waiting for the new 2019 MB chassis to arrive. Apparently MB has kept the exact same ‘coach’ dimensions as requested by the many upfitters they supply so I do not expect many changes to Airstream’s part...a lithium offering would be nice!

[MLWilcox]

SkipHoyt - it’s good to hear you are loving your AI Nineteen. I too am excited about the new Sprinters (sliding door❤️). Will you wait for the 4x4? Do you mind sharing where you have placed your deposit?

[drpeggau]

Originally Posted by MLWilcox

SkipHoyt - it’s good to hear you are loving your AI Nineteen. I too am excited about the new Sprinters (sliding door❤️). Will you wait for the 4x4? Do you mind sharing where you have placed your deposit?

Check out IVS in Ladson South Carolina. They have an order to build out something like 20,000 sprinter vans that were purchased by Amazon. I am there today having some modifications done for my final addition to the 4 x 4 sprinter van. My understanding is that it will be a long wait to get any type of Mercedes-Benz sprinter chassis and 4 x 4 is literally impossible, as a result. Let me know if anyone learns something different.

[Tomzstream]

My wife and I had the good fortune of running into drpeggau out on Amelia Island this morning during our usual dog walk on the beach, and he was scoping out the boondocking potential. My wife had first noticed and alerted me that here comes a Sprinter of some sort, and then we immediately recognized it as the Airstream Shorty 4x4. Very nice looking van in person. We chatted about the local scene, and checked out the drive on beach access (we were both parked in the paved lot). A most enjoyable conversation, and while I have been reading this forum religiously, I did not immediately make the connection, and after watching John's videos realize what a great story this is. Looking forward to further installments! And safe travels John!

[drpeggau]

Originally Posted by Tomzstream

My wife and I had the good fortune of running into drpeggau out on Amelia Island this morning during our usual dog walk on the beach, and he was scoping out the boondocking potential. My wife had first noticed and alerted me that here comes a Sprinter of some sort, and then we immediately recognized it as the Airstream Shorty 4x4. Very nice looking van in person. We chatted about the local scene, and checked out the drive on beach access (we were both parked in the paved lot). A most enjoyable conversation, and while I have been reading this forum religiously, I did not immediately make the connection, and after watching John's videos realize what a great story this is. Looking forward to further installments! And safe travels John!

It has been a great trip so far and it was great to meet tom and his wife and two beautiful dogs! The four-wheel-drive works fabulously and I was able to get out on the beach with no issue along the coast of Amelia Island. For the time being, it is legal to camp on the beach in an RV as long as you have the beach driving pass, which is five dollars a day or $25 a year if you are not from the local county. The current regulation is that you must break camp within 24 hours but you can return the next evening. Once they clarify the wording in the county documents, this will probably not be possible. I have spoken to the courthouse and the city clerk and several sheriffs who patrol the beach. I was scared off the beach late last night because of the severe thunderstorms that were passing through. I was afraid that the extra turbulent ocean and precipitation would wash out the sand under my wheels and turn me into an airstream canoe! The additional modification of tying the lithium battery to the van battery and alternator has worked out fabulously! I have been out so far for five full days and have had no issues. I have about 10 days or more to go without using any shore power and I am very excited. The biggest limitation is taking care of dumping and filling water.

[Tomzstream]

We thought of you John, as we were headed to bed last night. After seeing the late weather news, I thought of recommending you position the rig into the wind as is the recommendation during hurricanes around here. That South wind, up the beach persisted right up until the front came through. 40+MPH is nothing to be trifled with. And the Lightning, while somewhat sparse, was very intense and woke us (or should I say the dogs who then woke us) around 5:30 AM. That would have been my main fear being on the beach. Figured the 2+inches of rain would firm up the loose parts of the beach, but I would probably have skedaddled too!

Glad to see you survived the night. The weather will be steadily improving for the rest of your Southward Journey. Our house is on the way out of town, toward Yulee if you opt to go down the Interstate, and we have a 30 Amp hookup, and the usual water and sewer hookups if you need to refresh, but it sounds as if you are wanting to endurance test your Battery setup. PM me if you think otherwise. But I would strongly recommend heading directly South on A1A toward the Talbot Islands as the scenery is absolutely breathtaking.

Once past there you probably need to stay on Heckscher Drive all the way to I-295 and South on it. Once around Jax, you can head down to US 1 toward St Augustine from there.

It's a good drive and we can recommend another good seafood dinner place along the way. Staying on A1A past the Talbot Islands requires taking a Ferry and I don't believe they take RVs with Propane, but it's easy to stop and ask. Otherwise just continue on to I-295.

Going South will avoid the nasty construction on SR200 through Yulee and is way more pleasant (there is an alternate road (Pages Dairy) that can bypass some of it. Going South along the Islands, will enable you to stop at the parks all along that stretch and its really good road.

And in case you do get launched off the beach, Smooth Sailing! Happy travels!

[skiphoyt]

Tom....I have been enjoying your conversation with John...we live outside of Beaufort, SC and plan to use our ‘Shorty’ to explore Southward. We have actually visited Osprey Village a couple of times. We also have friends that are building a new home in Nocatee, FL. You are so right about the trip from Amelia to Saint Augustine using A1A and the scenery. Question is, do you have a recommendation for any RV parks between Amelia and Saint Augustine? As you may have read in one of my previous post we love our 4 month old A19 so much we decided to order one with the new chassis. We had one of the best Italian meals ever in the ‘old town Amelia’... can’t remember the name of it but I am sure you will know which restaurant it is. You sure live in a beautiful part of the country!

[Tomzstream]

Hi Skip, Yes we bought a house here while camping with our first Airstream down on Little Talbot Island, just South of Amelia Island.

The restaurants in Old Fernandina Beach come and go but I think Ciao has been there quite a while which is a testament to its quality.

We originally bought an Airstream when we lived in the Raleigh area, specifically to visit this part of Florida. Amelia is quite a quality destination, with free parking at the beaches, lots of access points with parking, and dog friendly! It's been rated one of the best family destinations by Conde Nast. Many have spoke of Fort Clinch SP, and Little Talbot is really nice too. Once we moved here, we took our trailer to California for use on the West Coast and for our Daughter to use. Now we are here, we have bought another for use at weekend festivals, and for Hurricane evacuations when we have to as finding dog friendly hotels can be challenging. Our favorite destination for that is the Suwannee Music Park over in Live Oak.

Perhaps we need to explore more up your way and the Low Country. Also very beautiful.

[skiphoyt]

I just heard from one of the dealers to expect a $18000.00 price increase over the 2019. That would push the price of a silver Airstream Interstate 19 to around $170K....WOW! I hope Airstream has some surprises for us at that price. I realize the new Sprinter chassis would be more costly but not to that extreme. My 2019 model is looking better and better to me.

[rowiebowie]

Should get lithium for that price.

[skiphoyt]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Should get lithium for that price.

That’s the “surprise” I was referring to.....You think??

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by skiphoyt

That’s the “surprise” I was referring to.....You think??

SKIPHOYT - I think we are now counting on you to test it out for the rest of us. You have done a great job doing the testing on the new Shorty. Living on the bleeding edge has many advantages, one of which are the surprises

[MLWilcox]

Yes SkipHoyt - your 2019 does look pretty good. I have heard numbers from $10-12,000 from an Airstream regional rep a couple of months ago to $18,000 from Colonial this weekend and numbers in between from other dealerships.

The upgrades from the Sprinter Chasis are primarily added safety features, electronic assist slider, front seat electronic adjust, and radio system. The price for those should not exceed $10,000, probably less. Add to that the basic annual increase.

My wish list for the 2020, in order of importance, would include the quiet 12 volt AC offered through Advanced RV, at least a 1,500 watt inverter coupled with better overall solar/battery management, and last would be lithium. Maybe lithium will be an option pushing the price increase to $18,000?

We probably won’t know anything for certain until May. Hopefully sooner.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by MLWilcox

... My wish list for the 2020, in order of importance, would include the quiet 12 volt AC offered through Advanced RV, at least a 1,500 watt inverter coupled with better overall solar/battery management, and last would be lithium. Maybe lithium will be an option pushing the price increase to $18,000? ...

While the latest A/C offered by Advanced RV is very quiet, It is not a 12VDC unit. Their upfitter web page...

https://www.upfittersresource.com/co...-benz-sprinter

Here is video of details from testing done by ARV. The units were all powered by a battery pack feeding a 120VAC inverter to power the A/C units.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=_9aMANXybD0

This video shows more details on why their chosen unit is quieter...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zQkBDPOLW4

[MLWilcox]

Boxter1971 - you are correct. Great video. Would still love it.

[PSchw]

The 12V is used by Coachmen in Galleria
NEW Pro Air 12V 20,000 BTU Air Conditioner
Sounds really promising it is a roof top .

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by PSchw

The 12V is used by Coachmen in Galleria
NEW Pro Air 12V 20,000 BTU Air Conditioner
Sounds really promising it is a roof top .

Interesting - something new - thanks for posting. I've always know ProAir for their under-mount units looks like they are expanding. The RV/van A/C market could use more competition. I checked the Coachman and ProAir sites and attached some images below. The interior unit shown in the 360 image on the Coachman site is different than what ProAir has shown on their Facebook page.

Then I found last image attached of the unit Coachman is likely using. It was amoung the photos in the ProAir Facebook pages. The current draws (75-107A) for this 12VDC A/C system means a lot of heavy gauge wiring going to the roof. I'm not sure this is progress...