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Old 09-30-2014, 12:15 PM   #21
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More on the Grand Tour after another visit to the dealer yesterday:

The 2 batteries and breaker panel are actually located above the driver side wheel well. So by lifting up the inward facing seat and removing the front of the seat base, you can get to the batteries pretty easily.

Also since the area under the rear sofa is now empty (you can open the door under the sofa where the breaker used to be, and look right through), then it would be easy for them to offer a twin bed option.

The dealer had a Grand Tour with the optional sliding door and rear door screens fitted:
The sliding door screen looks pretty robust with 2 aluminum frames, the rear part being to cover the area above the countertop (floor to ceiling), and the front part being the slider. It's not a retractable style, it just slides back over the rear part and can stop in any position. It didn't look that elegant to me but the simple frame and the way its bolted in will probably ensure it has a longer life.
The rear door screen is quite different in that it's built into a laminated frame at the sides and slides down from a box hung under the rear overhead storage bin. And this one is electrically controlled by a small remote.
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:36 PM   #22
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Thanks - looks like Airstream is keeping up with competition.


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Old 10-01-2014, 07:21 AM   #23
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I really liked the screen door. It is curved top to bottom to match the shape of the door opening. It feels much sturdier than the roll up or fold up screens - like a real screen door.

I called my dealer to see if I could have it fitted to my 2014.5 AI. It is specific to the Grand Tour, but Airstream is working with the manufacturer to see if a retrofit could be made. I hope so - nicest screen door I've seen on a class B.
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Old 10-01-2014, 03:52 PM   #24
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Screen look great hope it is retrofittable.
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Old 01-10-2015, 08:52 AM   #25
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Quote:
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Interesting. One by one, it seems that all of the manufacturers are inching toward this layout, with the "high stuff" on the driver's side so as not to block the view of the campsite. Makes sense. It is remarkably similar to our new GWV Legend. Still no tri-fold bed or screen door (yet), though. Great West pioneered this layout years ago, and it was cloned by Advanced RV. I bet in a few years all of the manufacturers will offer this layout. It really does make sense for a lot of people.

As usual, the Airstream-designed interior is very stylish.

You are right about the systems. In this day and age, I would have expected a compressor fridge and diesel heat/water, especially at this price point.
I am new to class B. What's the advantage of a compressor fridge as compared to an electric/propane unit?
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Old 01-10-2015, 09:16 AM   #26
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Main advantage is they don't require to be perfectly level like the propane refers. Also no need to keep propane on and they are much more efficient on 12v DC.
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Old 01-10-2015, 09:22 AM   #27
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Also, they cool faster and in general behave more like your household fridge.
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Old 01-10-2015, 10:11 AM   #28
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I believe the Grand Tour uses a DC/AC fridge.
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Old 01-10-2015, 05:25 PM   #29
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Grand tour is a lousy layout looks like a luxury coach grasping at straws to grab a sliver of market share. AI is a luxury coach not a camper. Night or two occasionally but that's not their market. Stick with luxury demand. I could of bought a B camper for 60/70k made of plastic and vinyl passed off as leather. PLEASE DONT DISGRACE THS COACH WITH DESPERATE LAYOUTS.
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Old 01-10-2015, 06:02 PM   #30
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Grand tour is a lousy layout looks like a luxury coach grasping at straws to grab a sliver of market share. AI is a luxury coach not a camper. Night or two occasionally but that's not their market. Stick with luxury demand. I could of bought a B camper for 60/70k made of plastic and vinyl passed off as leather. PLEASE DONT DISGRACE THS COACH WITH DESPERATE LAYOUTS.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. But the Grand Tour layout is the result of a lot of customer feedback.

So, without further hyperbole, please tell us exactly— in detail— what's so bad about the layout so that we can have a reasoned discussion about your statements. Stating your conclusion without telling us how you arrived at that conclusion is a conversation-killer because we have no basis on which to agree or disagree with you.

The one thing you said that can prompt a reasoned discussion at this point is your "grab a sliver of market share" statement. If you follow the RV market, you would know that the Airstream Interstate, including the Grand Tour, already has the largest B-van market share in the United States, and is second in the North American continent due to Roadtrek having the Canadian market sewn up. Every Airstream Interstate they will build in the next three months has ALREADY been sold; that's how long the backlog is.

That doesn't sound to me like Airstream is grasping at a sliver of market share.
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Old 01-10-2015, 06:12 PM   #31
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It is a pathetic attempt to make this coach act like a camper. It's a coach not a camper. A prevost is a luxury coach just much larger not a class A motorhome. That's why.............(and yes I know they can be configured for certain applications but at 2 mil you can convert anything)
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Old 01-10-2015, 06:58 PM   #32
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It is a pathetic attempt to make this coach act like a camper. It's a coach not a camper.
Adjectives like "pathetic" do not support your claim. An adjective is not a reason. Why is it a coach and not a camper?

I camp in my 2012 Interstate on a regular basis, and have done for over three years now. What exactly is it about the Grand Tour that makes it less practical to camp in it than in any other Interstate?

Given that there's less space devoted to seating, and more to the "house" amenities, it seems as if the Grand Tour would be a BETTER camper than the run-of-the-mill Interstate; it's a return to the same type of layout as in the original 2004-2007 models; the floorplan is different, but the Grand Tour has approximately the same number of square feet devoted to the same specific purposes as in the original Interstates.

And for that matter, why does it matter? Not all Interstates are used by campers in the first place. I know one man, a construction contractor, who uses his as a mobile office. The New Orleans Hard Rock Café was looking to buy one as a limousine. I also know of a "soccer mom" who uses hers to haul her kids to sporting events. Should THEY avoid Grand Tours as well?

Airstream makes several floor plans because one van cannot be all things to all people. If you don't like the Grand Tour, don't buy one. But before you warn other people away from buying one, you need to have specific objective reasons why, not purely subjective opinion.

And before you ask, I'm not planning to buy a Grand Tour. Not because I don't like them, but because I already have an Interstate that serves my needs perfectly well and I see no reason to get rid of it.

But if circumstances beyond my control caused me to get rid of the Interstate I have now, such as it being totaled by a drunk driver, then chances are my replacement RV would be a Grand Tour. And I'd go camping in it just as often as I go camping in my Interstate now, because I don't see any feature of the Grand Tour that makes it impractical for camping.
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:16 PM   #33
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It's a luxury coach congrats on owning one they are awesome.
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:27 PM   #34
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One man's luxury coach is another man's camper.
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Old 01-10-2015, 07:30 PM   #35
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It's a luxury coach congrats on owning one they are awesome.
I don't own one. I own a run-of-the-mill 2012 Airstream Interstate. What I said was, if I was buying an Interstate today I'd buy a Grand Tour. But I'm not buying one today. I bought one three years ago when the only floor plan choices were lounge or twin beds, and with or without a full-height closet. No extended models, no Grand Tours.

Here I am honestly trying to find out why you are so down on Grand Tours because I figured that anyone who stated their opinion so strongly had some reason for holding that opinion. But not only do you provide no facts to back up your opinion ("It's a coach, not a camper" is an opinion, not a fact; "anything you camp in is a camper" is a fact), but then you just cave in and say "congrats on owning one," rather than try to support your case.

Makes me frustrated that I tried to engage you in a conversation. I will now add you to my "ignore" list and so I'll never see another one of your posts in this or any other thread. Sorry for wasting your time. Even sorrier for wasting MY time.
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Old 01-10-2015, 08:02 PM   #36
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Again congrats on owning a luxurious AI interstate I love mine also..... It's a coach not a camper. Appearently you ave never been in a camper. Slide outs, full size showers and booth or galley dinning areas wrapped in vinyl. Our AI certainly wasnt perfect out of the gate, a few minor flaws I have corrected but it is one badass family transport with a toilet fridge and a hot plate.
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Old 01-11-2015, 06:14 AM   #37
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CraigL, we were one of "those people" that HAD a Prevost be it 15 years old. We had it BUILT to our needs and wants and it was not a 2Mil$ glitz mobile.

We downsized to a Class B Airstream and were happy with it knowing full well of the smaller sizes: bath, shower, fridge. OK so after 7 months we swapped out to the Roadtrek but that was because I wanted the E-trek and did not like the Suburban furnace and smaller fridge.

But we are happy camping, 3 weeks at a time in a small Class B. Never ever camped for 3 weeks in the Prevost in 15 years!!!!
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Old 01-11-2015, 06:58 AM   #38
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You can't call a big Class-A camping. That's RVing. Staying in a tent is camping. We slept in our Interstate for 3 months last summer on a trip to Alaska. I call it glamping - glamor camping. [emoji4]
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Old 01-11-2015, 07:32 AM   #39
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I downsized from a Classic Airstream Motorhome to a 2007 Interstate. I chose that Interstate specifically because of the floor plan. I could have easily bought a new 2008-2014 Interstate but did not want it because of the floorplan. Now that the Grand Tour is available, I am looking at one of those because of the floor plan. I am a camper. I like the floor plan because it has a more open feel because one side has an open view on one side. I like the floor plan because I can more easily see vehicles on the right as I change lanes. It is the perfect floor plan for Hubby, Me and our 30 pound dog. I would only change for a Grand Tour layout.
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Old 01-11-2015, 08:57 AM   #40
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One man's luxury coach is another man's camper.
I agree
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