When I was in college in the ‘60s, the general opinion was that imperialism was bad. Actually, it still is, unless you‘re talking about what Holiday Rambler has done with the new 2002 Imperial motorhome.

The company has turned out a very grand new motorhome aimed at exploiting nothing but the yearning of the middle-class for new heights of luxury, performance and (dare I say this about a motorhome in the quarter-million-dollar price range?) value.

Yes, value is a word you customarily find in advertising for low-priced, entry-level products. It‘s a more novel concept at the level of Imperial, but that‘s the point, according to Mike Spencer, national sales manager of Holiday Rambler‘s motorized division. “Nothing in this price range has all this,” Spencer said. “The 370 horsepower Cummins diesel and the Jacobs retarder braking system, for example – you just don‘t find them on coaches at this price.”

The 370-horse Cummins is an option on the Imperial (the 350 is standard), but Spencer said most 2002 Imperials will be equipped with the larger engine, because it‘s what people want. The Jacobs braking system electronically slows valve timing at the touch of a switch to boost back-pressure for engine braking on long downhill grades. Spencer said the “Jake brake” has about twice the negative horsepower of the exhaust brakes common at Imperial‘s price range, and has the flexibility of low and high settings.

The big engine and the new Jake brake are icing on the Imperial cake, though. This is a high-performing machine from the pavement up. The Roadmaster chassis is engineered by Monaco expressly for Imperial – fine-tuned, in fact, for the weight distribution of each coach. The air suspension senses and counteracts shifting weight in turns. Eight air bags and eight shocks are positioned well outboard so the coach has a stable, wide stance. The result is that you just won‘t believe how flat and smooth this coach corners until you have a chance to drive one yourself, which I recommend you do.

The performance of the air brake system will thrill you, too. And so will the smooth, quiet ride.

New upgrades for 2002

Have you ever seen a manufacturer downgrade a product for a new model year? No. You never have. And this year‘s Imperial is no exception.

Outside you‘ll see new painted graphics—to my eye a more sophisticated design—and a new one-piece windshield. Also, a new keyless entry system unlocks the entry door and cargo and service bays, too, something you‘ll especially appreciate in at night or in bad weather when you‘re in a hurry to set up camp and get inside.

New interior features include a Sony home theater system with DVD player (formerly an option), larger televisions (25 inches in the salon and 20 inches in the bedroom), and all-new interiors with an option for décor by Paloma Picasso no less. (Too bad Paloma‘s dad isn‘t still with us – I‘d love to see what the great man would do with a commission to design exterior graphics.)

There are 34 new standard features in all, and I‘ll point out a few more as we go along. The point is that Imperial designers have added a lot to the prestige of the name – and to the value and pleasure of owning one.

Master of all you survey

I‘ve had the pleasure of settling into the driver‘s seat of a good many Holiday Rambler and Monaco coaches, but I never cease to marvel at how well the cockpits are designed. You‘d think good cockpit ergonomics would be a no-brainer, considering how many hours you spend there, but it‘s not always the case.

The first great thing is how easy it is to find the perfect driving position – and to change it from time to time if you like. The leather seats have six-way power. (The passenger seat has a power footrest.) The steering wheel tilts and telescopes. And the brake and accelerator pedals adjust in and out at the touch of a switch. So not only can you make things perfect in a few seconds, but so can your copilot when he or she takes over.

The steering wheel is a big one, which lets you see all nine gauges and all the lights on the dashboard easily. Switches for headlights, wipers and cruise control are all on the steering wheel so you don‘t have to lean forward or take your eyes off the road – with the vista afforded by the big, curved, one-piece windshield, you won‘t want to.

At your left hand is a bank of switches and controls including the leveling system, gear shift, engine-block heater, pedal adjustment, step cover, generator slideout, the Jacobs engine brake, mirrors (power and heat), the parking brake and the optional power sunshades. The only switches on the dash (the ones you might have to reach for) are the lesser-used ones, including fog lights, docking lights, back-up alarm, auxiliary start, idle adjustment and the switch for the Cummins computer engine diagnostic system.

There‘s plenty of storage here for maps, campground directories and for tapes and CDs (the stereo, VCR and DVD that are all mounted up front.) And the cup holders are in a slide-out tray, so they‘re not in the way when you don‘t need them.

This, as they say, is living

Yes, I know that‘s Holiday Rambler‘s ad slogan. I don‘t care. It fits this coach. My test unit was a 38PBD. (The 2002 Imperial at this writing is offered in nine floorplans from 36 to 40 feet.) It had the optional leather recliner behind the passenger seat with a nice folding table in between. (Remember that both cab seats swivel to become additional living room seating.)

On the other side is the flush-floor slideout containing the sleeper sofa and the kitchen. This is an automatic-locking slideout. You don‘t have to use struts to lock it for travel – just roll it in and drive. Both slideouts have new fascia trim – it‘s all fluted wood with an elegant crown molding rather than upholstered, and it looks great.

Another great new feature is the legless dinette table. It‘s mounted in a little sideboard unit against the wall that contains storage for things like glasses and cups and also houses the subwoofer for the surround sound system. The absence of table legs makes it very easy to get in and out of your chair. And to extend it you just pull – no latches needed.

The table, like nearly every exposed horizontal surface in the coach, is made of solid surface material with a grooved edge. It‘s like having marble everywhere you look, but not it‘s not nearly as heavy.

The interior décor was Sandstone – a pleasant, nicely understated blending of contemporary fabrics. The cabinetry was the optional Walnut – Holiday Rambler gives you five optional choices in addition to the standard stained oak, so you can go light, dark or in between. The cabinet hardware is clean and contemporary. The window trim complements the graceful lines in the new sculpted carpeting.

The living area has several excellent new features for 2002. Nearly all the carpeted overhead cabinets are larger (in the bedroom, too.) There are new decorative lights, and recessed dimmer-switched lighting under the cabinets.

From the Imperial kitchen...

Looking at the floorplan, you‘ll conclude that this is the standard Holiday Rambler kitchen – well planned with plenty of storage. But there are some twists in the new Imperial that are special. The new recessed range has two large burners rather than three small ones, and you cover it with two pieces of solid-surface counter material that are like the sink covers, rather than a big bi-fold cover. These covers can serve as additional cutting boards or small serving trays.

At the left (aft) end of the kitchen there‘s a pantry cabinet built into the wall that I thought was an especially good use of space. There‘s a big microwave-convection oven. The double sink (mine was the optional molded-into-the-countertop style) is fitted with a single-handle Moen faucet with an integral sprayer. There are night lights at floor level.

The refrigerator was the big, optional four-door model with icemaker.

Thought has been put into the storage areas. Among the various drawers is one big enough for pots and pans. There‘s additional space for large stuff, but this drawer will keep you from having to get on your hands and knees to dig out your most-used cookware. The cabinet over the sink is large and undivided, so you can adapt it as you see fit. You‘ll probably keep your dishes here.

This kitchen looks almost too good actually to cook in with its solid-surface counters and fluted mirror backsplashes all around. But those materials are especially easy to clean up.

The Imperial private quarters

Through the six-panel pocket door next to the kitchen lies the Imperial owners‘ suite, a bath and bedroom in which you can do a lot of living.

Suite is the key word here. The bath and the slideout bedroom are separated by a pair of six-panel pocket doors for privacy. However, these doors open so wide that the space really becomes one big pleasant room – a great place to spend time rather than a cramped space you leave ASAP.

The bath is beautifully thought out. There are towel racks for you and your company, including two hand-towel rings near the sink. The sink is at an angle, molded into a big V-shaped counter, with two mirrored medicine cabinets. At the aisle end of the counter another towel bar (or assist handle) is milled into the solid-surface counter material – a nice, inventive idea. The angled shower has a seat and a skylight and two towel racks on the door.

On the opposite wall are the private water closet – which to my delight now has its own heat register. Moving aft, you‘ll find a good-size wardrobe, the pocket door, and then another, narrower wardrobe. They‘re making maximum, innovative use of storage space here. In fact I made an error in my notes as I looked at this space, referring to the larger wardrobe as the “washer-dryer area.” Surprise! It isn‘t. The optional washer-dryer fits in the corner of the bedroom under the 20-inch TV. So you actually get to keep that nice big wardrobe in the bathroom. There‘s another, larger wardrobe next to the washer-dryer cabinet along the back wall, good and deep, with sliding mirror doors. So each of you can have his or her own closet, although I‘ll try to be PC here and not guess which of you will get the bigger closet for her stuff. I mean...his or her stuff.

Another thing I liked about the bedroom is the dresser near the foot of the bed. This piece of furniture usually has six drawers, but Holiday Rambler has opted for 12 smaller ones. You probably give up a few cubic inches of usable space here, but you won‘t have to rummage around in a deep drawer looking for your insulated socks or your favorite boxer shorts. They‘ll always be right near the top.

The designers eked out every opportunity for storage. There‘s space under the washer-dryer for laundry products. A large area behind the TV is accessible from the closet. And there‘s a well in the closet floor that would be handy for footwear (it‘s plastic) that intrudes into empty space in the engine compartment.

There‘s a nightstand for each of you with a cabinet above. You can turn on floor-level bath nightlights from a bedside switch.

More fun outside

Outside, the Imperial basement has two large pass-through storage bays, one of which had an optional slideout tray that‘s strong enough to hold heavy objects like an outboard motor and make them accessible from either side of the coach.

A service bay on the driver‘s side contains (get this): water fill, holding tank flush hookup, holding tanks valves, the drain for the plumbing system, a hand-held hot-water shower, a paper towel rack, a liquid soap dispenser (ever get a case of the clumsies while handling a sewer hose? Now you don‘t have to bring it inside), the cable and phone jacks, a light, and a space heater to keep your hookups warm in the winter.

My coach was equipped with the new automatic Carefree awning. Years ago, I used to help do Carefree‘s advertising. We used to go on at length about how easy the awning was to use – just lift here and latch there and so on. Forget it. Now you just push a button right inside the entrance door.

Well, I only get so much space in these pages, and I know I‘ve left out many of the great features and thoughtful small touches that abound in this coach. So if you want to know more, you‘ll probably have to go see the new Imperial. You may even be moved to exploit your Imperial dealer by buying one. Just don‘t tell him what the competition is getting for their coaches.

For additional floorplans, specs, pictures and colors for the 2002 Imperial, please visit Holiday Rambler’s 2002 Imperial page.