| MOTORHOME REVIEW |
Diesel pusher motorhomes represent the ultimate dream for many RV enthusiasts. Holiday Rambler has made those dreams richer and more accessible this year. Let’s review the highlights with an eye to what’s new, starting at the top:
• NAVIGATOR
A couple of new triple slideout models (40 and 45 feet) are the big news in Holiday Rambler’s flagship line. Forty-foot models now have the Cummins ISL 370 engine standard, with an option on the 500-horse plant that’s standard in the longer coaches. The engineers have beefed up the front suspension and added larger Goodyear radial tires, raising the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) to 47,600, with an additional 10,000 available for towed loads. There’s an additional “ping tank” in the air ride system that decreases spring rate 40% for a softer ride.
The ’02 Navigator boasts new full-paint exterior graphics, a front cap with one-piece windshield, new headlights and stainless steel bumper. Inside, you’ll enjoy new, wider cockpit seats and a new dash panel with cruise control and “antenna-up” lights. There’s a Panasonic in-dash rear view system with AM/FM/CD player and overhead vents that take the place of dash fans.
New options in the cockpit include a GPS navigation system, something no Navigator should be without, and a remote-control power privacy curtain system.
Entertainment features include a new Sony home theater system with DVD player. For the ultimate in video you can order the optional Sony 42-inch wide-screen plasma TV that swings down from the ceiling over the cab.
Navigator’s designers have recessed the air-conditioning
vents and some lighting into the breathtaking decorative ceiling. They’ve
added some overhead cabinets and made others larger. A legless solid-surface
dinette table makes sliding in and out of your chair easy.
Interior choices include optional fabrics by Paloma Picasso.
• IMPERIAL
Imperial has also received several upgrades both inside and out.
The front-end looks better than ever with a new one-piece windshield and polished stainless steel bumper, and the body has exciting new full-paint graphics. There’s a new self-locking hydraulic generator slideout. And Holiday has added a keyless remote control for the entry door and storage bay locks.
A new Sony backup monitor features an audio system so your docking crew can talk to you in addition to flailing his or her arms. The standard entertainment package now includes a 25-inch TV up front and a 20-incher in the bedroom.
The interior has been upgraded in numerous ways, including: embossed leather furniture, upgraded carpet, new decorative lights, halogen lights under the cabinets with dimmer switches, larger overhead cabinets in the living room and bedroom, and a solid-surface expandable dinette. There’s even a wastebasket under the kitchen sink.
There are two new 40-foot triple-slideout floorplans. Imperial also has an option for fabrics by Paloma Picasso.
• SCEPTER
Introduced in 2001, the Scepter line gets enhanced performance for 2002 with larger air bags in the front suspension and the addition of standard automatic traction control. You can also upgrade from the standard
Cummins ISP 330 engine to the 350 hp plant, both with
the Allison MH 3000 transmission.
New dual fuel fillers will make maneuvering through gas stations a lot
easier. Exterior graphics feature deluxe full-body paint.
New interior features include: a living room slideout that locks for travel automatically; halogen lights with dimmer switches under the cabinets; day-night shades with blackout privacy shades in the bedroom; raised-panel door and added heat vent in private baths; larger overhead cabinets in sofa and bedroom slideouts.
The TV in the bedroom is now a 19-inch model, and the designers added a computer hook-up with phone jack at the dinette.
New floorplans include two 40-foot triple slideout models. The new 40PST triple slide, introduced in December, has a full kitchen-and-sofa slideout on the curbside.
• ENDEAVOR DIESEL
The perennial hot-selling Endeavor Diesel has many new exterior details: graphics, front and rear caps, fenders, two-piece windshield, headlights, new baggage doors and improved rear-bay storage.
Driving and load range are improved, with larger radial tires (275/70R/22.5 Goodyears) and larger front airbags by Firestone. Automatic traction control is now an option.
Like Scepter, the Endeavor Diesel now has a fuel filler on each side.
In the cockpit, you’ll find more storage in the overhead cabinets, a redesigned dash panel and a new Sony rear-view video system. A new work station slides out from the dash, so the copilot can operate a laptop computer or catch up on other chores while en route. Also, the dash air-conditioning system has been improved.
Standard TVs are now a 25-inch model up front and a 19-incher in the bedroom, and the TV and VCR sound is now wired to the ceiling speakers. And like Scepter, Endeavor Diesel has a new computer hook-up and phone jack at the dinette.
The 2002 Endeavor Diesel is more livable than ever. Day/night shades throughout with blackout shades in the bedroom are now standard. Halogen lights with dimmer switches under the cabinets let you set the right mood. Private bathrooms have more space and an additional heat vent. In the entryway you’ll find easy-to-clean rubber treads instead of carpet, with storage below.
All new interiors include an optional design by Martha Stewart.
Endeavor Diesel has four new triple-slideout floorplans at 38 and 40 feet. The 40DST model features a private rear bath plus a half bath amidships.
• AMBASSADOR
Until this year, Ambassador has served well as Holiday Rambler’s entry-level diesel pusher coach. In 2002, the new Neptune line takes over that role, and Ambassador gets a few upgrades.
Inside, you’ll fined a padded vinyl ceiling that absorbs sound better, adds insulation value, and is easier to clean than the former textile ceiling. There are new brass light fixtures and a 25-inch overhead TV in the center of the cockpit. Several models have larger overhead cabinets in the bedroom slideout. In the cab, driver and passenger seats are wider, and the entry steps are rubber rather than carpet, with storage beneath.
As with all the new Holiday Ramblers, there’s a
computer hook-up with phone jack at the dinette.
Outside, there are dual fuel fillers and a cargo net in the storage bay
area to help keep things from shifting around in the basement.
New options…
If you order the optional air brakes, you can also get adjustable brake
and accelerator pedals that help you achieve the perfect driving position
for each driver in seconds. You can order air horns and heated chrome
mirrors with turn signals. In the cockpit, a power footrest is available
on the copilot seat if you order power seats to begin with – and
you can option Carefree power sunshades, too. Day/night shades with blackout
shades in the bedroom are also available.
Among the 2002 Ambassador floorplans are four triple slideout models in lengths of 34, 36 and 38 feet.
And introducing…
• NEPTUNE
Holiday Rambler’s newest motorhome line gives you the roomy cockpit, quiet power, durability, reduced maintenance and improved fuel economy of a diesel pusher for slightly more than a gasoline-powered coach of similar size.
Neptune is built on a custom-engineered Roadmaster chassis and powered by a 275 hp Cummins ISB diesel with an Allison MH 2000 five-speed transmission.
The air suspension uses four large air bags and four shocks. Automatic braking system (ABS) is standard, and so is a 4,000-pound hitch receiver.
Construction is Holiday Rambler’s legendary Alumaframe®, with five-layer sidewalls and a nine-layer roof (including a padded vinyl ceiling) and a steel cage cockpit. The body shell consists of molded fiberglass front and rear caps, smooth aluminum sidewalls. The floor is steel-framed with a foam-insulated underbelly and in-floor ducted heating.
The basement features one-piece polyethylene pass-through storage compartments. And the standard unit comes tricked out with dual fuel fillers, heated remote-control mirrors, rear ladder and mud flaps. A 6.5 kW Onan LP gas generator is standard, with an option for a 7.5 kW diesel set.
Cockpit standards include rear-vision video with audio, tilt and cruise, an AM/FM/CD system, and a 19-inch TV. Six-way power seats will be a popular option.
A space-saver microwave, large, double-door fridge and standard prewire for a washer-dryer all make life easier. Cabinetry features beautifully stained raised-panel oak doors. Drawers have oak fronts and roller guides.
Roof air is standard, along with an electronic climate-control system that operates heating and cooling automatically to maintain the temperature you want.
Neptune is available initially in four floorplans at 32, 34 and 36 feet, each with double slideouts.
Neptune is a knockout, and if you’re looking at a higher-end gas coach, well, now you can hardly afford not to go diesel.
Dave Bessmer is a freelance writer living in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has spent 25 years in or around the RV business. He has authored several features for Holidays magazine.