Holiday Rambler has long been known for expanding the limits of what a motorhome can be, and they’ve done it again. But this time the paradigm-shattering trick is that they’ve pushed the envelope in an unexpected direction.

The new 2006 Vacationer Diesel, first shown to dealers last December, brings the performance and prestige of owning a Holiday Rambler diesel motorhome into the price range of gas-powered coaches.

So if owning a Holiday Rambler diesel is your lifelong dream, but you thought you needed to drop another $50,000 in the piggybank before you made your move, you need to take a look at the Vacationer Diesel.

Actually, Vacationer Diesel starts at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of about $135,000, which is only $7,000 less than Holiday Rambler’s Neptune line. But the price represents a major breakthrough, because it puts the price of entry into diesel ownership well within the means of people who would otherwise be buying a gas-engine coach.

Granted, nobody will mistake Vacationer Diesel for a downsized Imperial. But all the reasons why you wanted a diesel are present and accounted for. A roomy, flat-floor cab with the entrance door in front of the passenger seat. A rear engine you can hardly hear. Good low-end torque. Minimal engine maintenance at long intervals. An engine with a Methuselan life expectancy. Diesel fuel economy. And perhaps most important of all, the ability to tell your brother-in-law you just bought a Holiday Rambler diesel.

Also, like all other Holiday Rambler pushers, Vacationer Diesel uses a drivetrain that marries a Cummins diesel engine to an Allison transmission in a new, custom-designed chassis made by Monaco Coach Corporation’s Roadmaster division. (More on the chassis and powertrain later.)

By the way, for fans of Holiday Rambler’s high-end gasoline-powered line, Vacationer is still available in all its glory. Vacationer Diesel is simply an extension of that line.

I visited the Monaco Coach Corporation complex in Wakarusa in December to see the new Vacationer Diesel, but first I stopped by the office of the new Holiday Rambler National Sales Manager, Pat Terveer, to see what he thought of the new offering.

“Vacationer Diesel isn’t the only product at this price point,” Terveer said, “but this is the first time a major manufacturer has entered this price range. Holiday Rambler denotes more value. Vacationer Diesel has Holiday Rambler quality, greater value that comes from economy of scale, and behind every one of those coaches is the service and technical support of the largest builder of diesel coaches there is. For once, you don’t have to sacrifice peace of mind to get a bargain price. It’s like buying a Lexus at a Hyundai price.”

That Roadmaster Ride

Both the floorplans now available are 34-footers. The newly designed Roadmaster RSR rail chassis rides on leaf springs with gas shock absorbers. Terveer talked about how flatly and smoothly the coach corners and rides, and once I got behind the wheel I had to agree. This configuration rides and handles very, very well.

The powerplant is a Cummins ISB-AD with 300 horsepower and 600 foot-pounds of torque at 1,600 rpm. This new Cummins design has a variable-geometry turbocharger; Cummins says the engine has slightly improved fuel economy, more power and is 80 percent quieter than previous versions. Also, the new turbo design provides improved engine braking, to the point of behaving as if it had an internal exhaust brake, according to Cummins. The Allison 1000 MH transmission is a five-speed, controlled, as on all Holiday Rambler diesels, by pushbuttons at the driver’s left hand.

Both models have a 22,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating with an additional 4,000 pounds of towing capacity.

Legendary Construction

Body construction of the Vacationer Diesel is Alumaframe® for Holiday Rambler’s legendary combination of strength, lightweight and superb insulation. The roof is one-piece fiberglass, and peaked for water run-off. The outer body is gelcoat fiberglass with full body paint and vinyl graphics. Terveer explained that full body paint ensures that the color will remain consistent and true for years on the fiberglass shell as well as on utility and luggage doors, compared to unpainted fiberglass and various door materials, which age and discolor differently.

There are new fiberglass front and rear caps, the latter with a built-in rear-view camera. A single-camera system with audio is standard; two additional cameras for the blind spots on either side are optional.

Like all 2006 Holiday Rambler Class A motorhomes, the coach has a huge Panaview™ one-piece windshield with lay-down wipers. If you haven’t test driven a coach with this feature, you need to. The extra visibility side-to-side, overhead (stoplights), straight down (road hazards, small creatures, or your grandchildren) and the beauty and safety of a completely unobstructed view are all a big deal in my book.

At the Helm

Sitting in the cockpit of a Vacationer Diesel is bound to get your juices flowing. The diamond-brush instrument panel displays large, easy-to-read analog gauges. You settle into the comfortable six-way power driver’s seat and yearn for a long day on a road you’ve never traveled.

Standard features include tilt and telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, front-mounted power-controlled heated mirrors and fog lights. A fully automatic hydraulic leveling system is also standard. Just get her parked and push the button.

There’s a stereo/CD unit with six speakers (DVD with home theater available, digital satellite prep standard) and, overhead, a 24-inch flat-screen TV. (There’s a 20-incher in the bedroom, and you can play your DVD through either one). The designers added nice little touches, like cup holders for the driver and passenger and a neat little tray that pulls out of the center console on roller guides and has a nubbled rubber surface, so things don’t slide around on it.

The flush power stepwell cover is the same as in the high-end units. And you can option a six-way power seat for the copilot.

Designs for Living

The two floorplans are both 34-footers. The coach I toured was a 34 PBD — a novel layout featuring a desk hung on the front end of the curbside dinette. Want to use your computer? Just swivel that passenger seat 180 degrees and have at it. Give me one of those in-motion satellite systems with an Internet subscription and I could drive all day while my wife worked to support us.

The floorplan has two driver-side slideouts. One houses the sofa and galley, the other a bedroom wardrobe. The bed is positioned lengthwise in the coach. That’s something you don’t see often these days, but it allows for two large nightstands and two good-size closets. Pocket doors seal off the bath fore and aft, and there’s a private water closet.

This floorplan is a great design for couples, especially for those who work while they’re on the road. The sofa is about right for two adults (even supersized ones); however, if you plan to regularly share the space with a second couple or kids, you can option, in lieu of the dinette, two leather recliners with heat and massage features (sweet!), ottomans, and a table between the chairs. A free-standing dinette is also available.

The 34 PDD is an interesting alternative to the PBD. It has the kitchen on the curbside with the slideout housing the sofa and dinette. Between the galley and the copilot seat is a swivel barrel chair with a party table; this chair can be upgraded to one of those beautiful, heated, leather-clad euro-massage recliners (reviewing that description, I should remind you that this is furniture, not a paid crew member). The bed is transverse, with the headboard in a curbside slideout.

Interior décor is worthy of a diesel coach, with liberal use of hardwoods, solid-surface counters, solid-wood drawers on ball-bearing roller guides and all the little things that Holiday Rambler does so well.

Outside, you get all the storage and convenience features you’d want. A standard polyweave-vinyl patio awning, double-pane tinted windows, cable and phone hookups, and a water-service bay that puts all the controls in easy reach at one location. The huge pass-through storage bay has a one-piece polyethylene liner, and it’s well lighted.

Before closing, I should note that I’ve only had space to mention some of the highlights in terms of features and décor on this coach. You really need to see it, drive it, and read up on it to appreciate what a great job Holiday Rambler did at packing value into a diesel priced near the rock bottom of the market.

I guess the great thing about this coach is that you can get into a diesel at a gas price without feeling as if you’ve “settled.” You can pay a lot more for additional space, luxury, bells and whistles, but if you’re aspiring to own your first diesel, this is the option that doesn’t force you to compromise. It’s very well equipped, beautifully designed and appointed, great on the road, and it has the Holiday Rambler name and Monaco Coach Corporation behind it.

What else could you want?