Here we go again. This RV maker just can’t help it. A couple of years ago Holiday Rambler introduced what quickly became an extremely successful line of low-priced travel trailers and fifth wheels called Savoy. They found the formula for combining what makes Holiday Rambler products special — aluminum frame construction, enclosed underbellies, quality cabinetry, great design and all that — with high-volume production of a few solid floorplans to make a successful high-value, low-priced line.

But, as always happens, they couldn’t leave well enough alone. They had to make it better.

So now you have your choice between that great low-priced Savoy SL and the juiced-up Savoy LX. And that’s a good thing.

On my latest trip to Elkhart, Brad McKinney, Holiday Rambler’s national sales manager for towables, showed me his newest and most exciting Savoy LX, the 32 SKT. This LX floorplan isn’t a radical new design. What’s special about it is that it is virtually identical to a very hot-selling model in the luxury Alumascape Suite line.

“A while back, we found that we had too great a gap in price between the Savoy SL and Alumascape,” McKinney said. “The Savoy LX is a kind of bridge between the two.” McKinney explained that the Savoy LX fifth wheel isn’t just a dolled-up version of the low-profile SL. Rather, it’s a “mid-profile” design, with 6' 1" of headroom at the after side of the transverse bed and 5' 10" at the forward end, where the ceiling meets the full-width wardrobe.

The strategy behind introducing the Savoy model was to offer the benefits of Holiday Rambler ownership to people buying their first new travel trailer or fifth wheel. This is still the idea, whether you’re looking at the basic Savoy SL or the upgraded, mid-profile LX.

However, the new 32 SKT, which is the largest Savoy fifth wheel, is all that and a bit more. Entry-level towables are generally used for weekending, family vacations, and other relatively short-term jaunts and sojourns. But the 32 SKT, derived from a luxury-coach design, can be more than that. It has the room, storage and construction features to serve retirees who might be out for weeks or even months at a time.

Room to Live

First let’s talk about the living space and amenities. The 32 SKT is a triple slideout model with a living room that expands both east and west and a transverse bedroom slideout. The rear living room has ample seating. There are two comfortable upholstered lounge chairs at the rear with a built-in cocktail table and cabinet in between. These sit in front of a large picture window. In the long curbside slideout are the flip-lounge sofa and dinette. This standard configuration is a nice family setup, but for a couple, I’d suggest the optional configuration in my test coach, a free-standing dinette and a sofa bed. The former has a folding leaf to provide plenty of dining space, and comfortable oak-and-upholstery chairs. The sofa bed is a good idea if you are planning to have adults as guests. On the other side, a

The strategy behind introducing the savoy Model was to offer the benefits of Holiday Rambler ownership to people buying their first new travel trailer or fifth wheel.

smaller slideout houses the computer station and entertainment center. My coach had an optional 24-inch color TV and home theater system. A CD/radio sound system is standard.

The entertainment cabinet has plenty of room for your DVD, games and other gear, even if you choose to have the optional gas fireplace built in under the telly.

The galley is highly functional, with a three-burner range and oven, microwave, a large double sink and plenty of storage. You can see the difference in décor and small touches between the Savoy LX and Alumascape, like fixed

Now you have your choice between that great low-priced Savoy SL and the juiced-up Savoy LX. And that’s a good thing.

pantry shelves and laminate counters. And yet, you will find lovely Corian counter edging, a large folding counter extension, very attractive and functional sink fixtures, hardwood cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and quality drawers on roller guides.

The bath is well designed. There’s a private water closet rather than the walk-through kind, but the lavatory is conveniently outside it, between the bed and the roomy, angled shower.

In the bedroom, the transverse design provides for a great amount of storage space. There is a wardrobe with sliding mirrored doors across the width of the front wall. Inside it is copious space for hanging clothes, but the designers also included much-needed shelf space at the top. There is a second nice-sized wardrobe with a mirrored front between the bath and the bedroom. Across from the foot of the bed is a six-drawer dresser with roller guides and cedar lining (a feature used in much of the cabinetry); above that are overhead cabinets and a TV enclosure.

Add the storage space under the bed and you’ve got room to live in comfort and convenience, even if you’re way beyond weekending. This may be theoretically a first-timer’s coach, but it’s one you won’t outgrow soon.

You won’t get tired of looking at it, either. The interior of this coach is distinctly rich. The décor lends a light, open feeling and nicely sets off the wood tones. Day-night shades are standard, lighting is good, and the lighting fixtures look great.

Built like a Holiday Rambler

The same is true outside. The basement storage isn’t as cavernous as on the Alumascape Suite; the mid-profile Savoy LX fifth wheel does not incorporate the “Z frame” design of its bigger cousin. But there is still a great deal of pass-through basement. And as with the more expensive coach, it is easily accessible from both sides and through a horizontally split door in front that gives you access even when the coach is hitched to your pickup. Also, as with any good luxury coach, the bathroom and bedroom floors are completely enclosed and insulated.

McKinney pointed out that the gas bottles on this coach are in a single compartment on the roadside, rather that on opposite sides, for convenience. The water-management panel, now standard on all Holiday Rambler towables is a boon. It contains all your freshwater hookups — for filling tanks, winterizing or flushing the holding tanks — along with the related valves and simple, graphic directions for using them. There is also a hand-held shower with hot and cold water. The only water-related controls not in this compact panel are the holding tank gate valves, and the hatch is lockable for security.

As with more expensive Holiday Rambler models, the undercarriage is completely enclosed and insulated, making the Savoy LX suitable for use in most weather. In-floor heat ducts help keep the tanks and plumbing from freezing and help keep the floor warm under your feet. Standard tinted safety glass windows add comfort and energy savings. Wall and roof construction uses aluminum framing (the roof is on 16-inch centers) with block foam insulation. Floor framing is steel, with one-piece decking. Exterior sidewalls are a very shiny UV-resistant gelcoat fiberglass; combined with elegant graphics, it’s one of the things that make this coach look a lot more expensive than it is. The front fiberglass cap, made in-house by Holiday Rambler, has sleeker radius corners for 2007. An upgraded Carefree Awning is standard this year, too.

The one-piece roof membrane is a low-maintenance feature, and the highly arched roofline provides excellent run-off.

Standard running gear includes Super-Lube easy-maintenance wheel bearings and 15-inch radial tires. Shocks and aluminum wheels are available.

If you’re looking for a whole lot of living in a modestly priced fifth wheel, you’ll want to start with the Savoy LX 32 SKT. You’ll also want to end up there. If that is an immediate goal, you should hustle down to your nearest dealer right away, because Brad McKinney tells me they’re going fast. I mean, they’ll make more, but why wait?