The creative and engineering brain trusts at Holiday Rambler have been busy with the 2007 Scepter. Now in its seventh model year, this reinvigorated coach offers many new enhancements, including a throng of new standard features and options, as well as Holiday Rambler’s revolutionary coach designs. Nowhere is this more evident than the five new Scepter floorplans hitting dealer lots around the country. And included for the first time in the Scepter lineup of new floorplans is the PANAsuite® full-wall slideout. Yes, the Scepter for 2007 represents a significant body of improvement that luxury coach enthusiasts everywhere are embracing.

The Scepter is offered at a price point that is mid-way in the Holiday Rambler lineup of luxury diesel pusher coaches. For many discerning clients the Scepter has all of the marking of coaches that cost far more. Many luxury coach clients today who have been considering much more expensive coaches are discovering that the Scepter for 2007 can accommodate their desire to take the next step up in the luxury motorcoach lifestyle.

The Scepter includes no less than four slideout rooms in every floorplan, with the exception of the all-new 42-foot SFT full-wall slideout (pictured below) that features three. This street side, full-wall slideout is immense. The slide begins immediately aft of the driver seat and extends all the way to the rear of the coach. Holiday Rambler has elected to use the hydraulic slideout mechanism to extend and retract all Scepter slideouts (including the full-wall slide) and in so doing they have been able to house inside the full-wall slide (front to rear) a sofa/sleeper; free standing dinette; refrigerator/freezer; and a massive wardrobe in the bedroom. Imagine that, a single slideout room that includes all of these features. And when it’s extended a coach length side-aisle passageway is instantly created to provide movement between the front and rear of the coach.

But livability does not come to an end when the coach is ready for travel and the full-wall slide is retracted. The 42SFT Scepter floorplan provides a front and rear door at each end of the massive center coach bathroom. It is through these doors that the passageway between the front and rear of the coach is created when the full wall slideout is retracted for travel. In fact, with all the slides retracted on all Scepter floorplans, the interior is fully functional and livable and this includes the full-wall slide floorplan.

The 42PLQ Scepter floorplan features yet another unique floorplan configuration, but this time it’s in the rear of the coach. Aft of the king bed is a private salon area that includes two recliners (with ottomans) with a utility table between the recliners. A large rear picture window permits those using the salon area recliners as well as those who may simply like to lie in bed, to view and enjoy the world outside from the privacy of their bedroom.

Four elegant new interior décor packages permit the customer to elect the shades and colors of the carpet, sofa, areas of accent and the bedspread. These in turn complement the exterior paint scheme the client selects. Five different oak, maple and cherry stain finishes include a new semi-gloss sheen. The raised panel cabinet doors now feature a cathedral type design (a subtle new raised panel configuration at the top of each cabinet door) that enhances the cabinets’ already visually pleasing appearance. All cabinetry is full hardwood and now includes new satin nickel finish hardware that takes the overall appearance up even one more notch.

Appearance and functionality have been enhanced in the kitchen area, with a new polished solid surface galley counter top extension that glides out, adding approximately two additional linear feet to an already spacious counter top area. Between the galley and the front of the coach, Holiday Rambler has added an option that many coach customers have requested: an optional ceramic tile runner that can be laid in the high traffic living area. Standard on all Scepters is the addition of ceramic tile to the floor below the dinette slideout. When this slideout is extended, the tiled floor below the slide is in visual continuity with this rest of the area floor.

One item that’s been borrowed from Holiday Rambler’s top-of-the-line Navigator and incorporated as standard on the Scepter is Multiplex 12V wiring that is used for all interior lighting. In all four 42-foot floorplans a 72-inch by 80-inch king size bed is now standard. The Select Comfort Air Mattress is one option that’s now available for all 36-foot to 40-foot coaches with standard queen beds and the 42-foot coaches with standard king beds. This sleep system provides individualized firmness control via two handheld touch pads, one for each side of the bed.

All bath areas feature a one-piece rounded shower with a designer reeded glass door (where available). For 2007 the height of the shower has been raised to 78 and ¾ inches. For those who may prefer a neo-angled bathtub, this can be added in lieu of the shower. All coach-wide bath configurations have private water closets.

Other new options include a central vacuum system; a 20-inch LCD television is the rear stateroom; a bedroom ceiling fan; interior solar privacy sunscreens and a larger two-way refrigerator with ice dispenser in the door. The Scepter offers an optional Super Savings Package that includes many of the options coach enthusiasts prefer. Included is a three-camera rear vision system with audio and adjustable camera; a 32-foot LCD television is the living area, a solid surface galley sink; water hose and power cord reels and an auto start function on the standard 8.0 kW or 10.0 kW Quiet Diesel auxiliary generators (the size of the genset depends upon the floorplan).

With this model year, Holiday Rambler has opened up the possibilities on several floorplans by locating the refrigerator/freezer in the slideout. This change has helped the designers to relocate the appliances and furnishings in even more creative and functional ways.

The most dramatic visual change this year is the exterior paint and graphic packages offered on the Scepter. Full body paint (five different colors with what is called a blended paint effect) is topped with a clear coat dressing. These new and creative exterior treatments will truly excite today’s sophisticated coach enthusiast. Four distinctively different exterior color/graphics combinations make up the menu of choices.

The 100.5-inch wide Scepter body is available in 36-foot, 38-foot, 40-foot and 42-foot lengths. All of the 42-foot floorplans include a rear tag axle that can be raised for backing up and for making tight turns. The Scepter is built both on the RR8S or RR10S Roadmaster Chassis’ (this depends upon the floorplan). The 8.8L ISL Cummins 400 horsepower diesel engine develops 1,200 lbs./ft. torque and is rated to tow up to 10,000 pounds. The six-speed MH3000 Allison Transmission and automatic traction control bring their own unique types of technology to the Scepter that puts over-the-road performance up in the excellent range. Equipped with the standard 10,000 pound hitch receiver, the Scepter comes wired with a dual (4 and 7 pin) electrical connector. The Scepter engineers and designers have also increased the basement storage capacity of what was already a massive pass-through basement storage area.

The Scepter comes with the Cushion Air Glide Suspension System that includes either eight or 10 outboard mounted air bags (depending on the floorplan). Each high volume low-pressure air bag is matched with a shock absorber that is specifically tuned to its location in the suspension system. Anti locking front disc and rear drum brakes are standard, as is an exhaust brake. An air leveling system can be chosen in lieu of the standard three-point hydraulic levelers.

Dual or triple 13.5M BTU centrally ducted roof air conditioners and heat pumps (the number offered is floorplan dependent), and twin forced air furnaces that total 50M BTU of heating are standard. The Holiday Rambler Hydro-Hot Water and Heating System is an option. Fresh, gray and waste holding tank capacities are huge (100, 78 and 44 gallons, respectively) and the 130-gallon fuel tank can take you many miles before you need to stop and refuel.

For Holiday Rambler and the Scepter, 2007 is an amazing model year. It is one that brings the “awe factor” back to the fore.