Class A Motorhomes Comparison

NeXus RV
Class A Motorhomes vs. Class C Motorhomes

Five Points of Comparison by NeXus RV President, Claude Donati

http://www.nexusrv.com or toll-free: 1.855.786.3987

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One of the most frequent questions asked by new RVers is; what is the difference
between a Class A and a Class C Motorhome? This answer is lengthy and
comprehensive. The differences are immense and important for each and every
person to consider. The details of this comparison should help you determine what
best suits your goals while enjoying the RV lifestyle.

We will focus on the a traditional Class C and a Gas Class A as they both have engines
in the front of the vehicle and these products are competing for the same customers.
In fact, many of these products use the same Ford V10 gas engine so for this
comparison we will focus on the Ford V10 configuration on both the Class C motor
home and the Class A motor home.


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Five Points of Comparison:
1.Safety
2.Driveability
3.Serviceability
4.Sleepability
5.Price

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Drivability
The first area of importance is DRIVABILITY. The Class C motorhome is built on a Van front
end chassis that is very similar to most automobile cockpits. This design makes the driving
experience an easy transition from their day to day car or SUV. Contrarily, the Class A
motorhome is a completely different design and requires some practice and understanding
as the driver is located on top of the front axle and higher from the ground. Many people
get the feeling of being too close to the windshield and subsequently they feel less
comfortable when they drive a Class A.
In a Class C motorhome, the driver is behind the front axle exactly like a car or SUV and lower
to the ground. It is very common for many experienced RVers, to move into a Class C
motorhome as driving the large Class A becomes more challenging with age and the physical
factors we all face. It is clear Drivability favors the Class C product. Whether you are a new
RVer, experienced RVer, an old RVer, young RVer, short or tall the Class C product will make
your time driving your new RV easy and stress free.

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Safety
Another very important factor in determining what type of RV you are going to buy is
SAFETY. Obviously, the ease and comfort of driving a motorhome would assume a more
safe driving experience but there are a few other things that the Class C motorhome offers
that makes it even safer. Another big factor in making the Class C safer than the Class A is
airbags. All Class C cockpits are equipped with airbags for the both the driver and
passenger. This feature clearly gives the safety advantage to the Class C. Every Class C
that is built on the Ford Chassis is built by Ford in one factory adhering to strict FMVSS
guidelines. The design has been tested in ambulances, shuttle buses and Class C
motorhomes. The Ford Class A motorhome is built to many difference specifications by
many different companies.


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The result of this design variation is some high quality units and some low quality units. This
variation in quality stems from large range of ergonomic differences in details like distance a
customer sits from the windshield, center of gravity of the entire of the Class A and front
end construction can create a unit that is inferior to the Class C motorhome. In addition to
being less safe than the Class C motorhome, these products tend to have a much higher
defect ratio when measuring things like electrical performance, windshield wipers and Air
conditioning in the Cockpit. When you research any government recall list, it is evident that
the Class A motor home cockpit and front end design seemingly have numerous incidents.
Considering all these variations in design and historically problematic quality issues in Class
A units, compounded with the fact Class A Motorhomes do not have airbags it becomes
more apparent that the Class C motorhome is a much safer RV.
Another side note that may go to the safety issue but certainly goes to the convenience
issue is the fact that many Class A motorhomes do not have a driver or passenger door
where as all Class C motorhomes have driver and passenger doors. This feature makes it
convenient to get in and out of a Class C motorhome without any trouble, whereas, the
Class A without a side door requires walking through the living room to get out on the
passenger side only.

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To continue down the direct comparison between the Class A motorhome and the Class C
motorhome, I recently drove 1300 miles on each of these products to give my readers a real
life evaluations of the differences. I drove a Nexus Phantom Class C 32’ on a Ford E-450
Chassis with a V-10 Engine from Elkhart, Indiana to Tampa, Florida. Then 20 days later I drove
an Allegro Open Road Class A built on a Ford Class A rail Chassis with a Ford V-10 from
Ocala, Florida to Elkhart, Indiana.
Many of the items mention above applied to my experience. While in the Class C
motorhome, I felt lower to the ground and the driving experience was similar to driving my
SUV. The front end design of the Nexus Phantom cut through the wind with relative ease.
Every once in a while a gust would get my attention but for the most part, my confidence in
driving this unit was never affected. I drove through a snowstorm with high winds as I left
Indiana and the challenging conditions were much easier to handle than I anticipated. It is
clear the all steel cage construction of the Phantom Class C, gave the unit “torsinal rigidity”
eliminating most of the side to side sway caused by cross winds.


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On my return from Florida, I was in a gas Class A motorhome the experience was much
different. First, when driving out of the sunny state of Florida, the sun was bearing
down on me and I felt like I had nowhere to hide. Many dealers and manufacturers
consider the large windshield to be a benefit giving you a nice panoramic view. I must
say, that is true, you have a huge view of the road and the surroundings. Later as I
drove, that feature created a sauna and began to make me tired. As I moved into the
state of Georgia, the weather changed and I entered some hefty cross winds. The Class
A Motorhomes design absorbed every blast of wind that I encountered and began to
challenge me forcing me to fight the steering wheel. The steering was much looser than
that of the Class C causing me to continuously bounce my hands from left to right to
keep the unit between the lines.


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Sleepability
Continuing the comparison, SLEEPABILITY favors the Class C motorhome vs. the Class A
motorhome. Recently there has been a push from Class A manufacturers to add a bed that
drops down from the ceiling, while this added feature adds the overall sleeping capacity it
truly limits the function ability of the Class A. In a Class C, there is a cabover bed, giving the
RVer two extra sleeping positions while not protruding into the living room. Moreover, kids
love this area. What makes it nice is the family can enjoy the dinette or the sofa and kitchen
without any problem and the people wanting sleep are not trying to do so in the middle of
the living room.


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Serviceability
When purchasing a new motorhome you must consider the chance you may need service.
This concern may be for when you are at home, in your hometown or it may be when you
are traveling throughout North America. A clear advantage in SERVICEABILITY goes to the
Class C motorhomes. More specifically, the Class C motorhome built on the Ford Chassis as
a Class C built on the Dodge Sprinter Van Chassis does not share the excellence in parts and
service that Ford has achieved.


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Comparing a Ford Class A gas motorhome to a Ford Class C gas motorhome is important. As
the Class C is built on Van front, virtually every Ford Dealership will work and repair that
configuration. Many Ford Dealerships will not work on a Class A configuration thus
availability of service heavily favors the Class C. Also, when a Ford Class C is being work on, in
most cases, the service facility does not have to get in your unit. They can repair the unit
from the cockpit under the hood, while the Class A design forces many technicians to trample
through your house to get to the engine.
There are some advantages that the Class A design and Chassis can offer, for example, the
Class A chassis has a larger GVWR. This feature usually gives you a large cargo carrying
capacity and or bigger tanks sizes. Historically, there has been an impression that the Class A
motorhome is built better than a Class C. At Nexus RV, we have worked hard to dispel that
impression by building a better motorhome that anyone else.


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Price
Another clear advantage when considering a Class C verses a Class A is PRICE. In fact, many
manufacturers will cheapen the build of a Class A in order to compete with a Class C buyer.
This confusion makes the customer think they are buying up but in actuality they are buying
an inferior motorhome with fewer options just because they think it is a step up. This tactic
evident as you will find Class A products with rubber roofs, aluminum cage construction and
luan wood substrates in their construction. As we compare Class A motorhomes to the Nexus
RV Class C, we overwhelm our customers with high-end features that many Class A
manufacturers will not consider putting in their products as it disrupts their profit margins.
The fact is Class C products are built the same way as Class A products but retails for less and
that does not make any sense as the raw chassis cost more in a Class C due the automotive
finish of the cockpit.


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In summary, the Class C motorhome is the overwhelming winner in the head-to-head
comparison vs. the Class A motorhome. When you buy a Class C motorhome you will
get, DRIVABILITY, SAFETY, SERVICEABILITY, SLEEPABILITY AND PRICE. The only thing
better than that is buying your Class C factory direct and saves thousands while we
build your dream……..www.nexusrv.com


NeXus RV


Class A Motorhomes Comparison

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Class A Motorhomes Comparison