11/23/2023 0 Comments 1971 winnebago braveA winding mountain road went up and down and sideways for about 10 miles. I only wished it had suggested a few gas stations along the route when it noticed I was running low on fuel.Īfter reaching Denver, we headed west. The nav voice is a mix of calm directional advice yet nothing that sounds like a school marm. The touchscreen is accurate and it was easy to punch in my route. It is designed to be incredibly easy to use. ![]() I also noticed that the navigation system on the Via is better than many cars. I paid about $65 a fill for a total of about $380 to drive between Minneapolis and Denver. In the end, the fuel-range indicator was not terribly helpful, but we made it to Colorado. This created some range discomfort, as there are few gas stations with diesel south of Valentine, Neb. The fuel-range indicator also dropped to only 350 miles left. But when I cranked up the speed to 65, and with the engine roaring away at 3000 rpm, the average mpg dropped to about 12. That's getting into the neighborhood of economical at that point, about 15 to 16 mpg and slightly over spec. Driving in Nebraska, however, I discovered that I needed to manage my tendency for a lead foot to avoid a scare at the filling station.Īfter a fill, when I kept the speed at about 55, the fuel-range indicator said I had somewhere between 500 to 550 miles left. "And here are two sets of keys," he said, "See you in a week." DrivingĪs we merged into highway traffic for our 15-hour drive, the Via felt more like our old 1999 Ford Aerostar minivan than the 9630-pound behemoth it really is. I think my face went blank at this point, as I stared at the RV's airplane-like plethora of indicators, buttons, and switches, wondering what I had gotten myself into. The chemical flush for the toilet will help reduce odors for about 40 gallons. The red switch for the holding tank heater should be used only in freezing temperatures at the campsite. He started to explain the finer points of RV driving: The power inverter only works when you are driving because it uses the engine alternator. ![]() Luke, the salesman responsible for the walk-around, quickly touched on the major selling points of this $123,942 beast: a 28-gallon fresh water tank, two 12-volt batteries located below the steps, a Mercedes-Benz turbo-diesel engine, a Cummins 3600-watt power generator located in the side compartment. We slipped inside and felt a waft of cold air billowing past the bathroom into the rear sleeping quarters. Cloud, Minn., for the pick-up and walk-around, I first spotted the Via nestled between two gargantuan models bigger than coach buses. When I arrived at the Pleasureland RV center in St. Yes, I have a full life insurance policy." Pick-Up and Walk-Around ![]() We were thinking of driving out to Denver and seeing how she drives up the mountain passes in the Rockies Mountain. We do want to bring the kids and the dog. No, I don't think I would need a training course. "That's right, I've never driven an RV before. As you can imagine, the initial conversation with Winnebago about renting the vehicle was a bit stilted. Yet we've never camped in an RV together, or even driven one. Over the past two decades, we've camped in pop-up trailers and camper cabins across much of Minnesota, where we live, plus at a handful of parks in northern South Dakota, a few in Wisconsin, and one unmentionable backwoods site in Nebraska. I pictured the two of us driving down a lonely two-lane road, gripping sodas in one hand and smiling occasionally with a wistful stare. Since we've been married for almost 25 years, I thought it would be fun to test out the new Winnebago Via, a 25-footer about the same size and shape as the classic Brave. ![]() This was the old 24-foot rig, enormous for its day, with a massive plate-glass window in the back, bike racks in the front, and a 7-mpg fuel rating. From 1972 to 1975 my wife spent every summer in a Winnebago Brave motorhome, parked somewhere in the wilds of Alaska.
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