Here at Guaranty, we carry RV brands that we admire for their consistent excellent quality, and we support manufacturers who share our commitment to customer satisfaction. We pay attention when experts in the industry bring out a new line of RVs or upgrade old favorites, because we want to make sure our inventory reflects our promise to serve RVers to the best of our ability. So we always look forward to seeing which RV manufacturers and brands pull in the top awards each year from the industry pros such as RVBusiness and RV Pro Magazine. Their choices are based on hours of research and looking at dozens of vehicles in every class.
RVBusiness staff members reviewed RVs at conventions and shows around the country in order to choose their 25 “2016 Top Debuts” in travel trailers, motorhomes, campers and fifth wheels. The RV Pro Magazine experts also did their research and attended the 53rd annual National RV Trade Show with an eye toward models that qualify as a “2016 Best of Show” motorhome, fifth wheel, travel trailer or toy hauler.
In this blog, we want to share with you some of our favorites from those RV winners. If you’re in the market for a new RV, there are a lot of things to consider, but you might start by taking a look at these award-winning models.
A Fifth Wheel for the Lifestyle RVer or Snowbird: 2016 Jayco Designer 37RS
The 2016 Jayco Designer 37RS is a four-season fifth wheel designed with year-round RV living in mind. You’ll get plenty of elbow room and livability in the Designer 37RS because it has three slide outs. You can choose the perfect model for you from four different floor plans, a variety of decor packages and three different paint packages. By adding the optional Extreme Weather package and thermal pane windows, this beautiful fifth wheel is comfortable from 0 to 100ºF, making it a perfect RV for intrepid road-trippers, campers and snowbirds. Not only did it win the Best in Show with RV Pro Magazine, it also got a 2016 Top RV Debut award from RVBusiness. This fifth wheel is actually a reintroduction from Jayco, as part of their luxurious Designer brand, and features high-end amenities and finishes including leather theater seating, fireplaces, cherry hardwood cabinetry with leaded glass, pop-up power centers, residential-sized appliances, and cutting edge RV technology like the MyRV digital command system that has an Android tablet, Wi-Fi hub, digital tank monitoring and more.
Of course, part of the allure of this fifth wheel is the fact that it’s built by Jayco, which is synonymous with quality. They’ve gone all out on this model, including giving it their Magnum XL6 roof system, which is designed to hold 4,500 lbs—50% more than other roofs. And let’s not forget their generous two-year warranty; Jayco stands behind their products.
What impressed the judges: This is a beautiful four-season fifth wheel with an excellent paint package and hardwood cabinetry. It comes standard with many high end features that you would normally only find at a higher price point, including the six-point electric leveling system.
A Motorhome for the Traveling Couple: 2016 Winnebago Fuse
The Winnebago Fuse Class B motorhome is another 2016 winner with both RV Pro Magazine and RVBusiness. The Ford Transit chassis is new to the United States and allows for a smaller, fuel efficient, easy-to-drive motorhome that is designed for active RVers. It also features some of the best ergonomics and visibility in this category of motorhomes, including large side windows in the cab that make it supremely easy to back up and park. The dual rear wheels give it excellent carrying capacity, which is good because it’s got loads of exterior storage. Winnebago has given you two floor plans to choose from in this model, both designed for two people, but they can sleep four in a pinch.
The Fuse is fun to drive and fun to camp with, thanks to playful features like an outdoor entertainment system that gives you a TV beneath your patio awning. But it’s the livability that makes it stand out; you’ll get a larger galley kitchen, a big refrigerator, a good sized bathroom with a shower that fits real adults, a queen bed, and room to stretch your legs, all in one sweet, 24’ package.
What impressed the judges: The Fuse doesn’t feel cramped like some of the other smaller motorhomes, and it has excellent carrying capacity. The judges also loved the modern welcoming interior. It’s a lot of motorhome at a great price point.
A Motorhome for the Small Family: 2016 Jayco Melbourne 24L
The Melbourne 24L Class C motorhome is a 2016 Best of Show winner and is the ideal family RV, sleeping four to six comfortably. It features a full wall slide out that gives it the feel of a larger motorhome when you’re set up and ready to camp. This means you’ll have plenty of space for the whole crew, as well as room for a big kitchen pantry, a good sized dinette, a queen bed, and an overhead bunk that is rated at 750 lbs, making this motorhome equally ideal for groups of adults.
Jayco builds the Melbourne 24L on a Mercedes Sprinter cut-away chassis and equips it with a V-6 Turbo 188-horsepower diesel engine and a five-speed transmission, so you can expect to get 14 to 16 MPG, which is hard to beat in the world of motorhomes! You’ll also have plenty of power so you can use the 5,000-lb. receiver hitch to hook up the boat and head to the lake. And Jayco has added some new features to the 2016 Melbourne that put it a step ahead of the rest, including a one piece neo-angled fiberglass nose cap that adds strength and eliminates the leak issues that other Class Cs sometimes struggle with.
What impressed the judges: This family-friendly motorhome is designed for strength and durability but is still stylish. The full wall slide out gives it the feel of a larger motorhome and provides you with extra space where you need it most.
An Ultra-Light Travel Trailer for the Family on the Go: 2016 EverGreen RV I-Go
We’ve been impressed with EverGreen’s I-Go line since we first saw it, so it’s no surprise to us that it made RVBusiness’ 2016 25 Top Debut list. This lightweight travel trailer is only seven and a half feet wide, so it’s easy to tow behind your half-ton pickup or mid-size SUV, and it’s designed specifically for family camping, so it will easily sleep six people. EverGreen concentrated on the features that families need in the I-Go line, such as extremely functional kitchens, upgraded entertainment systems, and a variety of floor plans and decors to meet a variety of needs. So whether your family needs double bunks with a trundle for the kids, a living area where you can entertain, or a large dinette that converts to a full bed, there is an I-Go for you. And because you can also get a variety of perfectly situated deep slide outs, you can expand your space where your family needs it the most, whether that’s extra room for kitchen and counter space or for a bunkhouse.
Evergreen also gave thought to family-friendly, low maintenance features on the I-Go, including their DuraLite six-sided, double welded cage construction for long lasting durability and their TPO roof that requires no maintenance. And you can get fun options, too, like the “campfire kitchenette”: a full service outdoor kitchen with a cooktop, refrigerator and food storage, so the family chef can be outside where all the fun is.
What impressed the judges: The I-Go is a durable, lightweight travel trailer that can be towed by fuel efficient vehicles. It features excellent floor plan options and is priced to be affordable for family camping.
A Toy Hauler to Use for Your Toys or a Spare Room on the Road: Heartland Cyclone 3611
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again— toy haulers are so much more than a portable garage. Lifestyle RVers are starting to think about toy haulers in new ways: as portable offices, craft spaces, workshops and more. It’s no wonder then that the Heartland Cyclone 3611 won top awards with both RV Pro Magazine and RVBusiness for 2016. The Cyclone toy hauler has been around for a while, but the pièce de résistance of the 2016 Cyclone is Heartland’s slide-in-a-slide technology. This gives you an extra three feet of living space and an amazingly functional, open floor plan. With this addition of vital elbow room, you’ll have a spacious toy hauler that feels much larger than it is, giving you extra room for high-end amenities such as a big entertainment center with a 58” TV, a king-size bed in the master suite, a sleeping loft over the living room, a big 18 cu. ft. refrigerator and more. If you need more sleeping room, the 11’ garage has a power queen bed. So whether you want to haul your favorite ATVs, or you need an extra room on the road for your work or art, the 2016 Cyclone 3611 is a luxurious, homey RV at an affordable price point.
Heartland has also given the new Cyclone toy hauler some intriguing external options that make it even better for lifestyle RVers, snowbirds, and people who work from the road, including a 40” outside TV and a grill, a third 15,000-BTU air conditioner, and a Canadian Arctic package that turns this toy hauler into a truly four-season RV.
What impressed the judges: The slide-in-a-slide technology creates three feet of extra space in the living room and gives it a wide open floor plan from the bathroom wall to the front of the garage. The optional amenities make it a very luxurious, livable RV for year-round RVing.
Of course the award winners aren’t the only great new RVs on the market this year, but the RV experts have spent tons of hours investigating all the options, and their research can save you some legwork in your search for the perfect RV. If you’d like to know more about what’s new to the market or if you want to take a look at one of these 2016 winners, give us a call or come visit us in Junction City.
Photo: Guaranty
