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We generally stay on top of who’s making what in the Class B RV world. In fact, our own Class B Manufacturer List has gotten to be quite popular. So when we learn about someone new making Class B RVs, it’s a big deal. That’s why we were excited to find the new Coachmen Galleria Class B motorhome in its retail debut at the Pomona RV show recently.
Mark, from Coachmen, was there to help show us the RV and answer any questions. And if you want the Cliff Notes version of the review, it’s this:
“Holy Cow! Check out that cabinetry!”
Honestly, there’s a lot more to the Galleria than just that. It looks pretty “stealth”, it’s got solar, an induction cook top, some of the best window shades ever, pop-up outlets and USB ports, and a super cool step out the back bumper. But once I got a good look at the cabinetry, I couldn’t think about much else. (Because I’m a woodworker after all…)
You’ll just have to check out the video to see what I mean about the cabinets.
Beyond that, the Galleria is a nicely appointed Class B, built on a Mercedes Sprinter 3500 chassis, that’s geared more toward the “touring” crowd. Check out the review and let us know what you think!
James and Stef, we have you to thank for motivating us to upgrade from our Class A to the Galleria. We found a new (still) 2017 24T finally, and will pick up up tomorrow.
Finding a Class B for sale at any dealer in Alaska is not easy. I could not find a dealer who was terribly interested in ordering one for us. As camp hosts, we saw may Class B motorhomes with Alaska plates, but none at the dealers. Finally we did find this one in Anchorage and loved everything about it when we saw it.
Because of your reviews on the Galleria, I knew which questions to ask, and what to look for. Thanks for doing those reviews. I did let them know that you guys sold us on the Galleria before we hit the sales floor. We are pleased with our sales person too, and the dealer has a good reputation for service among our RVing friends.
Awwww Sueka! That’s just awesome in so many ways. HUGE congrats on your new Galleria! We’re both so thrilled our review had a hand in helping you make your decision. The Gallerias are just so beautifully crafted, I’m sure you’re going to love it. May you and your new rig have incredible adventures together! Perhaps we’ll see you out there! xoxo
We are looking at a new 2017 Galleria at a dealer in FL. They are asking 90k on an MSRP of 140k.. they’ve had it for 2 years. So I am hoping they may take a lower price. We’re also looking at a 2018, for which they’re asking 100K. Are you happy with your 2017? For anyone who has a 2018, are there upgrades on the 2018 that you fell make it far superior to the 2017. I am most appreciative of any advice that any of you can give!
we have been looking for a year, leaning towards a Class B Coachmen, because of mpg, but really like the Super C’s! comments are very welcome.
Well, a Class B and a Super C are very different beasts!
I guess my first question would be: where do you see yourself going and what do you see yourself doing?
Nailing that down will help make the decision a lot easier.
Hi, does the Valerie have a black Tank clean out spray.
This video is a little bit older. They’ve continued to modify the Galleria since we made this video. We just saw a Lithium Ion version at Pomona!
Didn’t check for a black tank clean out though. Sorry!
Best bet is to call Coachmen.
We purchased a 2016 Galleria. We are RVers since the 1960’s and have never had as much trouble with a unit as this one. It had so many serious issues last year that Coachmen paid to have it hauled back to Indiana to be completely overhauled (the living area, not the Mercedes). It’s back and this week we found two more new issues that prevented us from using it–again!!!!! It may look pretty, but don’t be fooled.
Joan,
I just saw your post from last year regarding your Coachmen Galleria.
I just purchased a new 2019 Galleria last month and have had numerous issues as well and they just took it back to the factory in IN to fix everything. The Mercedes chassis AC quit, no generator power, inverter issues, electric couch issues………
Can you email me back and let me know what eventually happened with your coach? I am very frustrated with the darn thing for the money that I paid.
thanks
We are now in the market for a class b motorhome. We initially were attracted to the Evergreen Imperial because of the price of $75k now that they are out of business, but the bed situation simply did not work as they are so short.
Next stop was to check out the Galleria 24TT, which seems like a good value, the reclining twin beds are a plus, and to your point, the woodworking is off the charts!
Tomorrow we will be looking at the Winnebago line and see how that feels.
My question to my new resident expert friends is this:
We understand that depreciation is a fact of life here, but what is our best financial choice amongst the b class brands and models?
While I want to pick the unit that best meets our lifestyle, I don’t want to take a bigger hit for the sake of an extra drawer for example.
Thanks for your insights and support!
Dennis
I don’t have any first hand info to give you, but maybe others will chime in.
The last RV I sold was our own custom one. So the original manufacturer wasn’t too relevant.
We’re not anywhere close to selling our Winnebago yet, but even if we did, it’s not a “standard” model.
Sorry I can’t be more specific!
I’ve been looking at Class B RVs for a l-o-n-g time and I had the opportunity to take a look at and test drive the Winnebago ERA 170X and Coachmen Galleria 24SQ. Your review helped me choose the Galleria over the ERA. Both models may be based on the same Sprinter platform but I think the Galleria is finished just a little bit better. No, make that a whole lot better. The cabinetry in the Galleria is simply amazing!
Coachmen offers an $8,000 factory-to-dealer incentive, which makes entry into the Class B market in the low-90’s even more enticing! We are taking delivery of our unit this week!
Congrats on your new rig! We always love to hear it when we’ve helped someone make a decision that works for them.
See you on the road!
Hi James. This is the first year that Coachmen is making the Galleria. It’s been out a few months but I don’t think it’s selling very well, judging from the discounts the dealers are offering. Do you think Coachmen will continue to make them?
Another thing I am concerned about is the short (12month/15kmiles) warranty that they are offering. Winnebago also offers the 12month warranty but the Canadian manufacturers offer much longer – Roadtrek has 72months, unlimited miles, and Pleasureway has 60months and 60k miles. Does this mean that Coachmen and Winnebago have less confidence in their products. What have you heard from owners of the Galleria and Era about the quality of their motorhomes?
Thanks.
I don’t have any special insight into Coachmen’s future product plans. So, this is nothing but my opinion, but I think they’ll keep making it for at least the rest of the year.
I wouldn’t interpret the warranty length to mean that Winnebago (or Coachmen) doesn’t have confidence in their products. (Obviously, since we bought a Winnebago…) Rather, I think it’s just their putting what they consider a reasonable limit on repairs for a complex rig they expect people to use hard. If you get a “new home” warranty on a sticks and bricks house, they time out too – but our current home is almost 100 years old and still standing.
I do my own warranty work anyways, so it’s not something I’ve really worried about. Good question though!
Perhaps Coachmen and Winnebago give a shorter warranty so that their dealers can make some money selling extended warranty. That’s why their retail price is quite a big lower than the actual retail prices of Roadtrek and Pleasureway. I think this is their business models.
I am looking very seriously at a Coachmen Galleria. I will definitely have to get Extended Warranty because I will be a first-time RV owner and I don’t want anything to go wrong.
Do you or any of your readers have any idea what an Extended Warranty for a Class B motorhome would cost? Let’s say, 5-yr or 7-yr warranty.
Well, I don’t think it’s a master plan on the part of RV manufacturers to price low just to sell extended warranties. If it were, then the RV manufacturers themselves would sell those extended warranties.
But regardless of why or how, if an extended warranty is important to you, then you certainly need to factor that into your purchase decision.
I don’t have any personal experience with extended warranties, so I can’t offer any opinion or information there. But perhaps another reader will chime in?
Speaking as one of the people on the line where the Coachman Gallaria is built, please allow me to say that Coachman is constantly seeking ways to improve and sparing no expense to offer a problem free product. Granted, were not perfect but it’s not for lack of trying.
I’ve been working in RVs for over 30 years, and the Galleria plant has exceeded anything I ever thought was possible in an RV factory. Management and engineering not only work closely with those of us on the line, they listen to us, (don’t necessarily agree) and actually appreciate us. You’d be surprised the effect that has on the overall quality of the product. I can say with absolute sincerity that I have never worked with so many people that take what they’re doing as seriously and with the pride that I’ve witnessed here.
I don’t know about the warranty, but I’m guessing that Coachman/Forest River would do what was necessary to do right by the retail customer rather than endure negative word of mouth. Again though, that’s just my opinion and in no way reflects Coachman/Forest River policy.
James and Stef, You guys rock. I really enjoyed this site.
Wow, Scott! Glad you found us and glad you like our site.
I love the unique perspective you bring. Please come back and comment any time!
Scott:
Thank you so much for your comment.
It means a lot coming from someone who is there.
And thank you for caring enough to produce a product that people can be proud of.
We have owned a Lazy Daze in the past and LOVED their quality.
We are currently looking at the Galleria because we need more of a touring coach than an RV for our special needs son.
Keep up use good work!
You say the cabinetry is better than any class b you have seen. Does this include an Advanced RV?
I’ll have to go back and look at my video of Advanced-RV to be sure, but I don’t think they were dovetailing solid maple drawer boxes.
On the other hand, Advanced-RV does do some incredible things with laminates. The cabinets in the Coachmen were more “traditional.” Think Amish.
It’s really surprising that Coachmen went with the old battery style. Almost all Class B’s have at least the AGM style, and now Pleasureway and Roadtrek are starting to offer the lithium ion, so Coachmen is being “so last century” with that battery choice. But you’re right, the cabinets are quality and they’ve got some innovative features. Thanks for the detailed review. As always, you two are the best!
I don’t know if you saw the window paint in one of the shots, but they kept the Galleria below $100k. (Barely, but they did!)
I suspect a focus on that may have driven the battery choice – given that batteries are easily replaced by an end user.
No, I didn’t see the price. That’s impressive for a Sprinter-based RV.
Great video! Thanks so much for doing these, always so interesting (and quite entertaining, we must say – in a good way).
Yes, the cabinets look amazing and in keeping with their tradition, the whole unit looks very well built. It’s not a rig we would seriously consider for many reasons, but that fridge and microwave on the floor, what’s up with that?
Yeah, the low microwave was an interesting choice. We didn’t ask what the story was behind that one. We had a low fridge in our last RV, so that didn’t seem odd to us at all…
We like the idea of a lower microwave. Being short, I feel it is safer for me. If I drop something hot I will be less likely to be wearing what I have cooked.
Never thought of it that way!
Guess I’m just so used to high microwaves, I never thought of it any other way.
Galleria has a bigger frig and microwave up higher. Just saw pics from the one my aunt and uncle bought.
Interesting. Most manufacturers, it seems, like to keep improving and changing their product. Good to hear that Coachmen is doing the same!
Hi James & Stef,
I’m not sure you’ve exactly said anywhere, but if not, could you say a little bit about the different “crowds” involved in RVing?
I just spent three cold but beautiful days over Thanksgiving on the beach in Half Moon Bay, CA in our 30 ‘TT. There were several different kinds of rigs represented there and I was thinking about what people actually use their rigs for and what they “look” like they are intended for.
You talk about the “touring” crowd and then there is what I might call the “hobbyist” or sport-oriented crowd,Etc.
What do you say?
Well that’s an interesting idea for a post. But I worry that if we wrote something like that, someone would get offended at being “labeled” as this kind of RVer or that. Maybe if we just kept it to the intended uses, and didn’t say anything about the people, something like that might work. But even us, we cross over from one kind of RVing to another as the whim hits us. Touring to visit relatives. Hard core bike racing. Caravaning with other Class Bs. We’ve done it all with the same rig!
Still, this makes for an interesting conversation, because you’re right Tom. There are many many different ways to RV. Perhaps when people are in the market, if they started by identifying which type resembles them most, it could help them narrow their RV choices. People who plan to be plugged in all the time shouldn’t be worrying about the biggest batteries. People who will be touring, and mostly sleeping in hotels or friends’ houses shouldn’t get hung up on the beds…things like that. I might toss this around as an article topic myself!!!
Hi Steff, Yes I see it more like a conversation as well. It’s the kind of thing we talk about around the fire barrel at camp outs. Your ideas (and James’, too) are the kinds of things I am thinking about. A friend just got back from a week at Quartzite (sp) doing some heavy duty dry camping and we’ve started to talk about “ideal” towable dry camp rigs. I’m also thinking of this after a January RV show and looking at interesting floor plans in towables. There aren’t many IMHO-and pretty soon you are looking at towing 35′ of rig and have a wonderful trailer with one outside storage location and the water connections way up at the front of the rig…People do what they want with the rig that they have… Some folks decide they do “X” and so buy a rig that says that to them…I think of truck campers, toy haulers and those $15,000 tent trailers…
Anyway, Stef, I encourage you to look into this as an article and I’d really like to see what you come up with!
Thanks!
I love the Pomona videos. Especially the one where Stef took you to see the trailers while you were off your meds!
Any chance the Era video will be finished soon? The couple of people online who’ve seen them in the flesh say the interior cabinetry is much improved. It’ll be interesting to hear your take.
Our ERA video will be the next RV Review video I work on. It’s more an overview of the lineup instead of an in-depth review of any one. And yes, some of them have been completely upscaled!
Excellent! An overview would actually be useful for comparing the old interior vs the new interior.