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We saw a lot of RVs at the Louisville RVIA show. We stick mostly to the Class Bs, and also the small Class Cs (or B+, if you’re a marketing guy). And though we saw lots of cool stuff, this one was the one that actually got me to think “Wow. Nobody has done that before.”
It’s the new twin bed floor plan – Winnebago Trend 23D. Have a look:
We love our ProMaster. But everyone had always told us that it didn’t have the GVWR to do a floor plan with a slide. Until now.
Apparently, the engineers at Winnebago have either altered the space-time continuum, or they’re using carbon fiber, or who knows how – but they got a slide on a ProMaster chassis. The difference it makes in the interior space is pretty dramatic, and the living area up front, with the slide extended, is very roomy. But you can also still sleep and use the facilities with the slide in – the coach remains functional. This is one of our chief complaints with slide floor plans, and the Trend 23D avoids it.
There’s more to like about this Trend. Right off the bat, I noticed that it has Seitz acrylic windows. If you saw the infrared pictures of our RV, you know that the Seitz windows are far and away better insulators than regular glass windows – even with the MCD shades drawn. It’s not even a contest. So those windows are an option I would take in a heartbeat – and on the Trend, I could!
The Trend also has tank heaters and the fresh water tank is inside. Those things by themselves don’t make it a 4 season RV, but they’re a step in the right direction. And if the insulating windows and tank heaters don’t keep you warm, the twin beds can be made into a ginormous bed – enough for you, a partner, and a whole kennel full of pets.
I didn’t crawl around underneath this one, because we just didn’t have time for the full review. (Sorry!) But if we come across the Trend 23D in the near future, we’ll definitely be doing our full review on it.
Cheers!
It has been about a year since Winnebago’s website began showing the disclaimer “Dealer Stock Only” on the Trend’s floorpan page. Today I checked lichtsinn’s web site and they are advertising the one new Trend in stock as their last one. A couple of other sites are also showing only one Trend in stock. I hope they are about to introduce a sexy replacement. 🙂
We can hope!!
James and Stefany – Love your blog. Question for you. I have done tons of research on the Trend vs. the Fuse (with your video help as a big part of it). I can get a 2018 Fuse for $85K or a 2017 Trend for $55K. In your opinion, is the $30K difference warranted when you compare the coaches? I know the storage on the Trend is horrendous but I could fix that by getting a rear cargo rack. Thoughts?
Personally, I really like the ProMaster chassis. I love the way it drives and how it handles the winds. And I just can’t get past that non-rotating-driver-seat in the Transit.
So personally, the extra $30k wouldn’t be in it for me.
But – I’m not you!
The Fuse does offer more storage, more cargo capacity, etc.
So, it’s about finding out which one of the two would work better for you.
Thanks James, I appreciate the feedback. You and your wife are an inspiration. Keep up the good work!!!
So now that Winnebago has proven that a slide is possible on the ProMaster chassis, I have a suggestion for the next model: the Trend 23Q with a rear slide and an island queen bed. I like the floorplan of the Thor Compass RUV 23 TR but it is on Transit chassis. If one of the manufacturers will build an island bed on a ProMaster chassis, I’ll be at the head of the line to buy one!
The island bed is a popular floor plan, but you’re right – never seen it on a ProMaster! … yet…
I would like to know the cost on this Winnebago Trend 23D.
Well, there’s a suggested starting MSRP here on the Winnebago Trend page.
I don’t have any better info than that. Sorry!
You can expect to pay around low $80,000
We just paid mid 70s
Hi James and Stefany,
I have enjoyed following your website. You’re not only informative but you both seem to have a really good time. My wife and I will be retiring in June and are planning on alternating 3 months RVing with 3 months at home. We are interested in both the Trend and the Fuse but I am concerned about having a 2 way refrigerator. Being a newbie I’m not sure how this works. What do you use when traveling? I have read blogs that are pro and con for using the propane while driving. I’d appreciate your advice.
Thank you,
Bill
I wouldn’t be too worried about a 2 way or 3 way fridge. It’s really been a non-issue for us. Especially if you get one with auto-changeover like we had in the Fuse we reviewed. It automatically switches from electric to propane depending on if you’re driving/parked/plugged-in. You don’t have to do anything!
Regarding driving with the fridge on propane – we don’t, and we don’t recommend others do. It just doesn’t seem smart to have a flame going anywhere near where I’m filling up with gasoline or propane.
Nice review James and Stef – Nice holiday surprise!
After thinking that I might go with a Travato 59G, I finally had the chance to climb into a real one that just arrived at my local dealership. At just under 6’3″, I was too tall to stand straight up in it, so I’m looking at the Trend/Viva instead. While the 23D looks like a nice offering, I think the 23L will fit my needs better and give me around 320 lbs of additional CCC over the 23D. I also like the additional exterior storage and sleeping space in the 23L.
My belief is that the Pro Master and Ford Transit platforms represent the future of motorhome design in the US. Now lets get Winnebago to improve their interior color palette a bit on the Trend, Viva and Fuse with the floors and countertops. After updating the aforementioned interior parts on the 2016 Travato, they added a significant amount of upscale appeal for only a modest increase in cost.
From the latest 2016.5 Trend specs I just saw on the WBO website, it looks like the solar option will also be available, hopefully alongside the cool new Sietz windows, which I did not yet see there. It will be nice if the later will be also be available on the 23L.
I would hope we’ll see the Seitz windows across the smaller motor coaches in the future. They really are the bomb.
Not trying to get people away from your site, if you check lichtsinn rv, they have a video from the same show where you see it from different angle, they also mentioned the OCCC to be 1118 lb! Can’t wait for your full review of this floor plan.
My wife saw the boots, now she want some.
I saw the unit at Lazy Days in Tampa on Sunday. I think that the units that were at the Louisville show were sent down there for the Tampa show in Jan. The two Fuse units were there also.
It is a great looking unit. I was comparing and contrasting the Fuse and the Trend since I am in the market for one of these. Two things that stood out between the two units (fuse and trend) is that the bathroom in the fuse has a window and a sliding door and and the trend has a swinging door and no window in the bathroom. To be honest, that made a big difference to my wife and she really liked the fuse because of that. It really opened up the feel of the unit. My wife liked the squared off cabinets in the fuse over the rounded cabinets the Trend.
Some things the Trend had that Fuse did not were more holes in the floor to place the tables. A small thing but not sure why this difference between the units. A real room curtain/divider between the bedroom and living space on the Trend and not on the fuse. A front skylight on the Trend and not on the fuse. The drivers seat in the Trend turned around, in the fuse, only the passenger seat turned.
To me the real problem the the Trend is lack of exterior storage. There is not much in either the Trend or the Fuse, but on the Fuse there was 3 compartments compared to the 1 compartment on the Trend.
I will say that the interior of the Trend and the Fuse seem more airy and open than the View 24v. This makes a big difference.
The Trend twin bed unit looks like a great unit from my short look at it.
love the layout of this. I wonder instead of the couch, a half dinette (like the one in other trend models) will fit. That layout will eliminate the need for a slide out, save a couple hundred pounds and add some of those back to the carrying capacity. And I think a half dinette with the table is a lot more useful than a couch.
It should be noted that there is a handy retractable door for dividing the front area from the “bedroom” in the 23D. It is located just to the right of the galley.
I would like to have seen the over-cab area a little more… interesting storage options there, not to mention a nice skylight.
BTW: I play piano professionally and the average 88-note portable digital piano is five feet long.
That cabinet was definitely longer than 5 feet!
I thought we had mentioned the curtain. We were banging into it when we were playing with the TV.
And yeah, we realized when we got home that we didn’t have any footage of the over-cab storage. From what I recall, it was similar to existing Trend units.
In hindsight though, we should have gotten some footage of that.
My bad… you do mention the retractable door as a “privacy screen”. And it is probably more of a screen than a door.
I like that Winnebago is carrying the twin bed rear bath configuration in all of their smaller units (except the ERA), It allows a separate shower instead of a wet bath. I’m surprised they put the heavy fridge and microwave into the slide. The kitchen looks like it could use an flip up counter extension. The Seitz windows open very wide, I’d be concerned about pets jumping out.
Very nice layout. We’ve been ‘shopping’ for a friend to replace her old Class A Georgetown. This could work very well, best I can remember with a dual bed setup.
I’d be concerned about cargo though. With a full freshwater tank you only have 900 pounds of cargo rating. I’m not real clear on how much stuff weighs going into an RV, but I’m sure it can add up real quick; especially taking out a few hundred pounds for pilot and copilot.
Well, it could add up – particularly with all the storage. When you have storage space, you tend to fill it!
I think the key is not taking more than you need, just because you have the space.
Where can I buy those Seitz Windows for my Travato g model?
I believe Dometic is the US distributor. I don’t know about a retail outlet though.
Be aware, they have some mounting requirements that might be difficult to do after the fact. (Things like wall thickness, etc.)
Wow! We really, really, really like Stef’s new boots! You know, if we were looking for a ‘larger rv’ this floor plan would totally work for us. Any idea what the towing capacity is? That seems to be the sticking point for us with the Promasters… Great review.
Again, the boots rock! Almost as gorgeous as Stef!
Not sure the towing capacity, but it won’t be as much as the Sprinters since the ProMaster has a lower GVWR. And so glad you noticed my awesome Pikolinos boots! I think I was mostly excited they’re made in a Spanish town James and I visited a few years ago!
Tow capacity is reported to be 2000 lbs.
P.S. Those are very stylish boots, Stefany! 🙂
Thanks, Carol! They’re “Pikolinos,” made in Alicante Spain! We’ve been there!
A very impressive floor plan! What is the pricing??? The length of this Trend will be similar to the others I suppose? I’m partial to the Class B but this plan sure has a lot to like. Love the way they’ve done the cabinetry as you can actually put long objects up there (like my portable piano keyboard). I hope I can see one in person. It sure did look spacious.
We didn’t see a sticker price at that show since it wasn’t a consumer show, so we’re not really sure on pricing, sorry! The length should be similar to other Trend floorplans. Your portable keyboard would definitely fit in that long cabinet over the bed!