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True story: While the main reason we started The Fit RV was to encourage people to lead a more healthy and fit-focused RV lifestyle, one of the secondary reasons was to get RV manufacturers to build RVs that supported such a lifestyle. Call me selfish, but basically, one of the main reasons we started publishing our RV reviews was to get someone to build a motorhome that had proper bike storage. For me. For my bikes. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.
This is what success looks like:
We’re not taking all the credit here. Just 80% of the credit. The other 20% is evenly split between a) all of Europe, and b) those of you we encouraged to write in to RV manufacturers asking for exactly this kind of rig. Floor plans with garages are almost mandatory in Europe, and we’re super excited that Leisure Travel Vans has finally brought this very sensible floor plan to North America. Most everything we know about the rig made it into the video, but for those of you who like a score card, here’s a quick run down of our impressions of the LTV Wonder RTB.
What We Really Liked
- The Bike Garage, obviously
- The attention to detail in the little things. We point this out in several places in the video. We can always tell when we’re inside a Leisure Travel Vans rig, and it’s the attention they pay to the little things that makes this obvious to us. Spend any time inside their rigs yourself, and you’ll see what we mean.
- The insane amount of storage. Quite literally, we almost think there’s too much storage in this rig. You won’t have to worry about having a place for all of your stuff. In fact, if you fill up the storage in this rig, we’d encourage you to look again at your cargo – because you can probably leave something behind.
- Every outlet we saw in the rig was powered by the 1000 watt inverter. This is fantastic, because it means (as long as you can find 1000 watt appliances) you could, for example, have toast while dry-camping in a Wal-Mart parking lot… without running the generator (assuming you have enough battery capacity). There may be non-inverted outlets in this coach, but we didn’t find them.
- Speaking of the generator, if you have to have one, you might as well go all-in and get one that produces the full 30 amps. That’s what LTV did here, and we appreciate it!
- 15,000 BTU Air Conditioning shouldn’t have trouble keeping up even on the hottest days.
What We Wish Was Different
- Leisure Travel Vans is one of our favorite RV manufacturers. But they’re the only one of our favorites that doesn’t currently have a lithium-powered offering. We’d like to see that change, including on this rig. Once you’ve had a lithium-powered rig as we do, it’s tough to see yourself going back.
- That Absorption Refrigerator. We make no secret of our disdain for absorption refrigeration in general. There are several posts on our site about it. They just don’t work as well as compressor refrigerators. So do we wish this was different? Heck yeah we do.
- We’d really like to see them include ducted air conditioning in that ceiling. The 15,000 BTU AC will do a fine job, but those air distribution boxes are just loud. We’ve been in some of their coaches with ducted air conditioning, and it’s much quieter.
- Though I didn’t see any water lines underneath, this is still a 3 season rig. We’d like to see some winterization features added to the coach. Heating pads, insulated doors on that bike garage… The kind of things I’d add if we had this rig.
So there you have it. Our review of THE FIRST North American RV with a bike garage. We’re thrilled that this option is available in North America now, and we’re extremely proud of Leisure Travel Vans for bringing this floor plan to life. What do you think about this rig and this floor plan? Sound off in the comments below!
I just saw the 2024 updates. Dual lithium batteries are now standard, and they come with an internal heating system.
Yesssss! Glad to see Leisure updating their tech stack.
Hello,
Great review and comments, as always. These campers seem great, and if they could make them 4 season they would be perfect. It would be nice to take a full sized bike instead of the Brompton! In the West we often have nights below freezing, despite warm days. I’m surprised that several great Canadian companies don’t make 4 season rigs!
I did contact LTV, and got a response, see below. Perhaps with some inline shutoffs installed for the outside shower, and the use of antifreeze in the waste tanks, you could operate below freezing. Those big storage compartments could probably use some insulation up against the living space.
From LTV:
“On the Unity line up the Unity TB, IB & CB all have the Fresh Water Tank inside the coach, as well the Wonder RTB as well has the Fresh Water tank inside the coach. The Exterior Shower is still in an unprotected area and the water fill line go from there location outside and then into the coach to the Fresh Tank. As well you would likely not want the Macerator Pump as it is located in an unprotected area for cold temperature and it always keeps some water / waste in it. Normally the coach is good for approx.. 28 F. Temp.
Thank you
—
Don Klassen
Territory Sales Manager
Leisure Travel Vans, a brand of Triple E RV”
Again, great info, thanks,
Bill H
Colorado, USA
Thanks so much for sharing this review. I enjoy your site and videos-please keep up the good work!
I’m coming out of a 35’ Arctic Fox fifth wheel, and am wondering if the fresh water tank is in the house, or underneath on this model? I didhear you say that the fresh water lines are tucked up, which is good. I’m ready to explore places I can’t get into with my current rig, and would like to keep my Terry bike inside the garage.
I don’t remember offhand where the water tank was. I’d have to rewatch the video.
Historically, LTV has put their tanks mostly on the outside. But I simply don’t recall on this one.
I have watched every video & review of this rig and cant find the garage dimensions anywhere! So frustrating!
It’s such a big selling feature I cant believe no one has bothered to list it.
I’m considering buying one but 100% plan to throw 4-6 Battle Born batteries in there along with a 3,000w Inverter and AC soft start. I figure it will be another $10k by the time its all installed.
LTV needs to partner with Battle Born from the get-go. It would be a match made in heaven. 2 100Ah Lithium should be the standard on all their coaches with an additional 2 batteries as an upgrade option. Total BS about using lead-acid or AGM for “winterization,” they all have issues in cold weather, lithium still outperforms them provided they have a good BMS, which Battle Born does.
Perhaps some owner on this site will chime in with the dimensions?
There are two dimensions that are important – the door dimensions, and the cavity dimension.
Hi James,
Thank you for your honest review on LTV`s Wonder it`s something that I`ve had my eye on for a while.
I was wondering if you have had a chance to review the 2020 Coachman Cross Trek 20XG. It is set much like the Wonder except it is half the price.
I am including the YouTube link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLy1a86N8BQ
I would really appreciate your professional honest opinion on this coach if you get the chance.
Thanks, & keep up the informative work.
Haven’t had a chance to see one of these in person, so I can’t really comment.
I do like the size of it though.
Hi James
Thank u for your review
Can the lead acid batteries be upgraded to lithium after market?
Jim
Yes, you could do drop-in lithium batteries pretty easily. It wouldn’t be a full lithium system with a dedicated second inverter and everything, but it would double your battery capacity instantly!
Where can I get the inside dimensions of the garage?
Call Leisure Travel Vans customer service.
Don’t forget to ask about the dimensions of the door. It’ll be a smaller opening than the inside dimensions.
This is the one I most likely get could put in 2 2019 Specialized Turbo Levo E Bikes I could close off the Bedroom in the morning when one is in bed I can be up with a light & make coffee there is a new 2020 Leisure Travel Van coming out tomorrow have to what it there is a new 2020 Ford Transit Cutaway Chassis
Super review! I like your sense of humor both of you. How would you compare Wonder twin bed Leisure Travel and Pleasure Way Lexor FL?
Thank you for your input. Lise
Well, the Pleasure-Way is a true class B (a van). The Leisure Travel Van is actually a class C RV. It’s quite a bit bigger.
If you still haven’t decided if you want a class B or a class C, might I suggest you read through my 8 Step Program for Choosing Your First RV.
There are a lot of differences between the two, before we even get into the specifics of those models.
Very nice coach and, as usual, I love your presentation.
Roomy is the word and these Class B+ vans are certainly getting more popular. Extra point to Stefany for squeezing into the under bed storage. Video did not show the true size until that moment. So 10 bodies in the garage, 2 under each bed, 3 sitting on each bed, 2 in the front chairs, 2 in the cab and probably 5 or 6 more in the bathroom, that’s at least 30 clowns that can step out from this coach at any moment. I’d love to see that!
Now Leisure Travel needs to work on electrical upgrades to make this wonderful coach into must have boondocker’s dream. Upgrade energy storage to Lithium, add compressor fridge and underhood gen and you can get rid of that huge and noisy Cummins generator.
One thing I never understand with many RVs on the market is why do you need 2 TVs in this thing? Stereo vision?
Well, we removed our TV, so we hear you on the TV thing.
And we do remind the Leisure team, every chance we get, that they should be updating their tech.
They’re still selling like hotcakes though, so there’s clearly a significant portion of the market that doesn’t feel the need for updated tech.
Lithium batteries: The reason they give for not designing them in, is their -30C or worse winter temperatures. As you may know, you can’t charge them before freezing 32F/0C.
That being said, I was thrilled to see they at least but the lead acid batteries in the new garage, which is brilliant. Now with minor effort, one can convert and install several pairs of lithium batteries in a space easy to work in.
Then you can upgrade the inverter and to a compressor fridge!
The other thing I’d consider adding at some point would be fuel cells. They should fit nicely in the space provided for the LP generator that I’d get rid of.
P.S. we take delivery on one of these puppies in May, can’t wait!!!
I always tell them that *I’d* find a place for lithium batteries if I had one…
Just love you guys and your reviews always make me smile. Love the layout but certainly designed for full service campgrounds. Change to a compressor frig and 2000 watt inverter (both on my must have list) and those 6V batteries wouldn’t last a day. Thanks for the review. If you ever get the chance, take a look at the PW Tofino for something at the small end.
We wanted to take a look at the Tofino when we were in Pomona, but we just ran out of time.
It’s on our list.
Would 4 bikes (road and gravel or road and tt) fit in the storage area? Yes, we race. Thanks!
I believe they would. You might have to work at it a little bit. And it would definitely take both sides.
But I think you could do it.
Might have to remove the sliding drawer? Or add a second…
Well it is certainly progress with the garage, but…
I think the garages in European motorhomes now are bigger. They are bigger because European manufacturers are using the Fiat Ducato (sold as Dodge Promaster in USA) with AL-KO chassis.
You can read about this chassis here:
http://www.alko-tech.com/uk/al-ko-chassis
There are many advantages with this chassis for a motorhome, one of them is that you can have a bigger garage at the back.
There is a competitor now for the AL-KO/Fiat Ducato base and that is from Hymer with the SLC chassis used with the Mercedes Sprinter cab. This also enables a huge garage along with much else. You can read about this here:
https://www.hymer.com/en/models/technology-plus/hymer-slc-chassis/
It would be great if someone started either making a USA motorhome specific chassis like the AL-KO or SLC or if they started importing these from Europe.
True – in these smaller rigs, we don’t have a dedicated chassis over here like the AL-KO.
There are probably tax or regulatory reasons why we don’t, but I don’t know what those are.
I’m sure the RV manufacturers have thought about it over here.
I totally agree with you. Of course things are much more complicated in reality that just me musing about what might happen on the Internet.
I do think that an increase in vocal customer demand, which you are doing, is very beneficial. It will increase the chances of the hurdles being overcome in some way.
Nice review of LTV RT,, but still I prefer the Wonder MB Unit:) Here is a helpful & considerate tip for you. Please remover your footwear when climbing up & laying on bedding. Keep up the great work you both do. XD
Hi Terri! We were at an RV show and so shoes off isn’t the practice. 🙂
If only….if only it had 1) Lithium ion batteries, 2) a compressor fridge, 3) an underhood generator and 4) a way to add a temporary bed in front, like the LTV Unity RTB.
1 and 3 kind of go together, so I didn’t call them out separately.
There are hundreds of rigs designed for families, so we think it’s OK that there are coaches designed for just two people. When they start tweaking the design to add an additional puzzle bed, they have to make compromises.
This typically negatively affects the rig for something that gets used about 1.3% of the time – or 0% in our case.
Oops. Forgot to mention that I agree with your points of concern, also. LTV design is amazing, but they need to be fully 4 season, and they seriously need to upgrade their technology. It’s all insufficient, a measly 1000 watt inverter, ancient battery tech, and an over-reliance on propane to cook with, that’s just old now. Time to join the Lithium age. A compressor fridge is also a no-brainer, they’re just better. Flexible solar panels are also highly questionable, they’re inefficient and they’re prone to breakage. They should design in hard panels into the body itself, and possibly even have an electrified raising system to get them up to 45 degrees, using linear actuators since they have the luxury of completely choosing how the roof is contoured and designed as they build a fiberglass body on these Class C’s.
Interesting idea about designing the panels into the roof itself. Hadn’t heard that one before!
The Wonder model is great, but the real greatness is only apparent in the Murphy bed model. The Murphy bed that converts to a dining area and TV watching area leaving the rear free for a giant bathroom is absolutely stunning. For those of us who aren’t bike nuts, anyway, I don’t know if that one has a garage or not. Either way, it’s an amazing RV. LTV makes awesome Murphy bed solutions in their models overall.
While we do like the large rear bath, personally, we don’t care for rigs where anything has to be “converted”. It’s just an extra chore that becomes annoying very quickly if you use your rig regularly.
The RTB is the only Wonder model that has the bike garage (which doesn’t have to be used for bikes, but could house whatever your passion requires).
Different strokes!…
Check out the video of the Wonder with the Murphy queen bed. The amazing thing about a Murphy bed (in my opinion) is that it can be stowed while fully made. You just pull a strap or two over the bedding to keep it from just falling off the bed and then flip it up. Literally 30 seconds from bed to chairs and back.
Personally I wouldn’t have the funds to buy one even if they had that design in Europe, but if i did and they did I’d quite possibly be buying myself a Wonder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZzbccL2gHw is the video of it. The bed is about 8 minutes in. But I see now it doesn’t pass your “bike test” – the storage in the back doesn’t go all the way through. But the Murphy bed is very slick, looks like an incredibly livable van. For those of us not bike obsessed anyway! 🙂
While I really like their products I think they’ve taken the absorption refrigerator about as far as they can.
If they don’t watch it they will soon be the only manufacturer still using them.
We couldn’t agree more!
Given how expensive our bike are and the fact that they are custom and not replaceable the Garage suits our needs to a tee. Its got everything we want except the 3 way fridge could go in favor of a 2 way and my deposit is sent in. Very soon we will pull the trigger on this rig. Thanks for your review.
Since the fridge is a 3 way, the power is already there. If you could get the size right, replacing it might not be that difficult.
(Famous last words, if you saw my own refrigerator replacement project…)
A Novacool RFU6200 and RFU6800 fit right in perfectly.
Great review, as always. Love that bike garage! We saw this in person at the Pomona RV show and it is very nice, with lots of nice touches. As you emphasize in the video, it has a LOT of room! With two changes, this might have been the one we bought: (1) a lithium power system like the Travato L’s so we didn’t need a generator, and (2) a smaller size so it would fit in a standard parking space and be more maneuverable. But a very nice effort, and I hope it sells really well so that other manufacturers start offering similar models.
What you’re describing with the smaller size is EXACTLY what we’re trying to get someone to build. We’re calling it a “C-minus”, but that’s a terrible marketing name.
We showed a rig like this in our video from Dusseldorf last year.
This one isn’t exactly it, but we’re getting closer!!
While I LOVE LTVs and have been following them for years in preparation for my own full time RV retirement in 2.5 years, I’ve been considering other future rig options specifically because of the 3-season limitation. Out of curiosity, how difficult is it to add heating pads and the other winterization mods you mention?
The difficulty of adding winterization features depends on how far you want to take it.
Heating pads, for example, are pretty easy. But that will only get you so far.
Dual pane windows might have to be designed in from the start, but if the sizes are right, you might be able to add them.
Extra insulation is only easy on the areas you can get to easily.
Generally, it would be much better if these kinds of things were designed in from the get-go.
Ltv does make some nice coaches! This would be the one if we were to go that way, but, we’re spoiled by our Travato’s handling and size
That was our thought as well. Shrinking this one down a bit would make it pretty close to perfect.