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I know some of you have been waiting patiently for this, so I’ll get right to it. Here’s the review!
When we visited Coachmen at their Middlebury, Indiana facility earlier this year, they put us up not in a hotel, but in one of their fully decked-out Galleria Class B motorhomes. Being vanlifers ourselves, this was completely OK with us. It gave us a chance to actually use the Galleria. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll reveal that while we were guests of Coachmen, we were not paid for this review, or even asked to do it at all.
The floor plan we stayed in is their newest, the 24A. This one is unique because it is the only Galleria floor plan without that typical couch-all-the-way-across-the-back. This was a good choice for us, because Stef and I really hate having to piece cushions together each night to make a bed. The 24A has two permanent twin beds (with cool adjustable lift mechanisms) instead of that sofa. It’s definitely the floor plan we would have chosen.
Most of what we learned you can see in the video, but here are a few key observations we had.
More “Refined” than “Rugged”
We find that Class B motorhomes all fall somewhere along a scale – with extremely rugged, off-road vehicles (like the Winnebago Revel or a 4×4 Sportsmobile) on one end of the spectrum, and high-gloss “airport limo” vans on the other end (take your pick – there are plenty). The word that kept popping into my mind during our review of the Galleria was “polished”. The features I’m thinking of here are things like the exterior skirting, the use of glass on the whole outside wall, and the general refined feel of the coach. But it wasn’t overdone to the point that we felt like we were staying in a shiny high-roller suite in Vegas. See if you agree with me while you watch, but I’m personally pegging the Galleria on the more refined side of that sliding scale.
Not Afraid to Try New Stuff
The Galleria was loaded with cool new tech – much of which you might have seen in our earlier video tour of the Coachmen RV facility. It of course had their Li3 power system with a high-powered inverter and Lithium battery. It also had their most comprehensive insulation package, a WiFi Ranger, the Shower Miser water saver, and a 12 volt air conditioner (to name a few). We really like seeing manufacturers try new things in their rigs, so this made us happy and gave us lots of fun stuff to play with.
Maybe We’re Just Not “Multi-Plexers?”
We’ve talked about multiplex wiring in previous reviews, but until this rig, we’d never actually stayed in a rig that had it. Now that we have, I can say that while it does save weight and produce a cleaner, more integrated look… there’s definitely an end-user learning curve to the multiplex wiring! In day-to-day life, you don’t think about it much when you use a light switch, but with multiplex wiring, you do have to think about it. And if you’re using only one button to control on, off, and dimming functionality, there’s a timing aspect to pressing that button that (apparently) takes more than a couple days to get the hang of. Or at least it did for us. Maybe we’re just “multiplex challenged”, but the lighting was a source of confusion for us.
Still Got It Going On With the Cabinetry
In our very first Coachmen Galleria review years ago, I was impressed with the craftsmanship in their cabinets. It’s good to see that they haven’t dropped the ball here. Stef actually pointed this out in the video, but their drawers are now using undermount, self-closing drawer slides. To the layman, this means you can’t even see the drawer mechanism, and it looks very clean. But to a woodworker like me, it means they really put the time and money into these drawers. If I were to buy them myself, the drawer slides alone cost around $30 per drawer! At this point, I’m convinced that their cabinet mill operation does high-end homes on the side. There’s no other explanation.
Anyway, there’s more to like about the Galleria, and you can see the rest of it in the video. If you have comments or questions, please sound off below. Looking forward to your thoughts!
Hi,
I think read somewhere that you are a cyclist. We’re thinking about the 24A. Any chance if we took off the front wheel we could fork mount the bikes under the bed? Or have you thought of another way to get bikes inside that garage. We mostly travel with our gravel bikes. Sometimes our Road bikes. And occasionally we might bring MTB. My husband is very familiar with breaking down bikes(we do travel on a plane with them in a bike bag) obviously the less breakdown the better.
We currently use a Let’s go Aero big black box for our bikes. But we’d love to get them inside instead on our next Class B
Yep – we’re cyclists. Guilty as charged.
I haven’t looked at the 24A much since they went to an adjustable bed, but it should be entirely possible to mount a bike (front wheel off) on the floor and have it fit under the bed.
We used this rack in our Travato for a while, and it works just fine flat on the floor. https://amzn.to/45xRGg7
Please post and let me know what year this Coachmen is. I am looking at 2018 and 2019 years, and I don’t know which this video is for.
We filmed this in March of 2019, so I’m guessing it’s a new 2019 van in the video.
Hi Stephanie & Russ: Love your thorough re3views:
I am an 80 year old submarine veteran, and heard you mention folding bike on your Galleria review. My wife bought me a Sun Mountain SD3 folding bike for Christmas in 2018. It has only been ridden 2 miles so it is really brand new. I have the original receipts for the bike at $509.00 and the cover which was $100.00, so have $609.00 invested. Will sell them for $400.00. If you know of an RV website I can access to sell them, please let me know. Again thank you for your great reviews.
Stef and Russ? You mean me, yes? lol (Maybe we should have Russ in fewer of our videos!)
I don’t know of an RV specific website for selling stuff like that, but would probably steer you towards “the regular ones”: Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace.
But if anyone here sees this and wants to make an offer, I’ll put them in contact with you.
Cheers!
Your videos are terrific – it’s so nice to be able to watch and review without having a salesperson hovering over us! So very helpful – thank you! We are probably going to get one of these, but as woodworkers, we are curious: is the “maple” cabinetry actually maple, or is it maple-toned pine? Gotta love those drawer slides, right?! Have a great day and stay safe!
Sorry – meant to say birch, not pine! I need to stop multitasking! So curious if it’s actually maple or if it’s birch (or other). Thanks!
I suppose it’s possible I could have been fooled, but I’m a woodworker too, and they certainly seemed to be maple to me.
And Coachmen would have have to have fooled me several times over the years – including at their factory when we toured.
They’ve got a thing going on with their cabinets.
They’re very proud of them – rightly so – and I doubt they’d fake them.
I’ve really made good use of your videos as a first time buyer and am now trying to decide between a 2020 Coachman Galleria 24A and a 2020 Winnebago Boldt (KL or BL). I’m looking for “easy” in pretty much everything, so wondering which you would think is the simplest to operate and drive? How do they compare for just a night off grid as far as heating / cooling? Also, how would you compare the fit and finish? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS!
Those rigs are both built on the Mercedes Sprinter, so the driving will be almost identical between the two. Either would be completely fine for a night of off-grid camping.
I find them both easy to operate, but might give the slight nod to the Winnebago as it does not use multiplex wiring and control systems.
The cabinetry in the Galleria is really top-shelf, so it would get the nod there.
Have you looked at our 8-Step program for choosing your first RV? That would probably tell you the rest of what you want to know.
How would you rate this galleria 24a for extreme cold weather. You stated that all water lines and fresh water tanks were inside, tanks had heat pads. Other than the glycol line running to the dump valve (I assume you could insulate and heat tape) it seems similar to the single pane window Boldt but more livable. What modifications would you think would be needed to run in Colorado/Wyoming winters? Thanks.
I haven’t thought of any detailed mods for this one. It seemed pretty do-able for cold weather. But when you get to real extremes, I don’t know. I’d have to live with it for a while before I came up with a “to-do” list.
But, based on what I know, I’d say this would make a good starting place for creating a cold-weather-machine.
Great Review! Another question about the beds. Is there a filler piece between the 2 twins that makes it into 1 continuous bed if desired?
I think there was one. We just didn’t use it.
If it’s important to you, I’d check with Coachmen directly.
Great review. I would love to see a photo or just know more about the mechanism they used for the motorized tilt angle on the back end of the bed. Perhaps it could be a worthwhile DIY upgrade for many of us that have similar, but manual ratcheting mechanisms?
We don’t have any more information about the mechanism. Perhaps an owner will chime in?
Owners??
Bueller?
Hey James and Stef, love your show. I think I’m almost sold on the Coachmen 24A. The only thing I wanted to ask you is the quality versus a Winnebago era (the other one I’m considering). The coachmen has the office which is what I like but I wondered how the quality of the coachmen was versus Winnebago and if there were any other reasons I would want to lean towards the era other than the floor plan. I’m full timing.
Are the tanks insulated? Could it be used for winter camping? Thanks!
As far as I know, the tanks are not insulated.
For winter camping with those tanks, you’d want heating pads, and to include plenty of RV antifreeze when heading out.
Thanks for the great video! I was wondering how you felt the insulation worked out subjectively? Given the window area, did it really seem to make a difference? I live in the south and would love to see a summer version of this review.
Subjectively, the only thing I really noticed was the floor was a little cold. I understand they’re looking at ways to improve the insulation of the floor.
Apart from that, we honestly didn’t notice the temperature much… we were comfortable.
So all I can really say is that the insulation in the van was able to keep the van at temperature with the included Truma Combi.
Hello James and Steph
great review and while ive thought about upgrading my 2014 unity to lithium etc
this makes more sense to me(to start fresh and not just do pieces)
I know you wish to be objective in your reviews, but how does this compare to your travato, general fit and finish and the electrical system?
are you aware for a jump seat version for sleeping a third person?
The galleria has a larger battery than the prototype system we installed in Lance. Other than that, the electrical system is much the same that we have been happy with in Lance for some years now.
As far as fit and finish, I’ve replaced so much of Lance, that I can’t really make a fair comparison. Generally speaking though, the fit and finish on the Galleria is very good.
No plans that I am aware of for sleeping a third person. A call to Coachmen themselves might yield more info… but I doubt they’d let anything leak before it was official.
Most people are less confused and more knowledgeable, more up to date than me. So take this with a grain of salt. Please include the year of the model you are reviewing. Love your reviews.
That was the newest model – a 2019.
I’ve watched this review like 20 times all the way through, so so good… Sold me 100% on this unit. Just put my down payment down… managed to get the last 4×4 version in the old Sprinter chassis, so old sprinter new coach… so excited for the 4×4. Cool side note, I’ll be living in/around NYC with it… Thanks again for the amazing review and keep up the amazing work, so helpful!
So glad you liked the video!!
I have a Jayco 24 ft diesel Mercedes 4 cylinder turbo, I’m trying to find out what types of cars people are flat towing and using and what mechanical devices to hook up with to tow.d
The Galleria has all I want (with one exception). Quality workmanship, a design like the Pleasure Way Plateau FL with a bigger refrigerator and better color scheme (they’ve gone to all white and grey, uck). The one thing, as a solo traveler, that I would like to put in is a permanent twin-sized bed on the driver’s side, and cabinets on the other. And a vent or window in the bath. The one exception that the Galleria lacks is a decent warranty.
I’m not a good one to speak on RV warranties. I pretty much do all my own work, and usually blow up the warranty within the first week… 😉
I dont know if any one else has had problems with the induction stove top . We have had ours in S and B for 5 months and we have had 6 repair men out. They have replaced most of the parts It has not been working for most of the time. I prefer anything else but induction
Sounds like you may have just gotten a bad unit.
We’ve had ours for over two years now with no issues whatsoever!
Love this Van it has real beds no making the bed then taking it down to eat it kinda be nice if you could close off the bedroom area so one can sleep one can be up with a light on in the morning be real nice on the next gen 2019 Mercedes Sprinter
Good point about closing off the bedroom area. I think that could easily be done with a thick drape of some sort. Wouldn’t be too hard to do.
Wow. LOVE this. It has everything I’d ever want….a a few things I DON’T want. Don’t want the soap dispensers in the bath. Don’t want two TVs (I’m also an IPad kinda girl), don’t want anything that runs on propane. Speaking of which, James, where was the propane tank for the Truma combi?
I’ve installed those soap dispensers… they should be easy enough to remove.
The two TVs weren’t our cup of tea either. But at least they were mounted in convenient places.
The propane tank was underneath and it was HUUUUUGE. But since it was raining and cold and the RV was parked over mud, my “going under the RV” footage was more limited than it usually is. Sorry about that.
(but really, the tank was very very large)
I don’t watch TV much either, but that front TV can double as a nice big monitor for your iPad or laptop. Nice if you have to do some serious work on board.
Great review as always. I definitely like the fit and finish, and it looks like Coachmen really put some thought into the interior design.
I’ll second the comments that if a diesel chassis is being run that I’d think a diesel Combi unit would make more sense here, and that overall I’d prefer a non-Sprinter platform (for a couple of reasons).
Related to the latter, do you have any insights to the CCC fo this model? I can’t seem to find that mentioned anywhere on Coachmen’s website (and from what I’ve seen that’s usually a bad sign).
I looked through our footage to see if we had a shot of the OCCC sticker, and we didn’t.
While I might think that was a bad sign on a class C, on a Class B, I personally wouldn’t be too worried.
With no slides, etc, the vans usually turn out with quite a bit of carrying capacity.
Especially the Sprinter chassis, which has 11,030 GVWR.
Hi Guys,
Great review as usual. Test camping makes it even more valuable. Love the Li3 system and the great woodwork. I also love how Coachmen thinks about laundry and garbage and kitchen sponges. So much more important than gloss. The 24A is definitely on my short list. I only have two real issues with this coach. The first is the propane heating system which I hope moves to diesel soon. No need for two types of fuel. The second is the tall cabinet on the passenger side. I think it gets you maybe 2 cubic feet of storage between the counter height and the upper cabinet height. I wish they just used the 24FL galley and left the passenger side wide open.
Wait a minute. It was dark and cloudy, raining, and the phase change was already liquid? I hope it was because the lithium BMS was heating up that small space. I’m about to install Phase Change blankets in my DIY build and I was told that the point of fusion was set to 80°F in those. I would’ve expected them to be solid in those conditions.
By the way if anyone’s looking for those insulation blankets, Aqua View from California are the only distributors for the RV version. At a few dollars per square foot, they seem like a good investment. (Ask me in 5 years…)
Well, remember, we were staying in the rig, so it had been heated to about 70 degrees for a couple of days.
AND, the inverter/charger was working in that small space as well.
(We had been unplugged for a long while to try things “off the grid” and we had just plugged back in to do the review, so the inverter/charger was charging the battery at a good clip.)
I’d say 80 degrees wouldn’t have been much of a stretch.
Rumor has it that the Polar Protection Package never made it to market
Can’t find anything online except an old poster
any thoughts?
We didn’t discuss anything specifically called the “Polar Protection Package”.
We know that Coachmen is focusing on insulation and off-season use, but I don’t know if that package was just a marketing idea or what.
I can confirm that the features we saw and show in our reviews are generally available as of now.
I am so glad I watched your video! I finally found a Class B van that has all I want and need! I’ve been looking at a Pleasure-Way Plateau FL, which I most like for it’s front lounge where I could use my laptop or play games on my PS4. The Coachmen has almost the same layout… with even better features like a real large refrigerator with a compressor for more room. And doggie dishes! Thank you so much for your review.
Glad our review helped you out!
If and when they build this on the new 2020 Ford Transit they will get my business because I WANT A GAS engine. Don’t care for the Cross Fit as much as I like this unit. Thanks
James- How many solar panels would you put on this Coach?
Honestly? None.
It doesn’t need them. I’d designate the roof space for something more useful.
But I think it comes standard with 100 Watts, with 200 and 300 options.
So I guess I’d have the one standard panel.
I really like the floorplan, especially the desk! The only complaint I would have to wish the bathroom was bigger. This and winnebago 59gl are my top 2 class b vans they look really nice! As always love the review! If you ever get a chance hope you can do a review on the host truck campers!
We’ve never tried a truck camper (because my truck is small, I suppose).
Interesting idea.
Thanks! Now lets see what this Winnebago reveal is all about.
I would really like to find out where a consumer can get that PCM insulation material Coachman is using. Can you help?
I honestly don’t know. But you could contact the manufacturer, https://phasechange.com/ and see if they could help you.
Dear James and Stefany, I really appreciate the Review of the 24A. It is a beautiful RV. My concern was the bed and padding. Is it really comfortable and do you think it would still be comfortable after sleeping on the bed for a month? It does not look like the mattress is thick enough. In other words, it does not look like it can compete with the Pleasureway B class sleeping areas. I hope I am wrong because I was considering the 24A because it has a dedicated sleeping area. I really value your opinions. You both did a great review as always.
How is the shop build coming along? My husband and I are both following your building journey. There is not much you can’t do. Both you take care and best wishes.
I might not be the best one to ask about bed padding. I could sleep on plywood. 😉 I’m a stomach sleeper, so extra padding is uncomfortable for me.
Having said that, I didn’t notice much about the bed, so it wasn’t excessively UN-comfortable.
The good news is that bed padding is one of the easiest things for an RV owner to modify on their own. You can get any number of mattress toppers and cut them down to size. You ought to be able to suit your padding level wishes that way. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
The shop is coming along slowly, but nicely. I think it’s time to start another shop video soon.
Great review. The hole at the rear storage cabinet is probably for a CPAP machine. Coachmen is putting that feature on a lot of their products. Loved the unit but the wet bath is just a deal breaker for us. At the Tampa RV show I believe Pleasure Way had a dry bath in one of their units. Wish more van RV’s would follow suit. Thanks for the great review.
We used to think a wet bath was a deal breaker… until we had one.
It turned out to not be as big of a deal as we had thought.
But… everyone is unique, so I can’t say if you would reach the same conclusion we did.
Great review James and Stef. I especially appreciated it as the 24A is top of my short list to purchase in 2020 so that I can leave the UK and Tour the USA & Canada for 5-7 years full time. I noticed at about 23:31 that the Tank flush release cables go over to the nearside of the Coach to the Macerator. They hang down a bit and look rather vunerable in the video? Also I don’t understand why the Macerator is on the Nearside of the Coach when the Bathroom is on the Drivers side of the Coach? In your opinion would the 4×4 option have at least a couple of more inches ground clearance than this one?
I have heard that coachman makes the top of the line RVs. Is this true?
The interior wood work looks outstanding. I’m a sucker for good cabinetry and detest the glued together sawdust that is so commonly used. The quality on the galleria was really impressive and they seem to be on the leading edge in terms of tech. I really liked the attention to detail with the external hookups.
The little flip out sponge drawer is something I see on a lot of tow able rvs. I really wish more companies would copy what I’ve seen a few places (can’t remember what brand it was). Where they install a wraparound U shaped drawer with a cutout in the middle for the sink. They have a segmented plastic tray in the drawer to store your cutlery. It’s basically free storage that is normally wasted!
I agree with Nate, you’ve produced another great review! This answers most of the questions I had on the 24A, but I’d appreciate your opinion on a couple things. First, for a unit primarily to be used by a couple, do you personally prefer the 24A or 24FL floorplan? Second, any comments on bed comfort and length would be appreciated. I’m 6′ 2″, but I’ve found in the past that an RV bed can “sleep” shorter or longer than the published dimensions. How is the comfort compared to a bed with the Froli system?
Thanks!
Without question, Stef and I would prefer the 24A floor plan. We really dislike having to make up a bed out of a bunch of cushions each night.
However, that preference is based on our own personal situation. If, for example, we needed extra seatbelts (we don’t), then the 24FL would be a better choice.
As for the comfort of the bed – I thought it was just fine. I had no trouble sleeping and woke refreshed.
I expect the bed could sleep slightly longer than its published dimensions due to the available space at the head of the beds. You can see that space in the video. You may need to put something in the void for support, but it could be done easily.
Thanks for a GREAT video! This is the model we ordered (without Li3), but we are getting the 2019 chassis. Love all of the inside storage. Can’t wait till we get ours!
Hey Nate that’s so awesome! Huge congrats, and I hope you will love it!
Class b design has come a long way since I first discovered your YouTube channel, I expect in a few years you won’t be able to find lead/acid batteries in an RV. Second alternators also make so much more sense than the tiny solar array you can fit on a van. One question I always have, how long are the beds? I will never be able to sleep in transverse beds unless they put in the flares like the Revel or the custom shops so the 2 twin set up always gets my attention.