This post may contain affiliate links.
You could say we’ve had ProMaster on the brain lately. Three of the last four RV Review posts we’ve done have been based around this Dodge Ram chassis.
And no wonder. With the prices of Mercedes Sprinter based RVs well north of $100k, it was only a matter of time before people wanted an alternative to the skyrocketing prices of Class B coaches. Because let’s face it, when you think of “Camper Van”, you think of an old VW bus – not a second mortgage! Enter the ProMaster, and suddenly the Sprinter isn’t the only game in town. The ProMaster is a more affordable platform to start with, and it enables manufacturers to build a coach that’s more affordable when they’re finished.
Stef and I couldn’t be happier; and we’re excited to see what the different Class B manufacturers are coming up with on the ProMaster chassis. That’s why, when we were planning our trip to The Hitch House in Ontario, we told them to make sure they had Pleasure-Way’s new Lexor TS waiting for us. We couldn’t wait to check it out, and the video below is the result.
There’s a lot to like about this coach, and even more to like when you take into account some of the new features Pleasure-Way will be offering in 2016. The coach had the usual Pleasure-Way quality in cabinetry, and their multiplex wiring is always something I like, but there were a couple things on this one that really caught my eye.
The running boards: Pleasure-Way equips the Lexor TS with painted, full-length running boards down both sides of the coach. They’re molded to look like an extension of the coach body. A lot of manufacturers offer them on their Sprinters, but Pleasure-Way is the only one we know of offering them on a ProMaster. It’s a very polished look.
The heat shielding: I don’t know if it’s possible to go overboard with a protective feature, but Pleasure-Way tried. When I was underneath the coach, I was really impressed with the lengths they went to in shielding things from exhaust heat. You’ll just have to check out the video to see what I mean. I’ve never seen it done as thoroughly as Pleasure-Way did in this coach.
There are more things to like about the Lexor, but you’ll just have to watch the video to see them.
Hey Jim. Follow you and stef regularly and really appreciate your insight. Do you see any issue with the clearance of the generator? Ours is only 7″ .
Concerned about dry camping. Not looking to go ‘off road’ but off asphalt.
Jealous of your Majorca trip. Not only are there amazing roads there but some pretty interesting history.
Thanks muchly!
Funny you should ask this today. I JUST TODAY measured the ground clearance on Stef’s Subaru. It’s less than 6 inches!
SO, if you would be comfortable taking a Subaru there, then the 7″ of generator clearance shouldn’t be an issue.
HTH!
Looked at a 2016 model and liked the fit and finish very much and all the nice touches. We were excited about it until I sat in the drivers seat. At 6′ tall the seat would not go back far enough to be comfortable for the driver. The seat travel is limited by the closet wall. This will be a show stopper for taller folks as it was for us.
Otherwise this would have been a contender for serious consideration. The driver seats in other Promaster units like the Winnebago Trend and Travato go back much further providing more comfortable driving position options.
2016 Pleasure-Way Lexor TS, no idea why anybody would buy this poorly laid out class B, the drivers seat will not go back nearly far enough, I am 6’1″ tall, lots of people my height in North America. Bed is very low to the floor, making all that space above the bed wasted (unless you like lots of big windows where you sleep). Build quality is good, but layout is awful, drivers seat is a deal breaker, Travato 59G is a way better layout/floor plan IMO, Truma Combi unit, rear ladder, rear bike rack and roof rack all not available on Pleasure-Way Lexor TS, and the PleasureWay is a more money.
I have found the same problem with the ProMaster chassis in all the brands
Very disappointing
There are some nice island bed floorplans out there on the Sprinter chassis, but are you aware of an island bed floorplan on the ProMaster chassis?
Not off the top of my head. I don’t think that the Trend/Viva or the Dynamax REV have an island bed floor plan. Not aware of any other small Cs on the ProMaster at present.
Just saw the Wonder on the Ford Transit chassis with a murphy bed. Any rumours out there of LTV using the ProMaster chassis?
Not that I have heard. LTV requires more GVWR on their coaches than the ProMaster can provide.
Love your reviews! You two provide such great information and make it entertaining too. We are looking at Promaster options too. Unfortunately the nearest 2016 of any brand are over 4 hours away from us. Would love to see you and Stef review the Roadtrek Zion – similar layout to the Travato 59K you reviewed earlier, but I like that it has seatbelts for 5. Would help us with grandkids and soccer games! How tall are you James? I’m 6’4″ and I know I’d have to bend a bit to walk. I’m ok with that. I’m more concerned with the driver’s seat. It looks like they’re the same in all the brands. Do you have plenty of legroom in yours? Do you find that seat comfortable after an hour or more into a drive?
Glad you like our reviews. We really try to hit that “entertaining but informative” spot, so it’s good to hear that we hit the mark occasionally!
In our Travato, I have no complaints about room. I’m 5’10”, so pretty average height. The drivers seat in ALL of the ProMaster models are the same – since the vehicle is under 10,000 lbs GVWR, passenger car rules apply, including side airbags. That’s why all the manufacturers stick with the factory treatment in the cab area. I find the seat supportive yet comfortable, with a good commanding view. The steering wheel telescopes, so you should be able to adjust to get yourself enough leg room.
At 6’4″, you need to be worried about the beds! Pay attention to the lengths of the beds in models as you compare.
Yes, the 80″ twin bed on the passenger side in the Travato 59K is the longest I’ve seen in any RV, even Class A’s. We do need more than two seatbelts though. Guess we’ll head back to the LTV Unity TB with more headroom and 76″ bed that can be made into a 88″x76″ size. Lots more $ though and that 10 month wait list they have to get one is awful. So many compromises. At least there are more interesting choices these days in the small RV categories.
Keep up the good work! You two are a real breath of fresh air.
Thanks! Glad you found us.
(Maybe you could look at an island bed model and just hand your shins and feet off the bottom? lol)
You might want to look at the Dynamax Rev 24RB. The bed comes down from the ceiling so you have much more living room and the bed is a standard queen size bed. I am 6’1″ and I can just walk under it when it’s up… Just a little ducking. However that bed size is wonderful and we can sleep four in a pinch, three easily.
The Promaster seats are comfortable though the driving position is very upright. You can recline the seats… I don’t mean that kind of upright. Rather the steering wheel is very horizontal rather than vertical and only telescopes (which winds up to be up and down).
Anyway…. We love ours and it might fit your bill better as well.
Lastly. I second the kudos. I love watching your video reviews.
Glad you like the reviews! More videos coming in the next few weeks.
Hello:
Your reviews are greatly appreciated. Are you aware of any manufacturers currently producing units with enclosed and heated water lines and tanks? Would like to stay as close to 25′ as possible. Would consider B+, C, or short A.
Thanks,
Michael
Mainstream manufacturers, no.
If you go to more of a custom build, then you can get such. (Advanced-RV, Outside Vans, etc.)
I hear Coach House may offer a 4 season coach, but they’re pretty pricey.
Saw Pleasure-Way Lexor TS at Hershey. Waited for it to come to local dealer. Talked with dealer and Pleasure Way. Unit to arrive early 2015. Don’t believe it ever showed. Ended up buying an older Coach House Platinum 232 in May, 2015. All weather interior plumbing, fresh water tank mounted above the floor and optional heat pads for black and gray tanks. Happy with purchase. Never giving back my shower.
Glad you found something you liked. We actually toured a reader’s Coach House just this week. Seemed like a nice coach.
We are considering the purchase of a Class B or Class C on the Promaster chassis. Just watched this video on the 2015 Pleasure-Way Lexor TS and was wondering if there is a screen incorporated into the door? Maybe a full length screen that allows good air flow into the unit if you wanted to keep the door open?
There doesn’t seem to be one in the model we reviewed. You may want to check with Pleasure-Way. They may have added one by now. I know they were making a lot of upgrades for an anniversary this year.
We got our PW ProMaster Lexor TS about a month ago and so far have made a trip to Florida. Rides really great. And PW seems to have a really great owners’ group. The PW seemed to suit our style a lot more than the other ProMasters. It is our first land-based RV, and we are very excited. Still looking into issues with the solar panel but on the whole we are quite pleased. Highway mileage seems to be about 17.6. And easy to drive around town.
More “yachting” cross overs? Welcome aboard! We’ve heard from several former boat owners.
Thanks for the mileage report.
Hi Jack, have you e ear seen any of these used for sale. Love this model
I have not seen any of them on the used market yet.
(It’s only a matter of time though…)
On the forums one person claimed Pleasure Way wasn’t installing swivel seats because they could only use one on the passenger side and the seats are sold in pairs.
Another post claimed a dealer told him the 2016 Promaster Lexor’s will have swivel seats so we’ll wait and see.
In any case it’s a shame to waste using them as living space in a small Class B because it forces you to convert the bed back to a couch for seating and dining.
It’s interesting you pointed out they are switching to lithium batteries. That requires proper temperature management to maintain their lifespan. Did you see any indications they insulated the battery box or installed venting fans?
You know, I had thought to myself “I bet Dodge only fits the swivel seats in pairs,” but I had nothing to substantiate it, so I didn’t say anything. I guess it could be true. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Pleasure-Way address that in 2016. It might require some tweaks to the floor plan.
As far as lithium. The unit we saw wasn’t prepped for lithium batteries: no vents or insulation on the battery boxes, and no heating pads I could determine. I suppose they could get away without the heating pads since it’s only a 3 season RV. BUT – in the press release I linked to, there was one tiny picture, and it looked to me like the batteries were inside the coach under the rear sofa. That may have been a picture of a Sprinter instead of a ProMaster, but keeping the batteries inside would take care of the temperature issues.
Do not have a dealer near by. would like to receive hard copy of brochures on 2015 pleasure ways with some info on cost. My address is *deleted for privacy*. Also any info on used 2012 to2014. Where available prices & Mileage.Thanks for any info you can provide I have been an RVer for many years. have no trade. cash deal only.
Hi Bryan –
We don’t actually work for Pleasure-Way, and I don’t have any brochures or literature I could send you.
I’ve forwarded your information on to Pleasure-Way, and someone from there should be getting in touch with you shortly.
Thanks for reading!
Hi guys,
I started watching this video when you released it on your YouTube channel, but didn’t finish, and it seemed fine.
I re-started today, first through your web site, and then on YouTube. Both times today, the video ran slower than the audio. I could go back to an earlier spot and they would re-sync, but it just kept happening.
Dan
Weird! I just checked our source video, and it’s spot-on. Also seemed fine here through YouTube. We’ve had issues with YouTube videos in the past – some of them were related to the proxy server that was being used by our ISP. In those cases, if we used a different connection (iPhone on 4g vs. computer on Comcast) things were fine. You might try that. Most of these issues seem to resolve themselves eventually. It’s likely not something you did or we did… it’s probably just something in the cloud.
We are the proud owners of the first ProMaster that Pleasure-Way built. They told us that the seats can’t swivel because of the built in air bags. It is the same reason that they didn’t cover them in ultra leather like all their other seats.
Hmmm. I know the recovering is a real thing to do with the airbags.
But other manufacturers are now offering factory swivel seats now. And the airbags work.
If you have one of the first ones, I think maybe you got one of the very early ProMasters – before Dodge was offering the swivels.
Our Promaster Dynamax Rev 24RB has two swivel seats. No custom upholstery allowed but both swivel. Ours is a 2016 cabin on a 2015 chassis.
Thanks for review. What did you think of NO swivel seats?
Seems every Class B based on a Sprinter or ProMaster includes swivel seats; the other 5 PW models have swivel seats. Very convenient to swivel around, chat with someone in the galley, have coffee in am with someone else in driver’s seat swiveled around, too.
Seems like wasted opportunity to use the already limited space in a Class B.
Well, I take your point. The swivel seats do seem to be more or less standard, industry-wide.
But with this layout, I don’t know if the driver’s seat could – with any practicality – swivel. It’s right in front of that wardrobe/bathroom unit. I just don’t think there’s room.
The passenger’s seat could have swiveled I suppose. That would provide some additional room if it did.
This also partly explains the curtain they have separating the cab from the living area. It’s very simple, easy, economical, and no-fuss. It takes about 3 seconds to seal up all the cab windows from prying eyes. Since they weren’t counting on using the cab seats in the living area, it makes it very easy to just draw a single curtain, and BAM, you’re done. If they had included the passenger seat in the living area, they would have needed three separate window shades – and the process would have taken a lot longer, and you would have needed a place to store the shades… Different strokes, I guess.
I meant “seems like a lost opportunity to NOT use the already limited space in a Class B”
Yeah, I get it. That was my initial reaction when I saw that curtain cutting off the front of the RV.
But when I thought about the other fiddly options for covering up all the windows, I became sort of ambivalent about it.
The “no screws in the ProMaster cab” limitation is a tough one for all the manufacturers.
In our Plateau XL, our 3 weenie dogs make their bed in front of the 2 front seats in the floor. We turn the 2 front seats around facing the back and then the 2 folks in these seats and 2 folks on the sofa. There is plenty of room for the four of us to eat, talk, or watch a movie if the weather is not fitting to be outside.
Swivel seat bases end up giving you a lot more usable cubit feet.
Not having swivel seats is a deal breaker for s small Class B, others offer swivel seats, no reason PW can’t
Re 2:20 in the video: James, you can truthfully say that you are a chick magnet 🙂 . Presumably Stef will agree…
Nice! That’s one way to look at it…