Winnebago Intent 26M

[Gjac]

Has anyone that is wanting a small Class A or C bought or looked at the Winnebago 26M? If so has it met your expectations? What got my attention just looking at their web site was 26'6" length, 48 gals of FW and a large rear pass thru storage bay along with the 362hp 3 valve Ford engine. All of the shorter Class C's 24-26 ft I had been looking at just had the 2 valve 305hp eng. less storage and less FW. I can't find the CCC from their site but assume it is much greater than the C's on either the Ford or Sprinter chassis.

[way2roll]

Mile High wrote:
The Intent Class A and Outback Class C were the first Winnebago's in decades to be introduced with rubber roofs - if that tells you anything. They are entry level coaches - a step lower than anything produced before. You would yourself a favor to jump up a level or two.

Countless Rv's out there with rubber/tpo roofs with no issues for decades. I have heard a lot of grumbling about the winnie fiberglass roofs peeling back. Of course that's due to lack of maintenance - but that is required on any type of roof. But roof material shouldn't be a deal breaker. Both types have their merits - and shortfalls.

[Mile_High]

The Intent Class A and Outback Class C were the first Winnebago's in decades to be introduced with rubber roofs - if that tells you anything. They are entry level coaches - a step lower than anything produced before. You would yourself a favor to jump up a level or two.

[Gjac]

way2roll wrote:
I think the Winnie, Thor ACE, Vegas/Axis, and the FR3 are probably your only options close to what you want. All of these are entry level. The shortest FR3 is 29' - still a few feet longer than you wanted and the ACE 27.2 is still almost 29'. And the Axis/Vegas is on the E450 Chassis. These are called crossover RV's. They bridge the gap between B+/small C's and A's. It's a niche, but manufacturers know that folks wanting higher end features also want more space and a better ride- thus a larger class A or a high end C. They know it wouldn't make sense to dump a bunch of money on a 26' class A on the F53 - no one would buy it. These crossovers are marketed as "weekender" and starter RV's. Heck the Axis is pretty much marketed as a soccer mom rv. No offense to anyone who owns one, I even know folks that full time in an Axis. I have looked them myself. But for the most part, their market share is the weekender/tailgater/starter.

Frankly I am not sure how Winnie shrunk their F53 chassis to get to 26' and still have a stable wheelbase - that thing might ride rough and loose. The wheelbase is only 158" - that's only 13'. I can't remember the calculation, but there is some math involved that the wheelbase should be more than a certain percentage of the overall length to provide a stable ride. The 26M is only 50% - if memory serves, the minimum benchmark for safe highway travel is about 55%. But something you could sort out in a good test drive.

The shortest "higher end" class A that I know of still in production is the Allegro Breeze DP. Used to be in a 28' - understandably still longer than you spec'd. If you want a higher end MH in your size range I think you'd be looking at a C on the MB sprinter chassis. The Tiffin wayfarer comes to mind.

The shorter class C's are not on the F53 and thus that's why the engine pairing is different.

. I think what you are referring to is the length to wheel base ratio that should be greater than 50 %. The intent is 50% and the Vegas/axis is 58%, but there is more to ride quality. My thinking if one is looking for a MH in this length usually C’s come to mind. However a short A usually brings more CCC, more storage, more GC, better suspension and more FW for dry camping. The Vegas has the same HP as a C but the intent is 60HP higher. I have never test drove anything that short so don’t know how any of them rides. From what I see the sprinter chassis does not have much CCC and people don’t complain about the ride quality. My friend just bought one and is on his way to Alaska with it I will see how he likes it when he returns.

[10forty2]

Gjac wrote:
Has anyone that is wanting a small Class A or C bought or looked at the Winnebago 26M? If so has it met your expectations? What got my attention just looking at their web site was 26'6" length, 48 gals of FW and a large rear pass thru storage bay along with the 362hp 3 valve Ford engine. All of the shorter Class C's 24-26 ft I had been looking at just had the 2 valve 305hp eng. less storage and less FW. I can't find the CCC from their site but assume it is much greater than the C's on either the Ford or Sprinter chassis.

We are seriously wanting to look at the Winnebago Navion, Class C. It is listed at 25'8" and has 3 or 4 different configurations. It's on the Mercedes chassis and seems to get really good reviews. A friend of ours got one recently and LOVES it. Just another model for you to look at.......

[way2roll]

I think the Winnie, Thor ACE, Vegas/Axis, and the FR3 are probably your only options close to what you want. All of these are entry level. The shortest FR3 is 29' - still a few feet longer than you wanted and the ACE 27.2 is still almost 29'. And the Axis/Vegas is on the E450 Chassis. These are called crossover RV's. They bridge the gap between B+/small C's and A's. It's a niche, but manufacturers know that folks wanting higher end features also want more space and a better ride- thus a larger class A or a high end C. They know it wouldn't make sense to dump a bunch of money on a 26' class A on the F53 - no one would buy it. These crossovers are marketed as "weekender" and starter RV's. Heck the Axis is pretty much marketed as a soccer mom rv. No offense to anyone who owns one, I even know folks that full time in an Axis. I have looked them myself. But for the most part, their market share is the weekender/tailgater/starter.

Frankly I am not sure how Winnie shrunk their F53 chassis to get to 26' and still have a stable wheelbase - that thing might ride rough and loose. The wheelbase is only 158" - that's only 13'. I can't remember the calculation, but there is some math involved that the wheelbase should be more than a certain percentage of the overall length to provide a stable ride. The 26M is only 50% - if memory serves, the minimum benchmark for safe highway travel is about 55%. But something you could sort out in a good test drive.

The shortest "higher end" class A that I know of still in production is the Allegro Breeze DP. Used to be in a 28' - understandably still longer than you spec'd. If you want a higher end MH in your size range I think you'd be looking at a C on the MB sprinter chassis. The Tiffin wayfarer comes to mind.

The shorter class C's are not on the F53 and thus that's why the engine pairing is different.

[scbwr]

I should have addressed that as I know that length doesn't seem to be available...but I haven't really looked. But, if you are willing to move up to a 29' motorhome, you will have options. In my opinion, a 29' rig is short enough for county, state and federal parks but understand that it requires a towed vehicle where as a 24-26' could be used without a towed vehicle.

So, if you really want to stay with something 24-26', all I could say is to look carefully and choose what you determine to be the best quality with the floorplan/features you want.

[Gjac]

scbwr wrote:
The Intent is a budget level motorhome and as such, you need to compare it to other options. In our search for a gas class A, we looked at a Winnebago Vista which is a little more expensive than the Intent and we could see that they aren't comparable to a smaller class A made by Tiffin or Newmar or even higher quality models such as the Winnebago Adventurer.

Before making a decision, take some time to look at a few smaller Tiffin, Newmar and higher grade Winnebago motorhomes. Then it becomes a personal decision based on your budget, how you plan to use the motorhome and how long you plan to keep it. Although I really like to buy new, when it came to our budget, we opted to buy a higher quality used rig that we plan to keep for quite a few years.

If you are going to take a lot of trips and cover a lot of miles and spend a lot of time in your RV, I'd suggest buying higher quality with more features. If you're just plan to use for weekends and an occasional longer vacation, the Intent may work very well for you.

Good luck in your search....just take your time!

My search is for a 24-26ft MH. Most of what I see in that range is C's or B's. What higher end A's exist in that length?

[2012Coleman]

2oldman wrote:
26M post

What - you could only come up with one? Your slipping...

[scbwr]

The Intent is a budget level motorhome and as such, you need to compare it to other options. In our search for a gas class A, we looked at a Winnebago Vista which is a little more expensive than the Intent and we could see that they aren't comparable to a smaller class A made by Tiffin or Newmar or even higher quality models such as the Winnebago Adventurer.

Before making a decision, take some time to look at a few smaller Tiffin, Newmar and higher grade Winnebago motorhomes. Then it becomes a personal decision based on your budget, how you plan to use the motorhome and how long you plan to keep it. Although I really like to buy new, when it came to our budget, we opted to buy a higher quality used rig that we plan to keep for quite a few years.

If you are going to take a lot of trips and cover a lot of miles and spend a lot of time in your RV, I'd suggest buying higher quality with more features. If you're just plan to use for weekends and an occasional longer vacation, the Intent may work very well for you.

Good luck in your search....just take your time!

[2oldman]

Then I guess it didn't meet the owner's expectations.

[way2roll]

2oldman wrote:
26M post

That post refers to an imperfection in the fiberglass body panel that can and does happen on a lot of RV's - not specific to this make and model. I think OP is looking for a review specific to this model.

[2oldman]

26M post