After 12 yrs on the road we just sold our 2004 Winnebago Vectra (a wonderful coach) and now want something for short trips. Does anyone have experience with the View diesel? Pat & Bill

LOTS of experience! We bought ours in August 2005. Have about 28,000 miles on it now. Our problems have been minimal - both the chassis and the coach have provided good service. The Itasca Navion is virtually identical (although two new Navion floorplans were just introduced and there are no Winnebago View counterparts). A toad fits our travel lifestyle (although another travel lifestyle could easily preclude the need for one).

The 2006 and 2007 models (ours is a 2006) have an inline 5 cylinder 2.7 liter diesel. The 2008 models have a V-6 3.0 liter diesel.

Good handling, good mpg, good looks! No regrets! Holler if you have any specific questions - we'd be happy to try to get them answered.

We have purchased a used 2007 Winnebago View after having driven a 40 ft Monaco. We wanted a smaller coach that could easily be handled by one person. When we purchased the vehicle it had 1051 miles on it and now three months later we have over 7000 miles on the odometer. Guess you can tell we love driving it. Have made several long trips alone and several shorter trips together and encountered no problems. We have even been using it in the winter. We winterized the camper but still continue to use it without filling the holding tanks. The furnace is sufficient to keep the coach comfortable in the most inclement weather and the coach handles remarkeably well even in rain & snow. Love this coach

Jan and Jim, welcome to iRV2.com. We are glad to have you join us here and we look forward toreading of your adventures and experiences. We hope you will be an active participant on the forums. Good luck and have a great 08.

Hello kathynbill,

As you likely know, the Winnebago View and the Itasca Navion are virtually identical machines - well, at least until the recently introduced Navion iQ, for which there is no View counterpart.

The '06 and '07 View/Navion rigs have an inline 5 cylinder diesel, while the '08 rigs have a slightly larger V-6.

We typically drive our '06 View between 60 and 65 mph. When we tow our little Scion xA, we usually enjoy about 14 to 15 mpg. Without the toad, it's more like 16 to 17 mpg.

If you really are seeking a bunch of information on Views and Navions, you might want to take a look at the Yahoo Group dedicated to "us folks." It has about 2500 members.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/View-Navion/

Hope this helps! Holler if you need anything else.

quote:

Originally posted by kathynbill:
Let us ask you this, when parking/driving, etc. did you find that you definately needed a toad? Or, was it just preferable for touring while in an area to save on gas, etc.

kathynbill,

Funny you should bring up the question about the need for a toad with a Navion or View . . . there seems to be quite a few "purist" who contend there is NO WAY you need or should tow with a Navion or View because they are small and get around so well.

My take on the issue is this-
the manner in which one travels and uses a motor home is the primary factor in deciding the value of a toad . . . NOT the size of the motor home.

If your method of travel is to stay on the move nearly every day, then a toad is just extra weight, expense and work.

However, if your method of travel is to go to one area and stay awhile before moving to the next area to stay awhile, then a toad might be a good thing.

We typically take our toad with us because we tend to spend a day or two traveling to an area, then stay for 4 to 7 days. Then we'll travel again for a day or two, then stay for another 4 to 7 days, etc.

We've had our View for about 2.5 years and we have nearly 30,000 miles on it. If we didn't have a toad and traveled all the places we've already traveled in that time, we'd have more like 60,000 miles on the View. Even though the View gets relatively great mpg (say 14 to 15 with the toad), our Scion gets about 35 mpg!

A toad just makes sense for us . . . may not for others who travel differently.

One caveat re a toad with the Navion or View: it is limited to 3500 lbs in total weight. Don't plan on towing your Yukon!

quote:

Originally posted by RV Roamer:
One caveat re a toad with the Navion or View: it is limited to 3500 lbs in total weight. Don't plan on towing your Yukon!

Good point, Gary. While the factory hitch is rated for 3,500 lbs., even that would like be a bit much (for the 5-banger, anyway) . . . I tried one time to tow a Ford Escape, a 3,200 lbs. vehicle, and a tow dolly . . . didn't tow very well. Bought the Scion xA, about 2,500 lbs. wet, and tow it 4-down. MUCH better!