Sound too good to be true? Jayco’s Embark QX390 combines the best of features found in Class A and Class C motorhomes to create a well-appointed and stylish coach that’s as comfortable when boondocking in a remote location as it is when docked in a full-service luxury RV resort.
Using Freightliner’s Business Class M2 106 chassis, the aerodynamic Embark is powered by a 350-hp Cummins ISC 8.3-l engine that transmits 1,000 lb-ft of torque at 1,400 rpm through the push-button six-speed automatic Allison 3200 TRV overdrive transmission. With those numbers, an engine brake and a 20,000-pound tow rating, bringing a full complement of family toys along should be no problem.
The full-power cockpit is equipped with Freightliner’s wood grain wraparound “wing” dash, which places all dash controls within easy reach. Cockpit access is very convenient using Freightliner’s two-door day cab design with excellent visibility from the 2,500-square-inch windshield and sharply sloped front-hinged hood giving novice drivers added confidence that’s further bolstered by the 55-degree wheel cut. Visibility is also enhanced by the large remote-controlled heated side-view mirrors and dash-mounted touch-screen backup camera and color monitor that also provides AM/FM/CD/DVD, Bluetooth and GPS functions.
The cabin employs large dual slides (11-foot-5-inch curb and 14-foot street) with facing sofa beds for guests and an optional streetside facing booth dinette ($397) for meal service. Residential hardwood plank flooring handles high-traffic areas with no-track residential padded carpeting laid along the streetside of the cabin and throughout the bedroom. An optional free-standing dinette and chairs or the popular sofa/dinette ensemble are also available as well as beautiful full leather furniture upgrades ($1,786 to $2,500) that must be seen to appreciate. A standard 32-inch LCD HD TV is mounted in the handsome Washington Glazed Maple cabinetry with full AV distribution controls and feeds for the optional ($2,529) in-motion roof satellite dish.
The galley fills out the remainder of the slides with stainless steel appliances that include a three-burner cooktop set into the Corian countertop with integrated twin-basin sink and a 1.4-cubic-foot convection/microwave oven in the overhead cabinetry curbside. In place of a conventional gas oven, Jayco provides two useful 75-pound-capacity full-extension pot and pan drawers.
Recessed solid-surface stove and sink covers augment counterspace. Opposite is the 10-cubic-foot refrigerator with icemaker and overhead storage cabinetry that circles the cabin and is highlighted by the striking wood trim.
The bath offers a streetside fiberglass radius shower with dome skylight and storage lavatory with matching solid-surface countertop and integrated sink with a brushed nickel faucet and mirrored medicine cabinet. Opposite is the toilet room with overhead linen storage cabinetry.
A walk-around platform queen bed with pillow-top mattress is centered in the bedroom, with matching wardrobes and eyeglass nightstands on either side. Augmenting the matching wardrobes, a 55-inch mirrored closet occupies the entire rear curbside slide, providing 4 feet of vertical hanging length. The bedroom’s 22-inch LCD HD TV is recessed in the dresser cabinetry that occupies the entire streetside slide.
Two 15,000-BTU low-profile roof A/C units with heat pumps are mounted on the one-piece fiberglass roof feeding dual full-length insulated ceiling ducts with adjustable vents. Climate control is enhanced with Jayco’s R-23 rated roof, R-9 rated floor and walls and tinted thermal pane glass. An 1,800-watt inverter quietly draws off four coach batteries mounted on slideout trays, or users can choose the Onan 8,000-watt Quiet Diesel generator, both available to satisfy power needs when away from shorepower.
Outside, side-hinged baggage doors provide access to saddlebag-style storage compartments that line both sides of the coach. One forward compartment is reserved for the useful but optional ($2,136) slideout portable refrigerator/freezer unit, shaded by the standard roof-mounted electric awning. An exterior audiovisual entertainment center in its own weather-tight compartment next to the entry door is also available.
The Embark aims to please discriminating tastes, attracting buyers to its high-end fit and finish, intimate automotive-style cockpit, enormous tow capacity and aerodynamically handsome lines. Buyers moving away from larger luxury coaches or moving to a dream coach should consider the Embark.
Our thanks to Richardson’s RV Centers in Southern California for providing this Embark for our review.
Chassis: Freightliner M2 106
Engine: Cummins 8.3-L ISC Fuel: 100 GAL
GVWR: 33,000 lbs
Length: 39′ 1″
Width: 8′ 6″
Height with A/C: 12′ 1″
Interior height: 6′ 8″
Wheelbase: 275″
Freshwater cap: 105 gal
Gray-water cap: 52 gal
Black-water cap: 52 gal
LP-Gas cap: 25 gal
Base Price: $228,000
Jayco
574-825-5861, www.jayco.com
