As fuel prices continue to climb, RV manufacturers are having quite a time coming up with better ways to offset the wallet-draining trips to the fuel station. Enter the Icon Class C diesel motorhome, Fleetwood’s first foray into the Sprinter-chassis arena. With a 26.4-gallon fuel tank and fuel economy hovering around 15 mpg, the Icon 24D makes sense to RVers looking for some relief.
The first thing that grabs your attention is the bold exterior styling. Fleetwood has opted to break from the standard white and offer a variety of full-body-paint options, including the Silver Pearl seen here. The aluminum running boards and matching wheel covers offer a touch of class.
Stepping up into the Icon, it’s obvious that Fleetwood has designed the interior with luxury in mind, but has also kept true to the RVing families the motorhome will most likely host. The warm cherry-veneered cabinetry, coupled with the Tiki Bar motif and stainless accents, lend themselves to upscale entertaining — and the solid-surface Corian countertops, the roomy four-person dinette and the 19-inch living-area LCD TV mean you’ll be doing plenty of it. The streetside slideout housing the dinette and refrigerator opens things up nicely.
Counter space in the galley is a bit tight, but that’s to be expected in a motorhome of this size. The cover for the large, single-basin sink adds some welcome inches. It may be difficult to go gourmet with just a three-burner cooktop and microwave/convection oven, but hors d’oeuvres and standard kid fare were a snap. The 6-cu-ft refrigerator with a true freezer means there’s plenty of room for a nice weekend-getaway menu, and a pantry with slide-out drawers offers adequate space for dry goods.
When it’s time to hit the hay, the double bed in the rear is the logical choice for Mom and Dad, with overhead cabinets lining the curbside and rear walls. The kids and/or the guests can quibble over who gets the spacious overhead bunk (with an additional TV available) and who gets the dinette, the latter of which converts via a nifty strutted mechanism that locks into place when it’s being used as an eating area.
A sink, with a medicine cabinet above, sets opposite the rear bed, and is where the lion’s share of the hand washing takes place. The lack of a divider between the rear (main) bed and the rest of the coach, however, was a bit disappointing.
The rear bathroom is rather snug — again, a compromise in a coach this size — and taking care of business and showering became more functional than enjoyable.
The Icon eases some of the cost at the pumps, handles well and features tasteful decor and functional amenities. The sticker price may seem a bit steep, but the long-term savings — coupled with the satisfying livability — make it a motorhome that could be worthy of a spot in your driveway.
Fleetwood Enterprises Inc., (800) 444-4905, www.fleetwoodrv.com
