When buying your first Class A motorhome, just where do you enter the
market? If you don’t want to mortgage the farm, squander your kid’s
college fund or bury yourself under a mountain of debt, the safest place
to begin might be with an entry-level unit.
Longtime coachbuilder Winnebago Industries recently debuted a prime
candidate in the economy Class A field with its Vista line, in either a
30- or 33-foot floorplan. We road-tested the shorter of the two models,
the 30B, on a trip to the central coast of California.
The Vista 30B is one of the more willing Class A performers
we’ve checked out recently, and the good news doesn’t stop there. Right
from the get-go, while making a pass through a congested filling
station, we came to appreciate the unit’s shorter length, positive
steering attributes and exceptional 30.4-foot turning radius. Later,
while accelerating onto the freeway, the seat-of-the-pants feedback we
received from the coach was that it was quick, nimble and could tackle
just about anything.
“The Vista is a great motorhome for anyone entering the RV
lifestyle or moving up to a Class A,” says Roger Martin, Winnebago’s
vice president of sales and marketing. “Both floorplans, the 30B and
33T, are well-equipped and loaded with comfort. They offer plenty of
sleeping accommodations, a full galley, a forward slideout for extra
room and an abundance of storage. Both coaches also maintain the
quality, attention to detail and industry-leading service and support
that comes with every Winnebago motorhome.”
Although its base MSRP, $81,484, is comparatively low for a
Class A, the Vista 30B still includes many amenities that might be
considered optional on similar entry-level rigs.
Vista’s 30B layout offers a generous forward streetside
slideout that expands to maximize comfort and livability in the front
living room and galley areas. The slide itself houses a 42 x 68-inch
dinette and a 48-inch-wide sofa that easily converts to a 67-inch-long
bed when needed. A split bathroom area is located midcoach, followed by a
rear bedroom with 60 x 75-inch queen-size bed.
Even at 30 feet, 9 inches in length, the Winnebago Vista 30B
has sufficient interior residential space and amenities, plus capacious
external-storage capacity to support everything from short weekend
jaunts to extended long hauls. With excellent fit and finish, good
highway manners and strong performance, this no-nonsense motorhome
should be a real pleaser on the road, in the campground and especially
on the pocketbook.
For complete details and full test impressions of Winnebago’s
Vista 30B, pick up the June 2007 issue of MotorHome magazine on the
newsstand — then subscribe to MotorHome
so you can stay informed on the latest motorhome tests, previews,
technical information, products, travel destinations and more.
