What are RV Classes and How to Choose the One That’s Right For You
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Millions of Americans love the recreational vehicles that take them to new places and thrilling destinations across the United States. These vehicles come in a wide range of classes, models, brands, and can have additional features added for function, convenience, or luxury. Each RV or motorhome you see on the road has been customized to meet the needs and desires of the vacationing family, and yours will be no different.
If you’re ready to become one of the 8.9 million households across the United States that own an RV, let’s sort through your plethora of RV Class options to find the one that will fit your family size, travel intentions, and sense of adventure.
RV Classes: What Are Classes?
RV classes are classifications of RV models. Classes are not exclusive to a brand, but are instead followed by all RV manufacturers, such as Airstream, Winnebago and Tiffin. RV classes are merely a way of classifying RVs into different categories based on size, capacity, design, features, characteristics, and other technical elements of their construction.
Diesel Pusher Motorhome: The Ultimate RV Experience
When you finally make the move to a Class A, diesel pusher motorhome or RV, you’ve finally arrived in the full-time RVer club. These fantastic vehicles are known for their smooth and quiet ride down the road that will leisurely transport you to the gorgeous destination of your next adventure or vacation spot.
Diesel pushers often have additional features such as:
- Heated floors
- Exceptional lighting
- Huge flat-screen TVs
- Souped up electrical
- Incredible surround sound
- Higher-end kitchen appliances
While this exceptional ride is equivalent to hosting a party on wheels, the downside is cost. A brand new diesel pusher runs approximately twice the price of a Class A, and it’s not uncommon for custom diesel pushers to run into the 7-figure price range. However, at Kirkland RV, we cut costs for our customers by selling used RVs at a fraction of the cost, while still providing quality, style, comfort, and luxury.
Class A RVs: The Luxurious RV Experience
Across the board, Class A RVs place you in the lap of luxury. If you intend to consistently live on the road, then this RV was built with you in mind. Essentially, owning a Class A RV is like owning a very nice, small home. As the largest RV class on the market, they’re able to accommodate a full family and still have space to spare.
Class A RV features and accommodations include:
- Top-notch electronics
- Entertainment system
- Full bathrooms
- Master suite
- Glass enclosed shower
- Washer and dryer unit
- Dishwasher and ice machine
- Multiple slideouts
Class A RVs can be up to 45 feet in length, but most RVs in this Class are between 30-40 feet long. While most smaller RVs follow a standardized layout, Class A RVs are spacious enough to allow for a variety of floorplans from which to choose.
Keep comfortable by using the full capacity of the Class A RV’s slideouts. These slideouts can extend the width of some RVs to as much as 14 feet across. At the end of a day of driving, relax in a spacious living area and wonder how you can possibly be so comfortable on a road trip.
If you’re looking to hightail out of town for an extensive period of time, the basement storage compartments can hold enough supplies to keep you on the road indefinitely. All in all, Class A RVs are for the full-time RVer, ready to get out of town and explore while remaining, as much as possible, in the comfort of their own home.
Fifth Wheel: Do More with the Comfort of a Class A
Fifth wheels are known for providing the comfort of a Class A motorhome while allowing more freedom to travel and explore once you arrive at your destination. These towables will attach to the bed of a truck using a specially installed fifth wheel hitch that. This then allows the truck to tow the motorhome wherever the driver sees fit. Once you have arrived at your destination, simply unhooking the trailer from the bed of the truck allows for more exploration and travel, with a comfortable motorhome to return to.
When all slideouts are retracted for travel, the fifth wheel is often not as spacious as a Class A vehicle. But once it is parked and all additions are extended, fifth wheels offer the comforts of a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, dining area, and entertainment systems in addition to the slideouts.
Fifth wheels can range from 28 – 40 ft in length, and tend to way between 6600 and 14000 lbs.
Fifth wheels are also known for their additional storage space, as the motorhome does not have to make room for a driving and engine compartments. The spacious two-level units are capable of having room enough to sleep nearly 8 people.
These vehicles, while they require more caution and skill on the part of the driver, can actually be safer and easier to tow than travel trailers. One of the requirements that sets fifth wheels apart is the need to match the vehicle to the motorhome. Most fifth wheels require vehicles weighing ¾ ton or more, depending on the size of the RV.
Class C: Your Classic Motorhome or RV
Class C is a happy medium between the stripped down design of the Class B and the luxury of the Class A. While they provide the amenities of the Class A, they’re slightly smaller and more pocketbook friendly.
Class C RVs are also referred to as the ‘cab-over’ RV, because they’re built on van or truck chassis but have an attached cab with an overhang that houses a bed. Depending on the size, they’ll also have an additional bedroom at the rear. A couple steps up from the driving compartment beneath the overhang will be the entrance to the main area of the motorhome.
Accommodations of the Class C RV:
- Electronic and entertainment equipment
- Bathroom with shower
- Small dining area
- Stove
- Oven
- Refrigerator
- Storage
- Bedroom at the rear (depending on size)
Cupboards and storage inside the RV also allow for ample space to accommodate a long trip. Some models of Class C RVs actually rival Class A cousins in both RV size and the amount and quality of their amenities and entertainment centers. Most Class C RVs get better gas mileage than Class A, but of course, they will cost more to drive than a Class B.
Class B: The ‘Van Conversion’
It would stand to reason that the RV Classes A, B, and C would be ordered by quality. However, Class C RVs are actually more luxurious than their Class B cousin. Class B RVs are better known as as ‘camper vans’ or ‘van conversions,’ and they live up to their name.
They’re basically souped up cargo vans.
As the smallest of the three Classes of motorhomes, the Class B RV is also the most limited in terms of amenities. The Class B is a van with a raised roof that allows the occupants just enough room to stand up.
Class B RVs provide modest accommodations:
- Sleeping area
- Bathroom
- Living room
While your Class B RV won’t have an entertainment center, it will fit in a normal parking spot, allowing travelers freedom to hang tight for the night anywhere they choose. And of course, Class B RVs get far better gas mileage than the other RV Classes. If you’re looking for a tiny house on wheels that won’t blow out your gas budget, Class B is where it’s at.
If you’re interested in owning your own RV, stop by to see us. We will help you find the perfect RV for your family, while staying well within budget. Contact us today. Happy traveling!
