RV Smackdown - Best Small Class A Gas Motorhome 

I remember the days when a new class A would run 200k plus and there really were no "entry" level ones to speak of. I'm glad the industry has realised not everyone can afford or wants a 40' diesel monster.

We are in the market and looking, I have owned both an older bus and a current class C but want to downsize to a small class A. While on a cross country trip this last summer we had occasion to take the Forest River factory tour, I was impressed with the build quality of the FR3 and really like the 28DS over the 25DS due to the rear bedroom slide, added sofa with footrests, electric windshield shade and other standard stuff, like 3 way cameras, ducked AC, leveling jacks, and outside TV center. The only option I can see wanting is solar panels and inverter. The slides are a full 36" so side by side adds 6' to the width when parked on the 25ds, with the rear facing slide on the 28ds it only adds the 3' to the width. I have been in spots where a 14' wide coach would not fit. And there is only a $12,000 premium on the 28ds over the 25ds and it seems to be a much better thought out design. Amazing what 3' can do. The 25ds is actually 26'6" overall and the 28ds is 29'8" Cute video by the way.

Jason, I like the rounded roof. I'm 6'2", but think it'd be tall enough. The reason I like rounded is I think that it will be better for strength and leaking issues. Water, snow, will more easily run off. I think.

Seriously, I love you guys. You are fun and informative with great personalities that are easy to mentally engage with, without being with you personally.

Y'all are just stinkin' cute, and we would watch pretty much any video you make at this point. Thanks for bringing RVing to a younger market. I like all your videos, but especially the "smackdowns," like gas vs. diesel. I'd like to see more of those, that evaluate the pros/cons of a specific feature. For example, long vs. short wheelbase, mid-entry vs. front-entry. Or comparing strategies like towing vs. Uber or towing vs. rental cars. Keep it up! We're subscribers!

Thank you so much for doing this series. My husband and I have been in the market for about a year looking to buy our first RV. We really enjoy your advice and hope one day soon to find the RV that fits all our families needs.

Pink dress, 4 thumbs up! Ive said it before and you guys still are way on top. Including the penalty points for the skipping, you both have overall video quality best of all RU-vid. I know you are a photographer but i find vids a totes different animal and you are way good at it. In the next RV shootout i think the mechanical side should be part of ratings. I can change an accordion door but i cant change a junk Ford I beam suspension. You guys rock!

Love your videos! Wish you were still concentrating on RV's but understand your pull towards new adventures! We just purchased a 2017 Flair 30U. Love the higher end quality features at a lower price point. Happy travels everyone!!!

Thanks for a great, fun, informative video! Your video production is absolutely the best. We are travel trailer types, but really enjoy seeing all these cool motorhomes. We found our dream trailer in the 2014 Passport 23 RB by Keystone. Had it for a year now, and it is great to travel and camp in. Looking forward to your next video. Happy Camping!

Good information! It's nice to get an idea of what to look for. Since you are full time RVers, you are a good resource. Thanks! Live your vids! You look grest!

I have no interest in RV's but I love these videos. Don't tell my wife.

I been rocking my 97 Winnebago Brave....now that's a budget! I love it!

Really informative. I am enjoying this series a lot.

Honestly, I like the last one the fair because of its price and features and I would take out that recliner and put in a small desk with a chair.

AHHH! There are so many options! We are trying to decide which RV would best suit our family of 6 while we travel the 50 states for a year. I'm so overwhelmed!

Love your reviews. A, B, C...love them all.

Loved this video! Thanks for your input.

Best, most helpful videos on this topic. Thanks for investing your time.

To get all the best features in one motor coach the budget gets thrown right out the window so that leaves us with the compromise and deciding what features are the deal breakers. I liked the last one you saw in North Texas the best.

The Flair was the one that caught my eye....very nice affordable coach. Thanks for the reviews, you guys are AWESOME!

I actually own a 1991 22 foot Fleetwood Flair, that only has 18,000 original miles on the engine, and the onboard 4000 watt Generator only has 79 hours on the clock. I paid just $2,500.00 for my Fleetwood Flair. Another thing I love about my Flair is that it has NO Slideouts to have to worry about maintaining. 2 things I dislike about my flair is that flimsy pull out door that closes off the rear sleeping area, and my Driver Seat DOES NOT Swivel. The Front Passenger Seat does swivel, so I will be switching both seats around, and putting the Swivel Passenger Seat in behind the steering wheel, and the Non Swivel Driver Seat will be moved over to the Passenger side.

Thank you for these videos! We've been eyeing the forester for about 6 months now, Think it's time we took it over an overnight :)

Points for the skipping. There's always room for more fun in this world. Takes a lot of energy to be so upbeat and cheery, and your videos always give me a lift. Makes it easier to absorb the great information, too.

You guys are BRUTAL! Oh well......that's worthwhile......my criteria (OK, let's get real...my wife's) is a fairly normal shower. My criteria is as small as possible. So for us, the smallest possible RV with a decent shower is all that counts. Of course reliability is important.

My wife and I are just at the point in life where we want to finally purchase a Class A motorhome. After watching the video here, many things come to mind, as I have had the opportunity to borrow the inlaws Gas motorhome a few times in the past, and it's certainly not going to work for my needs I've found. The lack of additional 'braking' is #1 as I often pull an 18' enclosed trailer with quads, and on those LONG mountain down-hill runs, if behind slower traffic, you're on the brakes constantly, whereas with a diesel pusher, you have the e-brake holding you back, so it's a safety thing for us. We often found on long up-hill runs, the higher RPM's needed for climbing made the gas engine very noisy, being so close (under the doghouse), and found it gobbled fuel, whereas we're hoping for better mileage from a diesel. Far too many 'negatives' in the above video, thus I'd rather pay more now, and avoid those 'down the road' repairs that will undoubtedly creep up. I've been looking at the 'somewhat' higher end diesel pushers, and the fit/finish is extremely much better, the storage is huge in comparison in many cases, and I like the better quality awnings, a power front shade/black-out, a need to be able to refuel from either side, and a tile floor throughout, so it often depends on one's budget and likes/dislikes such as the Wynn's have shown here. In seeing some of the other posts here, I'll agree with the person mentioning the Newmars, Tiffin's and such tend to have much better quality, albeit one might have to opt for one a couple years old to be in the same price range.

Love you guys and what you do.. Just Awesome.

Thanks guys, good comparison. I didn't know about the bed/slide in the FR3, that's a bummer.

Thank you for putting this together. I have enjoyed your channel for quite sometime. We purchased a 2015 Thor Axis 24.1 and it's great for us. We only do long weekends and there is only 2 of us with 2 westies. We love the giant windshield. I have to admit the drop down overhead bed that you demonstrated in this video startled me. Ours is a power drop down with a key lock. We have taken a few big bumps so far and I would hate to have that drop down on our heads. Thank you again for posting your videos and sharing your knowledge!

Nice presentation, nice video & edit work and good humor. I give you guys three thumbs up. .. Oh, wait! How do I do that? I only have two thumbs! 😉

Great video from you two again. It is fun to see that your dislikes would also be the same as I would have had. It would be nice to compare also either an entry level Newmar or Tiffin. I know that opening cabinets and doors you always get that rattle and shake and it seems as though the walls are always more flimsy on some of the brands that you tested compared with these other two. and much better insulation in them also which helps with the hot, cold and noise. Maybe you can think about them when you do your Diesel comparisons. You two are great and have inspired me with all of your hard work. Thank you

While they all had features to like , I really dislike the drop down bed . I would rather have a larger couch that folds out . As far as sleeping while in motion , there are options other than the master bed.

The Fleetwood Flair is pretty solid for the price, I would have to go with that. Now, just have to hit the right lottery numbers. Thanks for sharing!

Last week my husband and I looked at the Thor A.C.E. 27.2, the Fleetwood Flair 26D and the Winnebago Vista 26HE. We didn't like the plastic sinks in the A.C.E. or Vista, either...or the fact that an exterior or bedroom TV is an added option. However, a big plus is that the driver and passenger seats swivel. In the Flair, they don't, so it really limits the overall seating. Plus, there's NO oven in the Flair! Overall, the Flair was the most cost effective (especially when you add the full-body paint), but the A.C.E. has the most seating (a dinette, plus a sofa and swivel seats in the cabin.) We haven't made a decision yet...we're also considering a Class C.

I liked the video. It was informative. I never knew there were new RV's out there in the 70,000 price range.

Thanks guys. Look forward to the Diesel Smackdown!

HI! I liked the one you both picked; it looked more sturdy and well-made. Best wishes to you both. :-)

I enjoy your videos. I'm glad you did a video on small class a units. I'm interested in purchasing a small class a and customizing it for off grid boon docking during the winter season this upcoming year. I have a Geo tracker 4x4 convertible for a tow behind, and I would like to add solar and composting toilet to the class A.. My plan is to be able to stay for 7-10 days off grid in a national park etc, and then staying a night or two in a resort to recharge with hookups. I also purchased a soda stream and absolutely love it!! Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks

im likin the Flair !! for sure

One step up from these is the Jayco Precept. Just bought a 2015 29UM. One thing I realize is that every RV is a compromise. I am stepping up from a 14 year old Class C. For not much more money, you get a bigger fuel tank, larger freshwater and holding tanks, swiveling driver and passenger chairs, and lots more storage space. Loved the Class C cab bunk, but Class A has come a long way in terms of affordability and versatility. Nice video! Surprised to see such a low price on the Fleetwood Flair. I suspect they aren't discounting them as much as my Jayco (31% off MSRP).

Great video.... Thanks so much

RV's are good, but this girl is soo beautiful. what a pretty face!!!

Thank you for taking the time (that dealer salespeople won't) to expound upon some of the features - and failures - of these rigs. I really don't get all the hype out there for Thor coaches. We're leaning toward the Newmar toy hauler but used ones are kinda scarce. Pleasantly surprised to see you two on an old RV video (DVR recording from way-back) last night - in your old rig. Thanks! Jim@Mid-Ohio

Well done. Thanks.

I really like you guys but I have to disagree. Perhaps it is perspective. I was in the ACE, Forrest River and Itasca Sunstar (Winnebago) this week and really liked the Itasca/Winnebago best. Layout, Layout, Layout for me! The reason is probably because I'm only interested in having two people sleeping in the RV. So, the table issue is not an issue. Neither is the admittedly flimsy privacy curtain. What is an issue is the plastic sinks and plumbing. However, love the fact that the toilet/vanity and shower are opposite each other, setting up a natural divide between the rear bedroom and the general living space. The shower outside door, which is wood, can also be used as a solid closure with the toilet/vanity, sealing off the bedroom from the living area for privacy when one of us is getting ready and the other is doing something in the living area. No other Class A Gas RV in this size has this layout.

We would like to see your opinions of the Forest River Solera 24S, on the Mercedes chassis, when you're reviewing class B motorhomes. Keep up the break videos!

I was actually looking at the Fleetwood Bounder. But I agree with you on the Fleetwood. The fit and finish on the Fleetwood is far better that any of the ones that you mention. I guess that I would say the Fleetwood Bounder 35K and the Thor challenger 37 LX, ND & KT would be my choices.

Nikki- your skin is always so gorgeous! I know this is an old vid but even in the most recent vid - you're glowing (I'm sure the fresh sea air helps) but what's your secret? Any mua tips? Especially for recovering from/healing scarring? I know you guys are super busy and this question is not tHaT relevant to nomad life but I have to ask. Love u guys! Always inspiring and informative. 💞thanks for everything you do. ✌️

Hello Everyone, I wanted to answer a few similar questions: Small Class A - This is the first of 4 videos, we will cover others in the next ones. Class B and C - In the future we may do a comparison of these however there's a chance we may not since we've never traveled in one so we're not sure about the details. We didn't cover every RV, we didn't cover every detail, this is not an in depth review, these are simply our top 3 likes and dislikes of our 4 selected RVs. Thanks for watching, and as always if you want more details swing over the article on our site: www.gonewiththewynns.com/small-class-a-gas-rv

Please.. maybe u can make an Video For Class B..Wide Body. Thank you..

I'd like to know where I can buy those visors.

I love the 74,995 fleet wood flair

Awe.... Shoulda looked at the Winnebago Tribute at McClains while y'all were in DFW

Hey guys, I was wondering about the rail slide thing on the Thor Ace. How does it work and what do you do with it?

The Forest River's bedroom seems really cramped and doesn't have any nightstands. But I do wish more RVs removed all the carpet like that. I kind of like the Thor layout best, but I don't know what to look for in how the slides work. Can you point me to a place where I can learn about the different slide types?

Informative

Plastic bathroom and kitchen fixtures along with the shower head should not be used for rating since they can easily be replaced. Should rate more significant items.

Just come across your channel, good no nonsense info. I'm from the UK, RV'ing isn't as big over here, mostly caravans I think. BTW Nikki looks like Audrey Hepburn.lol, pretty girl!

Great Video!!! All your videos are great. You guys are way to cute and way to cool. I love watching your videos...Way Fun....Yahoo.... Thank you....

Wish you guys would review the Vegas or Axis RUV by Thor.

Unfortunately I cannot afford any of these lovely motorhomes, could you do a really LOW budget motorhome video soon please. I think my best option is to buy from someone as most the motorhomes at the dealerships I’ve been to are soooo over priced for what they are and what you get. I’m buying second hand of course I would never buy brand new for obvious reasons. I can’t wait to find the One!!

very informative... thanks...

I like the Flair👍👍👍👍.

Disappointed you didn't review the Winnebago 27N. We really like it, but would like to hear some other peoples opinion on it since we have never owed a RV.

I would of liked to seen the entire inside of each coach

Im in the market for a truck camper,do you all feel the 20-30% rule applies to them as well?…I Enjoy your videos!

God, that Thor with the huge gap in the shower between the two plastic pieces, and those lousy curtains. Then the other with magnetic holds on the drop down. What are the manufacturers thinking ? The worst was the one that tried to cover up the slide out flaws with the "clamp". That's sad. Thanks though.

In this size range, I'd like to see front seats that swivel to face back. None of these do that?

I have no idea as to what to say to you two without being untoward, but perhaps you should be on national tv or something. He's cute. She's adorable.

What do you do for work on the road ?

Nice video. I will be a first time buyer and the Thor Vegas 25.1 has caught my eye. I saw one driving down the street and it looked nice. Since it is a class A house on a class C chasis it has a lower stance. It would be nice to hear your unbiased take on this "RUV".

You spoke a few times about "plastic" as in the faucets. Well, those small Class A's can't carry very much as they are not on good truck chassis so weight is a big deal. Every little bit adds up. If your that fussy about plastic, don't look at small, sometimes over priced A's. Manufacturers have to keep costs down as well as weight. Of the 4, the ONLY one I'd even consider is the Flare, and I've seen a few of them. By the way, the Flair, like the other one with the drop down bed, are Hybrids. Mix of A's and C's, so I can't put them in the Class A class.

What happened to night stands? Seems the bed goes in the slide and night stands are deleted. Be nice to have an outlet on each side of the bed as well. CPAP, Kindle, glasses and box of tissues. Need the night stand.... Money for these pricey toys often comes with age. Do designers ever try and use the RVs they design? Also don't understand the "toilet in the closet" in many units. Also nice to see a gentleman hold a door for his lady ;)

I know class A gas rv's are known for being weak on performance but can they perform any better with these under 30' models?

I won’t be buying these new but your last two the fr3 and Fleetwood flair are on my list . How old would you buy one and what would be the max mileage for used

All three look like gaudy UPS trucks.

Are European style motorhomes ever seen in the States? We have a four berth, with two double beds (one over a large rear garage and one which drops down from the ceiling over the lounge). Full bathroom and kitchen area and all in a vehicle just less then 23 feet long . . .

I think you guys are doing a fantastic job very fun and informative to watch your video and you are the cutest red haired reviewer I have ever seen I have 5 children me and my wife we want the smallest motor home that could sleep at least 6 please help and advice LPS and have to be very inexpensive also

I would the Fleetwood because it's the shortest but in reality I would NEVER pick a class A. I'm looking for a class B+Plus.

what kind of shades do u like? your speech sounds like mtv shades? thx

Nice reviews, I am leaning toward the Thor, but the 29.2 or larger but this gives me pause

Fleetwood has a long standing reputation, obviously well built compared to the rest, and is still the cheapest. Fleetwood it is.

Why no Newmar Baystar sport or Baystar? Same price range and higher quality. As with your diesels you snub Newmar, which is arguably the highest quality production line.

I figure that you can easily change out the plastic faucets since they are residential style, for $150 you have the same ones in $200k rv's, so that would be the least of my concern. I am more interested in how tight the inside is when all the slides are in.

Wow, that plastic stuff looked really terrible. Same with the magnets, what were they thinking?!

rv is an rv ....but some guys have all the luck!!!

Hehe. Pull out. She is F I N E. wow. Great reviews

I would love to see you review Lance and Arctic Fox pickup campers for those of us that like to leave the beaten path.

why do rvs have windows in the passenger footwell?

Yes to should have been too twice:::)))

All these unnecessary things that add-on to RV just to bring up the price of it. all people cared about the engine the kitchen and the bathroom and the bed everything else is just to add up the price . You met as well by a house

As

I gave you guys a like so it was 666 anymore 🤓

Plastic stuff seems ridiculous at any price point. Junk. RV’s on average seem to be made poorly, unless you look to Tiffen or Monaco.

I guess the Wynns didn't see this review about Thor: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HWw904saLGA.html

You get exactly what you pay for

I just noticed there is a 3rd person using the camera.. and I was asking myself "how the hell they managed to hold the camera like that?"

Looks like a potentially informative video, but I'll never know, because IT HAS NO CAPTIONS, and my hearing is too bad to do "voice-only". Bye!

Who is cuter, the guy or the girl?

Sorry her voice ruins what otherwise is good work all around.

none for this single guy.