Welcome to the 4th annual RVBusiness RV Of The Year Awards Show hosted by Rick Kessler, Managing Editor of RV Business Magazine and Woodalls Campground Management and Alison Hayes, Sports Anchor and host of Saturday Kickoff on ABC 57 located in South Bend, Indiana which includes the RV Capital Of The World.
The RV Of The Year Award Show started off being strictly an industry based award, then four years ago RVBusiness magazine and Rollin’ On TV teamed up to bring the awards public to RVers around the country.
This year Rollin’ On TV and Jayco teamed up and sponsored a contest that was promoted on TV and online. The winner received an all expense paid three day trip to Elkhart to attend the award show. Later the winners attended the RVBusiness Industry Party and the next day get a personal tour of the Jayco facility. This year’s contest winners from Concord, California are Ava Snyder and Juanita Reyes.
Wonder RTB Class C motorhome
This year’s first finalist is the Wonder RTB Class C motorhome built by Leisure Travel Vans located in Winkler Manitoba, Canada. The new Leisure Travel Vans “Wonder RTB” is a revolutionary new Class C motorhome built on a Ford Transit Chassis.
The stylish exterior features contoured sidewalls, a fiberglass flex roof and aerodynamic integrated front and rear caps.
Along with its beautiful, flowing lines and eye-catching finish, the Wonder RTB features North America’s first, exterior pass-through garage large enough to house two full-size bicycles, kayaks and other large items.
The interior features separate areas to live, eat and sleep and include a three-piece dry bathroom. The bedroom area in the rear has comfortable 32” X 76” twin beds that can be slid together, forming a single bed wider than a residential Queen bed.
An abundance of easily accessible storage can be found underneath the twin beds. New for 2019, the Wonder is engulfed in stunning Natural Rift cabinetry. The curved upper cabinet doors add a layer of elegance to this plush, well-designed interior.
In the generous galley area you’ll find a large Corian counter extension that flips down to create additional counter top space, an integrated slide-out garbage bin, and a pull out pantry along with deep, full extension drawers. All of these features and amenities, and the Wonder measures… just under 25-feet. The award was accepted by Mike Alias, Vice President and General Manager of Leisure Travel Vans.
Intech RV SOL Travel Trailer
Our second winner is Intech RV for their new SOL travel trailer. The new Intech SOL has a very distinctive look which blends a combination of vintage mixed in with futuristic and a touch of European. Put those together and you have a winning combination.
There are a lot of things that make the 20-foot long Sol stand out but none more than its large automotive style windshield designed with three-ply tempered glass. This windshield not only looks great from the outside, but adds a great panoramic view from inside when seated in the front wraparound dinette.
The Euro-style interior offers 6′ 6″ of head room featuring Infinity vinyl flooring and a well appointed galley with farmhouse style stainless sink. A larger than expected wet bath includes a porcelain toilet, and in the rear sleeping area, you’ll find a comfortable, full queen size bed.
Underneath the fiberglass sidewalls and roof, you’ll find an all aluminum frame and aluminum cage construction with fully insulated walls and ceiling. With its eye-catching looks, combined with Intech quality construction, it’s easy to see why the SOL was chosen as one of the top five finalists for this year’s awards.
Accepting the award for Intech was Rich Schnipple, Director of RV Operations and Scott Tuttle, Partner.
Thor Magnitude / Omni Super C Motorhome
Our next finalist is the Thor Magnitude / Omni Super C motorhome. The Omni / Magnitude is built on a Ford Tough F-550 chassis and is powered by a Power-Stroke 6.7 liter diesel with fuel economy approaching 10 mpg. This super C is available in three full-wall-slide floor plans including a bunkhouse with a bath and a half, and range in size from 35′ 6″ to 36′ 10″.
The Omni / Magnitude have the largest overhead bunk in the market which includes a panoramic skylight and sun shade. The interior offers 84″ ceiling height with LED ceiling lights throughout.
In the living area, you’ll find a comfortable sleep sofa and a Dream Dinette Booth with cup holders.
The kitchen comes with solid surface counter tops, double stainless steel sinks and a pantry. You’ll also find a full-size 16 cubic-foot refrigerator with icemaker and a large
30-inch, over-the-range microwave / convection oven.
In the bedroom, you’ll find a king size bed, with Denver mattress mounted on a ‘Tilt A View inclining bed mechanism which makes watching the 32″ TV a lot more comfortable and enjoyable.
The Omni / Magnitude, is an award winning Super C motorhome well worth looking out. Accepting the award for Thor was Jon Krider and Chris Carter.
Winnebago Micro Minnie fifth-wheel
Our next finalist in the countdown to the 2019 RV Of The Year. When companies create new models, every so often they break new ground and such is the case with our nest finalist, The Winnebago Micro Minnie fifth-wheel.
The Winnebago Micro-Minnie 245RG has flipped the scales dramatically when it comes to fifth wheel trailers by coming in at under 6,000 lbs unloaded. The Micro Minnie 245RG comes with a surprising MSRP of only $34,500.00.
Part of the weight savings comes from having a 7-foot-wide floor plan which allows for the tow vehicle to use the standard factory side mirrors. The chassis is also fitted with torsion axles and getting into the trailer feels a lot more secure with the new ‘Triple Solid Steps”.
This rear entry layout includes a spacious kitchen with a flush mounted range top, full- size refrigerator and plenty of storage space. The dinette is located in the slideout area opposite the couch, which makes for a rooming living and dining space.
Moving to the front, you’ll find the three-piece bathroom and bedroom with, 6′, 2″ of headroom. The bedroom has a full 50 X 80″ walk-around queen bed with ample closet and storage space including under the bed.
As usual, the Winnebago team has come up with another winner for 2019. Accepting the award for Winnebago was Scott Deagnan and Adam Kristofferso.
Vengeance Touring Edition Toy Hauler
And now to our Grand Prize winner of the 2019 RV of the Year Award!
Toy Haulers have gaining in popularity at a rapid pace over the past few years, especially since some RVer’s have discovered that the garage area has a lot of uses aside from housing toys.
If you do have toys to load in the garage, this year’s winner has made loading those heavy toys a whole lot easier as you’ll see. The winner of the 2019 RVBusiness Magazine RV Of The Year is the new Vengeance Touring Edition 385FKS Toy Hauler offers a new ‘Easy Approach’ drop-down garage entry system.
Developed in partnership with Lippert Components Inc. the new ‘Easy Approach’ looks to be a game changer in the competitive toy hauler segment with its ability to decrease loading ramp angle by as much as 50 percent. Another feature of the Vengeance 385FKS is the 6′, 5″ ceiling height in the nose of the coach.
This allows a full residential 22-cubic foot refrigerator to be located against the front wall of the luxuriously appointed kitchen With the kitchen and lounge upstairs, the ground level of the Vengeance is given over to a sizable bath with walk-in shower and seat. The rear bedroom, which is just forward of the garage offers an expansive wardrobe wall in the curbside slideout.
The garage also includes cabinetry along the inside wall as well as a half-bath and a HappiJac electric bed … and below IT, is a comfortable sofa / bed. Of course, to keep those toys running the Vengeance comes with a 40-gallon fuel-cell with generator prep and a 5.5 Onan Generator.
Whether you choose a toy hauler because you enjoy having that garage for all your toys or just enjoy having the option of all that optional living and outdoor space, one thing for sure the new Vengeance Touring Edition 385FKS will surely fill all your RVing needs. Accepting the award for Forest River is Bradley Short and John Quake.
On behalf of all of us at RVBusiness Magazine and Rollin’ On TV, congratulations to all the finalists and our 2019 RV Of The Year winner.