Why we upgraded to the
Thor Miramar Class A Motorcoach
As our 11th RV in as many years, some may think we are losing our minds buying yet another motorhome. But we're keeping the Vilano 5th Wheel as our Fernridge Lake Sailing Headquarters, and after two years with our Forester Class C, we decided to sell it in January 2021 because of all the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, vaccines, etc. Fast forward 4 months, and now the virus seems to be abating, and we have both had our double Moderna Vaccine, so we feel empowered to resume RV travels when we are not relaxing at the lake during sailing season. But in any case this new Class A Miramar suits us so much better than the Class C Forester did. In summary here are the bulleted points:
- **50 amp electrical system vs only 30 amp
- **2 roof air conditioners
- thermopane windows for better insulation
- more headroom for my 6'5" frame
- larger bedroom with kingsize bed
- much improved clothes closets
- Splendide stack washer/dryer
- tankless hot water heater
- dimmable LED ceiling lights
- high quality all wood cabinetry & trim
Here is some more detailed explanation of these and other significant enhancements and why we made this decision:
So, in May 2021, we have decided to re-enter the motorhome RV sector with the purchase of an almost new Thor Motor Coach Miramar 32.2. Although it is a 2019 model, it was first registered in March 2020 so it is barely more than one year old. And we got it for about 2/3 the price of a new one. Moreover this ideal floorplan is no longer available in the 2021 models. This coach was driven less than 2000 miles by the original owner, who had custom ordered the coach with a number of special features, but then was unable to keep it. It still has almost 2 years left on the Ford Factory chassis warranty and almost 4 years on the powertain warranty. In addition we also added an additional 6 year premium Eagle Guardian extended warranty from US Warranty Corporation of Ohio.
This is a 34' Class A motorhome, built on the robust Ford F-53 'stripped chassis', the most popular gas-powered chassis throughout the motorhome industry. The biggest most powerful Class A coaches, some as large as 44' or 45' in length, like our former Allegro Bus, are referred to as 'diesel pushers', powered by mighty Cummins diesel engines in the rear of the coach, thereby "pushing" them down the road. While necessary to push 25 ton behemoths down the highway, smaller class A coaches like our Miramar, weighing in at just 10 tons, can be adequately powered by Ford's potent F-53 6.8 liter V-10 engine, which provides a substantial 320 hp and 460 ft lbs of torque.
Buying a diesel-powered motorhome can easily cost 50% more than a gas-powered rig, and contrary to popular opinion, actual fuel economy for a gas motorhome of the same size and weight is not much different than that of the diesel. And in this day and age, unleaded regular gas required for the Ford V-10 is generally less expensive. Gasoline is also much more widely available than diesel fuel, and requires less maintenance-intensive technology like a standard catalytic converter to meet EPA requirements compared to the Diesel Exhaust Fluid which must be purchased separately to run your diesel and adequately reduce emissions. And trying to get work done on your diesel can be very expensive and requires going to a Cummins shop whereas you can take your F-53 to any competent Ford automotive mechanic. Even a simple oil change costs 3x as much for a big diesel which can hold up to 18 quarts of motor oil. A big Cummins diesel rig can tow 10,000 pounds but the new F-53 chassis is now rated to tow 8,000 lbs, plenty for most of us.
Driving down the highway, a diesel pusher is certainly quieter than a front engine gas powered rig, since the rear engine is 40 feet away from the driver's seat, but newer rigs have done a lot to quiet the engine roar from the big gas engines running at high RPM when climbing a mountain. The V-10 provides an impressive 460 lbs of torque at just 3000 RPM.
There were many advantages to this new motorhome. As a 2019 model it was the same year as the Forester Class C but it only had 5700 miles and has a lot less wear and tear than our Forester did after 2 years of heavy use. But the big factor is the 50 amp electrical system, compared to just 30 amp in the Forester. All Class motorhomes are only 30 amp... if you want a 50 amp coach you have to graduate to a Class A. A 50 Amp RV actually gets 3x more power than a 30 amp RV. If you look at it in terms of watts, 30 amp RVs receive 3,600 watts and 50 amp RVs get 12,000 watts. That's more than 3x as much power. The reason for this is that a 50 amp plug has 4 prongs and 2 of them give 50 amps of power on each leg of the system. This is critical when it comes to keeping a motorhome cool. Trying to cool a 30' or larger coach with a single roof mounted A/C unit is futile. You can easily run 2 or even 3 roof mounted A/C's on a 50 amp system and keep the coach much cooler on those hot summer days. Our Miramar has 2 A/C's for a total of 27,000 BTU's which should be adequate for a 34' coach. And the Miramar has the added option of thermopane windows for better insulation.
The Miramar employs an 1800 watt inverter, compared to the small converter of the Forester. A converter simply converts 110v AC shorepower to DC current to charge the batteries for all the 12v equipment. An inverter system is much more expensive and converts 12v DC power to 110v AC so all 110 outlets are operational and will run small home appliances like a toaster, coffee pot, electric tooth brush, etc., for short periods without having to run the generator. And the Miramar is wired for an optional solar panel to help keep the batteries charged off the grid.
The interior of the Miramar is 7' high, 4" taller than our Forester and for someone my height, those 4 inches are most welcome. The Miramar is also more spacious with its full body slide on the driver's side, and an opposing slide in the bedroom means there's room for a king size bed which can remain intact when when the slides are in. Nice if you want to pull into a rest stop when traveling and grab a quick nap. The two piece mattress in the Forester was comfortable enough, but unusable without extending the slide. The Miramar bedroom has very nice closet space and the television is connected via HDMI to the main electronics center, something sorely lacking in many motorhomes like the Forester. There's even a third HDMI-fed TV outdoors... a 40" LED like in the main cabin. The mid cabin bath in the Miramar is roomy with a nice tall shower. And a huge convenience is the laundry... the Miramar is fully wired and plumbed for a stack washer dryer which we had installed. And no more running out of hot water... the Miramar has a tankless hot water heater with on demand hot water as compared to the small 6 gallon tank in the Forester. Plus, the ceilings lights in the main cabin are all dimmable LEDs, which is really nice to provide some interior light without having it glaringly bright and interfering with the television.
Other features we appreciate are the residential refrigerator, the easy to clean induction cook top, and a microwave/convection oven. The big comfortable captain's chairs in the cockpit which can swivel 180 degrees, provide comfortable extra seating when camped. And the passenger seat doubles as a thoughtfully designed office with foldout desk on the dash. The Miramar has a loveseat sofa which we have removed and bought a nice new Lazyboy recliner which will fit in the space with a little platform extension I can build. The electrically operated bunk over the cockpit can be handy for the occasional guest, or if someone is not feeling well and needs to sleep separately. All interior lights are LED's which are both bright and long lasting and run cool, helping to keep the cabin cool on hot days. All ceiling lights are also fully dimmable, which is a big benefit!
Like the Forester, the Miramar has full body paint, a $10,000 option, which keeps your coach looking beautiful for years to come. Not the same with coaches which only have partial body paint and use decals for the graphics. The fiberglass gelcoat and the decals oxidize a lot more quickly than full body paint which, like a new car, only requires an occasional wax job to retain its beauty and gloss. Also like the Forester, the Miramar has a Lippert auto-leveling jack system, which works great. But 'basement' storage in the Miramar is easily 3x as great as the Forester, typical of most Class A coaches.
All in all, we feel like the Thor Miramar Motorcoach offers a lot more of the features, space and comfort we want for extended road trips.
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