The 2011 Winnebago Tour 42QD blends engaging style with creative functionality in a luxury diesel motorhome steeped in eye-catching design and forward thinking ingenuity. The dynamic sales duo of Jason Cohen and Evan Crayder took the Tour for a test drive and discovered that great looks are only part of the story for this high-line coach.
Jason Cohen: 13 Years RV Sales Experience, Proud Father of Three Children, Former Chef
Evan Crayder: Two Years RV Sales Experience, Loving Father of Three Children (Including Twins), Maniacal Sports Fan
EXTERIOR
Jason and Evan gaze at Winnebago’s flagship luxury diesel pusher.
Jason: The 2011 Winnebago Tour 42 has a full wall slide and a bath and a half.
Evan: It also has a 450 HP Cummins EPA emissions equipped, turbo-charged ISL 8.9 liter diesel engine which gets improved gas mileage and is better for the environment.
Jason: I’m impressed.
Evan: You haven’t even been inside yet.
Jason: I’m impressed you know all that without looking at the brochure.
Evan: I’ve got notes written on the palm of my hand. Let’s take a look at the inside.
INTERIOR
As Jason and Evan step aboard the Tour, they are greeted by a wood-glazed decor that feels like home.
Evan: What I really like about this floor plan is the distinct separation between the living area, the kitchen and the bedroom area.
Jason: Winnebago gave this coach a great, homey feel.
You can seat seven or eight people in here, and there isn’t a bad spot in the house to watch the TV.
Evan: The TV is no less than a 40 inch LCD HDTV with a home theater sound system that comes with an amplified digital TV antenna. You can even see it from the half bath.
Jason: Just how many notes can you fit on your hand?
Evan: I’ve got big hands.
Jason: OK … so, moving on to another great feature of the Tour’s living room is the L-shaped extendable sectional sofa.
Evan: This is an exclusive Winnebago feature. Winnebago designs and builds these couches in-house, which means that they’re able to create the floor plan around the coach and not the other way around.
Jason: It’s just one more nuance that makes the Tour feel like home. A lot of people have sectional couches in their homes, and now Winnebago has put one in your RV.
Evan: One thing I don’t like to do at home is clean.
Jason: Yes, I know. I’ve been to your home.
Evan: But the Tour is easy to clean because of the full tile floor in the living area and the central vacuum system throughout the coach.
Jason: Another great feature that Winnebago added in the 2011 Tour is the Aqua-Hot Heating System that instantly heats your hot water.
Evan: If you’re hooked up to a water supply, you’ll never run out of hot water when you’re camping.
Jason: It will also preheat your engine.
Evan: So, if you’re in Bum-diddly, North Dakota, and it’s 13 degrees outside, you don’t have to let your coach idle for 35-plus minutes while your engine heats up. You just kick-on your engine preheat. When you’re ready to go, your engine is ready to run.
Jason: It uses a diesel-fired boiling unit to create the heat for your hot water.
Evan: That unit also creates an even, comfortable radiant heat throughout the coach. You won’t have hot and cold spots and you don’t need a furnace.
Jason: It also heats your bays and runs off diesel fuel as opposed to LP gas.
BEDROOM
The duo steps into the spacious bedroom. There’s room to dance, though thankfully, no one does.
Evan: The king size bed in the bedroom with an Ideal Rest digital comfort control mattress that folds up like an adjustable bed, making it more comfortable for reading or watching TV.
Jason: And it has dual firmness controls similar to a Sleep Number® bed.
Evan: Throughout the interior, you’re surrounded by coffee-glazed wood cabinetry with tons of storage.
Jason: Plenty of space for all your Hawaiian shirts.
Evan: You mean your Hawaiian shirts. The bedroom also has a 32-inch LCD TV that retracts into the woodwork with the push of a button.
Jason: They call that “baby maker” mode. The TV retracts and Barry White comes on the speakers.
Evan: Well played, sir. Let’s take it for a spin.
COCKPIT
The Tour merges effortlessly into highway traffic and cruises at 65 mph.
Jason: The 2011 Tour 42QD has a tag axle that gives you better stability and makes you feel like you have a better grip on the road.
Evan: With the tag axle, those 18-wheel trucks pass you and you hardly feel a thing. They don’t blow you around, which makes you feel more confident on the road too.
Jason: I love the full-piece windshield, which many high-line coaches at this price point have. Because there is no TV in the cockpit, you get a better view of the scenery as you drive.
Evan: The ergonomics of the coach are great. Everything on the dash area is organized, visible and well within reach. It’s a very quiet ride with great door seals.
Jason: Winnebago makes their doors from the same piece of material they use to build their side walls. That, along with the way they do their hinging, makes for a better fit and a better seal, resulting in less wind noise.
Evan: It’s a comfortable ride for the passenger. We’re cruising on the highway right now, and it hardly feels like we’re moving.
Jason: Since I’m doing all the work, you think you can make me a sandwich?
Evan: I’m afraid not. That’s the bad news.
Jason: What’s the good news?
Evan: I’ve got a heated seat, and if I turn my head I can still see the TV and catch the score to the game.
Email Jason at jcohen@lazydays.com or Evan at ecrayder@lazydays.com
Read the Interview with Winnebago's Roger Martin