It’s clear from the moment that the Adrenaline Surge by Coachmen rolls onto the scene that it’s not like the other recreational vehicles.  For starters, it doesn’t look like other towable RVs.  The Surge’s black and silver exterior treatment gets immediate attention at the KOA Kampground, and the black diamond-plate skirting and patterned awning set it apart even further.  It’s got big chrome wheels, exterior speakers and rather than a window at the rear, there’s a large cargo door.  This is the Mountain Dew of RVs.

Flip the latches and lower the door into a ramp and it’s easy to see what makes the Surge different; this 27′ towable RV is carrying its own garage.  The Surge is an example of the Next Big Thing in recreational vehicles: the “sport-utility RV,” or toyhauler.  Designed to appeal to campers who hit the road with large accessories as well as motorsports aficianados, these rapidly evolving RVs are designed to haul motorcycles, four-wheelers or other off-road sporting equipment as well as providing a place to sleep, cook and hang out after a hard day of using ‘em.  SURVs can be had in a variety of styles and configurations.  We spent a week with the Adrenaline Surge 27FKSR to get a taste for the on-the-go toyhauler’s camping style.

The radical exterior treatment got the Surge noticed right away.  Rather than the usual white or beige, our tester featured a platinum-colored ribbed aluminum exterior with black trim and a bold red and black decal package.  Diamond-plate metal clads the lower edges all the way around.  Roll out the awning, with its available checkered-flag pattern, and it’s obvious that this is not your typical retiree’s rolling retreat–the Surge is a bona fide outdoor party bus and pit stop.

Curious fellow campers who wanted a closer look were impressed by the Surge’s interior appointments, as well.  A choice of cherry wood or carbon-fiber trimmed cabinets is offered.  The Surge 27FKSR features a full kitchen with a double-door fridge and a three-burner cooktop.  A portable gas grill is also available.  Fresh water capacity is over 100 gallons, and there are two 30-pound LP gas bottles.  The generous-sized bath has a forty-inch shower and a six-gallon hot water heater.  Out in the living area, two 74-inch couches serve as a dinette with removable tables, fold down into sleeping surfaces or flip up to the sides and out of the way to create additional cargo loading area.  Beyond that, the queen-size bed is electrically raised and lowered for sleeping or hauling cargo.  A 25,000 BTU furnace and 15,000 BTU rooftop air conditioner are on hand to keep the interior warm or cool as needed.  In garage-mode, the full kitchen and bath are still accessible.  The carpetless TPO-floored interior is easily swept out, and pop-out ventilation units allow Surge owners to run vehicles inside without respiratory concerns.  Coachmen clearly doesn’t expect Adrenaline owners to sit back and quietly contemplate nature, because the Surge is equipped to make its own noise thanks to a thumping 800-watt sound system with an amplifier, subwoofer and external speakers.  With the standard stabilizer jacks lowered, the Surge makes an excellent extreme-sports cabin.

The 6500-pound, 27′ Surge tows easily, though an anti-sway hitch is recommended.  We pulled it with both Ford and Chevrolet heavy-duty diesel pickups, and found the Surge to be a dual-natured trailer.  It’s docile at its unladen weight, but hang a thousand pounds of motorcycles or four-wheelers on the back and and the Surge can get squirrely in a big hurry.  The effect is likely even more pronounced on the shorter Surge trailers.  That said, experienced drivers will have no trouble negotiating the highways and campgrounds.

This is one RV that can do more than schlep the family out to the lake.  We loaded the Surge with a variety of smaller vehicles (see sidebars) and even helped a friend to move; the cargo area measures over nineteen feet with the couches folded and is just as good as a U-Haul trailer.  In the off-season, the Surge can double as enclosed storage for sports equipment and off-road vehicles.  The large loading door doubles as a ramp and is countersprung so it’s easily raised or lowered by one person.

The Adrenaline Surge also abounds with “but wait, there’s more!” features.  To help out extreme-sports types who need to service the gear they’ve brought with, there’s an onboard air compressor and fuel tank complete with filler nozzle.  There’s also an outdoor shower.  The cargo ramp is textured for easy loading and will support 2500 pounds, sadly squashing the hopes of Jeep owners who envisioned hauling their off-roaders in the back.  Twelve 750-pound tiedowns enable cargo to be secured, and the flooring is coated to resist staining or damage from spilled fuel.  Payload starts at a ton and works its way up from there; the Surge 27FKSR we tested is the cargo champion of the line, able to carry 3525 pounds, enabling it to haul a dune buggy or small race car.

The Surge is available with six different floorplans, in lengths from 21 to 30 feet. Pricing starts at $27,860 for the 27-foot 27FKSR we tested.

But, as many RV novices will attest, there’s a downside to taking the helm of a cumbersome, forty foot-long house with wheels.  Your average Class A motorhome isn’t easy to drive or park, and with gas prices the way they are, the big guys aren’t much fun to feed, either.  It’s almost enough to offset the cool stuff.

That’s where the Winnebago View comes in.  This modern, compact Class C RV combines a small footprint and good fuel economy with comfortable accommodations for four and reasonably comfortable driving dynamics.  Could this be the best of both worlds?

Riding on Dodge’s excellent Sprinter chassis, the View looks larger than the average Ford or Chevy-based Class C, but that’s just the tall seating position.  The cab and “attic” section over the top of the driver are a familiar silhouette.  The View may not look as impressive as a forty-foot diesel pusher with a custom paint job, but it’s a good-looking vehicle in its own right, benefiting from the Sprinter’s new-for-2007 styling that includes larger headlights and a bolder Dodge grille.  The cab is also two inches wider than before, improving space inside.  Handsome streamlining around the upper-cab extension keeps things looking modern.  The View features enclosed utility hookups like those found on larger recreational vehicles, and at the rear there’s a convenient ladder for accessing the roof.  The View attracted positive comments and pointed interest from fans of Winnebago’s classic “Minnie Winnie” compact motorhomes at more than one fuel stop.

Thanks to the high seating position, I was confident steering the View into Washington, D.C.’s infamous Beltway traffic, and the congested road conditions continued as I headed south on I-95.  The View shares the Dodge Sprinter’s redesigned dashboard, with multiple storage cubbies and easier-to-read gauges.  Drinks, maps and other necessaries are kept close to hand with ease.  Sitting in traffic is no way to see America, though, so I navigated the View onto the back roads.  It wasn’t any faster than the stop-and-go traffic on the interstate, but the scenery was definitely better.

The View wasn’t so bad, either.  The European-bred Sprinter chassis made the View a snap to manage on gently curving back roads.  Unlike a larger Class A and some other Class C’s the View has a relatively low center of gravity and doesn’t feel like it’s going to topple over around every corner.  If you spot a cool antique store or historical marker, it’s easy to swing this little rig around to go check it out.  The wide footprint translates to a stable feeling on the road.  It’s still a large vehicle (over ten feet tall) but the independent front suspension is responsive.  The Dodge chassis also benefits from some rear-suspension upgrades that reduce swaying substantially.  The View offers a very confident and comfortable ride, especially compared to other RVs, which have a tendency to lumber.

Thanks to a torquey and relaxed 154-horsepower 3.0 liter V6 turbodiesel engine, the rolling hills of central Virginia were no problem.  The little Winnebago is able to keep up with freeway traffic, if one is so inclined.  View drivers don’t have to be left behind like the big pokey Class As, when the road opens up.  This eagerness for the road was much appreciated as I headed away from the Atlantic seaboard on my way to the wilds of Texas, making an impromptu tour of automotive manufacturing facilities as I passed through Spartanburg, SC, home to the BMW X5 and Z4 plants, then drove past the Mercedes M-Class factory in Tuscaloosa County, AL, the Nissan complex in Smyrna, TN, Saturn’s Spring Hill, TN, facility and of course the General Motors plan in Arlington, TX, home of the Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, and GMC Yukon.

If that sounds like a long drive…well, it was.  The View lives for road trips, though, and it was refreshing to be able to put my foot down and make good time.  On the other hand, driving conservatively and keeping the 3.0 at a low boil has rewards in fuel economy.  The View averaged 13.3 miles per gallon during my 3500-mile road trip, and I’ve got a notorious leadfoot.  A gentler foot on the pedal took the fuel economy to 15.  Considering that most RVs get mileage in the single digits, the View’s impressive indeed.  The View will tow up to 3500 pounds, enough to bring a small car along for the trip if necessary.

When I finally dropped anchor in a quiet RV park in downtown Austin, Texas, the View was the smallest rig in the place.  The accommodations were much nicer than you might expect for a compact recreational vehicle, however.  The View 24H features a two-person bunk over the cab, a couch that folds into a double bed, and a dinette that drops down to sleep one, for a total capacity of five.  Other floorplans offer bunk beds at the rear and a side bathroom with a large slide-in storage compartment.  Like most motorhomes (and homes, for that matter), the View is most comfortable when it’s not at full capacity, and it makes a perfect rolling apartment for two.  The décor is also modern, and the View seemed to be at home as I explored Austin then headed north to poke around in Dallas’ Deep Ellum district.  The View seemed happy to be prowling the same byways and alleys as the Scion and rat-rod driving hipsters and college students. This ain’t your blue-haired grandma’s RV; for one thing, the stereo is too loud.

Like with most modern RVs, all of the comforts of home are present:  TV and DVD player in handsome washed-maple wood cabinets, a good-sized refrigerator and three-burner cooktop and a central air conditioning unit whose rooftop condenser is noisy from inside the View, but is quiet on the outside.  This is a bonus at secluded campgrounds where you won’t have to worry about disturbing your neighbors.  A pop-open skylight with a shade lets the rays in.  The View 24H is even equipped with a shower that’s large enough for full-size human beings, though a smallish water heater means that long hot soaks are out of the question.  The only thing that’s at a premium, thanks to the View’s compact dimensions, is closet space.

All said, the View is a surprisingly approachable and youthful motorhome.  If “youthful” seems like an unusual adjective to apply, well, it is.  But this is an entry-level RV, and thanks to a starting price of just under $87,000, it’s within reach of buyers who are considering their first motorhome.  “Entry-level” doesn’t mean “cheap” in the recreational vehicle game, and my experience with the View is that it’s a perfect home away from home for a family or group of two or three travelers.  With good fuel economy, comfortable accommodations, and an easy-to-drive manner, the “View” from this Winnebago is pretty good.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2008 Winnebago View 24H.

Length: 24 ft. 7 in.
Width:    90 in.
Height:     10 ft. 9 in.
Wheelbase:  170 in.
GVWR:  11,030 lb.
Towing capacity:  3500 lb.
Freshwater capacity:  34 gal.
Holding tank capacity (black/gray):  33/27
Base price:  $86,880
Price as tested:     $92,600
Engine: 3.0 liter turbodiesel V6
Drivetrain:  five-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower:  154
Fuel capacity:    26.4  gal.
LP fuel capacity:  18 gal.
Observed mileage: 13.3 mpg (avg. combined)

Say “Winnebago” and most folks will picture a motorhome before they think of the Native American tribe from which the company takes its name.  The recreational vehicle (RV) manufacturer’s name is almost as synonymous with its product as Xerox or Kleenex.  So naturally, when it came time to get a sense of the state of the Class A RV market, we turned first to Winnebago.  In the 1970s, the brand’s distinctive, angular Class A motorhomes practically defined the concept (this author still has a large-scale Tonka Winnebago Brave in the basement, a treasured childhood relic), and though the Brave has long been replaced by more conventionally styled vehicles, the name recognition hasn’t faded a bit.

These days, Winnebago’s Class A lineup consists of seven distinct models, of which the Adventurer is the middle child, as well as the top seller.  The Vista, Sightseer and Voyage are more affordably priced, and the Journey, Tour and Vectra are rear-engined diesel motorcoaches with rock-star-grade amenities.  The company also offers a line of smaller Class C recreational vehicles.

We spent a few weeks with the new 2007 Adventurer 33V, and at the end of our time, it was easy to think of this well-appointed Class A as the mid-size family sedan of the RV universe.  If it were a car, it would be a Ford Taurus or a Toyota Avalon.  With lengths ranging from 33 to 38 feet, it’s big enough to meet the needs of a good-sized family, and well-equipped as well, but it’s also comparatively affordable.  The Adventurer 33V we tested was equipped like a good hotel suite and stickered for just over $135,000.  That’s less than the price of any Bentley, Ferrari or Lamborghini, and chump change compared to the seven-figure price tags attached to some marble-floored, sauna- and Jacuzzi-equipped luxury coaches.  In fact, the Adventurer’s price is close to that of a working-class house (in most parts of the country, anyway)–and it does a reasonable job of standing in for one.

Like most Class A RV’s, the Adventurer features a full-size kitchen and bathroom.  The eighty-six gallon fresh water capacity is more than sufficient for showers for two.  Domestic amenities like a Sharp convection oven, Norcold refrigerator/freezer and Amana three-burner range are available, and there’s enough cabinet and pantry space for a full complement of groceries.  Need room for guests?  The sofa powers down into a full-size bed, and the dinette can be converted to sleeping space as well.  At full capacity the Adventurer 33V will sleep six.  Like the best luxury cars, Sirius satellite radio and a navigation system are available.  Unlike a luxury car, a washer and dryer can also be had.  A 27-inch television with DVD player is standard equipment, as is a lounge chair to watch television from.  There’s a second television in the bedroom as well.  The Adventurer is laid out just like a house, so living in it is no different than being at home.  Our only complaint was the sound system, whose fussy controls were difficult to decipher.  The Adventurer has seven foot, two-inch ceilings inside, so even taller passengers had no complaints about headroom.  A variety of slideout units in the living room and bedroom areas increase interior room substantially, and with the extensions open the Adventurer has about as much space inside as a small apartment.

Of course, the magic of this small apartment is that it can be located just about anywhere you want.  For site hookups, the fresh water, 55-amp electrical system, cable television and sewage connections are all easily plugged in, and Winnebago’s QuickPort system allows the rear bay doors to be closed without disconnecting.  Computer-controlled hydraulic levelling jacks take the sway out of camping.  A large awning offers a comfortable shaded patio area, and a waterproof AM/FM CD player mounted on the outside brings the tunes with, if you’re so inclined.  Most of the comforts of home are also available when dry-camping, thanks to the reasonably quiet 5500-watt generator with a 600-watt inverter that can power all of the Adventurer’s amenities.

As you’d expect a house on wheels to be, the Adventurer is definitely a home away from home.  We used it as a temporary vacation home during the annual Christmas family reunion, and it also did duty as OnWheels, Inc.’s mobile office during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.  We can report that it’s more suited to camping than it is driving.

That isn’t to say that it’s terrible to drive, of course, but like most class A RVs, the Adventurer can be a handful on the freeway, especially in a crosswind.  Our Adventurer 33V rode a Ford-powered recreational vehicle chassis.  A Workhorse chassis with a choice of General Motors Vortec engines is also available.  The steering is vague compared to that of a car, and the suspension crashes over large bumps.  Like most Class As, the Adventurer has a high center of gravity and blind spots the size of Ohio.  A rear-view camera on the dash helps the driver to keep an eye on what’s behind.  Side-view cameras are also available.

The 6.8 liter Ford V10 that powers the Adventurer is powerful enough to get this big boy moving.  In spite of 362 horses of motivation, freeway acceleration is glacial–it’s still a ten-ton vehicle, after all.  We chose not to think of the Adventurer’s pace as “slow,” however; it’s “relaxed.”  Transmission shifts from the five-speed automatic transmission are smooth, and the gearbox includes Ford’s brake-saving grade speed control.  When climbing some steep grades, the V10 will drop into second gear, at which point it’s turning 4000 rpm and the noise is intrusive; experienced RV drivers will find that it’s easier to just slow down and let the Adventurer take the hills at its own pace.  During our drive, which included urban, rural, flat and mountainous terrain, the Adventurer averaged just over eight miles per gallon.  The alternative choice, Chevrolet’s 8.1-liter Vortec V8, is available with a six-speed Aliison automatic.  Properly equipped, the Adventurer will tow up to 5000 pounds.

We spent four days camping in the Adventurer, and could cheerfully have stayed longer.  This sensibly-priced motorhome is comfortable enough for a week or two away from it all.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2007 Winnebago Adventurer 33V.
Length:  33 ft. 7 in.
Width:  8.5 ft. 5 in.
Height:      12 ft. 2 in.
Wheelbase: 208 in.
GVWR:  22,000 lb.
Base price:  $132,985
Price as tested:  $135,000
Engine:  6.8 liter SOHC V10
Drivetrain:  five-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower:  362 @ 4750
Torque: 457@3,250
Fuel capacity:  75.0 gal.
Observed mileage:  8 mpg