Has anyone seen the new Coach House Arriva?

RobCS

2015 Unity TB
We didn't get to the Tampa Super Show in January, but heard they had one there. Has anyone given them a good look? How do they stack up to other straight Bs, like the Leisure Travel Free Spirit SS. Most important, does anyone have an idea what the price is for the Arriva? Coach House sprinters seem to be ~$20k more than similar models from LTV. Does that also apply to this new B? I like the idea of twin beds vs a narrow pull-out bed, but it appears to be lacking much of the SS's interior storage.
 
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RobCS

2015 Unity TB
Well I heard from a sales rep at Coach House today. The price of the Arriva is about 7K more than the Free Spirit SS, but I can't say that is apples to apples on the features at this point. They are not sure if they will be at the June Tampa RV show yet.
 
This is just about what we paid for our twin bed Coach House Class C 25-9' Diesel 2008 Sprinter Dually. If you want storage space, a Class C is the way to go. We get 16-19 mpg. Coach House uses top of the line for every brand they put into their unit, which discounts problems down the road. With a Class C you don't have to make the beds every night! Storage is usually under the beds, overhead compartments and just about anywhere else they can find a spot.We love ours.
 

israndy

2007 LTV Serenity
I saw the video on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fiKc0TvvVQ

and am happy they are back in the Van Conversion business. Funny that Pleasure Way picks the SAME year to introduce the Plateau XL Widebody. Plateau has ALWAYS been a van conversion and except for 2009 Coach House has always been a super cool one piece fiberglass body manufacturer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=544xWq5P3UI

The problem with Coach House was they always pushed the Ford and would tell customer's "You know you are paying way more for the Sprinter to get the same RV you can get in a Ford". The van conversion is unique to the Sprinter and has some good ideas in it. The sofa/bed is all Airstream or Gulfstream, some stream. But the bath and the computer desk are very nice, or I should say unique. I feel (of course) the LTV folks do it better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtyLJ0vGYfA

They include a slide in theirs, and their bath is not so claustrophobic, but I like seeing new ideas. Like the beds in the CH are not jack-knife, they are like pull out drawers and their cushions fall down to fill the space, that's new.

Still think I would get the Era 70A if I was buying a van conversion, everything is just done right

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKnFQ59DdKI

They got the twin bed/king bed down pat, they have the big fridge like in the RoadTrek CS, I can haul a ton of stuff with it, heck it even LOOKS like a normal van, Nice!

But I am not buying a van conversion as I already have the Sprinter of my dreams, and with my few tweaks I am keeping pace with everything that is happening in the B+ market, except the E-trek package from RoadTrek, but I already have a charger converter, and a solar system, and am happy with my alternator. I *could* take out the generator and store more batteries there and get the expensive AIMs inverter/charger and a second alternator to run it, but I would need to replace the stove and fridge and furnace, and remove that big LP tank that I only have to fill like twice a year. So E-trek is a cool dream, but I already have my dream machine.

-Randy
 

Davydd

Well-known member
The Airstream gave up the mid-bed in the Sprinter some time ago and Gulfstream left the Sprinter van business. Coach House is reviving a dormant idea with the multi-arrangement mid bed which is about the only way to get a full bath in a Sprinter by freeing up the rear end without a slide as Winnebago ERA and LTV do. I like that Coach House approach since one of the major reasons for a van is the stealthiness get up and go anywhere park anywhere approach to RVing. A slide out eliminates using a B in a parallel parking situation on a street which I have done frequently. The other issue is the full dry bath. In a van already desperate for useable space they take up 3-4 times as much square footage as a wet bath and what is the result? You don't have to wipe down the floor to continue to use your bathroom. Nice bath but now no where to store a lot of camping and recreational things unless you want to drive around with a van stuffed inside with clutter that is unuseable inside until you park and empty. My contention is if those are the kind of things you want you are tying a hand behind your back with a B. Just get a bigger RV.

The Coach House does have some design potential if one insisted on a full bath. I think the back bathroom and storage arrangement could use some refinement. The Coach House is also what I call "old school" in that their systems and standards of what they put in the RV are a decade old and they are not evidently willing to push the envelope of new developments like E-trek that push the boundaries of where you can travel and for how long with a B in a touring fashion, which is the Bs strength. "Old school" is to pull into a KOA and plug in.

The Plateau XL is not a B. But if you look at it, and the Bs with back bathrooms they all have a common trait. They lose their visual van-ness. The original selling point of the Sprinter was a light and airy touring mini-motorhome generally with two rear door windows, two ventilated side windows at the rear, another one to three more side windows with or without vents midway and a seamless not visually separated large windowed cab area. That made a confined space look much more livable. They also lose a lot of cross ventilation which then pushes you to close up, plug in, and run an air conditioner when in a campground. Of course, that is not easy to do if you like a B to go to those out of the way small national forests campgrounds that only Bs, truck campers and tents can get into and dry camp.

I agree about the Winnebago ERA 70A plan. They have maxed out the functionality of a B with it. It is zoned well in that you don't have to make an either/or decision of staying up or going to bed like the slide out Bs. They have also refined it every year since coming out with it. What they don't do is give you much option. Most 70A owners I know have attempted to modify the pedestal mounted TV, two have had Advanced RV install sliding door screens and you are going to get that little settee/bed up front whether you want it or not when that space could be used for a lot of things with more function one or two people could use. Plus, it is also "old school". Not many options for expanded dry camping.

Those are my concerns. I know we all don't think the same way. I'm working on my third Sprinter go around to address my desires to get maximum function out of a Sprinter with no compromises to accommodate a single person beyond two. After 9 years I decided I'd give up that 5% time at most to haul or entertain a 3rd or 4th person. Space is too precious.
 

cvgorlando

New member
We just bought our 4th RV (28 ft, 38 ft, 19 ft Agile) and best one yet. It’s a 24 ft Coach House Arriva on 3500 Sprinter Van Chassis. I’ll thrilled to have a bathroom/dressing room in rear so will no longer be flashing the campgrounds when DH opens the van door while I’m getting dressed. Comfortable twin beds, shower and large refrigerator were also top on my list. My DH’s thrilled with all the extras offered including 15,000 BTU ducted A/C & heat.

We are very impressed with Coach House’s American pride of workmanship. They are a customer oriented family operation and we thank them for the customization.
 

MotorCity57

New member
We just bought our 4th RV (28 ft, 38 ft, 19 ft Agile) and best one yet. It’s a 24 ft Coach House Arriva on 3500 Sprinter Van Chassis. I’ll thrilled to have a bathroom/dressing room in rear so will no longer be flashing the campgrounds when DH opens the van door while I’m getting dressed. Comfortable twin beds, shower and large refrigerator were also top on my list. My DH’s thrilled with all the extras offered including 15,000 BTU ducted A/C & heat.

We are very impressed with Coach House’s American pride of workmanship. They are a customer oriented family operation and we thank them for the customization.
Welcome to the forum!
My wife & I recently bought a Coach House Platinum II which we love. We looked at the Arriva as well, and it was our top choice among the Class B's, but in the end we decided to go a bit larger. The Arriva's bathroom is certainly the best in its class. I'm sure you will enjoy your new RV. Coach House builds a quality product.

John
 

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