2013 Thor Majestic: Drive Report, Part 1

Would you like to drive a New York apartment? We did it.

Our getaway home on wheels! Photos: Cruise America

As part of our research into purchasing a motorhome, we rented one from the national franchise chain, Cruise America. What we got was atwenty-five foot long 2013 Thor Majestic that had been mildly customized for the company. Based on a Ford E-350, it had 90,000 miles on it.

With the 5.4-liter V8 pumping out 255 hp and 350 foot-pounds torque through a 4-speed ‘box, a lot of weight and the aerodynamics of a barn, this was not a sports car. That being said, it was easy to drive on both city streets and the open road. Once I recalibrated my driving, it wasn’t bad at all in fact, basically the same experience as driving just about any full-sized domestic van from the past 20 years or so. From your ears forward, you couldn’t even tell the difference except the massive overhang of the overhead bunk. But behind you was a whole ‘nother ball of ear wax. There was very little sense of where the corners were and with no rearview camera, you’re completely blind. There were backup sensors, but in a very expensive vehicle like this that you don’t own, who wants to put their faith in those? It sort of a egg-chicken joke; which came first the frantic beeping of the sensors or the crunching sound followed by the pitter-patter of your credit card sprouting legs and running away? A camera is the first thing I would install were this unit mine and it makes very little sense that Cruise America hasn’t done so already. This technology is super cheap (under $100) and a monkey could install it. Maybe it’s part of some sort of nefarious plan on their part to charge negligent renters more.

The length and inability to see back there issue aside, the width and height of the vehicle come into play. Unless you drive a cutaway, semi or something like that, the ten foot width is a bit scary. The mirrors that stuck out a mile helped, though. You’d clip whatever you hit with them first, assuming you were going slow enough not to then rip off the sides of the vehicle. Height, at twelve foot, was also an issue. From our home, there are three ways to get to the freeway. Two of those involve bridges that are under 12 foot. So that’s an interesting twist; you better know where those things are and how to get around them.

I can’t really imagine a motorhome with less power or at least a similar power-to-weight ratio. Many of them do and they’re a road hazard. The Triton made passing possible, safe and while the transmission didn’t always know exactly what to do (What?!? Isn’t it the year 2016?), I don’t think I could take a step down too far or backward. Fuel mileage wasn’t bad, either. We did 309 miles and plunked in $80 worth of gas, which was a waste of about an eight of a tank. You do the math; our best guess was somewhere around 10-12 mpg, which seemed very reasonable for a motorhome this spacious and gracious. At around $2.10 a gallon, it would be around $115 or so to fill the 50+ gallon tank.

I was hoping the SO would be willing to drive it. No go, so check that off the list. If she could see out the back (with a camera, or otherwise) and it wasn’t so huge, maybe; noted.

It was noisy inside, as all motorhomes are. The NVH on these things is not a concern for, well, anybody. But our dogs are freaked out about such things and so we immediately set about quieting the rattles and squeaks. The stove is usually a source of noise and with a strategically placed towel and a balled up plastic bag, it was silent. The screen door was bad, but there just wasn’t any easy way to silent it. Were it mine, I’d apply a small strip of stick-on rubber seal and the cacophony would have been gone. The overhead skylight was also a source of song but that was another item I couldn’t address. We boxed up all of the pots and pans that were in the cupboards (provided by Cruise America) and put them in the huge storage area in the back. Speaking of, in our model, that area is like a small garage or attic. It’s where the spare tire, water hose and even a folding table are stored. You could put weeks and weeks worth of luggage back there. In the 30-footer, it’s even larger and you could conceivably get several bicycles back there, too. It was lockable and had water drainage, too.

Any vehicle where you can stand directly up from the two front seats to your full height is just plain fun. It’s an odd thing to experience if you’re used to “normal” vehicles. Sliding a board-backed pad into place in that space created a really nice queen-sized bed up there, with several windows that opened, the aforementioned opening skylight and blackout curtains that separated the space from the main cabin. We never slept up there but it was extremely comfortable when I hopped up there. You have to be a bit limber though; entry is accomplished either via human pyramid, a ladder that is not provided or you step first on the closest dinette seat bottom, then on the back (there’s a grippy place for you to do so) and you’re in. Should you be drunkey-wunkey and you attempt to go in and out using the last method, you’re surely going for a tumble. Nice knowing you.