New Car Friday: A Thoroughly Modern Motorhome

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Ford Transit and Winnebago reenvision the motorhome.

Back in the early ’80s when I was a young man, I had a van. It was a Ford Econoline with a hand-crafted (read amateurish) interior with captain’s chairs, a cooler, card table and a bench seat in the way back that could be folded down into a bed. The exterior was hand-painted and was somewhere between groovy and crappy. Fortunately no pictures exist. I drove that thing all over the eastern half of the country including a very memorable spring break trip to New Orleans with the University of Michigan Lacrosse Club, the details of which shall remain sealed for eternity to protect the innocent.

I have had a soft spot in my heart for van-based motorhomes ever since which may be why, when I got the press release from Ford about the new Winnebago Paseo and Fuse motorhomes based on the Transit Connect platform, the memories came flooding back.

These two small motorhomes are a lot nicer than my old Econoline. First of all, the folks at Winnebago know how to design and craft interiors that are comfortable, efficient, and good looking. The Paseo is a smaller, Class B motorhome built on a standard Transit platform, powered by Ford’s 3.5L, 310 hp, EcoBoost V6. The Fuse is a Class C motorhome that rides on a cutaway chassis with a dual wheel rear axle. This larger, heavier duty model is powered by a 3.2L inline 5-cylinder diesel engine. Both are efficient delivering mileage in the mid to high teens and offer modern driver’s safety features including lane departure warning, and Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment platform.

Once you arrive, the powered patio awning and LED exterior lighting provide a welcoming environment for relaxing, entertaining or enjoying the great outdoors.

This is the kind of van I wish my van had been. Although I do miss the shag carpeted walls. I might just have to see if I can snag one and see what adventures lie ahead.

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Harvey Briggs

Harvey Briggs is the Founder, Editor, and Publisher of Rides & Drives. He has also written for Car and Driver, Winding Road, and the luxury lifestyle blog, Pursuitist.com. His passions run from fast cars, small planes, boats and motorcycles to music, travel, and sports. When he's not on the road testing the latest cars, he been known to turn up on stage playing rock and blues guitar at clubs around his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. Follow Harvey's adventures on Instagram and Twitter @harvey_drives and find him on Facebook. Though keeping up could be a problem. As Harvey says, "If I don't slow down, time can't catch me."

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