Roughing It Smoothly - Tiffin Motorhomes

dion style curtains in the salon area. We also liked the fact that this unitdid not have a window above the head of the bed, which also helped usto sleep warmly.All of the nights in the mountains were spent doing stand-alonecamping, utilizing the 5.5kW gasoline genset to satisfy our A/C electricalneeds. Although the optional 5.5kW genset (4.0kW is standard)is located all the way to the rear streetside corner of the unit, Tiffin engineershave successfully muffled the exhaust and held the operatingnoise of the generator to a minimum. It was barely noticeable—even inthe bedroom. This is good design!The genset is capable of powering everything onboard simultaneously:television, microwave, 110-volt receptacles, and the dual 13,500BTU air conditioners. For obvious reasons, we didn’t operate the airconditioners. The house battery powered the furnace blower all nightlong and was charged by the alternator as we motored down the roador when the genset was operating. The unit is wired for 50-amp shorepower and accommodated with a 25-ft. shore power cable.Another component we noted as being especially quiet was thedemand water pump. The freshwater system plumbing was tight (nopressure drop-off), evidenced by the fact that the only time the pumpcame on was when a demand was placed on it by the marine style toilet,shower, or sinks. The 6-gallon gas/electric water heater providedan endless supply of hot water, regardless of how many showers weretaken. The 24-gallon LPG tank provides plenty of fuel for the 3-burnercook-top, furnace, water heater, and two-way (AC/LP) 8-cubic foot refrigerator.Even after using the furnace as much as we did, the effect onthe level of LPG (per the LP level gauge) appeared to be minimal. Thebottom line is that the Allegro 28DA performed very well under standalone,very cold camping conditions.Livability/FunctionalityThis is an area that Tiffin has really turned into a discipline. Theyhave it down to a science. With the double slide-out rooms extended(dining/refrigerator up front and the queen bed slide in the rear), thecoach offers an amazing 277 square feet of living space. But thisis not to say that livability is compromised when the slides are retracted.Because the coach is 101 inches wide, there is no need toextend the slides if you pull into a rest stop to prepare lunch or takea nap. The amount of interior living space available with the slidesretracted is totally adequate. Should you want to minimize the furnacerun-time in really cold weather, this is a way to do it.The front slide features a dinette with upholstered bench seatswith large pull out drawers below. A sleeper sofa can be orderedin place of the dinette. The overhead cabinets above the booth dinetteand throughout the living area offer generous storage. An upholsteredbarrel chair is positioned on the curbside just forward ofTop: Along with gauge displays for all engine functions, the fullyappointed cockpit includes a built-in monitor for the back-up cameraand the control panel for the leveling jacks. Middle: Both the driverand passenger seats rotate to face into the living area, adding depthto the room. A barrel chair, not shown, is positioned to the right of theentry door. Bottom: In the unit tested, the galley included a convectionmicrowave oven, a 3-burner cook top, an exhaust hood, and a doublesink with covers to provide extra food prep area. Opposite page, top:The slide-out contains an 8-cu.ft. refrigerator, a pantry, and a dinettewith sliding drawers underneath. A hide-a-bed couch can be orderedto replace the dinette. Middle: The vanity and toilet on one side of theaisle and the shower on the other. Pocket doors allow you to close offthe galley and bedroom to create a bathroom compartment. Bottom: Thequeen bed slides out to provide easy access to the wardrobe, overheadcabinets, and make-up vanity-mirror compartment. The 20-in. televisionand a window over the headboard in the slide-out are optional.the main entrance. Spin the two cockpit captain chairs around toface aft and instantly the amount of useable, livable interior spaceis multiplied several times. The 25-inch television is located out ofthe way, above and in the center of the dash.The galley is a full-service venue with stacks of roll out drawers,cabinets, and cupboards, plus an optional large pots and pansdrawer below the cook-top. An oven (the standard feature) is sacrificedwhen the large drawer is selected. There are two large pantries,one a floor to ceiling unit located between the refrigerator andthe dinette. The other is a floor to countertop pantry that rolls out,providing easy access to the items stored inside. A twin tub galleysink includes attractive covers that provide additional countertoparea when the sinks are not being used. The convection microwaveoven with a power hood is positioned above the cook-top. For anychef, be it the someone who raids the fridge at night, or the gourmetin pursuit of a culinary masterpiece, this galley can support allendeavors.The center aisle bath is configured to becomes a coach-widebath when the pocket doors next to the galley and bedroom are pulled andlocked. The shower with skylight above is large. The lavatory cabinet and amirrored medicine cabinet are located in the same enclosure with the toilet,as is a power ceiling vent and a second switch for the water pump.The bedroom is generously appointed with amenities. The 60 × 76-inchqueen size bed lifts up to provide a huge storage area below. Along with thebed, the dual night stands extend and retract when the slide-out is activated.At the foot of the bed is a vanity. A large wardrobe with an optional 20-inchtelevision above shares the streetside wall with the vanity. A window stretchesacross the rear wall. A large mirror can be ordered to replace the windowwhich will visually make this already commodious area look even larger.Driving ImpressionsSince getting to where you are going is half the task, it should also providehalf of the pleasure. Visibility through the massive windshield is augmentedby a user-friendly exterior side mirror system and a rear coach video camerawith a dash mounted monitor. Tiffin has done another good turn by addinga window on the curbside wall near the floor of the cockpit to allowthe driver to check on small vehicles adjacent to the forward section of thecoach (the more information the driver has, the better). In the slide-out wallimmediately aft of the driver, Tiffin has located a large window that allowsthe driver to look back and see what is going on in the coach interior in whatotherwise would be a blind spot. It also provides additional outside ventilationwhen the slide is extended. A matching window is located on the oppositeside of the slide-out.The Triton V-10 along with the 4-speed automatic transmissionlaunched the 28DA nicely. The Ford power train did just fineon sections of the road over the mountains where the grade was awhopping 12 percent. When responding to gravity on the downsideof these byways, the engine braking system minimized the need toapply the ABS brakes. The long-and-short of our driving experienceis that the unit preformed very, very well.SummarySo what should be construed by those reading this review? Simplyput it is this. The Allegro 28DA is a well-built coach that offers avery functional floor plan. It is packed with appointments and amenitiesthat will provide its owner with many years of enjoymentand good service. And the thing that most notably underscores the28DA is that it carries the Tiffin name — which is known throughoutthe industry for superb customer service. It’s a good coach anda good deal. See for yourself.10 ROUGHING IT SMOOTHLYA COACH FOR ALLEGRO SEASONS 28DA 11