Funny I watch traveling robert also but as a female traveling solo I definitely want something that I can get up and drive away easily if I'm not comfortable, I don't want to have to get out of something that I'm towing into a car or truck to drive away. It is a safety concern. I had a class C that I loved. But I didn't like the fact that I couldn't just drive in town and park next to a restaurant or store or some little shopping area. So now I'm gonna go for a class b.
It is definitely nice to be able to just drive off quickly if needed. I think you will really enjoy the benefits of the smaller van. And even for the 2 of us, I feel we have plenty of room.
Thanks I really appreciate you sharing the experiences and how your kids Moved around and how you demonstrate it. Things like the shower and the bed going up-and-down and the mattress topper. Share your experiences really helps.
Nice review. How about a review of outside the van next time? We have the Coachmen Beyond also but in the 22D model. Very similar to yours except we have two long benches with access to the back doors. We’re close to 9000 miles after only 3 months! We take our van everywhere including short overnight trips to family members, golf outings, Harvest Host’s overnight boomdockings and vacations. The furthest we’ve gone from Detroit is the upper peninsula for a week. It’s true, these class B’s introduce a lifestyle. Hate the failing drawer clips that I’ll be replacing and the tweaky Firefly connectivity but the Ford Transit with the all wheel drive and dual wheels in the rear is a marvel. I think I surprise other drivers sometimes when how quickly this thing gets up to speed.
9000 miles in 3 months, that is awesome! We still work full time so we haven't been able to take it out as much as we'd like. I would love to take a 3 months trip out West with the van. Will do a review of the outside of the van, thanks for the idea.
It does kind of baffle me that they had those two pillars in the back corner and Coachmen didn't bother to add three-point restraints for at least the outside two rear seating positions. U.S. (and Canadian) RV manufacturers keep getting away with a loophole in the law requiring shoulder belts for car passengers in cars. Even worse are the sideways seating positions like in the 20D. None of these would be legal seating positions in the EU. And I am not picking on Coachmen specifically either. The same is true of most North American motorhome manufacturers. Thanks for the review. I think what she said about travel style is key. If you move a lot, any sort of towable and even larger motorhomes are going to be a tremendous hassle to deal with. I am hopeful that we will start to see some more European-style small class Cs on the U.S. market soon that are about this same length (21'-22') that are almost as parkable as a Class B but offer a little more room inside and some modest outside storage as well.
We have the same year and model of the Coachmen, We added a temperature regulator to our shower which is a game changer. Easy to do yourself and not very expensive
we haven’t had issues with it. Of course, we run the pink antifreeze through the system (bypassing the Truma) when we winterize. We flush it all in the spring. As a side note, we went ahead and replaced our Premier AC with a Truma Aventa for $2700.00. I was worth it. It can cool the van much more effectively and much quieter on the outside. You can hardly tell it running when outside the van, There was a big stack of old Premier ACs at the Truma facility in Florida. I’m trying to forget the fact that I had to pay $3000 more fro the 12V Premier option when we ordered our Beyond.
Thanks for the review as it is so helpful for us folks considering van life and have subscribed. Funny you mentioning Traveling Robert because he really introduced me to traveling long distance and purchasing our 22-foot Travel Trailer that we tow with a Ford F-250. After retiring and doing a couple of long-distance trips I came to the conclusion that we need to downsize (mostly me) for a number of reasons. At first I was thinking of a smaller what they call B Plus (Ekko or Cross trail 20XG), but lately have been considering Van life for the ultimate in nimbleness. I like the build quality and room of your van, other than the bed length of the 22C (forget the other 2) cuz at nearly 6'3", van life can be a challenge. Also forget the Mercedes and Promaster for me as my head rubs on the ceiling, but the ford is nice for headroom. Question, did you consider either the American Coach Patriot or Pleasure Way 2.2 Ford Transits?
Thanks! Yes we looked at the pleasure ways as well. Those are very nice as well. Doubt you can go wrong with those either; I do not remember why we did not go with Patriot...maybe price or availability?
Great review....we have the Beyond in the RB model. You could remove the microwave yourself to create the extra storage. I have seen that Coachmen is going to change out the microwave for a microwave, convection, air fryer combo unit on the new ones so that might be an option as it's more versatile.
We have that in our van and it throws off a ton of heat and the air fryer uses a ton of juice. We use it as a microwave only. I’ve taken my Promaster to 13,500 feet at 18 mpg.
Thanks for the review (a couple of years ago). I see you put curtains the back...how come, curiously? Also, do you have a link perhaps for those clever drop-down basket? I'd be interested in some even longer ones. Is that driver seat turned around kinda pointless since the shower is right in front of it?
This is great info, thank you! One of the reasons I'm leaning toward this model is the bed situation, so good to know about a topper and the airflow. Did you add the curtain bar across the back?
Great review. Im torn between this and another brand with a regular permanent bed. Can you comment on the comfort? Akso, do you have the amazon link for your jewelry holder? Very nice!!!
@@fredzuccarelli Anything Keeper - Organizer for Home, Kitchen, Bathroom, RV, Small Spaces - Storage Organizers - Compact Metal Basket - Under Cabinet Holder - Easy Install - Holds Strong - 11 x 10 x 2.5 in - Black a.co/d/2iDIdE3
You can cook and bake in the convection microwave! Of course it is necessary! All you’ll have is one induction cooktop. Good luck with that if you’re looking to cook several things at one time.
@@travelinginspirations I went back online and read the article. It doesn't increase mileage but the echo boost turbo engine performance increases using 93 octane.
Always enjoy owner reviews best…hope your potatoes didn’t burn, lol! If you boondock do you find the Li3 to be enough? I heard they may soon offer a second battery.
Tks for sharing your review, very helpful. ? Do you find when driving in windy conditions, or across wide open plains with wind gusts, the van becomes a White knuckle experience to keep it on course? My impressions lead me to consider due to the height and narrow body it could feel like like a sail on a boat.Tks
You would think so given height and width, but it drives really well. Must be the dual wheels in the back. You will get a little bit of rocking if you follow an 18 wheeler too closely at highway speed.
I have the 2019 Crossfit 22D Li3 later became the Beyond. It has 68,000 miles on it. It is very susceptible to wind gusts which cause high speed tracking issues over, 65 MPH in wind. In wind I drive no faster than 60 MPH so as not to have to constantly fight the steering wheel which can take the fun right out of the driving experience. It's been a bit better since I bought new Continental Van Contact tires. The Eco Boost engine is powerful and can take on any mountain road with ease. You should really change the oil on the EB engine every 5000k because of the turbo set up....no more. The Pro Air 12 v AC has been replaced twice...it's absolute junk and Pro Air went out of business. Upgraded to the Truma Venta AC for $2900.00 with soft start and so far it is proving to be a much better unit all the way around. Even though the 110v Truma runs from the inverter we have seen no noticeable drop in battery life while off grid but of course it all depends on ambient temps outside and whether or not you parked in the direct sun. I put a permanent RV king mattress in the rear and haven't looked back since I don't carry any passengers. It works for my use as a traveling insurance adjuster. Soooooooooooooooo much better than the cushions. I fitted a side mounted ladder rack on suction cups and a top mounted accessory bar that fits the roof in order to carry my extension ladders for hurricane deployments. I sleep off grip and I am able to keep the Li3 lithium ion batteries topped off nicely between the roof top solar and the second alternator under the hood for charging the Lithionics battery bank. Saves me ton of cash not having to pay for hotels while on hurricane deployment. The Truma Combi unit works when it wants to for hot water but the heat works fine. As far as the Ford chassis; The rear had to be rebuilt at 62k miles due to a bad pinion bearing. $3100.00 The brakes on this battery heavy Crossfit Li3 model had to be replaced at about 40k as I remember. $1300.00 but I am sure I have a heavy leg on breaking. Replaced the pitiful Hankook factory issued tires at 31k. I can average up to 17 MPG on flat roads like Rt 95 south below South Carolina and Rt 10 along the southern coast. About 13 -14 MPG in hilly/mountainous terrain.
I shut the battery down when not in use during the winter. No issues. I do not want to keep it plugged in and with heater...just doesn't seem to make sense to me. What if there is a power failure or fire? So batteries hibernate.
I really like the features offered in the Beyond, but my primary concern with ANY mainstream RV is build quality and long term reliability. The mainstream RV industry overall is just pathetic when it comes to build quality and given the ever increasing prices of RVs these days, I would be furious if I had my trip ruined by shoddy build quality. A custom build is always an option, but that can get extremely expensive and is not viable for most buyers.
You are so right on that, and that is something I was very concerned with. One big reason we looked at Panoramic. But chassis reliability is important too and could not get past Ram's lower reliability. Build quality has been good with the Beyond. So far no regrets and would purchase again.
@@travelinginspirations That's good to know. I would not purchase any model built on the Promaster either. The Transit is a good choice because of the strong powertrain and massive service center network.
It didn't bother me. Between the breakfast cooking and the pause to look out the door, it felt like a casual conversation in the morning. I liked that.
If that bothers you there is a need for you to take a chill pill , watch the video to learn the benefits of the vehicle, it's not like you are researching to buy the couple.
I really enjoyed your video. Thanks so much for sharing. It was a pleasure to watch and learn!
Funny I watch traveling robert also but as a female traveling solo I definitely want something that I can get up and drive away easily if I'm not comfortable, I don't want to have to get out of something that I'm towing into a car or truck to drive away. It is a safety concern. I had a class C that I loved. But I didn't like the fact that I couldn't just drive in town and park next to a restaurant or store or some little shopping area. So now I'm gonna go for a class b.
It is definitely nice to be able to just drive off quickly if needed. I think you will really enjoy the benefits of the smaller van. And even for the 2 of us, I feel we have plenty of room.
You make good points. Guys have safety worries, too.
Thanks I really appreciate you sharing the experiences and how your kids Moved around and how you demonstrate it. Things like the shower and the bed going up-and-down and the mattress topper. Share your experiences really helps.
Glad you enjoyed it! Video coming up shortly discussing the bed in more detail!
Nice review. How about a review of outside the van next time?
We have the Coachmen Beyond also but in the 22D model. Very similar to yours except we have two long benches with access to the back doors. We’re close to 9000 miles after only 3 months! We take our van everywhere including short overnight trips to family members, golf outings, Harvest Host’s overnight boomdockings and vacations. The furthest we’ve gone from Detroit is the upper peninsula for a week. It’s true, these class B’s introduce a lifestyle. Hate the failing drawer clips that I’ll be replacing and the tweaky Firefly connectivity but the Ford Transit with the all wheel drive and dual wheels in the rear is a marvel. I think I surprise other drivers sometimes when how quickly this thing gets up to speed.
9000 miles in 3 months, that is awesome! We still work full time so we haven't been able to take it out as much as we'd like. I would love to take a 3 months trip out West with the van.
Will do a review of the outside of the van, thanks for the idea.
Beautiful video! Thanks. I learned a lot. I like the floorplan of the Coachmen Beyond 22RB with the larger bath in the back.
Thanks for the video. Looks like a good RV for your needs!
Thanks for watching. Happy flying!
It does kind of baffle me that they had those two pillars in the back corner and Coachmen didn't bother to add three-point restraints for at least the outside two rear seating positions. U.S. (and Canadian) RV manufacturers keep getting away with a loophole in the law requiring shoulder belts for car passengers in cars. Even worse are the sideways seating positions like in the 20D. None of these would be legal seating positions in the EU. And I am not picking on Coachmen specifically either. The same is true of most North American motorhome manufacturers.
Thanks for the review. I think what she said about travel style is key. If you move a lot, any sort of towable and even larger motorhomes are going to be a tremendous hassle to deal with. I am hopeful that we will start to see some more European-style small class Cs on the U.S. market soon that are about this same length (21'-22') that are almost as parkable as a Class B but offer a little more room inside and some modest outside storage as well.
We have the same year and model of the Coachmen, We added a temperature regulator to our shower which is a game changer. Easy to do yourself and not very expensive
I hear water may remain in the regulatory during winterizing. Any issues with that you encountered?
we haven’t had issues with it. Of course, we run the pink antifreeze through the system (bypassing the Truma) when we winterize. We flush it all in the spring. As a side note, we went ahead and replaced our Premier AC with a Truma Aventa for $2700.00. I was worth it. It can cool the van much more effectively and much quieter on the outside. You can hardly tell it running when outside the van, There was a big stack of old Premier ACs at the Truma facility in Florida. I’m trying to forget the fact that I had to pay $3000 more fro the 12V Premier option when we ordered our Beyond.
Thanks for the review as it is so helpful for us folks considering van life and have subscribed. Funny you mentioning Traveling Robert because he really introduced me to traveling long distance and purchasing our 22-foot Travel Trailer that we tow with a Ford F-250. After retiring and doing a couple of long-distance trips I came to the conclusion that we need to downsize (mostly me) for a number of reasons. At first I was thinking of a smaller what they call B Plus (Ekko or Cross trail 20XG), but lately have been considering Van life for the ultimate in nimbleness. I like the build quality and room of your van, other than the bed length of the 22C (forget the other 2) cuz at nearly 6'3", van life can be a challenge. Also forget the Mercedes and Promaster for me as my head rubs on the ceiling, but the ford is nice for headroom. Question, did you consider either the American Coach Patriot or Pleasure Way 2.2 Ford Transits?
Thanks! Yes we looked at the pleasure ways as well. Those are very nice as well. Doubt you can go wrong with those either; I do not remember why we did not go with Patriot...maybe price or availability?
Great review....we have the Beyond in the RB model. You could remove the microwave yourself to create the extra storage. I have seen that Coachmen is going to change out the microwave for a microwave, convection, air fryer combo unit on the new ones so that might be an option as it's more versatile.
Yeah I have been thinking about doing that.
We have that in our van and it throws off a ton of heat and the air fryer uses a ton of juice. We use it as a microwave only. I’ve taken my Promaster to 13,500 feet at 18 mpg.
Thanks for the review (a couple of years ago). I see you put curtains the back...how come, curiously? Also, do you have a link perhaps for those clever drop-down basket? I'd be interested in some even longer ones. Is that driver seat turned around kinda pointless since the shower is right in front of it?
Don’t use wd40 on your windows, it will gum up the works. Rub a bar of soap along the tracks. Worked for me.
Thanks!
Unfortunately soap did not help at all.
Aluminum does not like oil or soap. Better to ask the manufacturer.
Very awesome review!
Glad you enjoyed it
Any wood swell? Are you full timer? That makes big difference for user experience.
This is great info, thank you! One of the reasons I'm leaning toward this model is the bed situation, so good to know about a topper and the airflow. Did you add the curtain bar across the back?
Yes we put a curtain bar there. Works great!
Great review. Im torn between this and another brand with a regular permanent bed. Can you comment on the comfort? Akso, do you have the amazon link for your jewelry holder? Very nice!!!
@@fredzuccarelli please see my other video about the bed and what we did. Will dig up the link about the jewelry box ...
@@fredzuccarelli Anything Keeper - Organizer for Home, Kitchen, Bathroom, RV, Small Spaces - Storage Organizers - Compact Metal Basket - Under Cabinet Holder - Easy Install - Holds Strong - 11 x 10 x 2.5 in - Black a.co/d/2iDIdE3
Thank you both for the great advice!
Our pleasure!
I enjoyed seeing your home away from home
Glad you enjoyed
Great review. Thank you.
Our pleasure!
You can cook and bake in the convection microwave! Of course it is necessary! All you’ll have is one induction cooktop. Good luck with that if you’re looking to cook several things at one time.
Which lithium battery do you have? The 600 one or the 300
One?
Great video. I'm new to the Coachman B van. What is your model exactly? I'd like to look it up on the Coachman website. Thanks!
Coachman Beyond C. C is for couch.
What year is your Coachman beyond?. Does your Beyond have the new q foam?
We have the 2022 Beyond; yes it has the Q foam. Overall it is a pretty decent bed. The mattress pad helps take out the space between the cushions.
@@travelinginspirations you mentioned your MPG was that using 87 octane. I read that turbocharge V6 gets better mileage on 91 or higher octane.
@@kip5588 87 Octane. Had not heard higher octane boosts mileage.
@@travelinginspirations I went back online and read the article. It doesn't increase mileage but the echo boost turbo engine performance increases using 93 octane.
Always enjoy owner reviews best…hope your potatoes didn’t burn, lol! If you boondock do you find the Li3 to be enough? I heard they may soon offer a second battery.
Love it
Tks for sharing your review, very helpful. ? Do you find when driving in windy conditions, or across wide open plains with wind gusts, the van becomes a White knuckle experience to keep it on course? My impressions lead me to consider due to the height and narrow body it could feel like like a sail on a boat.Tks
You would think so given height and width, but it drives really well. Must be the dual wheels in the back. You will get a little bit of rocking if you follow an 18 wheeler too closely at highway speed.
Tks for answering.Glad its been a positive experience.
I have the 2019 Crossfit 22D Li3 later became the Beyond. It has 68,000 miles on it.
It is very susceptible to wind gusts which cause high speed tracking issues over, 65 MPH in wind.
In wind I drive no faster than 60 MPH so as not to have to constantly fight the steering wheel which can take the fun right out of the driving experience.
It's been a bit better since I bought new Continental Van Contact tires.
The Eco Boost engine is powerful and can take on any mountain road with ease.
You should really change the oil on the EB engine every 5000k because of the turbo set up....no more.
The Pro Air 12 v AC has been replaced twice...it's absolute junk and Pro Air went out of business.
Upgraded to the Truma Venta AC for $2900.00 with soft start and so far it is proving to be a much better unit all the way around.
Even though the 110v Truma runs from the inverter we have seen no noticeable drop in battery life while off grid but of course it all depends on ambient temps outside and whether or not you parked in the direct sun.
I put a permanent RV king mattress in the rear and haven't looked back since I don't carry any passengers.
It works for my use as a traveling insurance adjuster.
Soooooooooooooooo much better than the cushions.
I fitted a side mounted ladder rack on suction cups and a top mounted accessory bar that fits the roof in order to carry my extension ladders for hurricane deployments.
I sleep off grip and I am able to keep the Li3 lithium ion batteries topped off nicely between the roof top solar and the second alternator under the hood for charging the Lithionics battery bank. Saves me ton of cash not having to pay for hotels while on hurricane deployment.
The Truma Combi unit works when it wants to for hot water but the heat works fine.
As far as the Ford chassis;
The rear had to be rebuilt at 62k miles due to a bad pinion bearing. $3100.00
The brakes on this battery heavy Crossfit Li3 model had to be replaced at about 40k as I remember. $1300.00 but I am sure I have a heavy leg on breaking.
Replaced the pitiful Hankook factory issued tires at 31k.
I can average up to 17 MPG on flat roads like Rt 95 south below South Carolina and Rt 10 along the southern coast. About 13 -14 MPG in hilly/mountainous terrain.
Hello, I live on Long Island and I may be buying a Coachman Beyond very soon, but I don't have a dealer near me. Where did you buy your Beyond in PA?
Bought it in Tennesee actually. There are some good used ones on RVtrader if you are interested in that.
@@travelinginspirations nah, I think that I want to buy new. I want the square sink and the new microwave...for starters.
@@just.bob.j My thinking as well. I would love to see the lithium battery doubled though.
@@kenneths7236 i’m sure sunshine State has that option to double the lithium to like 1200
bob - My comment to you keeps getting deleted. I don't know why.
With all of this cold weather how are the Lithium batteries holding up? Do you keep heat on them when the motor home is not being used?
I shut the battery down when not in use during the winter. No issues. I do not want to keep it plugged in and with heater...just doesn't seem to make sense to me. What if there is a power failure or fire? So batteries hibernate.
I didn't see the mattress topper you use listed. Would you please list it. Thanks.
We recommend two of these. Super comfortable. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072BJF9FW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Good review
Is that Pam?! You look just like a friend of mine from long ago
Could be...What is your name?
Is your van rear wheel drive or awd?
It is AWD.
I really like the features offered in the Beyond, but my primary concern with ANY mainstream RV is build quality and long term reliability. The mainstream RV industry overall is just pathetic when it comes to build quality and given the ever increasing prices of RVs these days, I would be furious if I had my trip ruined by shoddy build quality. A custom build is always an option, but that can get extremely expensive and is not viable for most buyers.
You are so right on that, and that is something I was very concerned with. One big reason we looked at Panoramic. But chassis reliability is important too and could not get past Ram's lower reliability. Build quality has been good with the Beyond. So far no regrets and would purchase again.
@@travelinginspirations That's good to know. I would not purchase any model built on the Promaster either. The Transit is a good choice because of the strong powertrain and massive service center network.
😊
The eggs frying noise in the background is totally annoying.
It didn't bother me. Between the breakfast cooking and the pause to look out the door, it felt like a casual conversation in the morning. I liked that.
If that bothers you there is a need for you to take a chill pill , watch the video to learn the benefits of the vehicle, it's not like
you are researching to buy the couple.
I wonder if we have those shades that come down from the top!
I keep telling him to stir!
Thank you for the video. I wish you showed us how the couch become a QS bed.
I will do that on another video. Thanks for the input!
Check out our latest video - it is specifically about the couch bed.