Tour of our 2020 Coachmen Beyond 22C campervan
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- Опубліковано 7 гру 2020
- In October 2020, between lockdowns, we completed a 10+ year process of investigating #campervans and #vanlife, and took delivery of a new 2020 #CoachmenBeyond. We've written in our blog www.aroundouretable.com about our early experiences and how we gave her the name Doranya. Here we provide a tour of Doranya, outside and inside, as we prepared for a 1,000 km round trip to Ottawa in early November.
Thanks for the tour. Very informative. I was all in with a Travato as my choice but the more I learn about this the more I am liking it.
Hi David. The Travato is certainly very popular, but we ruled it out for several reasons, available layouts being one. Plus, despite having read many times that the Promaster's seats are more comfortable than the Transit's, we found just the opposite. We drove for 9 hours over 12 hours one day and were more than comfortable. Also, if you want to learn more on the Beyond, I recommend taking a look at the FaceBook group (facebook.com/groups/coachmencrossfit/). It's very active and supportive, you just have to ask for access and it will be granted. And to get a really in-depth look, check out Camping Coastie's channel (ua-cam.com/users/GoofyGard)
I wish you well on your decision-making.
Love the entry mat. 🤣
Thank you, we love it too!
Love the adaptive cruise control, lane departure and blond spot monitoring. Awd and ecoboost. Love the video. I want to trade in my paid off 2020 rav4 hybrid for one so bad..
Unfortunately, ours is a 2019 Transit without the new features
Hope you will continue to post videos of your class be. We purchased the 2019 coachmen Crossfit 22D in January 2019. The Beyond has taken its place. We have many videos and tips on our channel. I subscribed so I will know when you post more videos. TLHL
Thanks! We definitely want to post more as we hit the road in the coming months. Winter and lockdown have both conspired to hold us back. Plans for a few winter nights in a Provincial park. Were pushed back twice and finally scrapped for the year. But we hope to be getting out soon.
Thanks for the tour. I've narrowed down to Coachmen Beyond, I can't wait to buy one. I am still confusing which to pick the floor plan. I am thinking about the rear bathroom. Are you happy with your floor plan?
Hi Ted. We are very happy with the floor plan, but it wasn’t our first choice. We actually wanted the “D’” model with the twin beds. We liked the idea of a full walkway from back to front, but the choices on the dealer lot were ours and a rear bath model. The openness of the RB gives a great feeling of space with nothing blocking the side windows until you get to the bathroom. And shower space is certainly better in that model. But we like the passenger-side galley, larger fridge, and single dump station (the grey tank is in pretty much the same place in both models, and the black tank is right next to it in the C and D layouts. Of necessity, the black tank and dump are at the rear of the RB - a minor point, and one we didn’t think of before we made our choice. In the end, you’ll probably be happy with the Beyond, whichever layout you choose. After all, a class B is all about compromise, and fitting yourself into the model you buy. Hope that helps. And if you haven’t checked out the FaceBook group yet, I highly recommend it (and I generally avoid FB like the plague). The group is very active and there are lots of contributors there who have tons more experience than me. Happy New Year, and I wish you well with your ultimate decision.
For a little more on our decision-making process, feel free to check out our blog post here: www.aroundouretable.com/2020/09/15/in-anticipation-2/
Speak up
Hello, I’m looking to get one of these , a Li3, any suggestions for me? Why didn’t you go for the AWD since you’re in snowy country? I’ve looked at the Travato but hate the promaster chassis. Looked at the revel but no idle charging of the lithium batteries. Thanks for your great videos.
Thanks for your comment and question.
We've had our eyes on Class Bs for over 10 years and had a plan to get one in another few years as we were enjoying international travel. Well, that isn't going to happen for at least another year, so we decided to get one last Fall. Easy answer to the AWD question: they weren't available on the 2020 Beyonds. Our van is on the 2019 Transit chassis and Ford only made AWD available on their 2020 models. And we ended up with a Beyond for a number of reasons. Feel free to check out our blog post at wp.me/pa8Vmd-1Kl if you want some more details. You may also want to check into the Crossfit/Beyond Owners and Prospects FaceBook group. It's very active and there is lots of good information there. Happy camping!
Thanks for the brief overview. I've got a 1999 Dodge Road Trek that is showing its age. Been looking at the Coachmen Beyond and Nova. The link to the FB page doesn't seem to be working, is there a new group you recommend?
Also, how do you like the sliding windows as opposed to the awning type on the Nova? I think I'd like the sliding type better, but I've heard they can develop leaks. Any thoughts?
Hi, Lee. Thanks for the comment. There are two similar FB groups, one of which was set up when Coachmen had to change the name of its Transit RV from Crossfit. The administrators thought they needed a different group, but found out that was not so. It's still there but inactive. Here's the url we use for the group - facebook.com/groups/coachmencrossfit. If it doesn't work, we suggest that you just search for it in FB. You have to request access, but that's pretty much a formality. As far as the sliding windows vs awnings issue goes, we can't help. Our 2020 Beyond is based on the 2019 Transit which has pop-out windows. There has been lots of discussion about this in the group. BTW, it's very active and supportive. If you want to see some other UA-cam videos by Beyond owners, you may want to look up Camping Coastie and Stranger Palooza. There may be others, but these two come to mind. Cheers!
@@aroundouretable8053 Thanks Alex (or Diana!), I used your link and was able to find the group. I'll join it and do some reading.
My van has been in the shop for almost two months, and I really miss it! The Beyond looks awesome, but it might be a year before I could get a new one, since apparently there aren't many available right now. In the meantime I'll watch some of your videos, and also the ones by the channels you mentioned.
Lee
How long between black tank cleanout?
We’ve not been on the road for more than 4 days at a time yet, so I can’t answer that with any certainty
I hear that it's very difficult to find a Ford Dealer that will work on any of the Ford RV's. Do you find this to be true? I am very interested in the Coachmen Beyond 22. Thank you.
Hi Mary. From what I’ve read, I don’t think it’s true. But I also have very limited experience. I took our Beyond to the local Ford dealer for its first scheduled service, and even with pretty strict Civid procedures, I was in and out in a couple of hours. Also, just about any repair shop in North America that can handle vehicles this large can also handle the Transit. That covers the chassis. For the coach, it’s a different story. And it is apparently the same for all brands. RV dealers are under no obligation to service units they didn’t sell. There have been some interesting discussions on this in the CrossFit/Beyond Facebook group (and probably in other brands’ groups). If you’re a Facebook user, knock on the group’s door and they’ll let you in. They are very welcoming. Couple of other points...our dealership in Canada is part of a countrywide dealer network that will treat RVs sold by other network dealers as their own, so we’re covered across our country. And finally, Coachmen is very customer-focused, is easy to contact, and will do its best to make sure that you are kept happy. They are not a “sell ‘em and forget ‘em” manufacturer.
@@aroundouretable8053 Hi, for what its worth, I am a tech at a Ford dealership. We have a dedicated " truck shop " area. We service all types of Ford based RV's no problem.
This van looks a lot like the Pleasure Way Ontour 2.2 . The Coachman seems to have far better kitchen area storage. The build quality of the Coachman looks very good as well. I am very interested in this floor plan and this van. Than you very much for the video.
@@SethDanger1 thanks for your comment, Seth. We would have liked to “buy Canadian” with the Ontour 2.2, but there was no availability and the Beyond (non-lithium) was less expensive and ticked most of our boxes. We’re very happy with it, but not so happy that we can’t get out and travel right now. Cheers.