RV Camping, Travel and Reviews at RV Tech Mag
WELCOME!
   Facebook    RSS Feed

Cruzer's RV TechMag is the ultimate source for technical articles, travel destinations, road tests and reviews as well as the latest and greatest RV products and accessories and editorial commentary related to the RV lifestyle. You may choose from the following selections to narrow down your area of interest.

All Articles Reviews Tech Travel Misc


Tiffin Phaeton 40QBH

America's Most Popular Diesel Pusher Gets a Rear Bath 40' Floorplan
Article Date: December, 2011


/articlepics/35_2012_Phaeton_40QBH_image-1.jpg

Sometimes a product launch hits its target dead center. When Tiffin first launched its Phaeton motorhome, it was an immediate success and has been gaining ground ever since. It quickly established itself as the number one selling diesel pusher in the country, a title it has held for the past four years.

The Phaeton offered the most bang for the buck, balancing plenty of features and amenities with an attractive price. Not to rest on its laurels, Tiffin Motorhomes continued to improve the product with new upgrades and floor plans every year. The 40QBH is the latest floor plan to be offered.

The demand for rear bath floor plans has been a huge trend in recent years, but these have typically been offered in longer 42 to 45 foot motorhomes on tag axle chassis. The 40QBH is Tiffin's first offering that provided a rear bath on a single-axle, 40 foot chassis.

Squeezing a large bath area into any motorhome is a real challenge. Whenever you add something you need to take away something else and the livability of that floor plan suffers. But Tiffin did an amazing job at packing everything needed into a 40 foot floor plan. The sales of the 40QBH quickly took off, exceeding all expectations, and now it's hard to find one in dealer stock. Fortunately, Kings Campers, in Wausau, Wisconsin, is a respected Tiffin dealer and the team there was gracious enough to provide me with a 40QBH to test and review.

/articlepics/35_2012_Phaeton_40QBH_image-7.jpg
An optional 32 inch exterior LCD TV is located in a protected enclosure in the galley slide out and will provide entertainment in the patio area.

Chassis and Drivetrain

The Phaeton is available on either of two chassis options. A Freightliner chassis is available as well as Tiffin's own proprietary Powerglide chassis. The Powerglide was initially launched in the Allegro Bus line as a premium chassis option and has received many accolades by happy owners. The Powerglide is now offered in the Phaeton line, as well, and was the chassis selected for the Phaeton that Kings Campers gave us to review.

/articlepics/35_2012_Phaeton_40QBH_image-8.jpg
The entry stairwell is trimmed with solid surface risers and non-slid rubber treads. A handy storage drawer is built into the steps.

The Powerglide chassis cuts no corners. Huckbolts are used throughout the chassis rather than rivets for improved strength. The Powerglide chassis as used in the Phaeton 40QBH is a rear radiator design with solid I-beam front axle. An 8.3L Cummins ISC with exhaust brake cranks out 380 hp and 1,050 lb-ft of torque and is coupled to an Allison 3000 series six-speed automatic transmission. The rear axle is rated at 22,000 pounds while the front axle is rated at 14,600 pounds. This gives the 40QBH a gross vehicle weight rating of 36,600 pounds. The weight placard inside this motorhome indicated a generous 5,805-pound cargo carrying capacity. A 10,000 pound towing capacity brought the GCWR to 46,600 pounds.

The 55-degree turning radius allowed for ease in navigating some tight corners in Kings Lot, while the 266-inch wheelbase made for a nice stable ride at highway speeds. The Phaeton comes with a dual-fill, 100-gallon fuel tank and a 15-gallon diesel exhaust fluid tank. Fresh water capacity is 90 gallons while gray water capacity is 70 gallons and black water is 50 gallons. A 35.7-gallon LP tank provides ample capacity to keep the dual furnaces and hot-water heater fed.


Return to Home Page

If you enjoyed this article be sure to recommend RVtechMag.com to your friends, like us on Facebook or Twitter or subscribe to our RSS feed.

         Twitter Facebook Subscribe to RSS Feed












Article Sections

Departments

Website Areas

Road Tests and Reviews Home Page About Me
Tech Articles RSS Feeds Site Map
Travel Destinations Announcements Privacy Policy
Misc Articles Contact Us Advertise With Us
Helpful Links  

 
© Copyright 2017 Mark Quasius All Rights Reserved
For more information feel free to Contact Us