A new member of the Tiffin family of products was recently unveiled at the RVIA Show in Louisville. I expect Mr. Tiffin would have exclaimed as much when the shroud unveiled the motorhome to the crowd of industry members and press for the first time.
Mr. Robert Tiffin
The Tiffin Motorhomes Breeze is a new class of motorhome in that it moves off center the availability of air brakes and air suspension in a 28 foot motorhome which in the past was not on anyone’s radar screen. The Breeze is a part of Tiffin’s new PowerGlide chassis products and it is equipped with Navistar MaxxForce7 V8 Turbo Charged diesel engine mated to an Allison 1000MH 6 Speed transmission.
Bus style front entry door
The MaxxForce® 7 is an all-new V-8 Turbodiesel that incorporates advanced design elements and components from Navistar’s market-leading I-6 commercial engines. These include a high-pressure common-rail fuel system, dual-stage turbochargers and compacted graphite iron block. The HP rating on the Breeze was stated at 220HP at 560lbf/ft of Torque.
Clean lines and bright colors present an eye catching appearance. Alcoa aluminum wheels enhance the appearance and functionality of the motorhome.
This engine combined with Allison 6 Speed will offer owners extended MPG ratings previously unachievable in other recreational vehicles equipped with air brakes and suspension. The preventative maintenance requirements for this engine are remarkable for an RV owner. Engine oil and filter changes are scheduled for 10,000 miles, fuel filter replacement at 30,000 miles, coolant at 3 years or 300,000 miles and the crankcase breather should be changed at 60,000 miles.
The rear cap of the Breeze shows the location of the high mount brake light, turn, brake and reverse lights. Access to the dipsticks is through the upswinging door.
The engine’s 220 horsepower is achieved at 2200 RPM and the 560 lb/ft of torque is available at a low 1400 RPM. Powering this vehicle is going to be a “Breeze” for the MaxxForce7 engine and Allison transmission combination.
The International MaxxForce7 twin turbo engine is completely 2010 emission compliant without the use of urea.
Entering the Breeze one can immediately bring into focus the Tiffin logo mounted on the center of the steering wheel. The gauges are well laid out well positioned in the driver’s view. The interior of the cabin is well appointed with leather seating surfaces. A street side slideout has a 68” couch and a well appointed galley that features space saving appliances such as the twin burner LP stove, and stainless steel sink. Both the sink and the stove have tempered glass covers.
The large SmartWheel style of steering wheel is tilt adjustable and provides excellent view of the instrumentation.
The interior of the cabin is well lit by the use of recessed lighting fixtures. The light color interior gives the cabin a sense of spatiality. Moving into the master bedroom a queen size bed is positioned on the rear wall and is flanked by end tables. The bath is positioned on the curbside and the shower enclosure is opposite.
Leather seating surfaces are used throughout the cabin. The wall mounted LCD TV is shown. These seats are belted positions.
On the outside of the motorhome the full paint finish features a light color with darker highlights. The front cap provides access to the generator set and the rear cap’s openings provide the means to allow air to enter the cool pack. Mid coach the compartment doors open up to usable pass through storage under the floor.
The queen sized bed is shown with color keyed fabrics and accessories. There is a 2nd wall mounted LCD TV in the bedroom.
Tiffin did a nice job with this coach and it looks great. I expect that when Tiffin customers come by dealer lots this spring, that the Breeze will be something that will be compelling to new customers. For those customers that are considering downsizing they won’t loose anything in the transition.
The kitchen galley makes good use of smaller space saving fixtures and appliances.
The 28 foot Breeze floorplan.
Breeze’s pass through storage.
Making quite a name for itself the MaxxForce7 name tag is now visible on more and more motorhomes.
It is expected that this innovative motorhome will provide new opportunities for persons that are looking for smaller full featured recreational vehicles. Key to this effort is that the maneuverability and footprint are meeting the needs of the RV’ing consumers that have asked for this type of product. Addressing that demand, Tiffin Motorhomes is bringing to market the product that they have asked for.
Leave a Reply