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Winnebago announces new MHs on UFO chassis 12/20/2006 Southwick, MA - Yes indeed Winnebago Industries in a major Press Announcement made by Mr. Bruce Hertzke this morning at about 9:30 revealed from under a black curtain 2 new models of motorhome which are not just mere carbon copies of existing models but totally new coaches from top to bottom. Mr. Hertzke in his introductory comments said that Winnebago Industries gave a great deal of input to Workhorse in the process of engineering the new coaches. The names of the models are the Winnebago Destination and the Itasca Latitude. These rigs are available in 2 different floorplans the 37G and 39W. The interior of the coaches feature extensive usage of rounded cabinet doors and absence of hinges. The front cabin area of the coach over the driver's station features a semi circular array of cabinets that give more than the appearance of just a pretty face but they also have deep storage capabilities from left to right. The interior of the coach features quite a bit of detail lighting by means of rope lights which are located up high in the corners of the woodword out of sight. A very nice effect in deed. The passenger's seat is set back both off from the dash and from the side wall in order to give the occupant the feeling of space and so that when the chair is rotated aft it looks more like a piece of furniture rather than a passenger seat. The interior of the coach features a large wide screen flat panel display and it's located midway up on the wall on the right side of the coach. There was no mention of a front mounted TV. The coach features a one-piece windshield with low mounted wiper blades and arms similar to an automobile or pickup truck The bedroom area features a center island type bed on the 37G with a closet slideout on the street side. The slideout on the 39W has a queen or king bed option, closet, pantry, refrigerator and the kitchen counter. The slideout looks like it's about 20 feet long. The interior of the 39W has a center wall with a walk through bathroom similar to the 38T bathroom. There's plenty of room in the bath and there's plenty of room for your stuff. The Standard chassis for these motor homes is the 26,000lb. gas-powered UFO chassis. Reviewing the weight and loading sheet on the Latitude UFO the CCC was 2,700+ pounds. This should be plenty of weight carrying capacity for more owners given this is a 39 foot motorhome with a very long street side slideout. The 37G Winnebago branded motorhome was presented on a 28K Freightliner XC RDP that features the 300HP 6.7L Cummins ISB engine. In an interview with Winnebago executives Winnebago has an in place agreement that they will only use diesel engines of any kind in Freightliner Custom Chassis. The CCC on this coach was over 3,000+ The Workhorse UFO will be only available in gas if you want to buy a Winnebago or Itasca motorhome. Now that's not altogether a bad thing unless you absolutely must have diesel. The Workhorse UFO is a dream to drive and it has more than enough power to meet and exceed the requirements of most owners. In an interview with a Winnebago executive he told both Bill and I that by placing the gas engine in the rear that things such as squeaks and rattles would be more readily apparent. If they were to exist extensive testing was done on the Winnebago test track in order to defeat the possibility of squeaks and rattles detracting from the quality of the ride. The UFO is remarkably quiet when going down the road. Looking over at the air conditioning system, it remains a basement model located on the street side. On the other side of the motorhome is a side mounted A/C condenser. The One Place continues as it always has by placing all the coach controls in a single location. I made a comment to the product planner of the coach that a ceiling downlight for the One Place would be needed since Winnebago customers like to see the light there. Some of the features of these new motorhomes are: Workhorse UFO Gas Pusher - Standard Freightliner XC DP -Optional Full Body paint w/ Film Graphics Mid Coach Entry Pass Through Storage Automatic Leveling Jacks Flexsteel Ultra Leather Cab Seats Three Decor Choices Two Wood Choices Honey Cherry Wood or Honey Cherry with Washed maple Accents Curved Cabinet Doors 30" TV w/ Built In Entertainment Center Side-Hinged Exterior Doors Abundant Interior Storage There isn't a driver's door on these coaches which may be a disappointment to some. All the models are mid-entry. The driver's position on the UFO features the "new" 2007 IP which features 5 background colors to match your mood. Adjustable pedals and touch pad shifting are standard. The steering cut on the rig is 55 degrees which is better than any other gas rig. In an official statement today which will soon come out in a more formal press release the Workhorse UFO and W-Series motorhomes will features the GM, 5 year 100,000 mile warranty on the engine. The transmission is already there as warrantied by Allison. A motorhome seen today that has a 7 in the 10th position in the VIN# and it had the new cool pack without the auxiliary cooling fans and the new IP. So you can look for that ol' number 7 when you go shopping for your new motorhome and those features should be standard on Winnebago Industries motorhomes going forward.
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