Automotive

Leisure motorhome pushes cyclists farther with bike storage and flexible interior

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Leisure Travel Vans responds to the demand for a bicycle garage
Leisure Travel Vans responds to the demand for a bicycle garage
The pass-through garage stores two bicycles and other gear
The Leisure Wonder RTB includes two single beds that can slide to create a two-person bed
The Leisure Wonder RTB has a dry bathroom layout with independent shower room
The other half of the Wonder RTB's dry bath
The flexible interior includes things like the fully adjustable dining table with dual leaves and the large drop-down counter extension
Leisure Travel Vans has made the Wonder easier to pass through from cab to motorhome cabin
Inside the rear bedroom
Each bed lifts out of the way to reveal a hanging wardrobe and other storage
The Leisure Wonder RTB is based on a Ford Transit van chassis
The Wonder RTB measures nearly 25 feet long
Leisure launched the Wonder RTB last week
A look inside the pass-through garage with two bikes, chairs and other gear stored 
The pass-through garage offers plenty of easily accessible space
On the road with the Leisure Travel Vans Wonder RTB
The Wonder RTB has a 185-hp Ford I-5 turbo diesel engine
A look at the extended kitchen countertop
A look at the under-bed hanging wardrobe and storage
Using the touchscreen command center
The dining table can also mount between the beds
Leisure Wonder RTB floor plan - the rectangular panel sticking off the passenger side is the available removable outdoor tabletop
View gallery - 21 images

Feeling the demand for a motorhome with built-in bicycle garage, Canadian motorhome maker Leisure Travel Vans has risen to the challenge and released the Wonder Rear Twin Bed (RTB). In addition to carrying two bicycles, the 25-ft (7.6-m), Ford Transit-based motorhome hits the road with a smart entertainment system, flexible bedroom, and versatile, multi-use furnishings throughout. If you can't pedal all the way there and back, consider throwing the bikes in the Leisure Wonder RTB and staying a while.

Leisure is known for a line-up of Class C motorhomes with clever features like expansion slide-outs and Murphy beds. While plenty comfy inside, Leisure motorhomes aren't necessarily purpose-built for the active set that's become a coveted buyer demographic.

Motorhome and trailer manufacturers of all sizes and styles have been targeting more active consumers with wide-ranging products like the Winnebago Revel, modular VanDoIt camper and Turtlebacker trailer. These products help drivers get out there and do a lot more than just tour around the highway and look at the scenery through the window by making it easier to carry bicycles, ATVs, kayaks, snowboards and all other forms of oversized adventure tools.

With the Wonder RTB, Leisure reaches out to this type of buyer with a sportier Class C that retains plenty of interior comfort.

"For years, we have been asked by our customers to build an RV with an exterior garage, large enough to store their bicycles and other large items," explains Ryan Elias, general manager of Leisure parent company Triple E RV. "We are excited to finally be able to offer this. We think this could be a real winner with our active customers, with over 67 cubic feet (1,897 L) of concealed exterior storage to bring their bikes, golf clubs, inflatable kayaks and more."

The pass-through garage stores two bicycles and other gear

That bike garage is a rear pass-through storage compartment sized specifically to store two bicycles with space left over for additional gear. And if bicycles aren't your thing, it can swallow plenty of other types of equipment, too, keeping belongings secure and concealed.

A bicycle garage is a big deal at Leisure, but certainly nothing you can't find from other motorhome makers. Where the Wonder RTB might win you over versus those other options is in its smart, flexible interior. Leisure has managed to add bicycle storage without cutting back on the creative features and homey comforts that keep its other models rolling off lots.

As the model name hints, the centerpiece of the Wonder RTB's all-new interior is the rear bedroom, where two 32 x 76-in (81 x 193-cm) beds provide comfy overnight accommodations. A pair of beds is perfect for buddies doing a trip to Moab, but might not be the preferred choice for a couple, which is why the two beds can slide together to create a single 64 x 76-in (162 x 183 cm) bed for two. The flex-bed layout should prove particularly useful for owners who use their motorhome in different ways, traveling with a spouse on one trip, a friend on the next, for example.

The Leisure Wonder RTB includes two single beds that can slide to create a two-person bed

The greater bedroom area includes a storage compartment with hanging wardrobe under each lift-up bed. The compartment below the passenger-side bed can be optioned into a clever dog house, creating a comfy "three" sleeper.

The Wonder RTB's flexibility extends to the dinette, where the table grows with help from dual leaves and adjusts on a swiveling base mounted to the front wall. The table can also be removed and set up in the bedroom, where an integrated mount makes it easy to have breakfast in bed or do a little pre-bedtime computer work.

The flexible interior includes things like the fully adjustable dining table with dual leaves and the large drop-down counter extension

The kitchen is equally versatile thanks to an extendable countertop. Instead of the simple flip-up extension common in motorhomes, the Wonder has an oversized drop-down panel mounted to the wall over the driver-side dinette seat, giving the Wonder RTB the largest counter in Leisure's line-up. The kitchen also includes a dual-burner stove, sink, convection microwave, Dometic three-way refrigerator, pull-out pantry, and pull-out garbage bin.

The Wonder RTB's dry bath layout splits the bathroom into a toilet/sink room and separate shower room.

An impressive electrical and entertainment package starts with dual LED smart TVs – a large one on the kitchen wall and a smaller one in the bedroom. Also included are a Blu-ray player and Bluetooth sound bar. A wall-mounted touchscreen command center offers monitoring and control of lighting, the electrical system and optional generator, the interior climate and general diagnostics. A Winegard Wi-Fi extender with 4G LTE is available, as are 200- and 400-W solar panel arrays.

Using the touchscreen command center

Leisure explains that it's eliminated the upper cabinetry over the pass-through, opening it up for easier movement between driver cab and motorhome cabin. The motorhome's exterior entry door works off Ford's keyless entry fob and includes a power step.

The Wonder RTB went up for order last week and starts at US$118,300. The 178-in (452-cm) wheelbase Ford Transit cutaway chassis brings a 185-hp (138-kW), 350 lb-ft (475 Nm) 3.2-liter I-5 turbo diesel engine and six-speed automatic transmission. Deliveries will begin in Fall 2018 (Northern Hemisphere).

For a closer look at all the Wonder RTB's features and details, the 23-minute video below provides a section-by-section walkthrough with a ton of information. If you don't have time for that, check out the photo gallery for stills of the various areas and features.

Source: Leisure Travel Vans

View gallery - 21 images
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1 comment
Daishi
It would be hard to get much more efficiency than that but I feel like these companies could approach some engineering students with the existing design and challenge them to improve it. I like the bicycle holder but there isn't a lot of clearance in that space. The rear windows help the aesthetic but they sacrifice a lot of wall space for the oversized windows in back. The wood trim above the beds is pretty but not required. If they did away with the overhead trim and cabinet they could raise the beds a bit higher giving more room for storage or sleeping room. In the video they weren't using the cabinets above the beds anyway. With the beds raised a few more inches you could put bunkbeds on one side or just make more room for the middle bed underneath Dean said he is sleeping in. I like the 400w solar panel option. Nothing ruins the peace of wilderness more than listening to a generator running the whole day. There is limited space on the roof for more than 400w in panels but there are thin/flexible 100w panels you can lay on the ground when you are parked which are popular with RVers. They could biggie size the charge controller to allow you to connect up 4 more 100w panels when parked. It's worth buying another $400 or $500 in deployable flexible panels to be able to run the AC on solar without using the generator.