Fleetwood RV’s new Bounder 'bus,' - 39-feet of affordable luxury

By Vince Bodiford
Automotive Editor

Okay, we usually write about cars and trucks. But we've discovered a truly exciting way of taking house and wheels on the road together in one package - with the new Fleetwood Bounder motorhome that we tested for nearly two weeks, taking a 3,200-mile road trip.

We chose the biggest and best in the Fleetwood Bounder fleet, the 39-foot long diesel pusher model with slide out living area and rear bedroom areas.

Fleetwood RV, the world’s largest RV manufacturer, first introduced the Bounder diesel pusher about three years ago. Fleetwood makes many brands of RVs, from simple pop-up towables to the gigantic twin-axle American Eagle that rides on a Freightliner bus chassis.

The Bounder brand is so popular that there is a Bounder owners club - much like car clubs - that take trips together and host a rally’s around the country. The owners are rabid in their loyalty to the brand, as we discovered at nearly every RV campground we visited. The sight of our diesel Bounder bearing “Vehicle Manufacturer” tags put a hush on every other campsite in the place.

The Bounder has lines that are simple, clean, sweeping and big. It’s proportions on the outside - much to my delight - do not carry over to the driver’s seat. It was much easier to drive than I was expecting. The paint scheme is modern, graphic and toned-down from prior models. Its side panels are solid composite, its wheels big and chrome. From all angles it looks like a bus - because that's what it really is.

Fleetwood offers the big pusher diesels in other brands, like the Discovery. But the Bounder is more accessible to young families and it seems more usable and inviting than the more expensive Discovery. Even at nearly $123,000 the Bounder is a bargain among big "bus" motorhomes that range in price from $250,000 to $500,000. Bounder's price for the 39-foot diesel pusher is the top of the model’s price scale, with prices falling as the length of model is decreased.

Inside, we discovered all the comforts of home. The most noticeable improvement is the visibility from inside the Bounder, with its big windows and well-placed seating. Storage is the best in the class with large outside bins along both sides, much like a bus. The coach has more than ample storage.

We loaded the whole family for the trip with enough gear and toys to last a month, then headed west on Interstate 80 to San Francisco. From there, we pointed the coach south down Pacific Coast Highway to Newport Beach, and wound our way home via Lake Havasu City, Arizona and then through Nevada, Utah, Colorado

If you thought motorhomes were just for retired snowbirds - think again. More young families and couples are buying and enjoying motorhomes today than ever. And as we discovered, for good reason. The models today are better built, have more amenities and are more versatile than the early models. Ours was equipped with everything you could want in a home - and a lot more than you'd find in a hotel room, like a complete kitchen, washer and dryer, and satellite television.

The driving experience was far easier than I was expecting. Built on a Freightliner chassis, powered by a Cummins turbo diesel engine and equipped with air suspension and brakes, I was sure I'd have my work cut out for me. But its length and width on the road is very manageable. Fleetwood uses oversize mirrors, large glass and a rear-facing camera which all combine to provide superior outside visibility. Fleetwood had silenced the inside while on the road - RV’s are infamous for rattles and squeaks and shimmies and shakes while moving. Not the Bounder. This RV’s interior road noise monster is dead - and its bones are dry.

I drove the Bounder over Interstate roads, but also in heavy traffic in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Yes, it's big. But, it doesn't feel big. And if 39-feet is too long to suit your tastes or needs, it does come in shorter lengths. With the power of the turbo diesel, you won't be lacking for power to pass, nor will you be among those annoying "slow motorhomes" on the road. The Bounder is very capable, comfortable and quiet at highway speeds.

The tightest spot for us to get into (other than squeezing through the toll plaza at the Oakland Bay Bridge) was at Newport Dunes RV Resort in Newport Beach, California.

Newport Dunes has recently undergone a major renovation, but some of its hookup spots were intended for much smaller motorhomes than our Bounder - including the waterfront site that I needed to back into. After quickly assessing some backing angles - and with the help of a small army of cheerful Bounder-owner campsite neighbors - I slid the big Bounder into our spot with ease - on the first try.

Every motorhome has a variety of missions, but the most fun is arriving at a destination like Newport Dunes and preparing the Bounder for an extended stay. Hooking up the coach to the resort's water, power, wastewater and television services took all of twenty minutes. And that included extending the awning and setting up the grill.

Having evaluated literally hundreds of cars and trucks, the first thing that I grab is the owner’s manual to acquaint myself with the equipment. The Bounder gives its owners a small suitcase containing every manual for every system on board. That came in handy somewhere late one night at a truck stop in Utah, where I couldn't figure out how to reset the water heater. This was a major crisis, as there were two teenage girls and my wife on board, and the girls were dramatically in need of hot water. As you can imagine, I was under some serious pressure to make that water hot, and fast.

Since there are a lot of systems on the Bounder, and I was immediately indebted to Fleetwood RV for assembling such detailed documentation and manuals for everything - including resetting the water heater.

There are lots of nice touches we discovered in the Bounder. Some of them I wish would be discovered by the automakers in Detroit, too. But don't expect to find a kitchen sink in a new Suburban anytime soon.

It's easy to see why motorhome sales are climbing and that younger families are growing among the motorhome owners. Fleetwood even makes a Bounder model that has a convertible rear bedroom that features a "murphy bed" for quick stowage and conversion into a productive computer workstation. Another model has a rear “garage” to stow all your toys. It's ideas like that, in this and other Bounder models that have kept the Bounder at the forefront of sales among all motorhome models.

I can now say that I'd never again take a road trip like that in anything except a motorhome - and a Bounder if I get my hands on one again.

HIGHS: A $900-a-night hotel suite on wheels, with a better view. Cavernous storage underneath. More stuff in the coach than in my house.

LOWS: Seating could be more friendly for the over-the-highway driving - forward facing seats in a row behind the driver & front passenger would revolutionize this industry.

VEHICLE PRICING: $123,400 as tested, not including destination and government fees. Prices and equipment vary, see dealer for details.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Fleetwood RV at 1-800-444-4905 or visit www.fleetwoodrv.com