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The dream of some RV owners is to freely travel US highways, Route 66 style. Others are better described as “homebodies” who are more likely to park their vehicle in one place for most of the year.
The 2016 Forest River Berkshire XLT 32A is a good traveler, but may appeal even more to the stay-at-homes. They will appreciate it once they stand up.
That’s due to the seven foot high ceilings.
Not a big deal with a normal home, but here occupants that measure less than the tallest professional basketball players can stand under the soft-touch vinyl padded ceilings.
The luxury (and luxury priced) XLT has clearly been designed as a luxury product.
And there’s also a long list here of “residential” touches for occupant’s comfort.
Just to cite a few examples:
—Four side outs for living space. An outdoor entertainment center.
–Leather seating.
—The kitchen has large 23 cub. ft. refrigerator, overhead microwave, and a double basin sink.
—The living area has large Hide-A-Bed sofa and 49” LED TV.
— The rear bedroom has a 32” LED TV mounted above a chest of drawers.
—A Hi-Fi sound bar with Bluetooth.
—A 72″ x 80″ Serta king bed with bedspread and decorative pillows
—A towel bar, toilet paper holder and towel ring
—A Carbon monoxide detector. Smoke alarm and surface mounted fire extinguisher.
—Native hardwood cherry cabinetry and raised-panel doors with home-style moldings throughout the interior.
—An electric fireplace.
Other notable comfort touches are common. Such as a 30-inch wide, well-lit entryway on the coach’s steps, and an optional electric underfloor heating system.
For those who don’t want to just park it but move on, the XLT offers “excellent” marks for ride comfort by various evaluators.
Some evaluators suggest those who want to move around a lot might add the optional Freightliner UltraSteer feature, which they say improves handling.
The almost 43-foot-long XLT has a six-speed transmission and a lowered rear frame allowing for flat floors throughout the coach.
Options include a 150-gallon fuel tank with lockable fuel-fill compartments. The driving range with a full tank of gas is said to be more than 1,000 miles with fuel tank.
Forest River was founded by Pete Liegl in 1996 in Elkhart, Indiana. A more familiar name came up when investor Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway bought it in 2005 (hence the Berkshire name).
Forest River seemingly has an RV for every use. They range from huge Class A and Class C motorhomes to travel trailers and expandable tent campers.
By all accounts, famous investor Buffet let owner Liegl run the company his own way. The result was growth to several manufacturing facilities in the Midwest and West Coast, into more than $4 billion in sales.
The 43A is among their more recent products.
At this writing, one offered a retail price at $364,677 but the selling price was $236,963.
It all may make you conclude: Smart man, that Warren Buffet.
By David Wilkening
