Cooking

A microwave is not fitted as standard, but Winnebago have very thoughtfully built in a power point and reinforced a shelf so that it can be retrofitted at any time - earns big Brownie points in our book! The same Electrolux Spinflo 4 burner stove with built in griller is fitted to both versions. It is not auto lighting, but has an easy to clean stainless steel top. You can control the flame right down to the lowest of simmers. No cover is provided, but it is only a two minute job to fit one - around $100.00. The stove works well, but the griller takes quite a while on toast. There is a slight fire hazard if you forget to move the bed curtains out of the way on the three berth. We would like to see an open mesh to stop this happening. There isn't really any extra bench space on the 1753, but nevertheless it works quite OK. The 1754 has an abundance of bench space but you lose out on lounge length.

Ventilation and Windows

Ventilation in the bathroom is via a smoked 14" Jensen vent. This works very well and gives the bathroom a nice open air feel. The galley area has a 14" Fiamma opaque top vent. This ventilates in the closed position to comply with the gas regulations. Works well and doesn't rattle in the wind like all Jensens do. You could if you wish specify a Fantastic Fan at extra cost retrofitted by your dealer. This closes automatically as soon as it rains. Great if you leave pets inside whilst you are absent. It has a 12" built in fan which is reversible and passes 285 cubic feet a minute. In our view this is healthier than air-conditioning. The windows are the best in the business Hehr (pronounced hair). All except the rear escape hatch are multi blade louvre type. These are absolutely marvelous as they can be left ajar in just about all weather. The security problems with louvres has been well and truly solved - you can't pull the glass out. Nevertheless it is not a good idea to leave them open when the motorhome is unattended as it is very easy to put an arm inside the motorhome due to slackness in the winding mechanism. All windows except the escape hatch have very neat removable fly screens. It is possible to clean both sides of all windows without removing a screen. See why we love these windows!

Door and Security

There is no central locking or engine immobiliser, so at the very minimum you will need to buy a steering wheel lock. The motorhome door is a Camec Triplelock security type - Australux and it retails around $900.00. We love this door, particularly when we camp with $300,000.00 Swagman owners nearby who have had to pay $1000.00 to modify their doors, and they still look dreadful! Its main advantage is you can sleep fairly safely with just the screen door locked on hot sweltery nights. It does have a plastic window insert, but this doesn't decrease the effectiveness of the security. Again, it is not a good move to just use just the gauze security door when the motorhome is unattended, as there are minor design faults with these doors which we wont alert the thieves to here!

Bathroom

The smallest room in the house takes on a whole new meaning in this motorhome - only 26 1/4" X 30 1/2"! If you lean forward sitting on the toilet you bang your head! Sharing a shower is definitely out, and if you happen to drop the soap you have had it! As you have no doubt gathered, the shower and toilet share the same space, however there is no vanity or shelves etc. One really nice touch is the large mirror fitted to the outside of the bathroom door - a better method than that supplied with the much dearer Leisure Seekers. We couldn't tell if this is safety glass or not - it is close to the driver in an accident situation though.

Kitchen

OK it is small, and there is zero bench space on the 1753 at least, but an organised cook can make it work quite well. Many of the recipes for instance in the A-Cook section on our sister site were actually made and photographed in the Freeway. We like the airiness in the kitchen and the window placement. There is an externally vented Jensen range hood. A trifle noisy but at least it is taking the cooking smells outside.

The Roof

There are no joins or seams in the roof which is a huge design plus. Winnebago use a continuos rubber sheet made by Dicor in the States (EPDM). Nothing in life is perfect and it does oxidise and this causes black marks on the sides of the van. If you add anything you also need to use Buttyl based sealants which have not got the same long life as say Sikaflex. Winnebago sell the recommended Dicor self leveling sealant for around $21.00. It should be noted that rubber roofs are totally allergic to citrus based cleaners and anything mineral oil based. Lots of info on this on the very comprehensive Dicor site in the States.

Waterworks

The plastic water tanks are the best in the business in that there is zero plastic taste - the plague of most caravanners! Water is stored in an easy access tank - 84 litres capacity. The Shurflo pump switches on as soon as you turn on a tap. It senses the pressure drop and switches on. It is a diaphragm type, so it is self priming and wont self destruct if run dry. The switch for it is conveniently located on top of the range hood. The pilot light in the switch is really handy at night, as it gives a very faint light which is terrific for lighting up the ladder, but not bright enough to disturb ones sleeping partner. The kitchen has hot and cold water at the sink via a mixer spout. All fittings are the push to connect type and all are colour coded for hot and cold.

Setting Up For Sleep Mode

Lots of amazing options here! With the 3 berth you can use the cab over as a double as it is 44" deep. Using fitted sheets is just not on. We use normal flat sheet doubles. The dinette bed can be used as a Queen size or as two singles as they are 72" long and 25" wide. Not perfection, but still very useable for those needing singles. To access the Queen size bed just remove the table and pull out an extending slat base located in a locker on the back wall. A very effective system, but no advice is given on what to do with the 31 1/2" square table top. This is not a problem with the 4 berth as it is what you lie on and is a different type of table. The photos clearly show the differences. Oddly Winnebago make no suggestions in the manual. There is 24 1/2" clearance above the cabover bed. Not a lot, but it works OK and you can easily read in bed if you so wish. Access to the cab over bed is via a very well made ladder which is stored in a very neat bracket adjacent to the door. Handy for drying towels as you drive along! Also makes a wonderful hat rack!

Television

There is no provision at all for fitting a TV or aerial in the 1753, and so far as we are aware no option is offered. The 1754 fares lot better. There is a bench next to the sink just made for a tele and it is relatively simple to fit a Winegard windup aerial with concealed wiring. It is possible to see the screen reasonably well from either the bed or the dinette. You do need to buy a swivel base mount from someone such as Camec or Caravan Accessories. There is of course another option as soon as it gets cheaper and that is the flat LCD screens that fold up into the roof. These are currently $2000.00 plus, but when they come down there will be a revolution in TV in RV's as one even has a slim DVD included PLUS you can plug into your laptop for a superb picture.

Dust Proofing

Dust proofing of the external locker is very good and nothing enters. The door vent is a newer Australite venturi type. The idea is that it fulfills the compulsory ventilation function required by the Gas Regulations and because of the clever venturi function is about 95% dust proof. We do have trouble with dust entering via the rear escape hatch window. There are small slots along the bottom to allow the escape of condensation (important). It would be nice if Winnebago could fit small sliders to use whilst on dirt roads. In the meantime "blue tack" does the trick!

Condensation

The popular RV mags seem to ignore this hairy subject sort of hoping it will go away! This was a huge ongoing problem in our previous RV, which due to the materials used in manufacture used to cause water droplets to fall on us in bed - not at all pleasant. Anyway, we are pleased to report that the Freeway is almost total perfection in this area. It is almost through its first winter and we have camped in some darn cold places! We do sleep with the top vents open. We feel that the main reason for such good performance is the extra Jensen vents we had installed directly over the bed. There is absolutely zero moisture under the mattress. You do of course get a slight frost inside windows without an awning. In summing up - fantastic!

The Vehicle

The Mazda E2500 is well suited to this motorhome as long as you are not in a tearing hurry. It will happily cruse along all day around the 85/90 range with the temperature gauge as steady as a rock, even on long climbs in second at 4,000 RPM. You will need to play with the gear stick in hilly country, but you will not need to crawl up many hills in second gear. Fuel consumption is the same as towing a small van with a 2 litre SUV. With careful driving we have achieved 12 litres/100 and average 12.5 litres/100. A motorhome is classed as "heavy duty" use so best to change the oil every 5,000 kms - oil is cheap, engines aren't! Major services are at 10,000 kms intervals. In Brisbane the cost of the 10,000 kms service was just under $200.00 and took two hours. We were quite impressed with Mazda service - our only gribble being they didn't check the water in the fuel filter. We strongly urge all motorhomers to ask for this at all services if you fill up in remote country towns, as you are at risk of picking up water in the diesel. It is a good move to get your service person to show you how to do this yourself as the days of the "glass bowl" type are long gone.

Noise wise it is excellent and it is very easy to have a conversation at normal levels. There is almost zero shaking when idling - just the slightest vibration. Power steering is standard and works very well. Access to the motor under the front seats is fair. The clutch is surprisingly light for a truck and the gear shift fairly positive with no "dead ends". This makes it easier for the little lady to drive - a very important point. Brakes are disc and drums and so far have always worked OK. Engine braking on the diesel is really good and you can crawl done anything in first. There are no airbags, no power windows and ABS is not an option. Lights are adequate and the rig is highly visible at night. We had minor problems with reflections in the mirrors at night. This has been fixed in the new cab upgrade. Seats are reasonably comfortable, but you are driving in a bus like position. Resting every couple of hours works a treat! The cab air-conditioning is really excellent and lowers the temperature in the motorhome as you drive along reducing the load on the fridge in summer.