Travel Notes 02 │ What is it like to drive such a large RV │ Sichuan

I got on the expressway at 3 pm on National Day and got off the expressway at 5 pm on the 4th. I lamented that the motherland has a vast territory and it took me so long to reach Sichuan, the land of abundance. These days we live and eat in the car, and the advantages and disadvantages of RVs are clearly demonstrated. The advantages are obvious, such as having your own bathroom and a kitchen for cooking. What about the disadvantages? The car dealer is definitely not willing to say more.

1 His forehead was cut off and he was stuck on a stone pier.

The data given by the manufacturer for my car is that it is 2.495 meters wide, 3.2 meters high, and 5.99 meters long.

Why is the length of a car not an integer? Just like the displacement is often 2.998 T. It is just barely within the limit. So for us ordinary people, C1/C2 licenses can be issued, blue license plates are displayed, and free expressways are available during National Day and other holidays "What license do you need to drive this car?" is the first question most people have! But the driver has nothing to worry about, as he can park in any normal parking space for a small car, including the roadside parking space.

But the key is that the car is 3 meters high, so don’t even think about the basement. We traveled in Guizhou for 42 days and only encountered the height limit issue once. But there is a detour next to it, so it doesn't affect it at all. There are restrictions on viaducts in some cities, but there is no need to worry. After all, the stock is small, and there are not many opportunities for RVs to drive in the city center.

However, height restrictions are a fatal problem. If you are not careful, you will ruin your car and delay your trip. Therefore, except for highways, you should always Pay attention to the signs, the overhanging trees, etc. .

Let’s talk about the width of the car, which is close to 2.5 meters. I have measured it on site and found that the box length is 2.3 meters. If you include the rearview mirror, add 0.15×2, which is 2.6 meters. It’s unclear what the manufacturer’s 2.495 width measurement is based on, because the rearview mirror is completely submerged in the cabin after folding. But no matter what, we were stopped in places where trucks and trucks were restricted from passing, and small cars were allowed to pass. On our way from Guizhou Xijiang Miao Village to Langde Shangzhai , Just encountered it once. It takes 5 centimeters on each side to pass. If we really can't pass, we will have to take a long detour. The detour is small, but it will be troublesome if you get stuck. If you can get in, you may not be able to get out.

However, with strong infrastructure, we have fewer and fewer worries in this regard.

PS: Even if the car height and width are set on the Gaode map.app, it may not be able to drive around the ground.

Of course, the problem of car width is also reflected in the available space when meeting cars. This summer vacation in Guizhou, I had just picked up the car, so when I was unsure, I would park my car first and let the other person pass first.

When entering and exiting the parking lot, I also encountered it once. On a small uphill slope, there were cars parked on both sides of the slope. Basically you only have one chance, and then I lose money and end it.

Because of the width of the car, some places are inaccessible. There are many solutions for the last 5 kilometers, such as bringing a motorcycle, folding bike or unicycle.

2 The car is heavy, starts slowly, and brakes softly

RVs are divided into two parts, one is the chassis, such as Iveco and Maxus (a common chassis for C-type RVs), and the other is the upper body, such as River, Yate, Karen Benway/Yutong. The whole vehicle weighs more than 4 tons, and these chassis are modified from light trucks and light passenger vehicles. The better ones are chassis specially designed for RVs, but they are all heavy-duty vehicles. Therefore, the characteristics of the truck have been inherited.

Compared with our ordinary cars, the car is heavier and the steering wheel is also heavier. Driving at high speed all day will make your hands sore.

The vehicle is heavy and has great inertia. Now I finally understand why the truck cannot brake.

So, you have to brake early and don't drive too fast. They all said that when we drive an RV, we just enjoy a slow life. Why are we driving so fast? Anddriving faster consumes fuel.

The second question many people ask me is, what is the fuel consumption of this car? According to calculations on the Little Bear Fuel Consumption.app, 11 is more when driving on the highway (cruising between 80 and 90). For non-expressways, such as those on mountain roads in Guizhou, it costs more than 15.

Are there any questions that I haven’t answered yet? Please leave a message in the comments 👇.

In addition, the speed is also slow, so there are few opportunities to overtake. Drive slowly, don't rush.

3 Noisy

Ordinary private cars are well soundproofed. In addition, diesel vehicles are inherently loudand vibrate badly. If it is a flat-top RV converted from a light truck, the sound will be even louder because the engine is placed under the seat. I can't imagine the driving experience. There is heat under my butt, like sitting in the mouth of a volcano, not knowing when it will erupt.

However, I don’t think RV should talk about experience, because he doesn’t have any.

River's car is equipped with a "JBL surround sound system." It sounded like it was branded, but with the wind and the ground, it was hard for me to hear what my wife in the passenger seat said. "What did you say? Louder!"

4. The center of gravity is high and driving on mountain roads is slower.

On the curves of the winding mountain, there is a feeling of "walking too fast, my soul can't keep up". After passing the front of the car, I always felt that the carriage was still working hard .

Diesel cars still have advantages, such as high torque. So there is no pressure when going up a steep slope. Although the car is heavy, the rider is strong. Although the rider cannot run fast, the rider is powerful.

Some cars now have a low center of gravity design. It is not clear whether the driving experience will be better or whether it will affect the passability. But it also shows that the high center of gravity is a problem. Once solved, it can also be the highlight and selling point of the product.

5 Qingke design, you can’t ask for too much

For example, there are no sensor headlights. I am still cultivating the habit of "turning on the lights when entering the tunnel and turning off the lights when exiting the tunnel".

Another example is the speaker sound is too low, the central control screen is too small, and the fuel level indicator is inaccurate.

The sound of the speaker was so low that it sounded like a fart. You may have to put several of them before others can hear them.

I encountered the problem of inaccurate fuel level pointer last time. I calculated that it would be enough to leave the highway and refuel. The results suddenly dropped to nothing! There is not even a small box left. There are still more than ten kilometers to go, so we can only try our luck. We can't stop on the highway casually, because it is traditionally believed that we can still run dozens of kilometers after bottoming out. As a result, I got out of the highway and my health actually returned~~

Also is easier to break than expected . For example, the air conditioner suddenly stopped cooling. I spent 3 days in Guizhou waiting for parts to be sent from the manufacturer. The reason was that the tension cover was broken, causing the belt connecting the engine to break by one quarter, and then the air conditioner stopped working. I'm just wondering, do ordinary private cars have broken air conditioners? This is only 10,000 kilometers. The temperature sensor was also broken, but fortunately it was within the warranty period.

Okay, after complaining for a long time, the RV solves the absolute rigid needs, so the above problems are considered minor problems.

An RV is a home, a mobile home. Just like the point of a smartphone is not to make calls.

RV, enjoy the time when you are not driving an RV. If you agree, you can give it a like

For example, eating home-cooked meals in the service area.