In the “2018 AIC China International RV Exhibition” held in Beijing on June 22, there were more than ten newly released cars. However, among these RVs, the only RV with a new chassis is the Dodge Ram Promaster 2500 RV on the Shunlv RV booth.
At every RV exhibition, there are chassis RVs of Chase, Iveco, and Ford. Although there are also chassis RVs such as Dongfeng Yufeng, Great Wall Fengjun, Isuzu D-MAX, Jiangling Coaster, and Mercedes-Benz Unimog. Compared with the chassis of the three mainstream brands, it is not an order of magnitude at all. It can be seen from this that RV refit companies are generally cautious in exploring RV chassis, far less drastic than the model layout.
Because of this question, I am even more curious about the new chassis RV that appeared in this exhibition. This Dodge Ram Promaster 2500 RV adopts the Dodge Ram chassis, which has always been favored by RV refitting factories abroad, and it is the first time that this chassis has been used in China. The gimmick of the Ram chassis is naturally eye-catching at the scene. Out of curiosity about the new car, the author also stepped forward to learn about it.
New chassis, old layout
The appearance of the Dodge Ram Promaster 2500 RV is basically the same as the prototype Dodge RAM Promaster 2500, with a strong sense of muscle. The front cross-shaped air intake grille and the LOGO of the sheep’s head have strong family characteristics. The body size is 5999mm x2090mm x2865mm, and the length does not exceed 6000mm, which can be regarded as the performance of Chinese characteristics on this RV. The wheelbase of the RV has reached 4039mm, which not only ensures the internal space of the RV, but also improves the stability of the driving process.
The design of the side door and the rear door allows the RV to carry large toys such as light motorcycles when traveling. In terms of external configuration, sunshades, overhead air conditioners, water and electricity connections, and solar panels are all available. There are also climbing ladders, bicycle racks and tow hooks installed at the rear of the RV. When carrying bicycles, you can also choose to tow another trailer-type RV or small yacht. There are also 360-degree panoramic driving recorders installed around the RV to record every bit of the RV travel at any time.
The pragmatism-based cockpit is consistent with the original model. Facilities such as cruise control, main and co-pilot airbags, and a color LCD screen with GPS control system provide convenience for better driving and driving safety. In terms of power, the car is equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 gasoline engine, matched with a 6-speed automatic manual transmission, with a maximum power of 210kW, a peak torque of 352 N m, a maximum speed of 180km/h, and meets the National V emission standards.
The interior of the car does not surprise people too much. The reception area, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom are arranged in order from the middle of the car to the rear.
The reception area is limited by the space of the B-type car. It adopts the mode of single-row seats and cockpit seat flipping. The multi-functional double-layer rotating table in the middle can increase part of the usable area. The seats can be combined into a single table at night. human bed. The control and observation panel is designed inside the seat, where you can control the refrigerator, water pump, inverter, etc., and at the same time observe the battery power and the water levels of the clean water tank and sewage tank. The kitchen and bathroom are quite satisfactory. The bedroom area at the rear adopts a folding design. The bed board can be folded during the day, large luggage can be placed after opening the rear hatch, and it can be turned into a double bed at night.
Non-truck, non-light passenger
Shun Lu Dodge Ram Promaster 2500 RV, except for the Dodge Ram chassis, does not seem to have much new ideas. More is to move the original design to this chassis. The rear bedroom is exactly the same as the Shunlv S800 model, and the front living room, bathroom, and kitchen are also similar. This situation is not only due to the inertia of the refitting factory, but also another reason is how to ensure the stability of the new chassis RV? The RV layout that has been tested by users is undoubtedly the most reliable, at least making the new model stable and reliable in terms of layout.
The reason why the RV refitting factory is so cautious is that the RV is the product of the combination of “house” and “car”, and the two have a lot of conflicts while communicating with each other. While the “car” requires the “house” to be stable in structure and light in weight, the “house” also requires the “car” to perform well in load-bearing, anti-turbulence, energy absorption, power and many other aspects. So whenever there is a new chassis, the RV refitting factory is always cautious.
At present, the RV chassis in the market can be roughly divided into two types: truck chassis and light passenger chassis. A good truck or minibus is not necessarily a good RV. Trucks generally have higher requirements on load-bearing performance and fuel economy, but do not care much about comfort and anti-turbulence. Load-bearing is very important for RVs, but comfort and bump resistance are also extremely important for travel. Needless to say, the performance of light passenger cars in terms of comfort is slightly worse in terms of load-bearing capacity, and now the weight of domestically produced RVs is generally heavy, which is a challenge for light passenger cars.
As a product that is not a truck or a light passenger, the RV is obviously not suitable for these two types of chassis. In the early stage of the RV market in the past few years, when Chinese people did not know enough about RVs, various chassis appeared one after another and then gradually disappeared or became niche products. In the end, the chassis of the three brands of Chase, Iveco, and Ford still occupy the vast majority of the market.
Upstream and downstream cooperation
Although Dodge Ram is highly recognized in foreign markets, the domestic RV and RV markets are slightly different. It is still not so easy for Dodge Ram to enter it as a chassis manufacturer. Not only do we have to face the pressure of competitors, but we also have to face the ever-changing domestic market requirements.
It is obviously not enough for the entry of any new chassis to rely solely on the unilateral efforts of the main engine factory or the RV refitting factory, and it needs the cooperation of upstream and downstream to complete. OEMs need to make corresponding changes and adjustments in a timely manner in order to adapt to the RV market, while RV refitting companies need to find out the deficiencies of the chassis during refitting and give timely feedback to the OEMs. This kind of continuous communication and change can make the ordinary chassis evolve into a RV chassis.
epilogue
The topic comes back to the Dodge Ram Promaster2500 RV. Dodge Ram has left a deep impression on the Chinese people by relying on commercial vehicles and pickup trucks in China over the years. To get a share of the three major chassis of Chase, Iveco, and Ford needs more efforts, and more importantly, it needs to really pay attention to the Chinese RV market.
