New 2015 16' Sport, towed by Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
We picked up our new, 2015 16' Sport Saturday from the dealership (Lazydays) in Tucson. The folks at Lazydays very good to deal with. Our Airstream was one that they were ordering for their inventory, that we put a deposit on about a month before it arrived, so it is in standard configuration with no additional options.
After bringing it home, and putting most of our camping gear in it, we immediately took it on an overnight trip to Parker Canyon Lake. We wanted to get familiar with it as quickly as possible and to figure out what is and isn't needed.
I want to elaborate on a few of the things about our Airstream that I have seen people asking questions about on this forum:
-It does not have a DC to AC power inverter, so there is no way to power the television or run things off of any of the AC outlets without being hooked up to shore power.
-All of the interior lights are incadescent. I searched for "1156 LED Bulbs" on Amazon and purchased 20 for about $35.
-The overall build quality looks great. We have tested every feature and have found no issues.
We had the dealer install an Andersen WD hitch and a MaxAir vent cover at the time of purchase. I am a hobby machinist, with a few years experience running a lathe and mill. I am very impressed with the quality of the Andersen hitch components, and with its performance so far. We dealt with some 18mph wind gusts on the interstate while bringing it home, without any ill affect on our drive.
To the tow Vehicle:
I'M NOT INTERESTED IN YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT MY TOW VEHICLE. I AM ONLY REPORTING MY EXPERIENCES WITH IT FOR OTHER JEEP OWNERS' BENEFIT.
My 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 door) has the 3.6l Pentestar engine. It has the max tow package, and comes from the factory standard with a transmission cooler. I installed a proportional brake controller and 7 pin harness on the Jeep.
I traveled at 65mph on the interstate and highway coming home, resulting in 13mpg. The Airstream's water tank was 90% full. I suspect bringing it down to 55-60 will improve efficiency. Traveling from my home to the lake was all on secondary roads, with average speeds of 40-45mph, and my average efficiency rose to 14mpg.
Prior to this, the only things I have towed with my Jeep are a popup camper and a flatbed trailer with a small John Deer tractor on it. Those were not an issue. Obviously, the Airstream creates more drag and the jeep had to work at higher RPMs than I am used to on hills. However, everything seemed within reasonable limits.
Before taking it to the lot where we are storing it, I switched the height of the ball on the Andersen hitch to the correct setting for my wife's 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. It has the 3.2l Pentestar with Max Tow package. It has a 9 speed transmission and comes standard with a transmission cooler. The 10 miles to the storage lot were a bit smoother, in regards to the transmission shifting, than in my Wrangler. However, it seemed like the ride was a bit rougher than in my Wrangler, with minor bumps in the road being transferred to the vehicle more noticeably. I intend to hook the Cherokee up this weekend to take it out on the Highway; hopefully I'll be able to make a better conclusion about which is the better vehicle to tow with.
We picked up our new, 2015 16' Sport Saturday from the dealership (Lazydays) in Tucson. The folks at Lazydays very good to deal with. Our Airstream was one that they were ordering for their inventory, that we put a deposit on about a month before it arrived, so it is in standard configuration with no additional options.
After bringing it home, and putting most of our camping gear in it, we immediately took it on an overnight trip to Parker Canyon Lake. We wanted to get familiar with it as quickly as possible and to figure out what is and isn't needed.
I want to elaborate on a few of the things about our Airstream that I have seen people asking questions about on this forum:
-It does not have a DC to AC power inverter, so there is no way to power the television or run things off of any of the AC outlets without being hooked up to shore power.
-All of the interior lights are incadescent. I searched for "1156 LED Bulbs" on Amazon and purchased 20 for about $35.
-The overall build quality looks great. We have tested every feature and have found no issues.
We had the dealer install an Andersen WD hitch and a MaxAir vent cover at the time of purchase. I am a hobby machinist, with a few years experience running a lathe and mill. I am very impressed with the quality of the Andersen hitch components, and with its performance so far. We dealt with some 18mph wind gusts on the interstate while bringing it home, without any ill affect on our drive.
To the tow Vehicle:
I'M NOT INTERESTED IN YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT MY TOW VEHICLE. I AM ONLY REPORTING MY EXPERIENCES WITH IT FOR OTHER JEEP OWNERS' BENEFIT.
My 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 door) has the 3.6l Pentestar engine. It has the max tow package, and comes from the factory standard with a transmission cooler. I installed a proportional brake controller and 7 pin harness on the Jeep.
I traveled at 65mph on the interstate and highway coming home, resulting in 13mpg. The Airstream's water tank was 90% full. I suspect bringing it down to 55-60 will improve efficiency. Traveling from my home to the lake was all on secondary roads, with average speeds of 40-45mph, and my average efficiency rose to 14mpg.
Prior to this, the only things I have towed with my Jeep are a popup camper and a flatbed trailer with a small John Deer tractor on it. Those were not an issue. Obviously, the Airstream creates more drag and the jeep had to work at higher RPMs than I am used to on hills. However, everything seemed within reasonable limits.
Before taking it to the lot where we are storing it, I switched the height of the ball on the Andersen hitch to the correct setting for my wife's 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. It has the 3.2l Pentestar with Max Tow package. It has a 9 speed transmission and comes standard with a transmission cooler. The 10 miles to the storage lot were a bit smoother, in regards to the transmission shifting, than in my Wrangler. However, it seemed like the ride was a bit rougher than in my Wrangler, with minor bumps in the road being transferred to the vehicle more noticeably. I intend to hook the Cherokee up this weekend to take it out on the Highway; hopefully I'll be able to make a better conclusion about which is the better vehicle to tow with.
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