Winnebago Revel rear seat belt question
- Thread starter Johnbonn
- Start date
brianjwilson
Some sort of lost...
The sprinter 4x4 works a lot better than you’d think, with the help of the traction control.
Honestly the best part is being able to comfortably cruise in 4x4/awd at highway speeds when it’s rainy or patches of snow etc. This is something you can’t do with a 4x4 econoline because the drivetrain will bind and the driveline vibrations will tear things apart over 45mph. The sprinter tracks so much better through standing water and stuff with the use of AWD.
Still with 3 grandkids I’d be looking at a bigger rig if you intend to take them with you much.
On a side note there are a lot of car seats/boosters in the 16-18” width. They are all tested differently though so make sure you have something certified with a lap belt only, using the car seat’s harness if that’s something you’re considering. They’re are going to have different ratings and stuff it seems. Then they’ll outgrow them in a year or two anyway haha. Good luck. I’d push for shoulder belts too for what it’s worth. Search for Mali Mish and see how they use their 170” wb sprinter with their 3 kids using a stock 3 person bench.
Honestly the best part is being able to comfortably cruise in 4x4/awd at highway speeds when it’s rainy or patches of snow etc. This is something you can’t do with a 4x4 econoline because the drivetrain will bind and the driveline vibrations will tear things apart over 45mph. The sprinter tracks so much better through standing water and stuff with the use of AWD.
Still with 3 grandkids I’d be looking at a bigger rig if you intend to take them with you much.
On a side note there are a lot of car seats/boosters in the 16-18” width. They are all tested differently though so make sure you have something certified with a lap belt only, using the car seat’s harness if that’s something you’re considering. They’re are going to have different ratings and stuff it seems. Then they’ll outgrow them in a year or two anyway haha. Good luck. I’d push for shoulder belts too for what it’s worth. Search for Mali Mish and see how they use their 170” wb sprinter with their 3 kids using a stock 3 person bench.
Thank you for your thoughts and I will check out Mali Mish. We plan on taking the grandchildren on adventures one at a time but would like shoulder belts in that rear seat in both positions if possible. The Revel sleeps three comfortably is what we understand. The RV place mentioned a local shop that they have worked with that specialize in outfitting vehicles for people with special needs so checking them out today to see what they can do.
Herbie
Rendezvous Conspirator
I'd check out a Revel in person with this specific question in mind before you commit.
We're a family of three and were initially excited by the Revel, but we found the implementation of the third berth to be lacking.
Basically the third person sleeps East/West from the dinette across to a flip down extension that comes off the cabinet by the side door. The net effect is that nobody can use the side door while that bed is deployed. As the early riser in the group, this was a bummer of a Revel-ation, since it means either I'm trapped until kiddo is awake and I can store the bunk, or that I'm relegated to the third bunk and the kiddo sleeps with my wife.
Given that "family of three" is our normal operating mode and not the occasional condition, I'm constantly shocked and surprised at how few van layouts support even 1 more person, given the overall large size these days.
(For comparison, our tiny Astro with a modified Westy-style layout sleeps 3 or 4 with unobstructed access to the doors, room for a stowable porta potty, and some rudimentary cooking facilities)
I agree or just shoulder belts in a forward facing seat if there can be an add to the two. We don’t plan on going with the front bed and plan on if we get one to add two benches under the rear bed so when raised it would be our dining area in inclement weather by adding a table in between. The bench would then act as a bed for the third traveler. We also would like to keep the front open. And the benches would be great additional storage.
Talking with the dealer, Winnebago and some aftermarket outfitters (in this area anyway) none had any solutions it was can’t do, no and not interested. So until we come up with a solution we are looking at other options/compromises. The Revel checks most of our boxes so it is unfortunate Winnebago didn’t step up as Mercedes has by making a safer product each new model.
Talking with the dealer, Winnebago and some aftermarket outfitters (in this area anyway) none had any solutions it was can’t do, no and not interested. So until we come up with a solution we are looking at other options/compromises. The Revel checks most of our boxes so it is unfortunate Winnebago didn’t step up as Mercedes has by making a safer product each new model.
If you can afford it buy the right van and have it converted to 4x4. Some of the Roadtrek's have a recall on the sofa and the company went bankrupt so watch out for that. The new Roadtrek company is providing some goodwill to the past company's sales but they aren't prepared to own all of the predecessor mistakes. I know the Popular 190 can be converted to 4x4, the tanks are all on the outsides of the frame rails...but obviously you need the conversion company to confirm this before buying one. 
Kmrtnsn
Explorer
Promaster? Run, ran as fast as you can in the opposite direction. FWD Fiat/Dodge Caravan mash-up junk.
I reached out to a few builders and like you say there are seats with shoulder belts that can be part of a build. What I am finding though is that to get what the Revel offers the figure comes out to be more then what the 2020 Revel is selling for considerably more. Sure it is probably to a higher standard but....more then what we want to spend. The other solution is the pickup flatbed with a FWC or slide in but we want the convenience of pulling in and turning around in your seat and you are ready to enjoy. So not sure if we buy and then take it to someone so they can see first hand what they can provide for a solution or just pass. I would think there is some RV shop out there that can come up with a solution?
Herbie
Rendezvous Conspirator
I think even Winnebago realized that half-ass fold-out bunk design for the 3rd sleeper was weak-sauce - they now advertise the Revel as "Sleeps 2" and do not include the extension platform that was supposed to create the little single bed off the dinette.
If you're willing to sacrifice some of the copious "garage" space in the Revel design and sleep in "bunk" format, this third-party option enables a better two-bed solution: https://canyonadventurevans.com/sho...ge-system-made-for-the-revel-the-gls-grg-lng1
If it were me, I'd sacrifice the "lounge" (since you already have a seating area at the front), and build storage and sleeping platform a little lower than normal "seating" height - this would give a little more headroom for both bunks.
EDIT: Also, note that the 4th seating position on the rear sat is lap-belt only. This would maybe work as long as you have a carseat in play, but decide for yourself if you'd prefer shoulder belts for all passengers once the kids get bigger.
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