Caravancampingsales Staff•16 Mar 2006

REVIEW

Winnebago Freewind

New layouts and base vehicle choices for 2005 broaden Freewind's appeal.

Winnebago’s B class Freewind range of motorhomes, introduced several years ago, has been a popular component of the Winnebago line-up.

If it had any disadvantage, the Freewind was available in only a couple of layouts and with either a Ford Transit or Mercedes Benz Sprinter chassis.

That has changed this year, with both some additional layouts and the inclusion of the Iveco cab chassis to the powerplant list. The most interesting of the latest designs is a 23 footer with slideout and that is what we took out for a test drive.

With the Freewind 2313SL, there is a choice of cab chassis, either a 413 or 416 Benz Sprinter (not much difference apart from the load carrying capacity) or, from across the Italian border, an Iveco 50c15.

Our Freewind came with an Iveco cab chassis, which sported a 2.8 litre motor coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox. The Iveco is a light commercial vehicle and not a car, but it is not difficult to drive at all. The turbodiesel motor performs willingly and the six-speed synchro gearbox is slick and easy to use.

All-round disc brakes do their job efficiently as well. CW does like the large split (flat/convex) mirrors that give excellent rearward visibility, also the multi adjustable Isri driver and passenger seats.

About the only slight disadvantage from a motorhome point of view is the gearshift: located on the left-hand side of the driver’s seat, it is convenient for driving but tends to get in the way when moving to and from the rear. Apart from some good sized pockets in either door, there is not too much Iveco-supplied storage in the cab area.

As it is a B class motorhome (no Luton Peak), Winnebago has fitted four open compartments above the cab. They have high lips, making them difficult to see into easily.

Like all Winnebagos, the Freewind body is built on a welded aluminium frame which has block foam insulation in between. On the outside of the walls is a rigid backing panel that is covered by a fibreglass skin, while inside is laminated wall panel.

Both the front and rear panels are moulded fibreglass. To keep water out, the roof is one-piece rubber. The floor area is a one piece plywood panel that sits on a foam insulated metal frame and that is all protected from the weather by a galvanised iron sheet.

Useful additions are the moulded cabin side steps that make getting in and out of the driver’s cab a whole lot easier.

Our Freewind, in fact all layouts, has a front entry door. Beside the door is a compartmented locker that contains both two 4kg gas cylinders and two 100 amp hour deep-cycle batteries. CW was interested to note that unlike previous Winnebago models, the batteries sat in an easy to move slide-out tray.

Along the nearside rear is the only external locker but it is of a reasonable size (it goes under the bed) and is also where the battery charger, Webasto heater and Truma water heater are to be found – nice to see a locker light fitted. The only other external door is on the offside, for the Thetford cassette.

Winnebago has opted to use its usual Hehr door with separate insect screen but no security door. Seitz hopper windows are fitted all round and there is the usual Fiamma F45 awning. A new item on the door is a gas strut that replaces the hook and eye to keep it open.

Stepping aboard

Even without the slideout open, the interior of the Freewind is quite roomy.

With the push of a button, the slide-out winds into position and there’s a very spacious dining/kitchen area. As with all slideout motorhomes, from the outside the slideout does not appear to move out far, but on the inside it makes a great deal of difference.

The general layout plan has a double bed sitting in the nearside rear corner, with a full bathroom sitting opposite. Between the bed and the door is the kitchen bench, while along the offside, the fridge sits beside the bathroom and the dinette fits into the slideout.

Winnebago has often favoured a slightly American look with its internal décor but the Freewind is a shift towards a more European style, particularly with items like the curved overhead lockers, Seitz windows and general colour scheme.

Although the Freewind is quite spacious inside, I didn’t particularly like the relatively small windows – to me they gave the motorhome a slightly closed-in feel. All the windows have integrated blinds and insect screens and all are fitted with curtains.

Natural light and airflow is helped along by the big Seitz hatch above the dinette/kitchen area.

Because the fridge, microwave oven and separate grill are all sitting above one another on the offside of the Freewind, the kitchen bench looks quite small but in reality it is not.

Fittings consist of a three-burner Cramer cooktop and round stainless steel sink sans drainer, both with smoked glass tops. Extra benchtop area is created by a hinged shelf at the end of the bench.

Storage is supplied by a cutlery drawer, three cupboards, one with wire basket slide-outs, and two overhead lockers above. Two useful shelves are also provided, next to the lockers.

Mounted on the panel below the sink are the Webasto heater control and LED gauges for water tank levels and battery condition. Lighting for the kitchen is supplied by a twin fluorescent light and a halogen downlight in the rangehood. Also hidden under the overhead lockers is a double power point.

Residing in the slideout and equally easy to use, whether in or out, is the dinette. The contoured foam cushions that sit on slatted wooden bases will take four people but those seated by the wall have to be fairly short, because the overhead lockers are quite low.

Two halogen lamps on a sliding rail are quite convenient and concealed on the floor is a power point for lap-top users.

The rear seat has two seatbelts, the wall one being a lap/sash. There’s the usual underseat storage area and the dinette will fold down into a 6ft x 3ft 1in (1.83m x 0.94m) bed if needed.

Tucked into the rear corner, the main bed measures 6ft 5in x 4ft 3in (1.95m x 1.3m), that chamfers down to 3ft 4in (1m). The foam mattress sits on a slatted wooden base and there are a couple of small bedside shelves in each corner. In addition to a roof-mounted incandescent lamp, two gooseneck reading lights are fitted above the bed head.

Five overhead lockers give good storage space. TV watchers will probably be impressed by the 21in (54cm) flat screen TV that is mounted at the end of the bed – it’s on a swivelling arm and can be seen from the dinette.

Fitting in between the bed and kitchen bench is a large hanging cupboard with two drawers underneath.

In the bathroom there is room to turn around without banging your elbows! Even the shower cubicle, with concertina curtain, is large enough for that. In addition there is a swivelling Thetford cassette toilet and a corner vanity sink unit with cupboard below and cabinet above.

Extra features include three towel rails on the door, a hanging rail in the shower, a glass and toothbrush holder and a large wall mounted mirror. Natural light is courtesy of two hatches, one above the shower and the other above the toilet and the electric variety comes from three halogen downlights above the sink and mirror and an incandescent in the shower cubicle. For shavers and hairdryers a single power point sits well above the sink.

House air-conditioning is supplied by a ducted Coleman Mack unit mounted on the motorhome roof. On a warm day, CW found it worked quite effectively.

Entertainment is provided by a DVD/VCR unit mounted above the passenger seat. Interestingly there is also a 12V and TV antenna socket, so presumably a flat screen TV can be mounted on the panel beside the door.

Above the door is the standard Winnebago electrical panel with 240V ac and 12V dc voltage and current gauges, plus circuit breakers for 240V and 12V.

The bottom line

Winnebago has made some impressive changes to the Freewind line-up with a much better choice of layout, general decor and motive power. Certainly with our review model the slideout is going to give a much roomier layout while still staying under the magic 4.5 tonne mark. On the road, the Iveco handles things well enough and is generally a pleasant vehicle to drive.

All up, the 2313SL is going to be of interest to those who want a mid-size motorhome, but don’t want the driving length of one.

We liked:

• Driving the Iveco – smooth motor and six-speed gearbox

• Spacious layout created by slideout

• Gas cylinders by door – not far to walk to turn on the gas flow

• Decent-sized bathroom

We would have liked:

• More energy-efficient light – incandescent globes don’t do the job

• Taller lockers beside dinette

• Larger windows all round

Winnebago Freewind

Base vehicle: Iveco 2313SL

Engine: 2.8 turbodiesel

Max power: 107kW@3600rpm

Max torque: 320Nm@1800rpm

Gearbox: Six-speed manual

External length: 23ft (7m)

External width: 8ft 2in (2.49m)

Internal height: 6.5ft (1.2m)

GVM: 4495kg

Unladen vehicle weight: 3668kg

Cooktop: Cramer three-burner, Smev grill

Fridge: Dometic RM2453 110 litre

Microwave oven: Sharp

Lighting: 12V

Fresh water tank: 108 litre

Grey water tank: 108 litre

Black water: 17 litre

Gas: Two x 4kg

Licence: C class

Price: $131,000

Winnebago Freewind

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