country Ontario, I was having fits trying to find a backdrop for photos that didn’t look like a postcard of Siberia. I finally decided to drive into the small town of Harriston and look for suitable scenery. This matters because I spent two hours driving around tiny snowbank-choked side streets. I parallel parked on the main street and backed into the city hall parking lot and squeezed by gravel dump trucks stopped at the local coffee shop. What made this easy was a set-back front steering axle that makes the Breeze turning circle nice and tight. Also the transmission is pushbutton accessed on the driver’s left armrest. Simple, just push D, N, or R. Air brakes grab like tax collectors and when parked hold on any grade. Independent front suspension and air ride front and rear pro- vide the soft confident ride feel. Power steering is light but precise and a really nice feature is the center stack-mounted video screen that shows a camera view of the whole back of the coach when the shifter goes into reverse. However, this screen also displays the right and left sides of the coach through cameras mounted near the front shooting back- wards. A button toggles between the views. Also neat is a distance grid on the rear camera that shows accurately how far you are from an object in feet. The driver’s position is supremely comfortable and the builder has thought of all the travellers’ long-distance needs in HVAC controls, easy-to-read gauges and toggles, fans, powered sun screens, heated mirrors and accessories stor- age and plug-ins. A last observation of the driving environment—it’s quiet. This is a result of building standards and a superior chas- sis. There are no squeaks, rattles, grinds, groans or whistles during transit. Inside, the main salon is wide open when the opposing slides are out. Because the driver and passenger seats spin 180 degrees to face into the cabin, the floor space seems that much larger as well. All the seating is aimed at the mid-ships wall- mounted TV, and ceiling-mounted surround-sound speakers ensure even vibrant sound whether frommovies or the radio. The kitchen and eating area dominates the center of the unit with the counter and stove on the right and the wood-fronted double-door fridge and U-shaped dinette on the left. The stove is only a two-burner unit, but it is big enough and also has a flip-up glass cover that increases counter space. Meanwhile Tiffin didn’t skimp on sink space—there is a double.
A nice feature in the dinette is the telescoping single leg that lets the oval table drop to form a double sleeping space. And the couch across the aisle is also a fold-out. Potentially there is overnight accommodation for six in this unit. Cabinetry throughout the coach is top-notch with com- plex raised hardwood designed doors. Above everything the wooden crown moldings offset the seamless roof that fea- tures flush opaque light covers. In keeping with a luxury theme, the bathroom design is large and slick. The half-tub shower has a glass door and an integrated seat inside as well as a skylight above. The toilet and sink, however, are across the hall and have a separate solid door. Pocket doors from the salon and from the bed- room also close off this section of aisle to make for a large pri- vate dressing space. To that end there is a built-in linen closet as well in there. Of course, the double pocket doors also allow for privacy for both front and rear overnight occupants. In the master bedroom a clever use of space is the raised queen bed that has built-in drawers beneath it. The bed is also raised on pneumatic lifters to access a large storage space under it as well. Decor in this bedroom carries over from the main coach area and is elegant and upscale. A nice feature here and forward is the wall and ceiling-mounted light fix- tures. In the ceiling, above the bed, is a fold down flat-screen TV. For a smaller room, this is the best solution for place- ment—slightly up and dead-center. Another benefit of a bus-style coach chassis is the full basement below the unit. While there is considerable space in the drawers and cupboards inside the Breeze, it is a smaller unit. Extra space under the coach, front to rear, will be help- ful on longer trips. As for the towed vehicles that this type of motorhome in- variably has, The Breeze will easily tow 4,500 pounds and has all the necessary hookups installed standard. While I only got to spend a day in the Breeze, I can easily see the fantasy of making every road trip into a sight-seeing tour. There is just something about a motorhome.
—Howard J. Elmer
2014 TIFFIN ALLEGRO BREEZE 32 BR GVWR: 22,000 pounds TRAILER HITCH: 4,500 pounds LENGTH: 33 feet, 2 inches WIDTH: 95 inches
HEIGHT W ROOF AIR: 11 feet 2 inches FRESHWATER: 70 gallons GRAY WATER: 50 gallons BLACK WATER: 30 gallons LP GAS: 20 pounds BASE PRICE: $195,750 tiffinmotorhomes.com/allegro-breeze
FALL 2014 COAST TO COAST 21
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