R-Pod 195 sneak peak teaser

Once you opened up some of the area which is currently under the bed you could place drawers or cabinet doors and make much better use of the under bed storage space than we can now. That would probably mean relocating some items that are currently accessed through the ourside door to the tow vehicle. There is also a wasted boxed in area just in front of the closet/drawer section that would become accessible. 

I also like the vent hood for the stove. It has been mentioned more than once that one would be good to have and FR listened. That would help with the "dinner will be ready when the smoke alarm goes off" situation. I would be able to work around the counter space limitation, especially since there are cabinets above the sink and stove which are another thing that I really like about the 195 design. If the table indeed no longer has the pivoting mechanism but instead has legs that collapse and a slot for storage by the door, that is another thing that has been a source of annoyance for many that will have been addressed. As for the refrigerator location, in order to have the dry bath, the pantry has to be somewhere. It would either be where it is in the 195 design or if the refrigerator were in the same place as the 179, the pantry just swap locations and the counter space would still be limited. In the 195 layout, it is highly likely that the refrigerator performance will be much improved as the air flow for the back of the refrigerator should be much improved. If the refrigerator were to be put in the same location as in the 179, the airflow would still be less than ideal due to the need to vent it through the side of the slide-out. So many people would rather have the dry bath with separate shower. The wet bath (I don't mind it) is a turn-off to many.

All in all, I think FR put a lot of thought into this design. Will it please everyone? No. Will it be something that will be popular and sell well? I think so depending on the price point.

If you have a single spray port, and you have the access, you could connect it to the hot water line rather than the cold. Then add an adjustable thermostat to the water heater and your water will be just the right temperature coming out of your spray port. Pretty simple mod. 

StephenH, I think you could do something like you're suggesting by removing the 179 closet and rebuilding it on the opposite wall just in front of the slide. You would have room to reuse the same closet door I think. You would lose the bottom drawer or two, because the furnace is under there. 

That would give you a L shaped bed area along the front and passenger side walls, with both legs of the L about 75 inches long. You would need to be willing to play footsies with your trailer mate though .

Did FR go too far in flattening the back of the 195?  Only time will tell, but there is nothing really special about a trailer with a rounded front and a flat back.  You can find several brands within the FR lineup and many from other manufacturers.  Personally, what I think FR is trying to do is catch the part of the market of aging Pod owners who want a full bath and a little easier to access bed.  I think they figure we are losing agility and, though we still want a small trailer, we now want the ease of getting in and out of bed easily and the convenience of a separate shower.  

They're right in going after this market segment and will probably have a successful product provided they keep the value for the price competitive with other brands.  If I were in the market for a new trailer, I'd certainly consider the 195, but i'd also seriously take a look at the Pacific Coachworks 18FB as an alternate.  At that point, it all boils down to price (assuming comparable quality).  I feel no sense of personal loyalty to Mr. Buffett or any of his companies.

Originally posted by StephenH   The Pontiac brand was discontinued by GM in 2010. http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/pontiac/why-did-gm-discontinue-pontiac/ so not seeing any Pontiacs is not surprising.  The Civic is still a thriving model of the Honda brand. Manufacturers make what people want if they want to survive.

As Honda has made the Civic larger over time they did not retain the original "small" Civic. Instead, they introduced the Fit as the smallest car in their US product line. By doing it that way they have retained the distinctiveness of both product lines while being able to cash in on existing Civic customers' desire for a larger vehicle as they aged. Smart strategy that worked well for them. FR is not doing that (so far) with the r-pod. 

As to manufacturers making what customers want in order to survive, that is not how marketing led companies work. Companies that are sales driven have a short planning horizon and want to make what customers tell them they want today. Successful marketing driven companies filter what sales is telling them about their customers, assess their own and their competitor's producs and capabilities, and then plan their product lines and marketing materials to "teach" customers what they ought to want.  Best example of this in history? The iPhone. 

My concern with having a "big fat" r-Pod in the lineup is that it creates a muddle, customers will no longer know what an r-Pod is and isn't as distinct from other products in the market. Maybe FR has decided that  most everyone who wants a "small" r-pod has already bought one, or maybe they are planning a new "small" product line like Honda did, or maybe they are being short sighted. Again, time will tell.

All that being said, if you like the new "big fat" r-pod, buy it, nothing wrong with that. I'm sure it will be a good product. Its too big for me.