Winnebago Fuse 23F Quick Look

Winnebago has released a new Fuse model.  The Fuse 23F.  There have been rumors of a different model appearing next year but it seems one has made it out into the wild.

I have heard through the grape vine that Winnebago will have the 23F on display at the the Hershey show (Sept. 12-16) and at the Compact Coach rally (Sept. 27-30).

What is it?  A Winnebago Fuse with a rear corner bed and a dinette.  This looks like it has a very similar floorpan to the Winebago View 24J.

This is a 2019 model so you get all of the good upgrades Winnebago has been rolling out this model year.   The compressor refrigerator, 2 solar panels, Inverter,  raked off rear for more clearance and all the rest of the 2019 goodies.

It looks from the photos that there is a huge amount of exterior storage under the bed. 37.9cu ft of exterior storage in the 23F vs 35.2cu ft for the T and 23.2cu ft for the A.

There is no information up on the Winnebago site yet.  I did find this if you are looking for more information.  https://www.manualslib.com/products/Winnebago-Fuse-23f-2019-9037137.html.  I think this is just the standard 2019 Fuse manual .

I borrowed these photos from https://www.motorsportsland.com/inv/2019-Winnebago-Fuse-WF423F-32298/#mainpic .  There are more.  This seem to have the first one out there for sale.  If you are going through Salt Lake at the moment, take a look.

2018.5 Winnebago Fuse Review

I was able to take a look at the new 2018.5 Winnebago Fuse.  Both the 23A and 23T versions.   They were debuted at the RVIA show in Louisville and then moved down to LazyDays RV in Tampa for the SuperShow happening at the Florida State Fairgrounds in early January.

First things first.  If you have never been to LazyDays in Tampa, go!  They have a stellar facility and it is an experience just to visit.

Now for my perspective.  I have a 2017 Fuse 23A.  A very early 2017 23A, one of the first.  I am going to wind up comparing the 2018.5 to my 2017.   There have been changes in the 2017.5 and 2018 models, but from what I have seen they were mostly refinements.  The 2018.5 makes serious changes to an already good motorhome.  If some of these changes were on the 17.5 or 18 forgive me for pointing them out.

Exterior

The first thing I noticed looking at the 2018.5 Fuse is the color.  It is now a Dark Grey and White.  The pattern is called Winter Gray.  Color is a personal thing.  I don't discuss color much, but it looks reasonably sharp.

As I walked around the unit I saw several differences:

On the 23A the passenger side access panel for the batteries and LP have been combined into one long access panel.   I like this better.  The larger opening makes it much easier to get to the LP and batteries.  You no longer have to navigate through the 2 small access hatches.  I am sure it also makes the manufacturing process easier.

Group 24 Batteries - Fuse 24A

Group 31 Batteries - Fuse 23T

The battery bracket inside the hatch also appears to be new.  It is designed to hold 2 batteries (Winnebago has made 2 batteries standard now) just like the last bracket.   The new part is that is is sized to hold Group 24, Group 27 or Group 31 batteries.  With AGM group 31 batteries you can have 250 amp hours of capacity if you choose.  They are shipping standard wth group 24 wet cell batteries for 160 amp hours of storage.

Speaking of power, the Fuse also comes with 200w of solar now.  Still uses the same Zamp solar controller which is a nice controller.

On the 23A and T the winterization valves and the slide controller (both located in the upper rear storage bay on the 23A) are now well labeled.  Making things easily identifiable is one thing I really appreciate since it helps with all of the general maintenance tasks.

The bike rack is new.  It is a summit bike rack that was discussed on this post.

The license plate holder has been moved up from the bumper and is much better illuminated.

The black tank flush and city water connections have been moved up some and the black tank flush is now on top.  This is good since on my fuse the septic system cover can not be locked open when you have a hose connected to the black tank flush.

The biggest change on the exterior is that Winnebago sloped off the rear end.  This is a big, big deal.  The Fuse is a low rider.  One of the reasons I like my Fuse is that it is close to the ground and easy to get in and out of.  Well several of us have managed to scrap our rear ends going up steep driveways or getting onto crowned roads.   Well Winnebago sloped up the rear end.  Starting from about 4 feet from the rear, Winnebago sloped the rear end up 2".  On the 23A that means it goes from a 12" clearance to a 14" clearance at the rear bumper.  On the 23T it went from 11" to 13".  A good improvement.

The stairs have also been a point of concern as they are low as well.   In this picture of the 23A stairs you can see the body is at 11".

Both units I saw had the optional aluminum wheels.  In addition to just looking nice, since they do not use the wheel simulators that the standard Fuse has, checking the air on the outside tires should be much easier.

Interior
The floorpans are the same.  I have not noticed any changes.

One of the main changes to Fuse for 2018.5 is a new compressor refrigerator.   They are different units on the 23A and 23T, but both are from Nova Kool.   On the 23A it is the model RFU6209 DC.  On the 23T it is the model DE0061R.

The model DE0061R on the 23T looks like a normal everyday refrigerator.  Freezer on top, refrigerator on bottom.  It runs on 12 or 110v automatically switching as necessary.  It is nice and large

The Fuse 23A has a Nova Kool model RFU6209 DC.   This one appears to be 12v only.  Not sure this really matters since if you are plugged into 110v current, the converter in the Fuse will convert to 12v anyhow simplifying everything.   The different thing about this refrigerator is that the freezer is on bottom instead of on top.  Why would Winnebago do this?  Easy, with the 23A drivers side bed extension out for a tall person the refrigerator door is blocked.  By putting the freezer on bottom, the bed can be made out and you can still have access to the refrigerator.   A pretty decent design tradeoff if you ask me.

Why is a compressor refrigerator such a big deal? Well a compressor refrigerator is the same type as you have at your house.  Most RV refrigerators, including the ones in previous Fuses are absorption refrigerators.  They can be powered by electricity or LP gas which is a big plus.  They use ammonia as the refrigerant and have to be level to operate. If you are not reasonably level they will not work and eventually will break. The compressor refrigerator can operate at pretty much any angle but they only work off of electricity.

Another thing that is now available on both Fuse models is an inverter. It is a 1000w Magnum pure sine wave inverter.  The plugs next to the TVs are connected to the inverter in addition to a separate plug next to the bed(s).

Another feature that Winnebago has added is 12v outlets next to each of the USB outlets.  This is a nice feature especially if you have a CPAP machine or have other devices that will work off of a cigarette lighter plug.  You could even recharge your laptop without having to use the inverter (not the most efficient way) or turning on the generator (even less efficient).

The exhaust fan in the bathroom appears to be slightly different. It is probably just a newer model but it was quieter than mine.

One other point of confusion I will clarify is the privacy shades/panels for the cab windows.  The new brochure called them shades.  All Winnebago did was change the description.  They are still the same panels that have been supplied since the first Fuse.  I found them in the closet and they were definitely the same as mine.

Fall 2017 Get Together in the Rockies

We held our Fall Get Together - the "Get Together in the Rockies" September 29 to October 1 in Fort Collins, Colorado.    It was great.

We had 14 Fuses and 1 wanna-be (the new term is "gonna-be") come to the event.   The Winnebago Engineer canceled at the last moment with an emergency, so we had to do the tech talk on our own.  There were enough experts in the group to answer most of the questions.

So what did we do.   On Friday night we had a pot luck.   And there was some mighty fine eating.  I am not sure it was the altitude or the cool mountain air, but everything was delicious.

The souvenir from the event was a little different this time.  We did not do wine glasses.  A comment last time was they were a little fragile for camping so this time we went with plastic cups.  They won't break and being lighter they might help with the gas milage.    If you want one and are traveling through Tallahassee, let me know.

Saturday morning we had the Tech discussion.  We will go into that a little further down the page.

We had leftovers for the group for lunch and then after lunch we toured the coaches.

Saturday evening we had our Pizza party.  That was some good pizza.

Then unfortunately it was over and we all went our separate ways.  It was great to get and meet everyone.

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Ok, so now what you were waiting for.  How did the tech talk go?

Before the meeting I was able to talk to Winnebago about what they are thinking about future Fuses.  I think we all like to know what Winnebago is thinking about.   A lot of what they are doing is happening on all of their small motorhomes so the real question is when it will happen in the Fuse.   Keep on the lookout for this as the 2018.5 and 2019 models come out.

Remember these are futures and subject to all sorts of factors, so there are no guarantees.  These may turn out to be standard features or options or not make it outside the lab.

One of the new items Winnebago is looking at for all of their motorhomes is using compressor refrigerator.s  For those that don't know, a compressor refrigerator is like the one in your house.  Runs on electricity only (DC) but does not care  if the motorhome is level or not.  Cools much faster but uses electricity.  The first compressor refrigerators in small Winnebago motorhomes were released on the models announced earlier this month.    (Look at the Norcold compressor refrigerator in the new Navion)

To make the compressor refrigerator work out there is discussion about making the batteries bigger.  Group 31 as opposed to Group 24.  And if they can find the space they might be able to squeeze in a third battery to add capacity.

They also want to make solar standard.  Not just with 1 solar panel but with 2 100w panels.  This will help with the extra electrical needs of the compressor refrigerator.

A lot of the feedback they are getting from potential buyers revolves around people wanting an Inverter.  They are going to try and get one in the Fuse for us.

Ford is making the drivers side seat swivel in the 2019 Transit (remember that the Fuse is a transit underneath). It should be available around the August, 2018 timeframe.  Once they are available they they will use this chassis in the Fuse.  The key to this is Ford will be moving the parking break from between the drivers seat and passenger to somewhere else (possibly electronic).  Ford may also have a different solution on the passenger side.

And as far as being a low rider.  Winnebago continues to look for ways to raise the rear.    The engineering team has taken our feedback very seriously on this issue.   One thing they are exploring is angling off the last couple of feet in the back.  It is going to require them to move some things around in the rear and they think they can without decreasing any storage or having to make major design changes.  They think that there is a good possibility that they can rake the last couple of feet in the rear and add a few inches of clearance.

The group also had some questions for Winnebago.  Since they could not make it I took them down and Winnebago said they would answer them for us.    Here is the list and the answers are underlined:

1). How many Fuses are on the road:  Over 600 

2) Why does the rear tv sound not come through the bed speakers on the T:  The rear speakers are connected to the radio/DVD player. The radio can only play audio from one TV.

3)  The consensus is that we really need a better way to access the batteries.  Is Winnebago looking at putting them on a sliding tray or something.  The current setup is really bad for checking water levels. We will evaluate.

4). Has there been some thought to moving the generator breaker to somewhere easier to access on the A.   Crawling under the unit to reset the breaker is problematic:  At this time we do not have a solution. We cannot move the breaker.

5) Have you thought of making the rear window the emergency exit window on both units: We would need to reduce the width and height significantly to clear the ladder and customer bicycles installed on the bike rack.

6) The wheel simulators and nuts seem to be a problem.  The nuts have gotten lost on the road and they cause issues accessing the tire stems.  People are replacing the stems or having to take off the simulators to add/check air pressure:  We would like some clarification on this issue. Do you think the 2 nuts that hold the liners on are not tight to begin with or are the nuts not staying tight? We do provide extensions for the inside duals which should be accessible. The outside dual require a dual head angled air chuck to fill or check tire pressure.  (I sent them information from the group so they could understand the issues)

7) What about factory TPMS from Ford: Not available from Ford on the Transit cutaway chassis.

8) The springs are fully loaded on most of the Units.   We measured all of the units.  Clearances range from 11-14-16 inches depending on year and what suspension mods have been made. We had several (including an 18) with additional leaf springs added and one with Sumos added:  We have evaluated the Sumo Super Springs. The springs raised the rear of the coach about 2 1/2´” At this time the testing required by Ford for Winnebago to install these springs has not been done by Sumo. They are available for a customer to add.

9) The rear bumper is attached to the plywood rear wall.   Lots of damage is caused when bumped like a bumper:  We will look into this issue.

10) What about replacing the bathroom door in the T with an accordion door.  One person did this and now several others will as well:  We had an accordion door on a rear bath in a past floorplan. Many complaints, we won’t do this change.

11) Have you changed out the drawer latches with heaver duty ones.  There seems to be a mixture depending on what unit is looked at.  We all agree we need the HD latches. We spec out a 10lb latch for large drawers and forward facing drawers.

12). More questions about how to make the Front table on the A model useful with the slide in. We are evaluating this suggestion.

13) Can you change the latch on the Front TV on the A so you can angle it to the couch as opposed to the door. This suggestion is also being evaluated.

14). Richard K.  Has reoriented the seating on his T to open up the front area much more than the default layout.  He posted some pictures you all should look at.   This seemed to be the hit of the show. I couldn’t find the photos. Could you send?  (I sent Richards article in response to this)

15). Still issues with Quality control.   Rust spots in the sink are common:  This issue should go through warranty. I will ask our warranty dept. for the sink warranty claims.

16) The Bents are having problems getting a new bathroom sink (cracked)  and trim for the pop up counter extension from their dealer.  The dealer is saying it is backordered from Winnebago.  Are repair parts backordered? We had a shortage of parts for production. We no longer have a shortage.

17) You would sell a lot of Fuse branded gear if it was available. I will pass this request on to the Marketing dept.

Then we went around the room for Q&A.  We had lots of questions asked and luckily we had a large number of experienced Fuse owners to answer them.   Lots of talk about raising the fuse.  Lots of hints and advice on storage and places to shop.   Just like the facebook group but live and in person.   It really was great.  I stopped taking notes because I became too interested in the discussion.  

After this and lunch we went and looked at everyones Fuses and the mods they had done.

Smart Car Tow Setup

23T storage organization

Slide out decoration

Berg Stem Extenders

Wastemaster Premium Sewer hose

The big hit of the walk around was Richards mods to his 23T.  He has rearranged the bench seat to open up the front.  My photos did not do it justice so you can read his article here.

I also measured various Fuses.