Will size benefit or hinder one of these coaches? It's an epic battle between the Axion by Carado and the Travato 59G by Winnebago in today's Affordable Assault semi-final!
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The Axion is built on the Promaster 1500 chassis which is the shortest of the Promaster chassis measuring a scant 17'9" in length while the Travato is built on the longest Promaster 3500 chassis measuring a healthy 20'11" in length. The Travato has both its electrical and city water fill located up high while on the Axion both are located down low.
The 59G's bed measures 77"x46" - one inch less wide and 5 inches longer than the Axion's 72"x47" bed. Also the bed on the Travato is easier to setup - just release it to lower it and attach some straps to keep it raised up. The Travato has a more comfortable bed since it uses memory foam and is supported by the Froli sleep system. Both coaches have about the same amount of cabinet storage above but the Travato has just a ton more below. The Travato has true pass thru storage from the rear when the bed is flipped up. The Travato has a second bed that can be setup in the front lounge. That bed measures 72"x42" so nearly the same size as the Axion's main bed - not quite wide enough for 2 adults but large enough for one.
Both coaches feature a table for the lounge. On the Travato there is no setup required since the table is permanent and the swivel out extension is integrated. Both lounges can seat 5 but I actually prefer the lounge setup on the Axion with the one long bench seat for 3 as compared to having the fifth person sit on the water tank in the Travato. The Axion has a computer workstation that flips up from the kitchen counter. Having the ability to flip it down and out of the way is something that the Travato doesn't have.
The galley on the Axion is deeper plus you have two counter extensions: a pull out one on the left which matches a similar one on the Travato plus this extra flip up one that acted as the computer workstation. Not surprisingly the Travato has more storage above and below but the Axion matches the Travato's pantry which is a surprise. The Travato has a large fantastic rooftop fan placed right where it should be in the galley while there is no rooftop ventilation in the Axion. The Travato has a larger 6 cubic foot compressor refrigerator with a separate freezer compared to the smaller single door 3.1 cubic foot refrigerator on the Axion. Finally the Travato features whole coach water filtration - standard - which the Axion doesn't feature.
Let's see how the electrical systems compare. The Axion has an inverter that's twice the Travato's size at 2000w. The Travato comes standard with 200w of solar and a standard 2.8kw gas generator as compared to the Axion's optional underhood generator. Both coaches can be upgraded to lithium batteries although upgrading to the Pure3 lithium system on the GL model is a whopping $20k upgrade which honestly would put the Travato out of the affordability price range. The Axion has a much more affordable lithium upgrade path via Hymer's entry-level EcoTrek 400 package which includes 400ah of lithium - half the capacity of Winnebago's Pure3 system but also a quarter of the cost at $5k.
The Travato 59G has one of the largest bathrooms in its class measuring 28"x51" but the Axion holds its own against the Travato with its full-width rear bathroom. The Axion also has access to the bathroom from the rear doors and it has a larger, more useful wardrobe closet and lots more bathroom storage. Both these bathrooms feature powered rooftop ventilation but the Travato’s bathroom is fully enclosed with a much more simple tambour door design. As far as tank sizes: The Travato has a larger fresh water tank and separate grey and black water tanks. The Axion has a larger combined grey/black water tank but lacking a dedicated grey water tank to flush out the sewer lines after dumping your black tank is a deficiency. Both coaches come with a standard macerator system but the Travato has optional heating pads for the grey water tank.
Let's talk about quality and price. The Travato definitely has a higher fit and finish. The cabinets feel more solid and in general everything feels just better made. However, the Axion doesn't use stick framing and staples like the Travato. As far as pricing: at the time of this video both Axions and Travatos can be found online with dealer pricing averaging out at around $82k. Higher demand for the Axion are causing dealers to jack up the price on a coach that should frankly blow the Travato out of the water in terms of affordability.