The seering effect takes some getting used to.  But after a few trips you
automatically anticipate what is about to happen and compensate without
giving it a thought.

My 34 DS gasser has about 5200 miles on it and IMO is a dream to drive.

Butch

I noticed that the RV Consumers Group rated anything under $300,000 with a
low grade.  Why is that?

Yes, there is some merit to the argument of wheelbase versus length.  This
always seems to come into play in drastic situations where you put the unit
into a 70 mph full skid or evasive maneuver, or recovery from a 70 mph
attempt to leave the roadway, traverse the median for a bit, go into a 360
degree spin, and recover ........ or not ..............., and then say the
coach wasn't able to handle it.

I think one of two things is happening:

1.  There are a lot of happy idiots out there putting hundreds of thousands
of miles on unsafe units, and having fun in the process.
2.  There are a lot of idiots sitting around with too much time on their
hands evaluating units, and not being objective.

or

C.  The industry has a hand in the ratings.

It all depends on what you are going to do with the unit.  For the persons
who full time, and put many many thousands of miles on a unit, the
differences come into play.  For the weekend warrior, and those who might
put 15,000 miles a year on a unit, those differences are imperceptible.  I
own a 1996 Newmar Mountain Aire.  The coach gets very low ratings.  I drive
it about 65 mph, and it handles adequately.  I have yet to really have a
situation where it has been put to the test.  But then, putting anything
that weighs ten tons to a test at 70 mph under panic conditions to my mind,
is a coin flip.

And what did we ever do back in the old days before GCVWRs and Equilizer
hitches when we just hooked up, packed everything in, and went obliviously
on vacation, and returned home safely?

Steve