2026 YM Oliver awning style windows and other changes

[topgun2]

20 minutes ago, Boudicca908 said:

I think I would be miserable with the limited working surface. Maybe that change happened in a previous model?

Back (in the day) all propane cooktops were oriented with the "back-splash" opening towards the curb-side of the Ollie.  However, (as Mossemi states above in about 2017) because we owner's kept asking for the cooktop to be oriented with the back-splash oriented towards the rear of the trailer, the company listened and made the rear facing back-splash the "norm".  Some of us said that this not only allowed the back-splash to help deter "splashes" from reaching the bed area but it also increased counter space.  In reality, since the area that the cooktop covered didn't actually change, there wasn't any real additional counter space achieved and there was some concern that if a person reached across the cooktop with the front burner lit, there could be a risk of catching a sleeve on fire.

With the new convection cooktop there is much less risk of a sleeve catching on fire.  However, there will be the need to have pots and pans that are compatible with convection cooking.

Bill

[Galway Girl]

The best induction cookware we’ve owned is a nesting Magma set! 

 

MAGMA Products, A10-362-IND 7 Piece Induction Cook-Top Gourmet Nesting Stainless Steel Cookware Set:  https://amzn.to/3vmDVEo

 

 

[CRM]

3 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Back (in the day) all propane cooktops were oriented with the "back-splash" opening towards the curb-side of the Ollie.  However, (as Mossemi states above in about 2017) because we owner's kept asking for the cooktop to be oriented with the back-splash oriented towards the rear of the trailer, the company listened and made the rear facing back-splash the "norm". 

Our 2010 has the back splash facing towards the rear and I like that it helps protect the curbside bed from splatter. Maybe they were giving owners the option in the early models too? 

[topgun2]

3 hours ago, CRM said:

Maybe they were giving owners the option in the early models too? 

Yep - there were many things that could be "Optioned" back in the day.

But, then we started to "complain" about quality control.  So, the solution was to curb options.

Bill

[Patriot]

8 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

Another difference I see between my 2022 and this 2026 is the orientation of the propane cooktop — mine is rotated 90 degrees and off to the far right side, giving me a decent work surface between the sink and the cooktop. I think I would be miserable with the limited working surface. Maybe that change happened in a previous model?

The new induction cook top cools off quickly when turned off. This is because the heat is generated directly in the pan and not in the cook top itself. So as soon as the current is turned off the induction cook top will cool off immediately likely allowing for more prep space. I am pretty sure the former LP cook top will is no longer available when ordering a new Oliver. It is likely a whole lot cheaper in the assembly line to simply wire the induction CT and no issue with LP leaks. 🤔

That said, we sure like cooking with our LP! 🔥😊

Edited September 4 by Patriot

[Patriot]

7 hours ago, Galway Girl said:

The best induction cookware we’ve owned is a nesting Magma set! 

 

 

MAGMA Products, A10-362-IND 7 Piece Induction Cook-Top Gourmet Nesting Stainless Steel Cookware Set:  https://amzn.to/3vmDVEo

 

 

We have a set and rarely use them. Fine quality, but heavy as a boat anchor! 😊

[Patriot]

The new Dometic 12v frig. It has an ok size freezer but overall still a smaller interior than our 3 way Norcold. 

 

 

Edited September 4 by Patriot

[Patriot]

The wet bath still has the frosted glass on the interior and black framed tilt out awning style tinted exterior window. Turn the little T handle to open and close. This is the same T handle for all awning windows.

 

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Ext shot -

 

Edited September 4 by Patriot

[Patriot]

Rear awning style egress/exit window.

 

 

A shot of the gray and black tanks electric blade valve switches. 

[Patriot]

A Bluetooth speaker hangs under the cabinet in the galley. No more radio/cd player. We already have a JBL Flip 6 in our Oliver. Great sound!

[Patriot]

Both galley and wet bath sinks are now preformed “fiber granite” made in house. 

 

Edited September 4 by Patriot

[Galway Girl]

1 hour ago, Patriot said:

We have a set and rarely use them. Fine quality, but heavy as a boat anchor

Guess we all have different cooking styles.  We’ve had outdoor grills, and camp stoves and recently started using an induction plate outside and the magma pans and some cast iron are a go to for cooking outdoors.  

[Patriot]

37 minutes ago, Galway Girl said:

Guess we all have different cooking styles.  We’ve had outdoor grills, and camp stoves and recently started using an induction plate outside and the magma pans and some cast iron are a go to for cooking outdoors.  

Indeed, we use a Weber Q1200 for grilling. I like the idea of an induction plate! 👍🏻

Edited Thursday at 11:59 PM by Patriot

[Steve Morris]

4 hours ago, Patriot said:

The new Dometic 12v frig. It has an ok size freezer but overall still a smaller interior than our 3 way Norcold. 

 

 

Hmmm, no place for tall items such as orange juice or 1/2 gallon of milk. I’d miss that. The freezer is at least double the size of ours, though. 

Edited Friday at 03:06 AM by Steve Morris

[CRM]

7 hours ago, Steve Morris said:

Hmmm, no place for tall items such as orange juice or 1/2 gallon of milk. I’d miss that. The freezer is at least double the size of ours, though. 

Looks like you'll have to pull the bottom two bins out for that. Would have been nice if they had designed it to where there was a center support between each so you could pull one out and leave the other. 

[CRM]

13 hours ago, Patriot said:

The new induction cook top cools off quickly when turned off. This is because the heat is generated directly in the pan and not in the cook top itself. So as soon as the current is turned off the induction cook top will cool off immediately likely allowing for more prep space. I am pretty sure the former LP cook top will is no longer available when ordering a new Oliver. It is likely a whole lot cheaper in the assembly line to simply wire the induction CT and no issue with LP leaks. 🤔

That said, we sure like cooking with our LP! 🔥😊

 

With everything able to run on electric now, who's going to be the first one to remove the propane tanks and pack the doghouse with lithium batteries?  😄

[Ronbrink]

14 hours ago, Patriot said:

The new Dometic 12v frig. It has an ok size freezer but overall still a smaller interior than our 3 way Norcold. 

 

 

The rails along the wire rack outer edges are a nice feature to help keep things in place, ‘shift happens’! After our last broken egg incident when opening the door I added a rail to the top rack, problem solved. Easy install and can be lifted from either side to swing away for access, as necessary.

Edited Friday at 12:58 PM by Ronbrink

[Geronimo John]

I hope that the induction stove is an option not a required.

If not an option, and elimination of gas, then the lithiium package would need to carry a lot of load for heat, convection oven and induction oven.  Not realistic from a solar regen perspective.  Generator would be needed.  Maybe one larger than a Honda 2200i.  

GJ

[Patriot]

19 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:

I hope that the induction stove is an option not a required.

If not an option, and elimination of gas, then the lithiium package would need to carry a lot of load for heat, convection oven and induction oven.  Not realistic from a solar regen perspective.  Generator would be needed.  Maybe one larger than a Honda 2200i.  

GJ

GJ, 

Per Josh White at Oliver Sales the induction cook top is standard and LP is no longer available on 26 YM Olivers. 

AI says -

An induction cooktop does not use a lot of electricity compared to gas or traditional electric models; in fact, induction cooktops are the most energy-efficient type of cooktop, using 5-10% less energy than standard electric models and up to three times less than gas, according to ENERGY STAR. This superior efficiency is due to the way induction works: it heats the pan directly using electromagnetism, requiring less time and energy to cook food compared to other methods that lose significant heat to the surrounding air. 

Why Induction is More Efficient

Direct Heating:

Induction uses an electromagnetic field to heat the pan directly, rather than heating an element and then transferring that heat to the pan. 

Faster Cooking:

The direct heating process is faster, meaning the cooktop is in operation for less time, which reduces overall electricity consumption. 

Less Waste:

Because heat is generated in the cookware itself, less heat is lost to the surrounding air compared to gas or electric coil stoves. 

How to Calculate Usage 

To estimate your electricity usage, multiply your cooktop's wattage by the number of hours it's in operation. 

For example, a 2,000-watt (2kW) cooktop used for one hour consumes 2 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. 

Factors Affecting Electricity Use

Power Level: Higher power levels will consume more electricity. 🤔

Cookware: The cookware must be compatible with induction to be efficient. 

Cooking Time: Shorter cooking times naturally lead to less overall energy consumption. 

 

All this said, I still like our LP.🔥

Edited Friday at 02:46 PM by Patriot

[rideandfly]

13 minutes ago, Patriot said:

All this said, I still like our LP.

Agree, we like our LP, too!

[topgun2]

While I did not have this specific discussion with the folks at Oliver - I doubt that Oliver is completely eliminating ALL propane from the 2026 models.  I suspect that there will still be propane for use with things like the water heater, furnace, outdoor grills and firepits.

Bill

[routlaw]

Love the idea of induction cooktop for a litany of different reasons.

As mentioned they are way more energy efficient. A few years ago we incorporated an induction range into our house after having a gas version for decades. Neither of us would ever go back to gas much preferring induction. The amount of control one has over the heating range is on orders of magnitude better and far more precise. It's nearly impossible to turn a gas cooktop down enough for slow simmers or any type of slow cooking too even with the use of diffusers, with induction it is a piece of cake to do this. As someone else mentioned it also provides addition work space when not using the burners, if you could actually call them that. There is no pollutants within the trailer either or our house for that matter, no issues with ignition at cold temps and high altitudes something we constantly encounter.

Cutting to the chase I applaud Oliver for providing this feature! The only downside I can think of is the need for "possibly" more Li-ON battery and a large at least 2000 watt inverter, both which adds to the cost of admission for induction, but offset somewhat by fewer propane bottle refills. We look at gas cooktops propane or natural gas is a severely outdated technology, belonging in the 20th century dust bin. 

[Rivernerd]

16 hours ago, Patriot said:

Both galley and wet bath sinks are now preformed “fiber granite” made in house. 

Looks great, but much more expensive to replace than the stainless version in the event of damage.  The stainless galley sink in our Hull #1291 (2022) is pitted, so replacing it is on my "to do" list, after our fall extended trip.

Edited Friday at 03:39 PM by Rivernerd

[jd1923]

19 hours ago, Patriot said:

That said, we sure like cooking with our LP! 🔥😊

1 hour ago, routlaw said:

A few years ago we incorporated an induction range into our house after having a gas version for decades. Neither of us would ever go back to gas much preferring induction.

18 hours ago, Galway Girl said:

Guess we all have different cooking styles.

6 hours ago, CRM said:

With everything able to run on electric now, who's going to be the first one to remove the propane tanks and pack the doghouse with lithium batteries?  😄

For sure, we're all different! 🤣 At home 6 years ago, I removed our electric induction cooktop (it was an older cooktop, perhaps not the latest technology), ran natural gas pipe to a new cooktop. Then I used the 8 AWG wire that was for the cooktop and added a sub-panel so that our fridge and Emeril Oven would have their own 20A circuits!

It's been a great kitchen mod and we would never go back. So, quite the opposite from Rob's comment. We like the simplicity of gas, what you see is the heat applied. And when camping, we must have LP for outdoor cooking, and our fire ring for sure. The LP Atwood furnace is another must have, don't want heat pump running above our heads! We're going to keep those two 30# LP tanks in addition to more/better batteries!

We prefer the stainless sinks too, but can see how this would make installation easier and costs lower for OTT.

This thread seems like fantasy-land to me. Out of all of us reading and writing, who is in the market for a new Oliver anyway? Not us! There is only room in life for one Oliver, for sure. I'm truly glad we prefer what we already have with mods already made.

It's like when OTT went to touch lights, nothing but problems. Our old switched lights, working now 10 years, and would not change a thing. Don't want those new windows either! 🤣

Edited Friday at 05:28 PM by jd1923

[Boilermaker Chemist]

Considering the mixed reviews on the changes for 2026, I wonder if Oliver does any consumer research before deciding what to change. For example, has this forum ever been used by Oliver for customer feedback by way of polling the changes they are considering ?