2023 Demo Units: report

[Steph and Dud B]

We got a good look at some 2023 Elite 2 demo units while we were at the mothership last week.

On the outside you can see that the solar panels aren't as wide (it has been reported that OTT is switching to more powerful panels from a different mfg.), there was the optional Truma A/C unit up top, and there's no lower vent panel for the refrigerator. The latter is because OTT is switching to 12/120v compressor fridges, and the reason for that is that they can't source new 3-way fridges in that size anymore. I did ask Jason what impact that would have on battery life and he said that their tests showed good performance, even with AGM batteries.

The lower fridge vent panel has been replaced by a cool flip-up table which we liked a lot. Inside, the compressor fridge itself was deeper, with more fridge storage, but a smaller freezer than our Norcold 3-way, which we didn't like as much.

The Zamp solar controller was replaced by a Victron, of which we're jealous, and the furnace was different, too, with smaller registers in the cabin. I think the furnace was a Truma as well - part of the optional Truma package.

Otherwise, we didn't notice any other major changes from our 2022.

 

 

[ScubaRx]

There’s also the never lube hubs. 

[SeaDawg]

That fridge interior looks just like my truckfridge 130, and the isotherm cf130, both of which are manufactured by indel webasto. (I replaced my freezer door with one from isotherm after I broke mine last year.) We installed the fridge in February,  2018, and we've been thrilled with its steady performance since then. It cools down very quickly, makes ice quickly, and holds steady temperature,  no matter the ambient temp.

There are some major advantages with the indel products, and a few caveats. The overall fridge capacity is bigger than either of my previous 3ways, (2008 norcold, replaced by a dometic rm2454), though the freezer section is indeed smaller. The door organization is really nice, though it took awhile to get used to. I'm very fond of the crisper drawer for accessing the contents down low.

It runs quietly, almost silently, on dc power with the very efficient danfoss/secop compressor. As we travel, it uses far less amp hours than a 3way on 12v. (We typically use 60 to 75 ah daily to power the fridge.) That energy is easily replaced with solar on the highway, so that will be a bonus for folks who didn't like the idea of traveling with the 3way on gas.

At night, there are no fridge panel lights illuminating my dark trailer,  but there is an interior light to see the contents when the door is opened.

There is no concern about leveling, as there is nothing to crystallize as in a 3way. These have been installed in boats for decades, including sailboats, which are often far from level, on a tack.

With no vents to the outside, mud daubers and air leaks/dust are non-issues.

The disadvantages,  for me, with my less expensive and quite possibly less insulated truckfridge:

I start experiencing ice buildup in the freezer section every seven to ten days. If I don't defrost the freezer, the freezer door won't close properly,  and, eventually,  I broke the freezer door hinge pin due to ice buildup. May not be a problem in the more expensive units that Oliver will be installing, but something to watch for, and don't procrastinate defrosting if you get a buildup. The freezer door replacement was difficultto find, and was over $100, with shipping.

(My fridge door is not that well insulated. I know, because I can see condensate sometimes on the door in a pattern that show less insulation in structural areas.)

Our 2008 has only two 105 ah marine agm batteries,  so power management for us is always important. I'd highly recommend portable solar and/or a generator as backup for boondocking in the shade, for those without lithium. I'm fine if we camp in sun, but in full shade, boondocking, we need to deploy portable solar or break out the little Honda every few days. For me, it's a small inconvenience tradeoff for a quiet and highly reliable fridge.

I love that table over access panel that Oliver devised. Great idea, and beautifully implemented. (We sealed our vents with heavy visquene, insulation, and hvac tape, after our retrofit. )

Overall, I  couldn't be happier with our compressor fridge. One of our favorite upgrades, ever. 

 

[Steve Morris]

Woohoo! These are all things that I was going to ask about. Especially eliminating the fridge vent so that I could switch to a Danfoss compressor unit after the fact. This will save me money right out the door! The Danfoss compressor powered fridge/freezer in my truck has run 24/7 nine months of the year since 2015, so I know that they are reliable. Great news! The fridge vent to table is just a bonus!

Victron vs Zamp will be great, with better interoperability with other brands, and a lot of options.

More efficient solar will also be a bonus, as we plan to go with the lithium package and better Trim AC.

@Steph and Dud BDid you happen to ask about the Elite I redesign? Specifically a twin version?

Thanks for the update

[dewdev]

@Steph and Dud BDid you happen to ask about their proposed 28 footer that they are in the planning mode?

[John E Davies]

DC fridge - woohoo, unless you boondock in the off season or inclement weather, if so you will be running your generator a lot. That is a steady heavy drain that can't be stopped, with the 3 way you can use propane and it doesn't kill your batteries.

Victron MPPT solar controller and Smart Bus - woohoo, they listened, these are both serious upgrades.

Truma furnace - I would like to learn more about that, is it quie(er than the we-all-hate-this Suburban, what are the service requirements. How is access? Is it a Combi (includes water heater)? Maybe they will be offering this as a service department upgrade, I would be interested.

Did anyone look underneath? Better axles? Disk brakes? It does appear to still have leaf springs ;(

Will the lithium batteries charge now from the tow vehicle? That requires an onboard smart DC to DC charger.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[Guest]

Thanks for posting the photos! I love all those changes. Excited to see them in person. 

Kirk

[SeaDawg]

2 hours ago, John E Davies said:

DC fridge - woohoo, unless you boondock in the off season or inclement weather, if so you will be running your generator a lot. That is a steady heavy drain that can't be stopped, with the 3 way you can use propane and it doesn't kill your batteries

We managed for 4 years, so far, 2 years with 200 watts fixed solar and a single 100 watt portable, and 2 years with 400 watts fixed solar and 200 watts portable. And, the Honda 1000. 2 x 105 ah agm 12v batteries. I've logged the amp hours used as 60 to 70, most days, by the fridge, as I noted several times here.

It's definitely doable, with power management,  and backup. 152 days, most days without power, last year. 

But, it's definitely something to consider, and keep in mind. The tradeoff is high reliability,  just about zero maintenance,  and mine cools well in cold and hot weather. Can't speak much to altitude difference,  as we're rarely above 5000 feet, but I  doubt that affects the danfoss compressor,  either, which can affect the propane fridge.  

I think power consumption is rated at around 4.5 amps, 12v,  but the compressor doesn't run continuously. Maybe 50 to 60 per cent of the time. 

I do miss the option to run on propane, as we camp without hookups most of the time, but I  love my fridge.

@Steph and Dud B, is the fridge in the Oliver elevated a bit off the floor? we built a small low drawer under ours. Between the added height, and the pullout drawer,  I  never have to get on my hands and knees anymore to find something stored in the bottom of the fridge.

 

[Steph and Dud B]

4 hours ago, Steve and Deb said:

Did you happen to ask about the Elite I redesign? Specifically a twin version?

I asked Ryan about the Elite 1 redo but he didn't have any info.

4 hours ago, dewdev said:

id you happen to ask about their proposed 28 footer that they are in the planning mode?

Didn't ask.

 

4 hours ago, John E Davies said:

Did anyone look underneath? Better axles? Disk brakes? It does appear to still have leaf springs

Didn't peek underneath. Was just wandering around the showroom/lot while they were working on our A/C issue.

[Steph and Dud B]

1 hour ago, SeaDawg said:

is the fridge in the Oliver elevated a bit off the floor?

Nope. Down on floor level like the current 3-ways.

[AZ Wonderer]

I think there's at least one other major change coming with the 2023 models.  The fiber-granite counters are being replaced with solid surface acrylic countertops.  I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but it is a change from all previous models.

[Patriot]

The 2023 “demo” with the Truma AC and other added options/changes/upgrades we saw at this past rally was actually a 2020 YM model Elite ll. The new Truma AC will fit fine in our 2020 and won’t require any additional cutting when Oliver moves forward on a retro fit possibly in March of 23 depending on supply chain.

FWIW.

-Patriot

[Trainman]

What is the price of the 2023 demo at and what is the price of a comparable model new. All I remember is that my 2019 model Elite II was $54,900 for the base model. As far as a 28' model, Oliver would have lost there mind, when you can sell all you can produce the cost of tooling would take a lifetime to recoup there cost. I think all the upgrades are good for a new buyer, but it comes at a big cost to the buyer, not sure that $25,000 plus dollars makes camping that much better over time. I know that our 2019 Elite II everything works just fine and I don't think all those upgrade items would make much difference in camping, it's still camping isn't it.  

trainman

[Katjo]

On 6/27/2022 at 10:12 AM, Steph and Dud B said:

We got a good look at some 2023 Elite 2 demo units while we were at the mothership last week.

On the outside you can see that the solar panels aren't as wide (it has been reported that OTT is switching to more powerful panels from a different mfg.), there was the optional Truma A/C unit up top, and there's no lower vent panel for the refrigerator. The latter is because OTT is switching to 12/120v compressor fridges, and the reason for that is that they can't source new 3-way fridges in that size anymore. I did ask Jason what impact that would have on battery life and he said that their tests showed good performance, even with AGM batteries.

The lower fridge vent panel has been replaced by a cool flip-up table which we liked a lot. Inside, the compressor fridge itself was deeper, with more fridge storage, but a smaller freezer than our Norcold 3-way, which we didn't like as much.

The Zamp solar controller was replaced by a Victron, of which we're jealous, and the furnace was different, too, with smaller registers in the cabin. I think the furnace was a Truma as well - part of the optional Truma package.

Otherwise, we didn't notice any other major changes from our 2022.

 

 

Thank you for sharing the photos. Love all the new features especially the quieter AC and the flip up outdoor table.😍

[John E Davies]

Does anyone know the brand and model number of the new fridge? The new data is not available at the University, just this which is cool.

 

They sure look like my “old” vents, they would make it easy to plug the no longer needed holes.

Thanks.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[BBL]

27 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

Does anyone know the brand and model number of the new fridge? The new data is not available at the University, just this which is cool.

@John E Davies  The new fridge is the Isotherm 130 (99% sure of that). It is spacious but like people said, the freezer is smaller yet it still advertises 2 liters for the freezer.

You asked about the Furnace (Truma), I can tell you it is MUCH quieter than either a Suburban or Dometic. The air flow is fantastic, warms up quickly.  It is NOT the combi unit, it is the Vario-Heat. Truma spec’d it out with their own ducting too.  The furnace, A/C and hot water heater (Truma Aqua-Go) all run on the same control panel, the CP Plus.

Here are some pictures from my last visit to the factory.

The first shows the Truma Furnace, Vario-heat, second shows Truma duct work, third is inside of the Isotherm and last is the Isotherm exterior.

Brian

[BBL]

On 7/14/2022 at 7:15 PM, AZ Wonderer said:

The fiber-granite counters are being replaced with solid surface acrylic countertops.

I was told this upgrade was scrapped and they are staying with the fiber-granite. It was a bit disappointing to me as I was told about it when we first started looking and then they changed the story after our deposit. Not that this would move the needle but when you look forward to something different it is kind of a let down.

Brian

[John E Davies]

Well, I threw in the towel, I can’t fight it any more. I just ordered a new Isotherm fridge, free shipping to my local West Marine store. Truck freight is brutal for these units….

I would like to see some install pics, but that will be a new thread.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[SeaDawg]

Well, I hope you like it as much as I like ours, five years in.

You'll need some venting across the top, as these (as you know) vent to the interior. I think that was an additional $50 or so from truckfridge. We put a shallow IKEA drawer under ours, as the fridge total capacity is larger (sans the big absorption unit), but a shorter height.  I think I recall the venting requirement to be 24 square inches. 

We finished the vertical edges of raw fiberglass with trimlok  press to fit trim.

The freezer is smaller, but I make it work. I don't mind. At least stuff doesn't get lost.

[johnwen]

On 7/15/2022 at 9:34 AM, Patriot said:

when Oliver moves forward on a retro fit possibly in March of 23

Patriot, we just left the mother ship with our Truma retrofit on our 2022 Elite II :)

[Patriot]

44 minutes ago, johnwen said:

Patriot, we just left the mother ship with our Truma retrofit on our 2022 Elite II 🙂

@johnwen that is great news! We are scheduled on the books at Oliver service for the retrofit in May. 

PM sent! 😊
 

Patriot 🇺🇸

[MnM]

4 hours ago, Brian and Brandelyne said:

I was told this upgrade was scrapped and they are staying with the fiber-granite. It was a bit disappointing to me as I was told about it when we first started looking and then they changed the story after our deposit. Not that this would move the needle but when you look forward to something different it is kind of a let down.

Brian

Same story (sticking with Fiber-Granite) we have been told for our 9FEB delivery.   Will see in about 2 weeks!