There is a growing movement of RV buyers who are fed up with gigantic coaches that cannot fit in parking spaces, cost more than a house, and should require an advanced driving license. Several manufacturers are responding to the demands of these people and now, Americans can buy impossibly tiny motorhomes that still pack a big punch. One of them is the new 2025 Thor Quantum SE19 and its sister 2025 Four Winds 19Z, 20.5 foot Class C coaches that are only just now hitting the market.
I saw a 2025 Thor Quantum SE19 at the 2025 Florida RV SuperShow but, unfortunately, the unit was closed when I tried checking it out and there was no information about it. There weren’t any web pages about it either, which remains the case now. However, these units are finally hitting the market, so I’m finally getting the tasty details I’ve been waiting for.
If you loved the idea of the Wingamm Oasi 540.1 but wished it was a fraction of the price, this might be your jam. This motorhome is a little bit bigger than the Wingamm, but it’s built on a more reliable platform and still small enough that it’s roughly about the length of the F-150 that might be parked in your driveway.
This motorhome comes from the folks of Thor Motor Coach, a motorhome division of RV mega-conglomerate Thor Industries. The brand was created in 2010 after Thor Industries merged Damon Motor Coach and Four Winds International. Thor Motor Coach has such a hold on the motorhome market that it sells a quarter of all of the motorhomes that are sold in America each year.
I’ve toured Thor Motor Coach units before and while I have never been particularly impressed by the firm’s designs, layouts, or quality, the coaches sold by the brand have highly competitive pricing. This coach comes from the Quantum line, which exists to provide families with feature-packed motorhomes at a more affordable price. Honestly, I’ve been saying that a lot lately because a lot of brands seem to claim this as their whole deal.
The Other Tiny Option
The Quantum Class C lineup covers coaches under 32 feet long and until recently, the smallest of the bunch was the 24’1″ Quantum LC24. How small is the new Quantum SE19 and its siblings? It’s just 20.5 feet. That’s roughly the length of a Ford F-150 SuperCrew with a 6.5-foot bed. Yes, the Quantum SE19 is about three feet longer than the ultra-tiny Wingamm Oasi 540.1, but this thing is still remarkably tiny for any motorhome, let alone a Class C.
I’ll put it another way. How short is the Quantum SE19? The flagship Airstream Interstate 24 van is four feet longer. However, like the Wingamm, the Quantum SE19 is clever in how it packs more room to move around in a space that’s shorter than a camper van. This RV is also sold under the sister brand of Four Winds with the same floorplan.
According to Thor, the Quantum SE19 and its sister Four Winds 19Z start off life as a Ford E-350 cutaway featuring a 7.3-liter Godzilla gasoline V8 making 325 HP and 450 lb-ft of torque. Mounted to the frame of this cutaway chassis is a tubular aluminum cage superstructure. A one-piece Dicor Crossflex thermoplastic roof membrane is draped on top. Thor says this thermoplastic roof is three times as puncture resistant than old-school rubber membranes. The thermoplastic roof is also claimed to be multiple times more tear-resistant than rubber.
Thor continues by saying the coach has laminated walls, laminated floors, and fiberglass end caps. There is also block foam insulation between the layers. In other words, the Quantum SE19 doesn’t use the “holy grail” molded fiberglass construction that the Wingamm does or all-steel like a van, but it’s still a few cuts above a wood-framed, rubber membrane roof build.
Unfortunately, Thor has a bad reputation for rough build quality — something I’ve personally witnessed too many times — so don’t expect the fit and finish of the nicer RVs I’ve written about. But hey, once the RV body falls apart you can just cut it off and make a wicked van-truck.
While we’re still outside, Thor notes that its Quantum coaches have a power awning, a backup camera, and electric stabilizer jacks. The power awning and backup camera are here, but it’s unclear if the little 19s get the power jacks.
A lot of Class C motorhomes have moved to newer platforms like the Ford Transit, the Ford F-Series, and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. However, there are still some holdouts being built on the Ford E-Series and the Chevrolet Express.While these old van-based RVs are going to drive like the dinosaurs that underpin them, these ancient platforms are still great for people who do DIY repairs and modifications. Certainly, I’d take an E-Series over the Ram ProMaster.
Moving inside, you’ll immediately see why the 2025 Quantum SE19 and the 2025 Four Winds 19Z might be better choices than buying a new camper van. The wider Class C body means you have a lot more space to move around. The only real difference between the two models is the interior color scheme. There’s also a third model out there called the Chateau 19Z and you won’t be surprised to read that the biggest difference is a different interior color.
The layout here is pretty good. Your kitchen is on the right side of the vehicle while the bathroom is directly across the aisle. A U-shaped dinette takes up the rear and there’s a bed over the cab. It’s a very simple layout and one that a lot of people should feel pretty comfortable walking around in.
Thor notes that you get a two-burner stove, a single basin stainless steel sink, and a wet bath with a foot flush toilet and shower. Thor also notes pressed laminate countertops, residential vinyl flooring, an instant water heater, and there’s even a TV for the person sleeping in the 52″ by 91″ bed over the cab. The U-shaped dinette also turns into a 54″ by 77″ bed. Finally, you also get a 7″ display on the dashboard that provides Wi-Fi and a 4G signal booster.
Matt’s RV Reviews, which teamed up with General RV for a walkaround has already declared the 2025 Thor Quantum SE19 as the “World’s Smallest Super C,” but that doesn’t make any sense. A Super C is based on a heavy truck chassis, which this is absolutely not. That being said, it might be the smallest American Class C motorhome currently in production, and that’s great!
What’s interesting about this video is that even though it’s sponsored by General RV, the host readily admits that the coach is built as cheaply as possible. Ouch. The cheapness also means no running boards, no fancy options, and only the most basic equipment.
In terms of capacities, you’re looking at a 40-gallon fuel tank, a 20-gallon fresh tank, and 16 gallons for waste. The unit does have both a black tank and a gray tank, but the gray tank figure hasn’t been published yet. One thing we do know is that most of the E-350’s towing capacity remains intact and the RV can tow 8,000 pounds and has a payload of 2,806 pounds.
It’s How Cheap?
Now here comes the big question. What does it cost? General RV, the dealer chain currently advertising the 2025 Thor Quantum SE19, says the MSRP on one of these is $127,335. However, these units are just leaving the factory just now and they’re already being sold for half-off. General RV says you should be able to find one for sale for between $60,000 and $70,000. Here’s one for sale in Michigan for $59,500. The Four Winds and Chateau equivalents should cost about the same from other dealers.
Not only does this mean that the 2025 Quantum SE19 and its badge-engineered mates are a fraction of the cost of the $188,500 Wingamm, but also cheaper than a new Ford F-150 Lariat. Well, that’s so long as you can find one for the cheaper end of the price delta.
Overall, I’m a fan of the idea. It’s close to the size of the Wingamm while also being a fraction of the price. Now there’s something for both ends of the small motorhome market. If you want the ultimate smallest luxury rig, the Wingamm might be your jam. If you don’t care about luxury, insane attention to detail, or style, and just want a lot of bang for your buck. I think the Quantum SE19 might be the ticket. Either way, it’s really awesome to see how the RV industry is responding to this movement of smaller RV buyers.
So the build quality is probably quite bad. No big surprise there given the cost. I think you can make a case for it though in that if you get it for around $60,000 you won’t lose as much in depreciation as you would with something nicer and more expensive. RVs depreciate faster than German luxury cars. I see solid argument that investing as little as possible is the way to go. If you have a pole barn or a garage tall enough to protect it from constant sun and water exposure, it probably will last a decent amount of time. You can then probably sell it to someone who wants to put some kind of utility body on that commercial truck frame once the camper portion of it does fall apart.
These are the reason I would never consider a class B, at least not for the relative prices they command. Sure, the van will get somewhat better mileage, but you can buy a lot of gas for the $100000 you save buying one of these, and even better, you don’t have to deal with a shitcase toilet.
Interior appears to be made of particle board and vinyl couch material.
Don’t be silly. It’s cardboard and vinyl beach ball material at this price point.
Toilet is WAY too close to the driver’s seat if someone gets the “Four Winds”
“Crom laughs at your Four Winds!”
Do RVs always sell for 50% under MSRP, or is that unique to this vehicle?
For someone like me who has a casual interest in RVs but would consider buying one, the $116k number causes me to lose interest. When I see one listed for 50% off MSRP, I presume it sucks and there is a reason no one is willing to pay full price.
I get that MSRPs are intentionally high to allow dealers to give the impression the buyer is getting a good deal, but when taken to this extreme it seems like it is sending some bad messages. I wonder if they might sell better if the MSRP was closer to a reasonable market value.
Ridiculous MSRPs followed by equally absurd discounts are common in this industry. It often isn’t as dramatic as half off the second it leaves the factory, but the pricing of these things don’t make any sense.
Nope. One of the old school mall places (JCPenney?) once tried doing away with sales and just listed everything for an aggressively low price. Sales tanked. They kept all the prices the same, but slapped a “20% Off” sign on everything and suddenly sales went up.
People like to feel they’re getting a deal, even if they’re not.
I can see where overpricing by 20% makes sense. I’m mostly reacting to the 50% difference for this vehicle. The $116k price tag makes this seem so expensive it isn’t even worth any further consideration. I would have a different reaction to a $75k price tag on a vehicle that intuitively feels like it should be $60k.
Also, that pricing strategy seems to make more sense for cheaper items. Cheaper items are more likely to be impulse purchases, or at least purchases that are easy to justify without much thought. I’m sure there are people that impulse buy a $60k RV because they see it heavily discounted from MSRP, but I doubt there are many of them.
We rented one about this size to drive from Whitehorse to Inuvik. It was the perfect size for 2, had everything we needed. It did wallow around the roads something scary initially, because the tech had pumped the tires up to Flintstones wheel firmness. One I fixed that it drove well enough for what it was.
But most of the driving was on slower 90kph pavement and gravel roads(doesn’t drift great). Once we got over 100kph I realized the real flaw of this design. Wind resistance. Not only does the cap design captured unfortunate avian friends(and the misery of prying their bodies out) but it also eats into your fuel mileage something fierce. So if you are the back roads type, they would work well enough. Hit the highways though? Bring your gas card and retirement savings.
I am curious what you consider bad fuel mileage?
I don’t know exactly what it was, but it went from “this is actually not to bad” to “holy crap I can’t believe how fast that tank disappeared.” I was on vacation, so wasn’t interested in doing math.
They’ve still got a long way to go on build quality, but it’s good to see the big manufacturers try to provide what the market wants.
Way to small. People want these until they to use them.
Give me a true C class over this any day.
Can you get one on an Express chassis? I refuse to buy Fords.
Does the 5.3 have enough juice to get this thing going? The 6.2 is apparently not something you want these days. In general, I’d be with you in preferring a NA V8 over the turbo V6.
Fairly common here in the UK, And probably the rest of Europe too, This isn’t small to me, It’s just normal size 🙂
I do like the compact size while still maintaining the towing capacity. Personally I’d make the step up to a 23 class and sacrifice the ability to park in a normal spot to get the two fixed beds (typically one in back and the cab-over), a dinette and most importantly, the dry bath. When it’s just me and the Missus out for a trip, having to break down the dinette into the bed each night would be a pain (assuming we didn’t eat outside) and I’m getting a bit old to want to climb out of the cab-over at 3am to pee.
Also, while I’m not typically a fan of old-school tech, in this case, I’ll take the tried and (mostly) true Econoline over the less than stellar reliability and hard to service Transit anyday and don’t even get me going on the Promaster.
I’d say it looks like a good couples camper for a decent price (assuming discounts, not the MSRP) but maybe for younger or at least more spry couples than us.
It’s always interesting watching North America being late to the party and still not bringing anything new and clever to invigorate said party. This sort of thing has been around for a while elsewhere…just not with Grandad’s Hammer as a platform. Which really does bring some other issues around the accommodation durability due to the nature of the platform. Personally, I’d prefer a diesel cab over from Hino etc as a platform…
The tow rating really makes this a sweet setup. Shit, you could bring a pretty large travel trailer along. Obviously another car or cargo trailer would make more sense, but still, options.
Good use of the space but I don’t see how a wet bath is going to fly. No one I know would shell out $60K (much less, list price) for a wet bath.
This is why I think there’s wisdom to designing the interior first, then building around it. Sure, these are the size of an F-150, but 2-3 feet more still makes it pretty easy to park at the end of the Walmart lot and now you have tons of extra room for that dry bath.
Perfect for a couple! And it can accommodate a friend (or two) if they want to come spend the night with you. No way it’s worth the MSRP but for less than $60 they might be on to something here.
Yo Mercedes! Not sure how to reach out with a cool story- probably because I don’t have social media, but I’ve been noticing the GMT800s /900s and same era F150s (non Raptor) that are in a rare configuration. The club cab with the super short bed. The tiny bed is typically used on the crew cabs (5’5” to 5’7”) bed. In club cab you usually end up with the 6’5” short bed. These rare birds end up being shorter than a regular cab, 8’ bed. So you get a usable bed and not super long, but a manageable back seat. Pretty cool. AFIK these 2 are unique to 2003-2012 GMT 800s and F150s.. Raptor shorty is most common application. Holla
You can always reach me at mercedes@TheAutopian.com. However, we get inundated with spam so sometimes great emails get lost under the load. Thank you so much for the sweet recommendation! I’m going to go down the rabbit hole now.
Thanks – I sent it off. Hopefully it finds you. Caio!
For the ford version, it was the 133″ wheelbase supercab 5.5′ bed. It was available in the 11th gen 04-08 trucks and excluding the Raptor, it was available in 09-10 only on the 12th gen. They are fairly rare. Raptor version was available in 133″ wb 10-14
Glad someone else sees them too! It took me by surprise when I was next to one at Home Depot and was confused why the gas door so close to the front edge of the bed compared to my club cab 6’5″ box.
Wikipedia does not even have the configuration on there for the 800s. Good story for the ‘that nobody knew existed’ pieces they write here.
What’s with all the RV stuff recently? Did someone’s dad buy a dealership or is someone on staff newly homeless?
Mercedes has always loved the RV/camper niche
Mercedes is the resident RV expert! She will do lots of research on old classics as well as these new affordable units. And she was just at the big show in Tampa so there’s probably a bunch of these articles in the can.
I’m sure these articles get a lot of traffic too. This is ‘affordable housing’ in america now.
It was me: I made comments about the RVs/Trailers discussed in earlier posts being too expensive and now there’s a raft of posts about cheaper ones. (Ok, it was a number of commenters plus just general concerns of costs, but I think that’s what’s motivating it–and in all truth, I’m happy with the result.)
I love her articles, they’re damn informative. 🙂
agreed. Nice when the site authors seem in touch with their readers in this way.
It’s been my thing for about four and a half years now. My very first article for Jalopnik was about a weird motorhome! 🙂
As someone who hopes to someday have a small motorhome, but currently can’t even think about affording one, these articles are right in my wheelhouse. And some of the ones I enjoy the most on Autopian. Your efforts are appreciated @Mercedes
Any chance Autopian is sending you out in the field for the NC RV show on the 14th-ish? (Look at you, got me paying attention to RV goings-on)
https://www.northcarolinarvda.com/
A new E-350 Dual rear wheel cutaway costs a little over $41,000 if you just buy one according to Ford’s website. This thing all built is available for $60k? I suppose that may be considered a decent value but at the MSRP of $127k it’s simply laughable. Does the MSRP just exist to try to convince people they are getting a deal? Or are they waiting for a shortage of something in order to dial back the discounts? Who makes the extra profit when one sells for close to MSRP, is it the manufacturer or the dealer? So many questions! So little desire to own one! Still, I’m surprised they haven’t Quigleyed it, although bouncing around offroad might warp the thing pretty quickly 🙂
I get that there is a market for these, but…
For $60,000, I’d rather buy a used U-Haul box truck and spend the other $50K on maintenance and on kitting out the inside.
I do wonder how big the market really is when it stickers at $127k yet retails at $60k. Maybe the better bet is to just rent a new U-haul box truck for the weekend and toss a futon in the back.
This is pretty typical of most gas fueled Class-C’s. They are the cheap person’s RV, relatively speaking, and are often way below list. The exception: the diesel Sprinter powered ones sell much closer to list.
In many respects Class-Cs are both the best of both worlds and the worst—more cheaply built than most class As, but also have a more traditional driving experience (until the wind hits). Way more roomy and practical than Class Bs, and more size for the dollar, but they drain gas like it’s free and again–try driving one in the wind sometime for an “energetic” experience.
“They are the cheap person’s RV”
No, a cheap person’s RV would be a regular-ass van. A van down by the river.
That’s not an RV, and a modern van conversion is insanely expensive these days, more than a class C.
Sure it is! An RV by definition is a vehicle designed for recreational use (as in camping). Well then what is a regular ass van if not a self propelled, rigid walled, somewhat soundproofed, glass windowed, elevated, racoon proof, climate controlled tent which some folks use for extreme camping down by the river. Camping in a van sure beats camping in a regular ass non propelled, floppy walled, sonically transparent, mesh windowed, floor on the ground, no protection against @&%$+# racoons whatsoever and the temp outside is the temp inside tent.
by that definition, a car will do.
If that’s all you got, sure. A van has a lot more room though.
not an an rv though, which is my point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_vehicle You can sleep in anything. Big deal.
from your Wiki:
“RVs can range from utilitarian – containing only sleeping quarters and basic cooking facilities”
So by the wiki a regular ass van with a sleeping bag and a camping stove is a utilitarian RV. Perfect for a cheap person living down by the river.
You’ve stretched that definition, not in the wiki. You can sleep in anything you like. Also, try lighting up a camping stove inside a van and see how that works out for you.
A sleeping bag on a flattened bench seat and a camping stove fits the definition of a bare bones basic RV just fine.
Also, try lighting up a camping stove inside a van and see how that works out for you.
No worse than the a stove in any number of other small RVs
Mercedes, you frequently bring up the point of bad build quality with RVs. Hell, when I was a kid when my parents bought a Steury pop up camper in 1971, quality sucked. Hell, the trailer tongue had to be welded on to the frame because someone in Indiana forgot to do it. Why they welded one side, but not the other, is beyond anyone’s reasoning. Detroit figured out how to build better cars since. Why can’t these RV manufacturers?
Why bother? People are still willing to buy whatever crap they can make.
The only reason Detroit shaped up was fortuitous, fuel efficient competition from abroad at a crucial period in history and government safety/emissions regulations. As long as crap sells and crap is profitable those manufacturers will be testing the limits of crap.
Americans buy the largest thing for the cheapest price by and large. It’s why all you can eat buffets and giant houses on postage stamp size lots are so popular.
There have been smaller, lighter options. But they’re niche because they’re pricey and don’t have as much flash as the larger, heavier ones (looks at Aliner covered in snow).
Yep. My in-laws, with their 3500 dually and 40′ 5th wheel, think we are crazy with our 23′ Airstream. They sit in their camper and watch TV on one of their 3 TV’s (for 2 people). We are outside doing things as long as the weather is nice. Our 18 year old Airstream still feels modern and the quality is better than most of what is being put out today. I expect it will continue to serve us well for many years after their 5th wheel falls apart.
Bingo. That’s what camping is for me. Get outside, enjoy the area! I can watch TV at home.
Having a solid roof overhead makes it that much more pleasant. I love pitching a tent, but that can get old when it’s pouring all day. Plus tents leak and condense. With a camper, some airflow can be maintained to make waiting out rain more bearable.
Some, including myself, point some blame to how many of these companies operate. Many of the larger brands pay their production employees by the piece, which incentivizes finishing as quickly as possible. It’s also the belief of many dealers that units with quality concerns are shipped out anyway and the burden is put on the customer and the dealer to identify and fix what’s broken.
You’ll notice that a lot of the companies with better quality often have different business models where the builders are salaried or get profit sharing.
That might explain the quality deficiencies in my 2013 rPod…including when I went to winterize, I found Jose’s tape measure next to the HTH and bypass valves. It had his name on it.
Thank you for including the tow rating, I feel like that’s a big draw of sticking with the ancient chassis, but it never gets brought up. Would expect a lot more than 8,000 pounds towing capacity though, wonder what’s holding it back.
Also, speaking of holding it back, that 40 gallon gas tank does not cut it. You might do 10mpg on the interstate in this, so that’s a max of 400 miles per tank. Throw a trailer on the back, and you won’t even make it that far. I know there’s a lot of things competing for space, but, that small of a tank on an RV will get old fast.
I get what you’re saying about a box van being wider – and therefore more spacious – than a Class B cargo van conversion. However, for longevity and durability, the solid steel of a van is going to be way ahead of the sticks and wallpaper of this Class C.
The one nice thing about the Ford E series is the owner will find parts everywhere in North America.
The cockpit seats look like stock Ford parts. Sit in them for a few hours and tell me how well you like them. The passenger is shortchanged on footspace, and the doghouse gets hot in the E series I’ve driven. The cockpits in Transits and Sprinters is friendlier to both driver and passenger.
Membrane roof? Thor promises the new material is better than previous membranes, but it’s still a flexible material stretched and glued over a rigid substrate. Eventually, it will wear and crack when exposed to years of UV radiation.
Build quality in Thors I’ve seen, with the exception of Tiffin is, well, woof.
I just don’t get the appeal of one of these tiny RVs over a pickup with a slide-in RV. Or a similarly sized tow-behind RV for that matter. When you aren’t camping, you still have a useful vehicle. These small RVs just seem like the worst of all worlds.
The only RV I would want with a motor in it is a proper coach conversion. And I would infinitely rather have a 30yo one of those than a brand-new cardboard crackerbox like this.
The big question for me is whether it’s construction will avoid the dreaded leaks in the roof and walls.
I’d say no. All these rigs flex a lot with road vibrations/undulations. Elastomers and sealants get brittle from heat/sun. Plus the original fitup of joints is highly variable quality-wise.
RV manufacturers had plenty of time to remedy these problems, and I mean decades. These are solvable problems.
Not for the profit margins they want to make.