A Type A gas-powered motorhome with a view like no other and plentiful amenities in a smaller package.
By Bruce W. Smith
July 2022
One of the many joys of RVing is embracing and exploring new places. What makes these road trips even nicer is enjoying the vistas that unfold as you travel about the land, and few Type A motorhomes offer a better view of the countryside than the 2022 Jayco Alante 27A.
Jayco’s Modern Farmhouse interior décor gives the Alante a bright and comfortable ambience.
The Alante is the shortest of Jayco’s coaches, built on the Ford F-53 chassis and powered by the Blue Oval’s newest 350-horsepower, 7.3-liter, gas-powered V-8 engine, so it’s easy to drive. The Alante also has the largest windshield of any motorhome in this class (120 inches). Sitting in the swiveling captain’s chairs up front is like sitting on an open patio, with an unobstructed view of the road you’re traveling on as well as the surrounding scenery.
Not only does the Alante give a wonderful view out front but it also provides a roomy, comfortable living environment, be that in a park with full hookups or when backroads boondocking. It’s available in five floor plans ranging in size from the 28-foot 26X model to the 32-foot 29F.
The 29-foot-11-inch Alante 27A, which can sleep six in a pinch, is one of my favorites, because it feels just right for a couple or for a family RVing with one or two young kids.
Well-Appointed Living Area
The 27A I recently walked through at Bish’s RV in Junction City, Oregon, featured the optional Modern Farmhouse interior, which pairs light-colored cabinetry in the living/kitchen area with darker coverings on the sofa and dinette seats. (The standard interior, Bridgeport, does the opposite.) This lighter décor gives a bright, rich feel throughout the unit, especially when bathed by the recessed LED lighting above the crown molding along the street side of the coach, which has a 7-foot ceiling.
The L-shaped galley includes a deep farm-style stainless-steel sink.
I also liked that Jayco interior designers maximized storage space. Cupboards are available above both front seats, along the upper portion of the living area, and above the L-shaped galley. Additional storage is available under the dinette seats. There’s also a nice array of drawers in the galley, a pantry next to the 8-cubic-foot Norcold refrigerator/freezer opposite the galley, and a modest wardrobe/drawer combo between the pantry and the bathroom.
Everything in this part of the Alante looks and feels upscale, from the LED-lit hardwood fascia to the galley backsplash, and from the one-piece countertops, also LED-lit, to the power-lift 39-inch smart TV hidden in the shelf behind the dinette.
Chef-Friendly Kitchen
One aspect of RVing that most enjoy is cooking, and having the space to do that is important in the close quarters of a 30-foot motorhome. The Alante’s galley provides just enough food-prep space to cook in comfort, including a small flip-up countertop extension.
The Furrion all-in-one three-burner cooktop and oven and the residential-sized microwave above it provide the tools to do everything efficiently without handcuffing the camp chef.
A big drawer under the stove lends itself for storing pots and pans, and two drawers under the stainless-steel sink accommodate utensils and other cooking items. All the drawers are mounted on heavy-duty roller-type slides.
Bed And Bath Features
The 27A’s bathroom is tucked in on the curb side, just inside the bedroom’s sliding pocket doors. It, too, gives a rich, bright ambiance, with good LED and natural lighting and a nice array of decorative accents.
The 30-inch-by-36-inch walk-in shower has an upscale, decorative surround and glass door. It is topped by a large skylight. The powerful roof vent system comes with a wall switch. The mirrored medicine cabinet and the vanity can easily hold two people’s toiletries. Matching towel racks and clothes hooks mean buyers won’t have to worry about installing them after the fact.
The bedroom suite is roomier than one might expect to find in a smaller motorhome where the bathroom cuts into that space. The 27A comes standard with a 66-inch-by-76-inch king-size bed (other models have a queen) and a wardrobe that takes up most of the rear wall. Individual reading lights are provided, and a nice amount of natural light comes in from the windows at the head of the bed.
This Alante’s spacious wardrobe has two big mirrored doors that make up the upper half, while the lower half is filled with six small drawers. There’s also storage under the bed for bulkier items if needed. The street-side slideout extends the bed enough to make access to the wardrobe easier, although the width of the king bed can make it a little tight when using the lower drawers of the wardrobe.
Exterior As Nice As Inside
The Alante’s bathroom contains a residential-size walk-in shower.
One thing that sets an Alante apart from a lot of other smaller motorhomes is its distinctive Euro-style look. The huge windshield and eye-catching graphics give it a clean, sophisticated appearance on the open road.
Jayco prides itself on its build process, including the one-piece, seamless fiberglass front cap; one-piece crowned fiberglass roof; the fiberglass walls and the rest of the unit; and the insulation used (maximum values of R-24, roof; R-9, floor; R-5, walls). The company’s patented StrongholdVBL vacuum-bond lamination process is said to increase strength and durability while reducing weight. It’s considered one of the best in the industry.
A large pass-through storage compartment, along with a half-dozen more compartments around the coach’s exterior, allow plenty of storage space for weekend or weeks-long adventures. All the slam latches are metal.
This model comes with an outside entertainment system; an 18-foot electric patio awning with LED lights; an Onan Marquis Gold 4,000-watt auxiliary generator; 30-amp electrical service; an outside shower; and holding tanks (heated) and city water controls conveniently located in a street-side, midship compartment. The 56-pound propane tank and the two house batteries are located one compartment farther forward.
The 27A’s rear bedroom features a king-size bed and a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe with mirrored cabinets and drawers.
Options To Consider
The Alante 27A comes really well equipped with standard features. Options are minimal. The coach I walked through had three options worth considering. The first is the Modern Farmhouse interior décor, which adds $443 to the 27A’s $166,718 base suggested retail price. Another option I think worth having is the LED TV in the bedroom — a $383 upgrade.
Last but not least is the EuroLoft ($2,243), the electrically actuated front overhead bunk in the driver’s compartment. This is a great option if you have kids or plan to have grandkids or other children along on a trip and want them to have a cool place to sleep. The overhead bunk has a 750-pound capacity — 300 pounds more than the industry standard of 450 pounds, according to the company.
Whether those options are chosen or not, I doubt anyone purchasing an Alante 27A motorhome will regret their decision. A walk-through and an actual test drive should prove that Jayco designers have done their homework when it comes to building a nice 30-foot motorhome that’s going to provide years of fond memories.
The 2022 Alante 27A is small enough to be comfortable for a couple to share driving duties and well-appointed enough to make stays, wherever they may be, enjoyable for any family RVing.
SPECIFICATIONS | 2022 JAYCO ALANTE 27A
MANUFACTURER
Jayco Inc., 903 S. Main St., Middlebury, IN 46540; (574) 825-5861; www.jayco.com
MODEL
Alante
FLOOR PLAN
27A
CHASSIS
Ford F-53
ENGINE
Triton 7.3-liter V-8, 350 horsepower at 3,900 rpm; 468 pound-feet torque at 3,900 rpm
TRANSMISSION
TorqShift, 6-speed automatic with overdrive and tow haul mode
AXLE RATIO
4.3 to 1
TIRES
245/70R19.5 G
WHEELS
19.5 inches
WHEELBASE
190 inches
BRAKES
front and rear disc, four-wheel antilock
SUSPENSION
JRide: computer-balanced driveshaft, jounce bumpers, heavy-duty front and rear stabilizer bars, Sachs shocks
ALTERNATOR
210 amps
BATTERIES
chassis — (1) 12-volt; house — (2) 6-volt AGM
ELECTRICAL SERVICE
30 amps
AUXILIARY GENERATOR
4-kw Onan Marquis Gold, gas
EXTERIOR LENGTH
29 feet 11 inches
EXTERIOR WIDTH101 inches
EXTERIOR HEIGHT
12 feet 5 inches with A/C
INTERIOR HEIGHT
7 feet
GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING (GVWR)
18,000 pounds
GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATING
front — 7,000 pounds; rear — 12,000 pounds
GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT RATING (GCWR)
23,000 pounds
FRESH WATER CAPACITY
72 gallons
HOLDING TANK CAPACITIES
gray water — 50 gallons; black water — 49 gallons
PROPANE CAPACITY
56 pounds
FUEL CAPACITY
80 gallons
FUEL REQUIREMENTS
gasoline
WATER HEATER
Girard tankless propane heater
HEATING SYSTEM
30,000-Btu furnace, auto-ignition, ducted
AIR-CONDITIONING
(2) 13,500-Btu units with power management system
REFRIGERATOR
8-cubic-foot, flush mount, double door, standard; 12-cubic foot, optional
TOILET
porcelain with foot flush
WARRANTY
coach — 2 years/24,000 miles, limited; 3 years structural; chassis — 3 years/36,000 miles
BASE SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE
$166,718