Thoughts on a 2023 Keystone 25FKPR

[OregonAdventurer]

We are ready to buy our next RV and are seriously considering the Keystone Premier 25FKPR and would love your thoughts on this unit (or Keystone Premier in general).

One of our main reasons for upgrading is that we need a king sized bed but we want to stay as small and light as possible. We really like that this unit has a bedroom slide making the space not so claustrophobic. Other pluses for us are the front kitchen, dual doors, rectangular shower, table instead of dinette and recliners.

The light dry weight of 6335 is a huge plus but the cargo capacity is only 1065 lbs. We have not been able to see this unit in person, the closest dealers are Tacoma RV in Washington or Camping World in Draper, UT (any thoughts on these dealers is also appreciated).

We are also waiting to see if there are some new floor plans in Cougar or Keystone Premiers that may fit our needs with the 2024 model year.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[jsb5717]

Welcome aboard! Glad you found us.

What are you “upgrading” from? I don’t know much about the Premier line re: build quality, durability, reputation, etc. But I can see why you would like it as a lighter couple’s coach. Seems like a nice floor plan and decent use of space.

Hopefully others who have experience with the Bullet line will chime in with some specific pros or cons.

Enjoy the travels!

[Max23]

I love it. Don't know much about the premier but layout is supreme for a couples coach. Very similar to ours, a foot longer and really like the bedroom slide. Your right I am claustrophobic so love ours buti could do a slide out room. I kinda wish we coulda found that when we were looking.

[OregonAdventurer]

We are upgrading from a 2020 Forest River Vibe 16RB which has been a solid unit for us. We camp regularly year round. We just need more space (a bigger bed) and will be going on longer adventures in the next year.

We hope to gain some insight before spending $40-50K!

[OregonAdventurer]

Originally Posted by Max23

I love it. Don't know much about the premier but layout is supreme for a couples coach. Very similar to ours, a foot longer and really like the bedroom slide. Your right I am claustrophobic so love ours buti could do a slide out room. I kinda wish we coulda found that when we were looking.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Did you have many issues during your shake down? If we buy it will be out of state for us and we won't be able to take it back to the selling dealer.

[rhagfo]

Have you checked with Curtis RV in Portland & Hillsboro, there must be other Keystone dealers in western Oregon.

[Max23]

Well, everyone has different experiences with things going wrong. Stuff can just happen. We don't have a premier so can't speak to that either. Knocking on wood and not wanting to jinx myself but we havnt had any problems "yet" with our passport. Hoping to keep it that way. I do a lot of prevention though, well, at least I try.

[German Shepherd Guy]

I have the 26RBPR and no major problems we were not able to handle. Shake down produced a leak at the sink drain that simple tightening took care of.

I did have to reset the drive motor for one of the slide-outs. By that I mean re-attach. As a result I removed all the fascia around the two slide-outs and replaced the staples they were held on with, with screws to allow for easier access. So nothing major and I would recommend. Would also recommend SLOWLY and THOROUGHLY for the PDI as any and all new RVs have problems.

[wiredgeorge]

As noted, if you find this camper, do a very very thorough inspection of all systems and get up on the roof to ensure everything is sealed properly. It would be good if they hooked up water and electricity to test systems using those.

It is a nice couples floorplan. I saw a couple things I didn't care for:
1. Thomas Payne furniture -the pleather on the seats starts shedding at some point
2. Sink is a large single; not ideal for doing dishes and having a drainer so someone will have to be drying dishes
3. TV is mounted up on the wall. Where will Roku, DVD cables go?
4. 32' trailer using 14" rims?

[OregonAdventurer]

Originally Posted by German Shepherd Guy

I have the 26RBPR and no major problems we were not able to handle. Shake down produced a leak at the sink drain that simple tightening took care of.

I did have to reset the drive motor for one of the slide-outs. By that I mean re-attach. As a result I removed all the fascia around the two slide-outs and replaced the staples they were held on with, with screws to allow for easier access. So nothing major and I would recommend. Would also recommend SLOWLY and THOROUGHLY for the PDI as any and all new RVs have problems.

Good information! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[JRTJH]

Wiredgeorge's comment #4 in post #9 is a serious consideration...

I can't count the number of times members have commented that they are having tire issues, 14" rims and can't upgrade their tires because there are none rated higher that will fit their rims and since they are 5 bolt rims, they can only find replacement rims that are rated lower than the 10 ply 15" tires they want to install....

Look seriously at the suspension under that trailer. If it has "single leaf springs and 14" rims, then upgrading your tires and suspension will be a VERY EXPENSIVE proposition should the need arise. More than a few members have been "caught in that perplexing situation"....

[Max23]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

As noted, if you find this camper, do a very very thorough inspection of all systems and get up on the roof to ensure everything is sealed properly. It would be good if they hooked up water and electricity to test systems using those.

All very valid points but not really an issue depending on how you use your TT. We only use ours for camping, not any long term use so these things work for us. May or may not work for you. Long term, maybe a different story as well.

It is a nice couples floorplan. I saw a couple things I didn't care for:
1. Thomas Payne furniture -the pleather on the seats starts shedding at some point 303 makes a fantastic leather/vinyl conditioner that is awesome. Will extend the life considerably. I use it on many things including leather motorcycle seat.
2. Sink is a large single; not ideal for doing dishes and having a drainer so someone will have to be drying dishes We have a collapsible unit made for holding water and washing dishes off Amazon that fits in half that sink so can do dishes normally also saves a lot of water, we are usually not on full hookups and have to save save save so works amazing for us.
3. TV is mounted up on the wall. Where will Roku, DVD cables go? I put in a smart TV so either use campground wife, normally not available but nice when it is, or I connect it to my hotspot and run it that way. When that's not an option I mirror image it. I never have any cords. I cut all those years ago.
4. 32' trailer using 14" rims?

This rims one I can't get past, Valid point on a larger TT. Mine is only 27 ft and I believe a hair over 1000 lbs less so the 14 inchers work fine for me. Worth a deeper dive into for sure.

Lots of good stuff to make you think hard!!

[BendCougarOwner]

We have a 2017 Keystone Cougar and have had nothing but problems with it. After reading reviews on Keystone (which we should have done before we bought this one), it seems there are lots of issues with their RV's. I know some people are happy, but others are not. And, they have terrible customer service. So no matter what RV you get from them, I would think hard about whether you want an RV from a company that has poor customer service. If you have any problems down the road, they will not help you.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by BendCougarOwner

We have a 2017 Keystone Cougar and have had nothing but problems with it. After reading reviews on Keystone (which we should have done before we bought this one), it seems there are lots of issues with their RV's. I know some people are happy, but others are not. And, they have terrible customer service. So no matter what RV you get from them, I would think hard about whether you want an RV from a company that has poor customer service. If you have any problems down the road, they will not help you.

Owners of literally every brand of RV can have issues...and they do. Keystone has no more of them than anyone else in my experience. Their Montana 5th wheel is the #1 selling luxury 5th wheel on the market so they must be doing something right. And yes, some people are happy with them and some are not....same as every RV brand out there.

Customer service is unfortunately brought up a lot. People don't understand the RV world. Your dealer is your customer service portal generally. They make or break an owner's service experience. The vast majority of the time a poor dealer causes an owner to blame Keystone, many times because the dealer blames them for work they don't want to perform (warranty). The owner gets up in arms then says something like you posted blaming Keystone. I've seen and heard of claims at a dealership that never made it to Keystone and Keystone was blamed. RV dealerships don't operate like an auto dealership in any fashion or form.

My advice for any potential buyer of any RV would be to vet the dealership you intend to use very closely. Talk to folks. Read reviews of them. They will be the ones that make you love or hate your trailer.

[travelin texans]

What are towing with?
That TT specs show a 7600lb GVWR at 28' long which will be at or very near 900lb tongue weight + 100lb +/- hitch + the weight of everyone/everything in/on that truck.

[OregonAdventurer]

After reading this comment I tried to find information on the Keystone website about the suspension. Not finding anything I used the contact form asking what kind of suspension was on this unit and I am still waiting for a response. This is the second time I've asked Keystone question and they are not exactly timely (the first question took over a week for a response and the follow up question I'm still waiting 20+ days..) If this is the customer service provided for a prospective customer with cash in hand I don't think it gets better after the sale.

There are no dealers in Oregon that sell this model so we were counting on it being high quality with the reasonable issues that all trailers may experience.

The floor plan is perfect for us and the windows put it over some competitors offerings with similar floor plans.

I truly appreciate ALL the comments and the time you have taken to help us understand what we should look out for.

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Wiredgeorge's comment #4 in post #9 is a serious consideration...

I can't count the number of times members have commented that they are having tire issues, 14" rims and can't upgrade their tires because there are none rated higher that will fit their rims and since they are 5 bolt rims, they can only find replacement rims that are rated lower than the 10 ply 15" tires they want to install....

Look seriously at the suspension under that trailer. If it has "single leaf springs and 14" rims, then upgrading your tires and suspension will be a VERY EXPENSIVE proposition should the need arise. More than a few members have been "caught in that perplexing situation"....

[OregonAdventurer]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

What are towing with?
That TT specs show a 7600lb GVWR at 28' long which will be at or very near 900lb tongue weight + 100lb +/- hitch + the weight of everyone/everything in/on that truck.

Thank you, this was definitely something we kept in mind. The truck has every upgrade possible - Power boost, Tow package, upgraded with air bags, etc.

[jsb5717]

Originally Posted by OregonAdventurer

After reading this comment I tried to find information on the Keystone website about the suspension. Not finding anything I used the contact form asking what kind of suspension was on this unit and I am still waiting for a response. This is the second time I've asked Keystone question and they are not exactly timely (the first question took over a week for a response and the follow up question I'm still waiting 20+ days..) If this is the customer service provided for a prospective customer with cash in hand I don't think it gets better after the sale.

There are no dealers in Oregon that sell this model so we were counting on it being high quality with the reasonable issues that all trailers may experience.

The floor plan is perfect for us and the windows put it over some competitors offerings with similar floor plans.

I truly appreciate ALL the comments and the time you have taken to help us understand what we should look out for.

I think staffing is still an issue everywhere. You might consider doing research on where you would buy this rig and communicate with your prospective dealer on such things. You might get some of these pre-sale questions answered more quickly.

[Max23]

What are you pulling it with? Keep in mind that payload capacity, rear axle capacity etc. are not affected by air bags and other upgrades as such. If you are over your axle capacity or payload capacity your running the risk of bearing failure, suspension failure, brake failure. Sway in the wind or semi trucks pushing you around can only be cured by a heavier truck. Trust me, I found this out the hard way. I to had a truck with "tow package" and turbo's. Would it pull it, yes. Was it a comfortable stress free drive? Not in any way. Was I over my weight limits? Yes! Truck turbulence pushed me around, wind was an enemy. Stressful! Went up to a 3/4 ton and all is good! Love the drive now to the next campground. Miles add up without even thinking about it. The truck I had, every mile was stress. Just giving my experience in where I live. May be different where you are but certainly food for thought.

[wiredgeorge]

Looking at your prospective model being sold on RVTrader.com, it appears the camper has shackles and leaf springs which is pretty much a given for that level camper. I have a 2002 Cougar with the same suspension and it works fine. The concerns about your tow vehicle are valid as many find they don't have enough payload for the camper they just bought and end up in a pickle. You mentioned some options but not the PAYLOAD of your tow vehicle; yellow placard in the driver door frame will tell you exactly what the payload was when your truck left the factory.

I found this blurb on the Ford website:
quote
What is the Ford PowerBoost™* engine?
The Ford exclusive 3.5-liter PowerBoost full hybrid engine delivers Built Ford Tough capability. It is targeted to have the most torque and horsepower of any light-duty full-size pickup, at least 12,000 pounds of maximum available towing capacity, and a targeted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-estimated range of approximately 700 miles on a single tank of gas.

The PowerBoost engine has been designed and engineered by Ford for the 2021 and newer F-150.

As a full hybrid, the PowerBoost uses regenerative braking. Under standard deceleration and light braking conditions, the truck will apply regenerative braking to charge the battery and reduce wear on the brakes.

The internal combustion engine also charges the battery during low-load cruising to maximize the efficiency of starts from a full stop and to ensure power availability upon arrival at the job site. unquote

Once again, a manufacturer touts "towing capacity" which is pretty meaningless. The short pole in your tent will be payload or hitch capacity. Best look carefully at those as the towing capacity? Well they figure this on a staged course with a flat bed. My lawn tractor can probably tow 12K lbs in that scenario.