Roughly riding Ronda

Hello my friends. I am 7.8m x 2.4m x 3.3m, 7.000kg and have 170 horses.

I am often asked if it isn´t difficult to drive our Ronda. Certainly it is different from driving a Mini but in the end it is a car. The experienced truck drivers among the readers might agree here.

When I picked up Ronda at the dealer I was a bit nervous. Not exactly excited like picking up a BMW. The excitement was mixed up with concerns over how to get it through the entrance gate but after 1,000km I felt quite relaxed. Most of the time.

Driving Ronda requires more attention and carefulness because she is a little bit chubby for her age. Here in detail what a driver needs to consider:

1.    Watch her hips.
I am used to driving a BMW 3. Ronda has additional 60cm width. This is perfect for Umbria. She likes sitting in her bed between the front seats but driving it requires far-sight to anticipate narrow points on the road. The total weight of 7,000kg (about 3 times a 3er) stretches the braking distance significantly, keeping also in mind that we have many wine bottles in the storage room that don’t like rolling around.

2.    Watch her head.
Standing in front of Ronda I really have to look up to see the top. A height of 3.3m (doubling a 3er) is a real risk for crashing the RV. As a car driver I never thought about height. Now there are many no-drive areas. Some are obvious like a car park. Others require a permanent observation of the signboards. The most dangerous obstacles are trees. Either on a camping site or on small country roads where branches are growing too low.

3.    Watch her tail.
My favourite part for crashes is the tail. The overhang behind the rear axle is 2.4m. That is, if I make a left turn Ronda swings out her right hip by half a meter. Our last rental was crashed against a fence when moving out of a car park.

4.    Don´t rock the boat.
With her height and weight every bump on the road sways Ronda. Also abrupt left-right turns make her dance the samba, what I like to do with my wife but not with the RV. Nowadays road bumps are very popular in many countries as well as roundabouts. Both require slowing down to a minimum. The sound of plates and glasses in the cupboard are a good indicator when we are too fast. But when they rattle it´s usually too late.

5.    Watch side wind.
Ronda´s side surface is about 26sqm. Every sailor is happy about that size. Not me. Driving on a bridge over the sea or overtaking another truck gives me a chill and the feeling of being a boat captain.

I love scenic routes but what is behind the bend?

After practising a few weeks in the easy parts of Europe we are now in Norway looking for some challenge as a preparation for the reality show “The Most Dangerous Roads of the World”. You might have watched it on a UK channel.

We are on the National Road 7 from Eidfjord to Bergen. It is one of the popular tourist routes with a lot of scenic views and hair-pin bends that attract herds of experienced drivers of tour buses, cars with tow-along campers, RV (=mobile homes) like us typically from countries with many mountain roads such as Denmark and Netherlands. Occasionally heavy-load trucks under time pressure mingle among the others trying to stir some excitement.

Another gorge waiting to swallow inexperienced drivers.

After a few kilometres we notice changes: (a) the road gets narrower, (b) the middle dividing line of the road vanishes suddenly, (c) the sidewalk on the right is replaced with a rock wall. (d) the meadow on the left of the road is replaced by the sea 50m lower. In summary: the road becomes ‘scenic’ and invites many drivers for a photo stop.

Let´s squeeze in. I hope it will fit both of us.

The first challenge arrives in form of a car from the opposite direction. Fortunately the driver anticipates the road is too small for both of us and waits before the bottle neck. Often the curves are tight and we hope that behind the curve there is enough space for two or sufficient braking distance.

Popular photo stop for tourist.

Like the Swiss, Norwegians love tunnels and have dug many of them. I love them, too. And the sign boards indicating the maximum width and height. Norway´s tourist offices provides all required information to avoid any U-turn in front of a tunnel. That is very helpful.

Other events that were negligible in the past, like a tourist bus coming out of a tunnel, suddenly make me say “yahoo!”. This is a clear indicator that the road is wide enough for Ronda.

At the end of the day my driving becomes relaxed and contemplative, always keeping in mind that “the journey is the destination”.

When is your test drive?

Enjoying the landscape and driving in Norway.