Torque: Concerns about black cabinetry, accents

miboje

Active Member
For the most part, we do like the Torque (specifically the 325) and it's on our list. However, I am concerned about that black cabinetry and the accent woodwork, primarily that the black paint will damage easily and chip off. At least it looks like paint from the pics, but I realize it could be stain. Someone who owns one can clarify either way.

If it is paint, much as one tries, nicks and dings are going to be inevitable over time, which is going to take off that black paint. Eventually, I believe that will not look so good.

Anyone who has the Torque please feel free to chime in on how that black finish is holding up for you through use, and any observations you have about it. Also, can anyone verify the cabinetry and woodwork is actually wood, or a wood-look product? Thanks for any replies!
 
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HornedToad

Well-known member
When we shopped for our Torque we looked at several models at different dealers. Wound up buying a model the mahogany finish because most of the places we go camp have a lot of dirt roads with traffic and my wife was afraid the black finish would show the dust.

I really liked the black finish on the trailers we looked at, I'm sure it most of it was real wood and it must have been stained as the edges had a distressed look.

On our trailer the doors, cabinets and paneling are wood, however, some of the trim looks like press board or plastic with wood grain contact paper. In 8 months of heavy use it has held up very well, no noticeable wear, except the place I notice the contact paper pulling back from the trim.
 
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miboje

Active Member
When we shopped for our Torque we looked at several models at different dealers. Wound up buying a model the mahogany finish because most of the places we go camp have a lot of dirt roads with traffic and my wife was afraid the black finish would show the dust.

I really liked the black finish on the trailers we looked at, I'm sure it most of it was real wood and it must have been stained as the edges had a distressed look.

On our trailer the doors, cabinets and paneling are wood, however, some of the trim looks like press board or plastic with wood grain contact paper. In 8 months of heavy use it has held up very well, no noticeable wear, except the place I notice the contact paper pulling back from the trim.
Well, I do see your wife's point with that. She's wise to think about that sort of thing ahead of time. By the way, do you like floor plan you have? We like the one with the half bath, but that's certainly not a necessity. The 301/321 is nice too. I like the extra counter top space in those floor plans vs. the 291, 312. Does yours have the sunken shower floor? We won't get to see a Torque until the Hershey, PA RV show. Is it September yet? ..lol.:D

I'm glad to hear everything is holding up pretty well. You know, I've seen that cheap contact paper used on the cabinetry and moldings on $50,000+ RVs. I figure if we love the camper, we'll just get real replacements if it gets crappy looking. :>)
 

HornedToad

Well-known member
We looked at both floor plans, the second bath was a real plus, but the deciding factor for us was the 12 ft garage (We're building a VW Manx style dune buggy right at 10 ft long that I want to haul). The extra counter space is great, we bought 3 low saddle stools that we use around the kitchen island for additional seating. One draw back in the 321 kitchen is you have to open the slide to get in the fridge and only have a very narrow walkway between the couch and island when on the road, but the opposing slides give you a lot of room when opened up.

You can stretch out better on the L couch in the 325, we bought some small 2x2 ft ottomans to make the straight couch on the 321 a little more cozy. The shower pan is raised and it's rather narrow, smaller than the traditional tub in most travel trailers. I do like the accordion style shower curtain Heartland added in the SS model. At 6 ft 240 lbs I have to stand sideways facing the back wall to shower, a big old boy would be really cramped in that shower.

This is our 4th trailer and by comparison we really like the quality / finish / features of the Torque for the price.
 

TheLindsays

Active Member
We have the black cabinets.. like previously stated it has a distressed look to it.. at first I didn't like that but then got to thinking.. if it gets distressed more it will just look natural... we have had ourselves, dog, grown kids and two grandsons... nothing has been damaged or shown wear or dirt yet.. been almost a year.
 

miboje

Active Member
We have the black cabinets.. like previously stated it has a distressed look to it.. at first I didn't like that but then got to thinking.. if it gets distressed more it will just look natural... we have had ourselves, dog, grown kids and two grandsons... nothing has been damaged or shown wear or dirt yet.. been almost a year.
LOL! Well, you've got a point there! I guess I was concerned that the paint might chip off over time. Not sure if it is paint though.
 

miboje

Active Member
We looked at both floor plans, the second bath was a real plus, but the deciding factor for us was the 12 ft garage (We're building a VW Manx style dune buggy right at 10 ft long that I want to haul). The extra counter space is great, we bought 3 low saddle stools that we use around the kitchen island for additional seating. One draw back in the 321 kitchen is you have to open the slide to get in the fridge and only have a very narrow walkway between the couch and island when on the road, but the opposing slides give you a lot of room when opened up.

You can stretch out better on the L couch in the 325, we bought some small 2x2 ft ottomans to make the straight couch on the 321 a little more cozy. The shower pan is raised and it's rather narrow, smaller than the traditional tub in most travel trailers. I do like the accordion style shower curtain Heartland added in the SS model. At 6 ft 240 lbs I have to stand sideways facing the back wall to shower, a big old boy would be really cramped in that shower.

This is our 4th trailer and by comparison we really like the quality / finish / features of the Torque for the price.
Hmmm...you make good points about the floor plans. We really like the opposing slides in these fairly short floor plans. I presume it feels very open due to that.
The shower is something I am concerned about actually. My fiance is 6'2" and about 200 lbs., so it sounds like he may not like that at all. I love the shower Heartland puts in the Cyclone and Road Warrior.
 

TheLindsays

Active Member
It looks like the shower is the same as ours and we are not small people.. my husbands about the same size as yours.. its not like your home shower but its decent and if your careful .. workable... some of the nice parks have really nice showers if he really doesn't like it or get so used to it... we had a smaller trailer with a smaller shower and I have long hair... was a pain to wash in the shower and I would sometimes use the park showers.. but with the Torque I have no problem... and the showers without the tub are much easier and more space... I suggest you spend a lot of time... sitting in the unit... lay on the bed... stand in the shower.. sit on the toilet... sit in chairs... like you would use it and see your likes and dislikes... look at where the tv is... to see if more than one person can see it from a comfy seat etc... we learned the hard way buying a trailer to sell it 2 months later... of course there are pluses and minuses to all of them.. I miss some things about the old one that the new one doesn't have and wish for some things ... however.. like you mentioned... if you want to limit your spending... then you give up some things... we are just occasional campers for now so we could not see the additional expense .. but .. in the future.. we will have more of those nice options ... good luck... as far as the cabinets... I think its stain... really hard to tell to be honest. . but no issues with chipping or wear at all yet.
 

AJJONES

Senior GM for Cyclone, Torque, Gateway & Sundance
Fyi the cabinet door are painted (just like most high end houses) and we have eliminated the small and narrow showers and replaced with sunken tubs (like our most popular cyclone models) w/ radius shower curtains. This added a lot of additional height and width in our showers. Being 6'2 and 260 and using multiple demo units I can assure you it is definitely an all around better set up.
 

Mizmary

Well-known member
The tub/shower is amazing. My hubby is 6'5" and he doesn't have to tuck his head into the skylight here. He doesn't even have I duck. It's like showering in a normal bathroom. Going from a smaller unit the bath is what sold us. A nice addition is the 20gal/hr water heater. You can stand in the shower for quite some time and really have a good shower. No need to do the "campground" shower if you have full hookups just to preserve hot water. It is not a decision we have regretted.
 
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