By the numbers or in appearance, the Via isn’t a big coach. Twenty-five feet long and a foot lower and narrower than a typical Class A, it goes many places (including length-limit campgrounds) larger coaches simply can’t get in. And it features double slide-outs, a first for the Sprinter chassis. The drawbacks are van-based, C-size tankage, moderate storage areas (none more than 4-foot max on this Q floorplan), and a limited payload.

With its fresh water and LP tanks full, the 25Q handles 750 pounds of capacity (passengers, food, supplies). However, traveling with an empty water tank increases the payload to about 1,000 pounds — not a lot, especially when all four seatbelts are used, but it’s doable. And because the coach is almost ideally balanced, 87 percent of the cargo can go on the front axle or all on the back. With the 4,200-pound tow rating (@GVW) you could pull a compact dinghy carrying some weight, as well.

Storage inside and out is well distributed, and the under-step box will accommodate bigger batteries if you boondock, or use the inverter a lot. Perhaps more importantly, heavy items — such as roof air, three-way fridge, microwave/convection oven, mostly dual-pane windows, two LCD televisions, and 3.2-kW diesel genset — are all standard and clustered around the rear axle so it’s hard to upset the balance.

All three available floor plans are fully workable, but the 25Q is the most private of the three. The galley is sequestered between closet and fridge and has plenty of light, and cross-ventilation is good throughout. In fact, we noted only three changes we’d like to see; these include further separation of above-bed reading lights and a switch for each (as on other Via floor plans), make the bathroom door and under-galley cabinet door open opposite as they do now, and wedge a small drawer or pop-out beneath the bathroom counter. Some owners may wonder about leveling jacks, but with two steps to anywhere inside, we never found them necessary.

Although Winnebago typically does its own cabinetry work, the Via uses Technoform parts often seen in European coaches and boats, where weight reduction is key. They’re good-looking units and include complete galley, two overhead sets front and rear, and ambient lighting in each area. Even the entry door is different, a double-sealed, angled-jamb unit with a screened window and blackout shade.

We were impressed with how solid this coach felt at just 10,000 pounds. More than once we’ve had slide-out locks fall out or cargo-bay doors pop open as the bodywork flexed over a turn or driveway, but this never happened…and we didn’t always have pavement beneath us. We were nearly equally surprised that we didn’t knock off the sewer-hose attachment point, since it hangs so low between front and rear axles.