Thor

You may not be familiar with the name Thor, but Thor Industries is actually the parent company of some of the biggest names in the RV world. Thor Motor Coach itself was formed when Thor Industries merged two of its subsidiaries – Damon and Four Winds – in 2010. With the combined sales of Damon and Four Winds, Thor is currently the #1 motor home manufacturer in North America. So if you’ve ever owned a Dutchman, Intruder, Four Winds, or any other of the models made by those companies, then you know what to expect from Thor.

Although Thor makes small motorhomes in all three gasser classes, they’re one of the few RV manufacturers that also have a handful of small diesel pusher models. These rigs aren’t quite as small as Allegro’s Breeze, or even the Allegro RED, but they’re still much shorter than traditional diesel pushers.

Thor Palazzo

The Palazzo is Thor’s smallest diesel pusher.

The Palazzo is the smallest line of diesel pusher that Thor offers, and it’s available in a number of floorplans that range from 34 to 37 feet. Some of the key features include a 10,000lb hitch, spacious pass-through basement storage, and a lower profile than a lot of other diesel rigs. Palazzos also feature Thor’s “motorhome mud room” that’s designed to keep nature outside where it belongs.

One notable feature that differentiates the Palazzo from most other diesel rigs is the positioning of the door. Most diesel pushers have bus-style doors, which forces the passenger seat back a few feet in relationship to the driver seat, but the Palazzo has a traditional RV door that’s situated further back on the coach. If you prefer that style of door, then the Palazzo is just what you’ve been looking for.

Palazzo Vital Statistics

Lengths: 34’ 5″ – 37′ 3″
Height: 11′ 10″ – 12′
Width: 101″
Interior heights: 6’10”
Price range (new) ~ $149,000 – 195,000
Fuel economy 10-12 mpg
Fuel tank: 90 gal
Sleeps 6 – 8
Fresh water: 95 gal
Black water: 43 gal
Grey water: 43 gal
Basement storage: 136 – 181 cu.ft

Thor Tuscany

$Thor's Tuscany rigs are also relatively small diese\l pushers.$

Thor’s Tuscany rigs are also relatively small diesel pushers.

The Tuscany is more of a traditional diesel pusher than the Palazzo, with its bus-style door and staggered passenger seat, but it’s also a relatively small rig for its class. These rigs feature either two or three slides, and floor plans that range from 34 to 40 feet, so the longer ones are definitely outside the realm of “small diesel pushers” even though the smaller ones definitely fit the bill.

A nice touch is the optional stacked residential washer and dryer, which is absent from a lot of smaller diesel rigs. A lot of much longer rigs feature combo washer/dryer units, so a stacked residential set that won’t leave your clothes damp or wrinkly is great for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road. The Tuscany also features a big 360 HP Cummins turbo diesel, so it has more pulling power than the Palazzo with its smaller 300 HP ISB.