In Part 1 of choosing a full time RV, I argued my way into a 45′ coach and ruled out Tiffin. Here in part 2 I’ll explore some of the pros and cons between Newmar and Entegra motorhomes.
Newmar makes a nice product, so they are still a contender. While their fundamentals are solid, their floor plans and finishes seem lacking — staid even — when compared to Entegra. The huge plus is that Newmar will custom build you a coach with many modifications. Let’s say you see a flooring option in the much more expensive Essex and want it in the Mountain Aire. No problem. Want that really nice kitchen backsplash from the London Aire? Sure. Add an electrical outlet somewhere one doesn’t exist? They’ll do that too.
Another benefit of Newmar is what they call Comfort Drive. While they tout a number of benefits, in my opinion there is only one that I care about: stability in heavy crosswinds. I’ve driven our Dutch Star in 40-50+ mph crosswinds and literally didn’t even know until we stopped and exited the coach. In most other coaches you’re applying counter steer to combat wind the entire time. Here is a Newmar produced video on the benefits.
One downside of both the Mountain Aire and London Aire that is rarely mentioned is the greater overall height of the RVs as compared to Entegra. A Mountain Aire tops out at 13’2″ and the London Aire at 13’4″. Compare that with the Entegra Anthem at 12’10” and the Cornerstone at 12’11”. A 4″-5″ difference is not a concern in most situations, but when you’re driving through a campground with low hanging branches (quite common in both Canada and Alaska) it means less scratching to your precious RV.
But we were most impressed by Entegra. A very solid feeling coach, very good chassis (same as Newmar) and excellent floor plans and finishes. For the first time ever, after sitting in dozens of recliners from many makes, we sat in the “home theater seating” in a Cornerstone 45W and…we were happy. Just like a nice, cushy recliner at home, with a plush footrest. Karla prefers the use of space and finishes in the Entegra line vs. Newmar. It’s true, Newmar doesn’t use deep cabinets over the slides for some reason. Perhaps because their slides are too heavy already?
There is one major downside to Entegra as far as I’m concerned: lack of redundancy (aka single point of failure) in the heating systems. Entegra uses a Aqua-Hot 450D diesel hydronic heater for all hot water and furnace needs. In addition, they use the same unit for heating the floors (yes, there are PEX lines running in ’S’ formations under the entire floor, filled with fluid). The 450D has only a single, 1650 watt electric element. What this means is, if the diesel burner fails, you have no heat and little hot water. Newmar uses a different unit, called Oasis, that has two 1500 watt electric elements, which I can confirm produce plenty of hot water for any but the longest of showers. In addition, Newmar uses electric floor heat. So if the Oasis burner fails (as it did twice for us) you wouldn’t even notice until the temperature goes below, say, 25 F.
We took a 2017 Cornerstone on a fairly long drive on I-17 near Phoenix, and luckily for me it was very windy that day. I was not impressed with how the coach handled it, having to provide steering correction the entire time. Trust me, do that for 600 miles in a day and you’ll be fried.
To sum up: If the Entegra Cornerstone used electrically heated floors (and/or switched to the Aqua-Hot 600D which has two 2000 watt electric elements) and had Comfort Drive, we’d have a clear winner.
In part 3 I’ll reveal the winner.
