Community Forums

ColCruiser · 12-09-2018, 07:01 PM

I'm kinda new to this forum but would like seasoned Newmar folks input on the choice between a 2019 Dutch Star 4002 and 2019 Mountain Aire 4018. My
wife and are the verge of ordering a 19 DS 4002 fully equipped and then thought about the comment about "buying your last RV first. We've talked to several
full timers and they confirmed that bit of advice is viable.

So based on that we started looking at Mountain Aire and liked the upgraded safety features on the Spartan K3 chassis. We could probably handle the large $$$ bump but just wondering if you Newmar folks out there think its really worth the bang for the buck by upgrading to MA?

Thank you in advance for your input.

Mr_D · 12-09-2018, 07:10 PM

Some years ago (2000 and again in 2002) we had the same delema. Ended up ordering Dutch Stars in both cases. Then in 2015 we bought the present Magna.

tom chelbana · 12-09-2018, 07:24 PM

We have a 18 London Aire and have owned a Essex and another LA before. Would suggest the Mountain Aire with Spartan K3 chassis. Out west where we live the MA is going to have the 12 liter X12 with 1650 torque which makes traveling in the mountains a joy. DS only has 1250 torque and they weight about the same. If we hadn't purchased a LA the MA would have been our next choice. DS is Newmar's #1 selling coach. Do a close comparison and would think the MA is worth the extra money. Either way your getting a great coach.
Newmar Man

Dutch Star David · 12-09-2018, 07:24 PM

Both great coaches. We didn't have the bucks and are very happy with our DS 4369.

ewlee · 12-09-2018, 07:30 PM

As you know, both models are nice and neither would be a bad choice. If you jump to the MA, look at the LADP for just slightly a few more $$$. Many benefits by going up. We started looking at the DS in 2016, ended up with a 17 LADP

ColCruiser · 12-09-2018, 08:21 PM

We're based out West ourselves and we're thinking the K3 chassis might be best suited to handle mountain driving conditions. The London Aire would be a great choice but we pretty much set a limit at 40ft. max.

Thank you all for all valued input - much appreciated!

FLSteve · 12-10-2018, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColCruiser

We could probably handle the large $$$ bump but just wondering if you Newmar folks out there think its really worth the bang for the buck by upgrading to MA?

ColCruiser … we just ordered a new DS 4018. If we could of handled the large $$$ bump … would of gone with the MA 4018. Would of liked the Silver Leaf, larger engine and a few other items … but both coaches are great and we did get the DS with several upgraded specials. We currently have a 45' MA which we bought used to avoid the large $$$ bump and after having it for 2-years and 20,000 miles just wanted to get back to a 40' coach which is the "sweet spot" length for me. Hopefully I am now on my last coach after 4 earlier coaches!!!

FLSteve

willipaul · 12-10-2018, 04:51 AM

i would advise going with the MA....

i would have, if i could have....

and someday, i may....when my kids are out of camping, that 40' MA is where i'd like to be....the NA just isn't quite big enough for us....unless something else comes along between now and then.....

mbrooking · 12-10-2018, 07:44 AM

We looked at the DS4002 and I really like the floor plan. Lots of room when the slides pulled in. But then a salesman showed us the downside. Check the height of the storage on the passenger side. Because of the dinette being on the passenger side, the storage reduces significantly. We ended up going with the mountain aire. There are several benefits going to the k3 chassis. Larger CCC, fuel, HP, etc. Either would be great coaches. Just wanted you to be aware of the storage issue.

TJ · 12-10-2018, 09:00 AM

We went through the same decision process last year. Looked at the Dutch Star, Mountain Aire, London Aire and Essex. Price difference was a factor, but not a major one. Features were!

After deciding that we wanted a 40' coach, the focus narrowed to the DSDP and the MADP. Feature-by-feature, we narrowed our preferences. Living and primarily traveling in the Mountain West, the additional torque and HP of the MADP was a big consideration. The huskier Spartan K3 chassis with disc brakes all-around and Allison 4000-series transmission coupled with the 500 HP Cummins handles even the steepest grades very well.

The upgraded interior features of the MADP were a hit with the "lady of the coach." She especially liked the ease of controlling things with SilverLeaf. And, she likes the driveability of the coach too. We share the driving pretty much 50-50 and she has no qualms about getting behind the wheel.

Bottom line is that we bought the MADP 4047 and are very happy with it. In our opinion, the MADP is the "sweet spot" in the Newmar line; especially in the 40' models. If we were doing it all over again, I have no doubt that we would arrive at the same place.

TJ

Jtrving · 12-10-2018, 09:39 AM

Both are very fine coaches. Having just completed spartan training, I realized there are even more differences in the K2 vs K3 chassis than I realized. I had a gentlemen parked next to me who had an 18 DSDP and we spent about an hour going over the differences between our coaches. It was a great learning experience for me.

The SilverLeaf system is really nice as well, plus you get and extra 2500kw on the genny, 3” of extra height in storage due to the K3 being taller, and the K3 chassis is just “beefier” (sorry I could not find a better word for that).

We also looked at LA and up, but we actually preferred the MA, and still do. Yes the extra 100hp and 300 ft/lb of torque would be nice, but you still get an isx engine (12l instead of 15). The only real thing I liked more about the LA was the increased tank capacity (I think 15 gal more grey and black) which is nice for boondocking.

My suggestion is if you really like them both, and the $ isn’t a huge factor, and you truly want this to be your last coach, I think the MA is the best bang for the buck..

Fitztrux · 12-10-2018, 12:21 PM

We bought our first Newmar Dutch Star 4326 last year. What a fantastic coach.... Very happy with the quality and the floorplan suits us well. We love the coach, to say the least. The ONLY possible downside would be marginal power out of the 9L Cummins. We pull a 20' enclosed car trailer and wish we had the additional horsepower and torque of the 12L Cummins.

If power is of any concern, don't hesitate to move up to the Mountain Aire. I will next time....

wagonmaster2 · 12-10-2018, 09:17 PM

For the extra bucks, is the quality control any better on the MA than the DS?

redbaron73 · 12-10-2018, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2

For the extra bucks, is the quality control any better on the MA than the DS?

No. The same people build all of the product lines.

In some regards, it gets worse as the product gets more elaborate.

There are some very large differences in material quality, but fit and finish, and attention to detail is similar across all lines.