Bay Star 3215 Test Drive

[Vacay Wheels]

We test drove a Bay Star 3215 today, so I thought I'd share some impressions for the benefit of any one else shopping for such units.

The first important rule we learned is to NEVER test drive some other brand of motorhome immediately after a Newmar. We did this with a Fleetwood Excursion, a small DP. The build quality just felt like total garbage after being in the Newmar. This isn't Fleetwood's fault, IMO, its build quality felt even somewhat above industry average. But following the Bay Star was about like trying to perform a musical comedy number right after Jimmy Fallon. Good luck with that.

Everything was just really put together well, felt and looked solid throughout. Slide mechanism looked way better than anything else. Easy access to ALL 'hidden' components (fuses, water pump, tanks, slide controller, etc etc--even the transfer switch!) Thor, Forest River, Coachmen, Fleetwood, nothing else comes close in our experience except for NeXus. (So props to NeXus for that.)

The floor plan is really nice, I'm surprised it's not more commonly found on dealers' lots. Couch and dinette are across from each other, making it more of a 'together' space than the plans with them next to each other. Split bath is nice, with a relatively huge shower for models we've seen. Where all other models seem to use the bathroom door to separate the living room from bathroom/bedroom, this floor plan uses TWO nice wood pocket doors, one to separate living from bathroom/changing room, and one to separate that from the bedroom. Super cool. That way the parents can close the bedroom door and kids could still access the bathrooms at night without pestering the parents. Also means two kids can change at once (woo!) Fridge is in a bit of a weird place, making a pretty obtuse 'triangle' for the kitchen (fridge/sink/range), but we felt it would be livable.

Actually driving the unit is where I noticed the least difference with other brands. The F53 chassis has always felt "fine, no comment" in my test drives. The only real difference in driving between F53-based units that I have noticed is purely the weight. The 18000 GVWR ones feel more spry, the 22000's feel more ponderous. But I don't have a ton of experience to draw from…These are just my impressions from test drives.

From an overall quality standpoint, I can only find very minor quibbles with this unit. Nothing really 'bad' about it. I wish the batteries were in a nice sliding tray somewhere in a storage bay instead of shoehorned into the engine compartment. Ultraleather should be a documented option, because really who wants a cloth dinette these days? It IS available as a special order, thankfully. Again, minor complaints only.

The killer for us is that there is only a single seat belt on the dinette. I will now have to call Newmar to see if they can at least add one more. We have been in Fleetwood and Coachmen units with four, which is the preferred setup for us. We typically use three, and could perhaps live with two, but a single seatbelt is completely unworkable.

JC

[RodgerS]

There are a lot of happy Bay Star owners whose experiences you can research herein. Really nothing for me to add since I'm not an owner, except that if you skim some of the other name brand forums, as I did, and if you are buying new, the happiest group of new buyers off the starting gate are Newmar buyers, as it seemed to me as I soaked up their new buying experiences in my readings. Once the new growth pains are gone, you get into more interesting comparisons...like side wall construction.

[Mike and Cha]

There should also be two seatbelts on each couch. Our dinette has two seatbelts so I'm sure they can be added. I personally like the batteries where they are, they are easy to service in that location and don't take up any of your storage area.

[GaryKD]

Hi Vacay Wheels,
My coach has a dinette. In 05 Newmar would not install any seat belts in the dinette. I had the dealer supply 2 pairs of seat belts and installed them myself. It is very easy to install seatbelts when they are in a slide. Consider having seatbelts only in the seat that faces forward. The seat where passengers face the rear might be a back/neck breaker in a panic stop or collision.

["007"]

Thanks for your write up Vacay will add to the Bay Star section in QT's # 3.
I have added seat belts in dinettes if I had one and the LR couch for the little ones we had traveling with us which were many.
Never had a problem with wipe lash just never got into a situation to warrant a quick stop.
I use the same size bolts and fasting methods the MFG used and never had a problem.

[chowder]

Our 2015 Bay Star came with 2 seat belts in the dinette and either 2 or 3 (I'd have to go and look) on the sofa. I was pretty sure that 2 seat belts were standard on the dinette bench. They are on the forward facing bench only and weren't listed as any special option or order on the build sheet.

[Vacay Wheels]

Originally Posted by Mike and Cha

There should also be two seatbelts on each couch. Our dinette has two seatbelts so I'm sure they can be added. I personally like the batteries where they are, they are easy to service in that location and don't take up any of your storage area.

Yeah, the solution may be to add them afterward. There was definitely only one on this coach, I looked super carefully, as this is important for us.

Good point about the batteries. I guess I am just used to seeing them in a compartment. But you are right, they are super accessible, and there is room to add probably 4 more batteries.

Originally Posted by GaryKD

Consider having seatbelts only in the seat that faces forward. The seat where passengers face the rear might be a back/neck breaker in a panic stop or collision.

I've heard people say this... Mostly just dealers who were selling units without 4 seat belts. I've never actually heard or read an account of a real person who sustained injury from sitting in a rear-facing dinette.

Originally Posted by chowder

Our 2015 Bay Star came with 2 seat belts in the dinette and either 2 or 3 (I'd have to go and look) on the sofa

This one did have belts on the couch, which is good, but our kids usually ride in the dinette and use the table. The table is one of the key benefits of motorhome travel for us.