Community Forums

MRUSA14 · 07-24-2014, 06:54 AM

I would question whether Newmar will put air levelling on a London Aire, as that is a big part of what differentiates it from the more expensive Essex. If you find the answer please post it here as inquiring minds would like to know.

DSL417 · 07-24-2014, 08:58 AM

Didn't say they would...just that you can get it installed by Freightliner. Newmar may allow Freightliner to do it before finishing the coach...don't know. Just something I'd do to make it complete. Interesting that, rather than deal with the pricing of Essex (which never made sense to me as a 500 hp coach), they come out with the new line targeted at Cornerstone, and probably AC Eagle. It'll be Interesting to see what they do to Essex, now that they have upped the engine size to 600 on it as well.

wnytaxman · 07-24-2014, 03:02 PM

Dave, you and zman and me are examples of something that Entegra is going to have to address in the not too distant future. I never thought there would be anything in my future other than an Entegra but with no viable floor plan for our needs we have to look elsewhere and Newmar is the primary elsewhere we are looking. They've got some great ideas down in Nappanee and there will come a time when it will impact on market share.

The American industrial history is littered with names of those who thought that the status quo was good enough. How many of us remember Studebaker, Hudson, and American Motors? The industry changed and they did not.

DSL417 · 07-24-2014, 03:58 PM

Might have t have HWH install the air leveling...thanks for the correction Corey.

Nowabeachbum · 07-24-2014, 04:06 PM

.

The American industrial history is littered with names of those who thought that the status quo was good enough. How many of us remember Studebaker, Hudson, and American Motors? The industry changed and they did not.[/QUOTE]

Dave, as usual, has made some excellent points and Entegra certainly has work to do but they also seem well equipped to do it. The fact that Entegra has been in business for a whopping 5 years is testament to what they have been able to do. To compare them to companies that were in business for 3+ generations is pretty pointless.
As far as literature is concerned, Jayco has never put a priority on it, right or wrong. My first motorhome was a Seneca and the manual was completed 3 months after I got it. Upgraded to an Anthem in 2010 and guess what the manual was completed 4 months later. One of the pictures in the gallery section is of a lighting panel from a 2010 model. Point is, while it would be nice if they improved their website, nobody buys based on it.
Since everyone has an opinion and I'm no exception, here's my 2 cents. I think Entegra suffers from their people not using their products! I love that Entegra is always willing to attend owner functions but it baffles me that they stay in hotels. I'm sure that some of the employees have stayed in their coaches but I don't know first hand of any and certainly not any for any period of time. If you don't stay in it, how can you ever fine tune it or understand what works and what doesn't?
At the very least Entegra should consider starting an owners council. They could invite some owners in, of their choosing, to stand in front of their products and discuss the pluses and minuses based on their experiences. They might just have a few aha moments! JMHO

brobox · 07-24-2014, 04:28 PM

And I had a Travel Supreme that never put out an owners manual.

Some of us upgraded from the "outdated" MH and are very pleased with the upgrade. Is it the perfect floor plan for everybody, absolutely not. All buyers can make a decision on what fits their needs. I guess that is why all of the Prevost conversions never felt the down turn in the market.

With all the "new" full-timers coming into the market place, I hope we have enough developers that see that and start building more RV parks in the Sunbelts. Living in the Sunbelt, I see that as more of a problem and where we are going to run short. JMO.

DSL417 · 07-24-2014, 05:11 PM

Gary (Beachbum) said: "At the very least Entegra should consider starting an owners council. They could invite some owners in, of their choosing, to stand in front of their products and discuss the pluses and minuses based on their experiences. They might just have a few aha moments!"

Gary, I agree with all you say...I'm guess I'm offering constructive criticism with that previous diatribe...hoping that someone in Middlebury might read it. Owner Advisory group has been offered on a number of occasions. Corey and I were discussing this a couple days ago. You know, companies pay millions of dollars for feedback that we, as owners, are offering to provide on our own dime.

I think they are a company capable of great things...and they have come a long way. I want to remain a customer. If, and I say IF, I trade up, they just have to come up with something beyond what they offer at their high end. JMHO

Nowabeachbum · 07-24-2014, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSL417

Gary, I agree with all you say...I'm guess I'm offering constructive criticism with that previous diatribe...hoping that someone in Middlebury might read it. Owner Advisory group has been offered on a number of occasions. Corey and I were discussing this a couple days ago. You know, companies pay millions of dollars for feedback that we, as owners, are offering to provide on our own JMHO

THERE'S the problem! You've been talking to Corey!!

CoreyinWP · 07-24-2014, 05:28 PM

Hey now!

Nowabeachbum · 07-24-2014, 05:32 PM

Oh, it,s that Corey, I thought it was the other Corey!!

dusty56 · 07-24-2014, 06:14 PM

You know, I for one think that the team at Entegra is cautiously moving the company forward in the right direction. They are producing products that beat competitors in price, ride and comfort. Utilizing Spartan chassis on their entire line when competitors are dumping Spartan for other manufactures to cut the bottom line. Spartan is now used on only the top of the line Newmars and Foretravel.

That says a lot about a companies core comittment.

Remember last year Entegra didn't even have the facility to produce what they wanted to produce nor could they service what they produced. All that has changed. Entegra's headquarters is now a destination.

The Bontrager family at Jayco made a huge financial commitment so I expect good things to come.

I know you all feel the same or you would of purchased another brand. There are after all choices in the Motorhome industry.

My 2 cents. Oh yeah, I never visited Entegra website (so i won't comment) , I find more information on the IRV2 forum for pricing and models, then go to Lazydays get a brochure and test drive.

Saltydog44 · 07-24-2014, 06:41 PM

Not to pile on, but the idea of an owner's council and using the coaches by Entegra folks has been suggested over and over. I don't know what the resistance is.

From what I've heard, no one at Entegra is really a serious MH'er. (That might be an overstatement, but it's hard to imagine when you see some of the silly issues.) I think it would be especially beneficial if the engineering team were required to spend two weeks camping in a coach and then you might not have blocked refrigerator doors, sharp trim edges around beds, too short black tank hoses, etc. They should set up and tear down at least three times in the three week period. They might even realize how bright the awnings lights are.

An Owner's Council can be a great tool, but can get politically interesting in many ways - who gets to be on it, do they have face to face meetings and if so where and at what cost?

I think Tiffin might do the engineering thing, but I can't remember.

zman62 · 07-24-2014, 06:47 PM

I am sure that the huge changes made by Newmar for 2015 were motivated by Entegra. Entegra has taken a chunk of market share from newmar. Newmar's changes for 15 are huge. I agree that entegra is an incredible bang for the buck. The most important feature of a coach is the floor plan and they seem to be falling behind. I would bet they will catch back up but hopefully they dont wait too long. I have been patiently waiting for a better floor plan in the cornerstone. Newmar seems to have answered that for me with the london aire. They are more than willing to make my modifications which helps the floor plan fit me even better. I love the loyalty of the entegra customers which pains me to leave. Our numbers are getting close so I may be in a london aire sooner than later. Time will tell.

hogdriver · 07-24-2014, 06:58 PM

I'm watching this whole London Aire vs Cornerstone thing develop as a lurker. Don't tell DW as I'll be sleeping in the doghouse if I drive another new RV in. I don't know if the two of us could handle debugging another coach. I hope Entegra responds to the competition. I think Newmar is pushing more chips across the table and not ready to give up.