How Come Entegra Doesn't Build My Favorite Coach???

[RubiconTrail]

Because they're too inexpensive? Well, yeah, kinda.

The Entegra/Newmar thread made me think of this.

I have recently been in the market to purchase a new coach and I've done some shopping. I've looked at Entegra, Newmar, Foretravel and used Newell and Prevost.

Entegra and Newmar are very similar, with the value points and two year warranty swinging me back to Entegra.

Foretravel builds a beautiful coach at either the Realm or IH45 level, but does not hydronically heat the floors (they are 110 volt electric), which I really want for boondocking.

New IH45, Newell, and Prevost (all amazing and beautiful machines with great craft and ride) are out of my price range, pretty much, though I could probably stretch into them if I saw utopia. More to the point, and I'm serious about this, the A-pillar on all of these coaches is HUGE and they all have a center joint to the windshield, that is also quite large. Quite frankly, the driving visibility is poor.

Every time I see someone from Entegra management I remind them of my pledge to purchase a sub $1M (MSRP) Entegra if they make one on the K3GT.

Other features could be added as well (Outback Inverters, Silverleaf, onboard TPMS, AF1 ping tank pre-plumbed, underbody lighting, better GPS platform please!, onboard wash, etc.) to make it attractive.

I think there is an untapped market niche here, they could probably sell 30+ a year.

What do you all think? What "stuff" would be on the coach if you were designing it?

[TDB1227]

John,


During the first ENTEGRA rally 2013 in PETOSKEY MI I mentioned Tadd and Joy the same thing for the first time, repeated several times since; if ENTEGRA would build a higher end coach than the CORNERSTONE I would be interested.


This reflects also my point in the ENTEGRA vs NEWMAR posting: where to go from here? From what I have seen the REALM is NOT what I am looking for; a FT IH45 is now also on the Spartan K3 chassis so that doesn't help to overcome the substantial price difference etc. etc.


I agree there is a market for the segment in between USD600K and USD1.3M but it will need to have a better slide out system than the KA etc. I am much more interested in the mechanical, driving, solar capabilities than having a couch covered with the skin of a pink whale .

[RubiconTrail]

Originally Posted by TDB1227

John,


During the first ENTEGRA rally 2013 in PETOSKEY MI I mentioned Tadd and Joy the same thing for the first time, repeated several times since; if ENTEGRA would build a higher end coach than the CORNERSTONE I would be interested.


This reflects also my point in the ENTEGRA vs NEWMAR posting: where to go from here? From what I have seen the REALM is NOT what I am looking for; a FT IH45 is now also on the Spartan K3 chassis so that doesn't help to overcome the substantial price difference etc. etc.


I agree there is a market for the segment in between USD600K and USD1.3M but it will need to have a better slide out system than the KA etc. I am much more interested in the mechanical, driving, solar capabilities than having a couch covered with the skin of a pink whale .

So I'm NOT the only one! No pink whale skin for me either.

Agreed, add a better slide to the list. FT's slide mechanism and bladder seal is an HWH product, so that should make it easy(ish) to make this a change to an Entegra product. No re-inventing, less engineering, and no infringement issue, just can't call it Fore-Slide Technology.

To be fair, the K3 being used in the IH-45 is not stock, there is added bracing, and an extra set of outboard airbags in the rear. I agree though, it doesn't add up dollar wise to a K3GT.

[Cruzer]

I used to think that I would have ordered a 200 gal fuel tank if only one was made available. After all, you can never have too much cruising range between fuel stops.

But after looking closer at coach with the 200 gal tanks I'm not so sure. The American Coach I last saw with the Spartan K3-GT chassis had a 200 gal fuel tank but it was located a bit further aft. Nice idea because it put more weight on the rear rather than the front of the coach. But it really screwed up the basement cargo storage. The King Aire that I just reviewed in the current issue of Family Motor Coaching does have a 200 gal tank but this year they moved from the K3-GT to the standard K3. Their reasoning was that they didn't need the extra strength of the zero-camber K3-GT because their new STAR foundation gives them enough support for the full wall slides. But the 200 gal tank is longer and the end result was that the pass-through cargo bays were quite a bit narrower. There was no way I would be able to add a second basement freezer like I did on our Cornerstone.

Bottom line - I like the idea of more fuel capacity but only if it doesn't impact basement storage space.

[DSL417]

I was told that doing the rounded slide edges with no slide topper was a 30-40$ upgrade, after the money spent for the reengineering; so I guess that is why I would expect that in KA, Essex, or a level up from the CS + a 200 gallon tank. Anon, I don't need alligator leather couches and gold fleck in the clear plastic sinks either. JMHO

Seems like Entegra and Newmar seem intent on adding something that costs less than 10 grand (passive tag "steer") and jumping the price 40k. Substantive works better for me.

[RubiconTrail]

Originally Posted by Cruzer

Bottom line - I like the idea of more fuel capacity but only if it doesn't impact basement storage space.

Good add to the wishlist, Mark!

[lowejug]

I would personally love to see Entegra come up with some new floor plans... something similar to there 44b plan but mixed up a bit.
I also am more attracted to the classic darker themes they used thru 2015. Would also like to see Entegra step up a coach up to a 13,4 tall coach like the higher end newmars , that tallness alone is just a beautiful look... those would be my top wishlist items. They have pretty much everything thing else covered imo,,,

[Cranemec]

Originally Posted by RubiconTrail

So I'm NOT the only one! No pink whale skin for me either.

Agreed, add a better slide to the list. FT's slide mechanism and bladder seal is an HWH product, so that should make it easy(ish) to make this a change to an Entegra product. No re-inventing, less engineering, and no infringement issue, just can't call it Fore-Slide Technology.

To be fair, the K3 being used in the IH-45 is not stock, there is added bracing, and an extra set of outboard airbags in the rear. I agree though, it doesn't add up dollar wise to a K3GT.

Newell uses the same HWH slide and has for years. I always found it amusing that FT alludes to it being their own. lol

[Cruzer]

Not quite the same. They use the same technology as HWH on the air bladders, although their control system is a bit different than Foretravel's keyed time delay system. But the mechanism is unique and proprietary. The system is designed to seamlessly and accurately raise the floor to fill the gap left once the slide is extended. The arms that make this all happen look like something more destined for the space shuttle than a motorhome. The floor is nice and quiet when it raises up, unlike the Foretravel.

[spuds]

Originally Posted by lowejug

Would also like to see Entegra step up a coach up to a 13,4 tall coach like the higher end newmars , that tallness alone is just a beautiful look... those would be my top wishlist items. They have pretty much everything thing else covered imo,,,

As folks who spend much of our travels in the northeast, taller is NOT always better, especially to us One of the things that attracts us to Entegra is that the coaches are not over 13' tall. With the overpasses and tree cover, every little bit helps (note, when Foretravel came out with the IH45 at 13'4", one of their caravans to the Maritimes and New England had a 600 mile longer route for the new coaches compared to the "legacy" ones due to clearance issues.)

We owned a Foretravel for 12 years. Yes, the slide technology is neat, but the bladders are expensive to replace and few shops are familiar with them. You're pretty much having to make a trek to Nacogdoches, Texas or Moscow, Iowa to get them worked on. For a variety of reasons, not just the slides, we aren't even considering a Foretravel for our next coach.

Michelle

[lowejug]

Originally Posted by spuds

As folks who spend much of our travels in the northeast, taller is NOT always better, especially to us One of the things that attracts us to Entegra is that the coaches are not over 13' tall. With the overpasses and tree cover, every little bit helps (note, when Foretravel came out with the IH45 at 13'4", one of their caravans to the Maritimes and New England had a 600 mile longer route for the new coaches compared to the "legacy" ones due to clearance issues.)

We owned a Foretravel for 12 years. Yes, the slide technology is neat, but the bladders are expensive to replace and few shops are familiar with them. You're pretty much having to make a trek to Nacogdoches, Texas or Moscow, Iowa to get them worked on. For a variety of reasons, not just the slides, we aren't even considering a Foretravel for our next coach.

Michelle

I know,I know. I have heard this comment before that "the tallness is looked upon as a issue in certain circles..especially for the folks liven in the east with so many trees and such
But not me. All overpasses are to be a minimum 13,6" across the u.s .. not saying there's a few out there that's not.. but in the west, I have yet to see any not following this rule... I pulled a stacker trailer that was 13,4 around to a lot of places in the us racing motocross with my son... never had a problem ... you get a higher celing in the coach and one awesome look. As I said. Jmo:

[bevandtomH]

Certainly room in the family for an uber coach. With all the upward migration I've watched on this forum, guessing it has not gone unnoticed by EC too.
Since we are talking blue sky, in no particular order;
Hidden slide toppers or get rid of them altogether. Heat the slide out tops too. Same for the door entry awning-hide it, its ugly.
Bring back the manifold plumbing. I like the idea of shutting down a problem area w/o sacrificing fixtures that work.
Make your version of AH. Enough already with less than stellar support from them. Thor could probably achieve this for all lines in the family and make a lot of owners happy.
Glass dash and whatever you want to throw at it. Technology is a good thing. The safety systems in the new CS is only the start.
Are there issues to overcome, yes, but if you are talking another 200K, they should be able to figure it out.
Fun to dream and talk smart.....gotta check my Powerball numbers....
Tom

[3xbear]

If Entegra incorporated all of these improvements (Newell or FT-like slide outs, K3GT, silver leaf, increased height, flat floor, etc), and hired a better interior design team (sorry but the design sucks), I would be all over that upgrade. As mentioned, there is a market that is wide open between MSRP of 800k-1.3M. I would gladly pay an extra 200k for the new 2021 "Cornerstone X1."

[hogdriver]

Next time you think a taller coach looks cool notice places like the Eisenhower Tnnel on I-70 West of Denver is marked 14'-0". I wouldn't want to be too close to the sidewalls in a 13'-6" Newell. I cringe in my 13'-0" Entegra.