Upgrade Aspire to Anthem

[Chief55m]

We have a 2018 Aspire RBQ looking to upgrade in 2020 to an Anthem. We love the Aspire however, we don't like the floor plan. Looking for theater seating and a large rear closet. Has anyone made this upgrade (Aspire to Anthem)? and if so what are you thoughts? TIA.

[buddy110]

Originally Posted by Chief55m

We have a 2018 Aspire RBQ looking to upgrade in 2020 to an Anthem. We love the Aspire however, we don't like the floor plan. Looking for theater seating and a large rear closet. Has anyone made this upgrade (Aspire to Anthem)? and if so what are you thoughts? TIA.

We went from a 44b Insignia to the 44W Anthem. The difference is night and day. The Hadley air ride alone is worth it. I'm not sure what 2020 has in store, but I'm sure there will be upgrades fro '19. GL

[classicalgas]

If you are looking for way more closet space you might look at the Aspire 44R. We have one. Rarely use the bunk beds but 95% of the time it is a big closet (mostly for my wife’s stuff).

[lowejug]

In classic years 2010 thru 2016 there was a huge difference between aspire and anthem.. bigger fuel tank.. bigger generator.. awning boxes .. independent steering just to name a few... although now I believe all that is pretty much standard in aspires... just my observation... although you would get the digital dash in the new anthem

[brobox]

The new Aspires are so close to the previous Anthems, that is one you might want to do the Ben Franklin close on the two models from Entegra's web site. Put a check make next to the items would would not pay extra for on each model and see which one has the most check marks. The one the has the least check marks would be your choice.
We moved up from an RBQ to a B. DW would not give up the 1/2 bath, love the floor plan and extra space, but sometimes wish we would have stayed with the booth. Just person choice. In 3 attempts to see an X or a Y have been unsuccessful. Never one at a show or a dealers lot, have come to the conclusion, special order only.

One big selling point for our move up was the digital dash, that is only in the Anthem and above. Love the digital dash along with the Collision Medication System and Adaptive Cruise Control which I believe are only Anthem and above. Hadley Air ride is wonderful, so our pay extras for moved us all the way up to a Cornerstone. I wish this had been our first choice in 2014. I didn't know what I was missing for 5 years

[DeeGee]

We moved from a 2015 Aspire 42DLQ to a 2018 Anthem 44A. In this case, the old coach had the smaller fuel and liquid tanks, and a lower-rated front axle. That was a major incentive. The Hadley is nice, as is the Vegatouch, but I'm not all that sure that I might not have been better served with a new Aspire and spending the 10K to add the HWH air ride, which appears superior to the Hadley. The Vegatouch is nice, but that's a lot of money.

[brobox]

Dee Gee has a good point on the Vega Touch, it is really nice, but sometimes it would be nice to just turn on a light without having to go through the puzzle to figure out which dot turns on what light mainly in the living area. However being able to monitor the coach in storage while at home is one of the reason we moved up. My gas bill savings back and forth has about paid for the Vega Touch. One touch readings for everything is really a nice luxury, needed no, but nice yes. The Magnum panel in the Aspire is turning a knobs to get reading or going from the Magnum to the Command 30 screen The Vega touch is all one screen at a glance. Also dash commands, start generator and turn on roof AC without have to go to the back. A big plus for us being summer traveler. However the old way worked fine, did it for years, but we purchased creature comforts this time around.

Vega Touch would be a check mark "would pay extra for" for me, but not for everyone.

[DeeGee]

Oh, I'd pay more for the Vegatouch too, but the price difference between an Anthem and an Aspire is a lot of grickles. Given that the bulk of it is the Hadley system and the VT, and the HWH is not too expensive, that makes the VT a 'more expensive' choice. OTOH, getting the Hadley means you have it, and no scheduling a trip to Iowa or wherever to get the HWH installed.

I do have to say that my Anthem is FAR quieter than my Aspire was. The Aspire rattled down the road and made a lot of noise. I think most of it is due to the switch from Goodyear tires in the Aspire to Michelin in the Anthem.

[wnytaxman]

Originally Posted by classicalgas

If you are looking for way more closet space you might look at the Aspire 44R. We have one. Rarely use the bunk beds but 95% of the time it is a big closet (mostly for my wife’s stuff).

The new version of the 44R has bunks that can be used as an additional large closet. The full bath is mid ships which is handy and the half bath is in the rear. For us, the 44R with the expandable dinette has been a great choice, with or without the kids.

[Saltydog44]

Originally Posted by brobox

DW would not give up the 1/2 bath, love the floor plan and extra space, but sometimes wish we would have stayed with the booth. Just person choice. In 3 attempts to see an X or a Y have been unsuccessful. Never one at a show or a dealers lot, have come to the conclusion, special order only.

Cheryl was skeptical about giving up the 1/2 bath also but has been fine with the Y. In fact she says she wouldn't have anything else. The extra storage was surprising. We share the dual vanity - she gets 90% I get whatever is left.

Now that we found a solution for the subwoofer, all is well.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by Saltydog44

Cheryl was skeptical about giving up the 1/2 bath also but has been fine with the Y. In fact she says she wouldn't have anything else. The extra storage was surprising. We share the dual vanity - she gets 90% I get whatever is left.

Now that we found a solution for the subwoofer, all is well.

We really wanted to see a Y before we placed our order. None at the Tampa Show, none on LD lot, none at the Perry Rally, so we gave up. It would be nice if they would display one for those that like to see before they buy.

[Saltydog44]

Originally Posted by brobox

We really wanted to see a Y before we placed our order. None at the Tampa Show, none on LD lot, none at the Perry Rally, so we gave up. It would be nice if they would display one for those that like to see before they buy.

No one wants one so they only make a few which are all sold before they get to a dealer. See any logic there? We heard the same thing about the old SL.

We can't remember where we saw one but Cheryl says we did somewhere. It may have been in Middlebury.

Maybe we should rent ours out for shows......

As I said somewhere else, we put the subwoofer under the end of the new couch from Lambright and behind the table they built. Perfect location. Uses the outlet behind the sofa.

[Butte64]

There was a 2017 Y on the Tampa Lazydays lot for a long time last year. The price was greatly reduced but it still sat for a long time after the 2018s were out. I last saw it in August but it could have been there much later than that. Don’t understand why it did not sell as it is a great floor plan with the best storage of any Entegra

[Matt D]

Originally Posted by wnytaxman

The new version of the 44R has bunks that can be used as an additional large closet. The full bath is mid ships which is handy and the half bath is in the rear. For us, the 44R with the expandable dinette has been a great choice, with or without the kids.

Agreed. FYI, the bunks in our “early” R also convert to a closet.

-Matt