Anthem Versus Cornerstone

[Hayman]

Originally Posted by Matt D

Brian, wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to have the Hadley installed?

That way Sue doesn't have to move.

-Matt

Matt, it would be BUT installing the 600 would be problematic even for a guy that shoehorned a few big blocks into a couple street rods !

[johnnyreno]

I have seen dave put 4 bottles of wine in a
2 bottle belly

[rprkbr]

Our last coach was a K2 Spartan Chassis. Now we roll in a k-3 Cornerstone. Weight definitely makes a difference on handling and driving in Wind environments of a coach. Also having a little something extra under the hood is nice too, when needed. Both are fine chassis that would make any RV'er happy.

[Cruzer]

I think the biggest misconception is that the Cornerstone gives you 600 HP versus 450 for the Anthem and that there is a significant price hike just to get that extra horsepower. But there is much more to it than that.

The Anthem is an excellent coach and so is its chassis. An early test drive in one way back when they first started up impressed me quite a bit and the more I learned about Entegra, the more I wanted to have one some day. Eventually I began testing Cornerstones as well and could see the difference in power but as I got more into them I realized there was much more to it than that.

The Anthem chassis a great and Entegra's X bracing works to further enhance the ride and handling. Then you build the insulation and sound deadening efforts they go through and you get an extremely nice ride.

The Cornerstone kicks it up a notch. True, the 1,950 lb-ft of torque makes for some nice mountain climbing but the power really is noticeable when you try to merge into traffic from a rest area or on-ramp and both lanes are barreling down on you. You can get up to speed so much easier. The engine brake is a real benefit and it's like throwing out a sea anchor and makes mountain grade descents effortless. But you don't have to worry as much about saving the brakes because the 6 wheel disk brakes on the Spartan K3 are the beast I've seen. They not only stop quickly but they are always consistent and don't fade. When you get stuck in stop and go traffic they are always there when our previous coach with a MMGT would slowly fade away due to heat, reducing their stopping ability.

The steering is very precise and I attribute part of that to the dual steering gear boxes that the K3 uses (which is also a safety factor) and part to those big wide 365 series tires. It doesn't seem to care what the pavement is beneath you. It just goes exactly where you point it and with great tactile feedback through the steering wheel without any vagueness or over-assisted power steering effect and the Hadley leveling system just keeps the coach nice and upright without excessive leaning. We've driven mountain passes, like the Million Dollar Highway and the Beartooth Highway numerous times in the past. This last time we went over 11% grade Teton Pass with the Cornerstone Leann remarked, as we finished the pass "Is that all there is?". The Cornerstone just effortlessly went up and down and around the hairpins like it was a big parking lot.

While I've always enjoyed my coach drives in the past I actually look forward to driving the Cornerstone and hope to find any excuse to get behind the wheel.

[Ann n Gene]

X2 on what Mark said.

[BurninDiesel]

X3.....Amazing on ramp "Giddy up!" and Braking.

[waterboy10]

We did the Teton pass a few years ago in the 13 Aspire and had no issues except we were a little slow (20-25mph) in spots going up. It was a beautiful drive for sure.

[brianw8602]

Came westbound on I-70 yesterday en route to Breckenridge, CO. Was doing ok coming up the grade at 45+ MPH with a full bag of gas in both the coach and the toad. Went down to 2 lanes and the DW pointed out that the ALL vehicles over 26000 lbs were restricted to the right lane. All was ok until we came up behind a group of trucks that were down to 15 MPH. We just fell in behind and enjoyed the view until the lane restriction ended just before the Eisenhower Tunnel. I would imagine a Cornerstone would have been going so fast they wouldn't have even seen the lane restriction sign 😃

[brobox]

Originally Posted by brianw8602

Came westbound on I-70 yesterday en route to Breckenridge, CO. Was doing ok coming up the grade at 45+ MPH with a full bag of gas in both the coach and the toad. Went down to 2 lanes and the DW pointed out that the ALL vehicles over 26000 lbs were restricted to the right lane. All was ok until we came up behind a group of trucks that were down to 15 MPH. We just fell in behind and enjoyed the view until the lane restriction ended just before the Eisenhower Tunnel. I would imagine a Cornerstone would have been going so fast they wouldn't have even seen the lane restriction sign 😃

It's kind of like the the signs nationwide. "trucks must use right lane" yep, that happens all the time. Not doing 15 MPH going up the Eisenhower....I'll take the ticket. I guess living there for 20 years and knowing every site along the way changes ones attitude.

[brianw8602]

The trucks must use right lane signs I get Chuck. These signs have changed since our last trip out west to include ALL vehicles over 26K. As a retired CHP officer, I would be embarrassed to get stopped and have to explain to the officer why I chose to disobey the sign. Like I said, we enjoyed the view. No big deal for us👍

[ddgilmore]

Brian, just sent you a PM...

[rvbusguy]

Originally Posted by Matt D

Brian, wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to have the Hadley installed?

That way Sue doesn't have to move.

-Matt

Hadley, from what I understand, is NOT an after market install.
HWH would be far cheaper and is an after market install.