From Anthem to Cornerstone

[Skyskipper]

If there are any Cornerstone owners please comment on the ride. Is it quiet and does it track straight compared to the Dutch Star? Does the heavier coach make a difference? Is 600hp an overkill and is the fuel very different or a little different? What don't you like about the Cornerstone. We are considering the Newmar London Air and the Entegra Cornerstone which one is preferred and why. DW is affraid of Electric Magnetic Field harm from the floor. I believe Newmar does not have Aqua heaved floors do yo know they only electric heated floors? Is the Vega Touch IPAD control center a almost requirement or can we do without it? Anyone can comment also it sure would help answer some questions that DW is drilling me on.
Thanks

[hawgguy]

You can't go wrong with either of these coaches. The Newmar LA was introduced to compete with the Entegra CS head-to-head. I am a former Newmar owner.

I would not fear the electrically heated floor of the Newmar - there may be some advantages in uniformity of heat distribution and lack of plumbing under the floor. I guess I really don't understand the basis for fear of EMF from the floor.

The iPad control is a neat gadget and I find it useful but by no means essential. Look at the floor plans features colors and price. The differences are small and idiosyncratic. The Newmar LA coaches are all custom ordered and custom built - that's probably the biggest difference.

[DSL417]

So, I and one other, weighed Cornerstone versus London Aire about 6 months ago (2015s). He chose LA, and I chose CS. probably pluses and minuses to both, and not a little of personal taste in the choices we made, and it led to some serious us versus them. Both are very nice coaches and you wouldn't be disappointed with either.

My Cornerstone is very quiet (did have some insulation added to the front of the step well coming in). The heavier coach tracks very well, and the combination of the larger and heavier chassis is a big plus. My preference is for the Spartan chassis versus Freightliner. Yes, 600 HP with 1950 ft lbs of torque is a step up, particularly if you drive out West. I have the iPad and it is a nice touch, but not required really. CS has Aquahot floors, and Newmar uses electric floors. I can't comment to one being better than the other except to say that AH might be preferred if you do any dry camping in cool weather. I've never heard the "electric magnetic field harm" comment on any forum. I question whether that has any validity, but don't have any proof one way or the other.

Newmar has Comfort Drive which some like better. I have driven both; it wasn't a game changer FOR ME. others swear by it for tracking, but i will say, I have driven the CS for up to 12 hours in wind conditions, and I wasn't any more tired than I was driving a 4 wheeler.

For myself, I like the richness of the CS interiors and the exterior color choices better than Newmar's London Aire. I liked the two year warrantee, versus one year. This is no doubt our last coach...we love it...period. That said, you have to look at both CS and LA and decide which floor plans and interiors suit you...and there is a lot of personal preference. Some may talk to built better for one versus the other; JMHO, that is bunk. They are both very nice coaches.

Have fun in your search. BTW...what DW wants...well it pays to pay attention, particularly if you're going to spend significant time in the coach. I full time.

[Saltydog44]

Great post Dave - well and fairly said.

[brobox]

Excellent post Dave and I know you shopped hard comparing the two.

[Ann n Gene]

x2 what Dave said. For us, the Cornerstone was an easy choice. Fit and finish, outside colors and features are great. Spartan chassis made it a no brainier for us, your choices and preferences may be different. All JMHO

[Cruzer]

All of the above are very good responses. I've tested both coaches and I agree. As to the EMF issue with floors - it depends. Some systems use a single wire heating grid. These do produce EMF emissions, similar to an electric blanket, which is why they don't recommend sleeping under an electric blanket, only pre-warming the bed. EMF can cause cancer and leukemia so it is important to minimize EMF as much as possible. You can't minimize it though because it's all over as you walk down the street.

If the floor grid is a dual wire system, those EMF emissions won't be there. These systems use a heating wire as well as a parallel wire for return current, which cancels the EMF. Furthermore, each wire is generally wrapped in a foil shield and then the pair is covered with a urethane jacket. These systems are safe. Unfortunately, no one seems to know what kind of system is in their motorhome so I don't think you can get a reliable answer on whether any particular brand of motorhome has that danger unless you know the brand of heating grid and research it further. At last with Aqua-Hot, that's not a concern.

[DeeGee]

Originally Posted by Skyskipper

DW is affraid of Electric Magnetic Field harm from the floor.

Magnetic fields drop off exponentially with distance. A very strong magnet (samarium cobalt, 1" by 1/2") has its field dropped to 1/10 of its value by 1 inch of space. The current going through a much smaller electric wire has a field so small as to be negligible. Try crawling on the floor of a Newmar with a piece of steel on a string - I bet you won't be able to locate the wires that way.

I still prefer liquid as a heat-transfer medium. An Aquahot system uses a central heat source to send fluid through the system, and the electric types create the heat as they go. Electric heat is just pretty inefficient, although otherwise it works quite well.

[Crippsfl]

Looked closely at the London Aire at the Tampa show and compared it to my 2015 Cornerstone. These are my observations may not be agreed on by others. Newmar makes a great coach and anyone who chooses one should be pleased with the selection.

The London Aire was made to compete directly wih the Cornerstone. It comes closer to Entegra's price point than either the Essex or the King Aire in a high end coach. However, in order to do this, Newmmar had to make some compromises. Here are a few.

A Freightliner chassis instead of the Spartan K3. I am sure Freightliner builds a great product. But if it is better, why are the Essex and King Aires still on Spartans? The Freightliner was selected for price reduction.

No Hadley Self leveling system. Not available as an option. If you have used air leveling, this is a big deal.

The DW, who is the expert on storing as much as possible on the coach, felt the CS had considerably more storage and she preferred the CS finish - personal choice.

I prefer the Aquahot floor heating over electric floor heating not because of any emf concerns but, because I get more heat from the Aquahot diesel burner than from running a generator when dry camping. When we have been attached to power at a campground, we have been able to heat the coach about 95% of the time with fireplace. An option that is not available on the LA.

One year warranty for Newmar. Two years for Entegra

The Newmar has Comfort Steer. Some people love it. All I can say is my CS runs like it is on rails without it.

Newmar makes virtually everything an option on their coach which allows you pick what you want on your rig. However, when you equip a LA to meet the standard features on a CS, it actually is still higher priced than the CS.

Both coaches are quality products built by great companies. I nearly bought an Essex until I saw the CS. But, speaking only for myself, the CS gave a lot more bang for the buck. However, buying a Newmar is still a great choice. I don't think you would get "buyer's remorse" with either brand.

[Skyskipper]

Thanks Ralph,

Great analysis, you answered so many questions of ours. The only questions that we have now is the maintenance of the aqua heating system.
1) I heard it requires some periodic maintance and we live so far from an Entegra dealer service center. What has been your expereince with the Cornerstone. Also I heard that Aqua system can be loud your thoughts?
2) Did you find that Entegra resisted any request to change interior colors?
3) What are you doing to monitor the tire pressures as you drive?
4) Newmar braggs about Silver Leaf does Cornerstone good monitoring of the rig?
We are close to pulling the trigger on getting either a LA or CS but leaning toward a CS.

[MRUSA14]

The Aquahot sytem in the Cornerstone is the same as in my Anthem. I find it very quiet, especially compared to the blower on the propane alternative. In fact, I think quiet is one of the advantages of Aquahot.

As for maintenance, Aquahot recommends a yearly service, which I think is only necessary for full-timers who are in the cold a lot. For others, you can do it every 2nd year with no problem. My Anthem is 21 months old and I have never touched the Aquahot. It still runs as wells as the day I got it. I do plan to have it serviced at the two year mark. This is something that anybody qualified to service diesel coaches should be able to do, so you can easily piggyback it with other service events.

[Crippsfl]

Originally Posted by Skyskipper

Thanks Ralph,

Great analysis, you answered so many questions of ours. The only questions that we have now is the maintenance of the aqua heating system.
1) I heard it requires some periodic maintance and we live so far from an Entegra dealer service center. What has been your expereince with the Cornerstone. Also I heard that Aqua system can be loud your thoughts?
2) Did you find that Entegra resisted any request to change interior colors?
3) What are you doing to monitor the tire pressures as you drive?
4) Newmar braggs about Silver Leaf does Cornerstone good monitoring of the rig?
We are close to pulling the trigger on getting either a LA or CS but leaning toward a CS.

There is yearly maintenance on the Aquahot, however, parts are easily available and the job can be done by the owner. Newmar uses Oasis as their water heating choice. It requires similar service.
As far as noise goes, inside the coach you can barely hear the unit operating when on diesel and nothing when on electric.

We were happy with the colors we selected for the interior - midnight pearl and natural cherry. The DW made immediate changes to the bedspread but, I have yet to meet a DW who hasn't once they got the coach
The exterior is the Topaz and it is absolutely gorgeous.

I know Entegra is resist to changes. One of the disadvantages of a "production" coach. Still some pretty nice choices though.

I have the EEZ Tire monitoring system for the coach and toad. It has worked well but there are other brands with good reputation

No doubt that the silver leaf system is nice. I have had no problem with the monitoring systems on the CS.

Good luck in your search. You will end up with a fine coach either way.

[DSL417]

Sky,

Marc answered the AH question. Not sure what you want to do with interior colors. There are certain things that go together. You can go to the Entegra website and the build option and see what interior colors go together. Beyond that, the only answer will come through a dealer calling Entegra. They do some mods but not very often. The moment you say they won't do something, they'll do it. (Saw a custom exterior paint job on a Cornerstone that Entegra did, before closing sale; no issues, but they said they'd never do it again. Next thing you know, we see a totally black Anthem that Entegra allowed the custom paint job). Most they won't alter...you have to ask.

Tire monitoring is yours to add on. I've seen posts of success with most of the major brands.

I don't know the Silverleaf system; I guess I'd say I have access to all the engine and transmission information I need on my CS (as I did on Anthem). Generally, companies brag heavily on what they want to point at as differentiators...like Comfort Drive. I test drove Comfort Drive; guess I just didn't have enough of a feel of differentiation, for my driving, to sway me from CS. Same applies to monitoring. I ask Newmar why they left off Hadley Air leveling...response, well we had to make some cost trades to compete with Cornerstone. I also saw things like the rounded pillars on LA that felt like covered aluminum, ceiling fixtures that looked a little cheap, although they did hide AC vents. For me, I just didn't like the tile work in LA compared to CS. These are not criticisms. Just DW and my preferences.

Two year warrantee and Spartan K3 chassis were large for me; part of the reason I looked to upgrade. We really liked the light cherry interior which were placed with the dark chocolate furniture. The exterior choices with the unique patterns turn heads every place we go; they caught our eye, as compared to more traditional colors and patterns with other upper mid-tier coaches. The Only thing I'd like on fit and finish...I like the shiny lacquer finish with interior wood (DW doesn't), but you have to go Essex or King Aire to get that in Newmar. JMHO

[brobox]

Originally Posted by Skyskipper

Thanks Ralph,

Great analysis, you answered so many questions of ours. The only questions that we have now is the maintenance of the aqua heating system.
1) I heard it requires some periodic maintance and we live so far from an Entegra dealer service center. What has been your expereince with the Cornerstone. Also I heard that Aqua system can be loud your thoughts?
2) Did you find that Entegra resisted any request to change interior colors?
3) What are you doing to monitor the tire pressures as you drive?
4) Newmar braggs about Silver Leaf does Cornerstone good monitoring of the rig?
We are close to pulling the trigger on getting either a LA or CS but leaning toward a CS.

Anthem owners, but same equipment as the CS.

1) I will be doing the AH service once every two year and it will be very minor compared to my old MH requiring service of the hot water heater after every trip. The AH is quiet compared to my previous LP heater. I live in the middle of snowbird country and we have lots of mobile services in our area if needed, but I will do my own.

2) if you are referring to factory available interior colors no problem, however if you want something that is off the chart, it won't come from the factory.

3) I still use the tried and true tire pressure gauge, however lots of different tire pressure monitors on the market

4) there have been a few post where people have put the Silver Leaf type system on there laptops for use in Entegras. I have never had Silver Leaf, so I don't miss it. The Spartan installed readouts work fine for me