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Old 07-12-2016, 09:54 PM   #1
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Trying to Decide Between 2017 Aspire and 2017 Anthem

Going to be making a new MH purchase soon and trying to decide if the $58K extra for the 2017 Anthem vrs the 2017 Aspire is worth it?

Accumulated the difference from the Entegra Web site and notice that for us some differences are important, some are somewhat important, some are minor, and some I have very little knowledge of the importance. Also noticed errors on the website (propane on Aspire, it is all electric) and some comparisons were vague.

Would appreciate your input on the importance of these differences, going to list them followed with a "1" for very important, "2" for somewhat important, "3" minor importance, and "?" don't understand importance. These are my opinions and if you disagree please explain why.

Chassis:

A. Anthem shows "Hendrickson Rear Air Suspension", Aspire is blank? Suspect this is an error. ?
B. 100 Gal fuel tank Aspire, 150 Gal Anthem. 1
C Goodyear tires Aspire, Michelin Anthem. 3
D. Aspire turning radius was blank, Anthem was 55 degree. Suspect this was an omission and the Aspire is also 55. ?

Heating A/C:

A. Aspire Aqua Hot 400, Anthem 450. 2
B. 10000 Watt Generator Aspire, 12500 Anthem. 2
C. House batteries 2 in Aspire, 4 in Anthem. 2
D. Power management Anthem "Premium surge protector transfer switch", Aspire "Solar power prep" ?

Exterior:

A. Headlights LED high, Xenon low in Aspire, Anthem LED high and low. 2
B. Aspire "Carefree window shade awning and slideout awnings", Anthem "Girard Ultra window shade awning and Ultra slideout awnings". ?
C. Mirrors Aspire "Heated, remote control, side-view mirrors with integrated cameras"', Anthem "Chrome, heated, remote control, side-view mirrors with integrated cameras & blind-spot indicators" 1 (have blind spot indicators in car, love it)

Cockpit:

A. Steering Aspire "VIP leather-wrapped, tilt and telescoping steering wheel with integrated controls for cruise and wipers", Anthem "VIP soft-touch, wood-grain, leather-wrapped, tilt and telescoping steering wheel with integrated controls for radio, cruise, and wipers". 2
B. Info system Aspire "Dual 7" touchscreen in-dash infotainment center with Rand McNally RV navigation, Bluetooth, SiriusXM, AM/FM tuner, integrated camera control, and House Mode whole coach audio distribution". Anthem "All-glass paneled, dual 9" capacitive touchscreen in-dash infotainment center with Rand McNally RV navigation, Bluetooth, Sirius XM, AM/FM tuner, DVD, integrated camera control, House Mode whole coach audio distribution, and integrated VegaTouch coach control" 1
C. Sound system, Aspire 180 Watt 5 speakers, Anthem 360 Watt, 11 speakers. 1

Interior:

A. Anthem has Vegatouch. 2
B. Floor tile for Aspire says porcelain tile, Anthem says high gloss porcelain tile. ? (looked the same to me?)
C. Window shades, Aspire has manual, Anthem has powered. 1
D. LR TV Aspire Samsung LED, Anthem Samsund 4K UHDTV. 2 (or perhaps ?)
E. Sound LR TV, Samsung Aspire, Bose Solo 15 Anthem. ?

Kitchen:

A. Aspire 1.7 Samsung Convection microwave, Anthem 1.9 Whirlpool Gold. 2

Bed Room:

A. Denver King Mattress in Aspire, Tempur-Pedic in Anthem. ?
B. Wardrobe closet is cedar lined in Anthem. 2.

Bathroom:


A. Porcelain tiled shower in Anthem. 3

Safetly:

A. Blind Spot Monitoring in Anthem, not in Aspire. 1



Thank you for any advice you can give. We eliminated the Aspire last year when we started looking because it did not have IFS and was not all electric. The 2017 has been upgraded to include IFS and is all electric and is now something we are considering.
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Old 07-12-2016, 10:22 PM   #2
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Chassis:


A. It shout be the same on the 2017s, both now have IFS.
B. I agree, the 150 gallon fuel tank is better.
C. The Michelin tires are night and day over the Goodyear tires. I just replaced my steer tires with Michelin tires, WOW.
D. The 17 Aspire is 55 degrees, my 14 is 50 degrees.

A. Anthem shows "Hendrickson Rear Air Suspension", Aspire is blank? Suspect this is an error. ?

B. 100 Gal fuel tank Aspire, 150 Gal Anthem. 1

C Goodyear tires Aspire, Michelin Anthem. 3

D. Aspire turning radius was blank, Anthem was 55 degree. Suspect this was an omission and the Aspire is also 55. ?


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Old 07-12-2016, 10:39 PM   #3
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Trying to Decide Between 2017 Aspire and 2017 Entegra

If you go to Spartan Website they have all the specifications on the Entegra chassis.

http://spartanchassis.com/rv/entegra_coach.asp
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Old 07-12-2016, 10:41 PM   #4
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Left off a few:

Anthem has 6 way driver and passenger seats, Aspire just indicated power seats. 1

Sound system living room: Aspire "Samsung sound bar", Anthem "Bose SoundTouch 130 home theater system with bluetooth in living area" 1
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Old 07-12-2016, 10:43 PM   #5
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After owning and operating my Aspire, I would choose the Anthem today as it better fits our needs the way we travel. I run my gen a little longer, we are never in a hurry so a larger fuel tank isn't really needed but it would be nice. We live in the south so my Aqua Hot Is on electric and I rarely run on gas ((monthly for systems check). You could purchase lots of diesel with the difference in price. ;o)

Heating A/C:

A. In speaking wi a tech, 400 and 450 are the same, there is no difference accept the labeling.
B. I do fine with my 10000 but I'd take a 12500.
C. More batteries gives you more inverter time. It's a plus when not plugged into power and at a place where you may not be able to run your gen.
D. Both have a surge protector and transfer switch, the Anthem has 2 inverters, Aspire has one. All power outlets are inverted while the Aspire has some outlets in inverter.

A. Aspire Aqua Hot 400, Anthem 450. 2

B. 10000 Watt Generator Aspire, 12500 Anthem. 2

C. House batteries 2 in Aspire, 4 in Anthem. 2

D. Power management Anthem "Premium surge protector transfer switch", Aspire "Solar power prep" ?




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Old 07-12-2016, 11:03 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B-Man49 View Post
If you go to Spartan Website they have all the specifications on the Entegra chassis.

Spartan Chassis
Thanks for the link, that clarified a few things.

1. Front Shocks on Anthem 60mm, Aspire 46mm.
2. Rear suspension (Tag and Rear) on Aspire is Reyco Granning, on Anthem they are Hendricskson HTB210.

Both have 55 degree cut, comparisons on web site omitted mentioning the Aspire has 55 degree cut. (turning radius was blank for Aspire)
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Old 07-13-2016, 04:25 AM   #7
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Trying to Decide Between 2017 Aspire and 2017 Anthem

Difference between Aqua Hot 400 and 450 is the 450 has engine preheat. Also the Anthem has Automatic Traction Control. I have just gone through a similar exercise, but there was one deciding factor that moved me towards the Anthem...."THE WIFE" She wants the Anthem for many reasons which aren't analytical. I gave in to the old and intelligent saying "Happy Wife Happy Life". We will be ordering an Anthem. The $58,000 difference "Priceless".
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Old 07-13-2016, 04:41 AM   #8
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One suggestion I can make it to drive both over the harshist road you can find. Shocks and tires make a big difference, but both of those can be changed with the savings. Many of the items listed can be added with the savings, some cannot.

One items is a Samsung oven in the Aspire, Whirlpool in the Anthem. We are currently upgrading to the Whirpool as we have not had good luck with the Samsung.

How will you use your coach, full time, weekends or season traveling?

We chose the Anthem mainly because of interior upgrades and finish.
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Old 07-13-2016, 04:47 AM   #9
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Residential shower in the Anthem, plastics in the Aspire. I don't know why, but the plastic shower really irks me and is a big negative. Might be because the one in the Monaco I use to be a partner in was so small.
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Old 07-13-2016, 06:41 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B-Man49 View Post
Difference between Aqua Hot 400 and 450 is the 450 has engine preheat. Also the Anthem has Automatic Traction Control. I have just gone through a similar exercise, but there was one deciding factor that moved me towards the Anthem...."THE WIFE" She wants the Anthem for many reasons which aren't analytical. I gave in to the old and intelligent saying "Happy Wife Happy Life". We will be ordering an Anthem. The $58,000 difference "Priceless".
Wise man.

Actually it is more me that is leaning towards the Anthem, my wife is wondering if the $58K is worth it.
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Old 07-13-2016, 07:08 AM   #11
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We recently went thru a similar exercise. Aspire won out for us. Clearly personal preference will play a big role in your decision, and it sounds like you're leaning toward the Anthem.

I would have rated many of your items differently. Biggies for me were fuel tank, tires and batteries. Fuel tank we can live with as its what we have now. Michelin tires do ride smoother, we now have them on the steers of our '13 and the difference is clear, but they can be replaced sooner or later. There is space reserved for the other two L16 batteries so that is an easy upgrade, we already have ours on order ($600 each).

Generator difference never has been an issue for us, that's like 42 amp vs. 52 amp shorepower @240v.

AH 450 has the engine preheat loop, nice to have for sure but again in the last 5 years we have very rarely, if ever, needed to heat the coach while driving. The plug in block heater is still there to warm the engine on those cold mornings.

The tile shower on the Anthem is really nice, but the 17 Aspire has a new more spacious fiberglass unit now and the same glass doors as the Anthem.

One thing that kept us away from the Anthem was the power shades all around. Besides the reliability issues and lack of individual control, we see them mostly as an inconvenience.

The microwave I don't get at all, the whirlpool is on Insignia, Anthem & Cornerstone, Samsung on the Aspire, what's with that Tadd?

Anthem has a higher end transfer switch/surge suppressor that can talk to the Vegatouch.

Aspire mirror arms are matte black instead of chrome.

Anthem has fancier ceiling panel and wood valances on all three sides of windows. Aspire windows have wood sides and fabric tops.

Anthem bed has wood headboard, Aspire fabric.

Did you figure in optional items on Aspire when calculating price? Dishwasher, second Girard, slide out cargo tray, fireplace, etc.
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Old 07-13-2016, 09:29 AM   #12
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AH 450 has the engine preheat loop, nice to have for sure but again in the last 5 years we have very rarely, if ever, needed to heat the coach while driving.
I agree that engine preheat is not very useful to the vast majority of owners. BUT, the AH 450 engine loop also supplies heat from the engine to the coach, which means when traveling in cold weather you can run the Aquahot heat without running the diesel burner, keeping the entire coach toasty warm while burning no additional fuel. In addition, when you arrive at your destination, your hot water is ready to use at your sink or shower. This feature of the AH 450 is a very useful advantage over the AH 400 in the Aspire.
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Old 07-13-2016, 09:43 AM   #13
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Putting 2 batteries with 380AH total in an all electric coach just does not make sense. In previous years the Aspire front axle could not handle the extra weight but now it can and also the batteries have been moved aft. Having the extra battery capacity would rate a 1 for me. I want to be able to watch TV and use lights, heat in the evening without having to run the generator a lot.
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Old 07-13-2016, 10:34 AM   #14
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Putting 2 batteries with 380AH total in an all electric coach just does not make sense. In previous years the Aspire front axle could not handle the extra weight but now it can and also the batteries have been moved aft. Having the extra battery capacity would rate a 1 for me. I want to be able to watch TV and use lights, heat in the evening without having to run the generator a lot.
Agreed. I think it would be feasible to add two additional batteries in an Aspire if one were so inclined.
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