2015 Monaco Dynasty
 

Went to the Seattle RV show. The 2015 Dynasty was on display and stole the show.

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Monaco Dynasty 2015 - Return to Power

They've put back the Cummins engines, and this coach blew away everything in the show. Entegras were not far behind and the Tiffins in distant third place. (My opinion).

This and perhaps the Entegras were the only coaches in the show that are nicer than my 2005 Windsor. Surprising, but gratifying too. If I had $500k lying around I'd already be on the pre-order list. This coach is a real thing of beauty...and the SHOWER. OMG!

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https://www.monacocoach.com/dynasty/nav/g_galley.jpg
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They are indeed a very nice looking coach. I got to see a 2016 while at the Fleetwood Factory last month too. I can't help thinking how much it's exterior looks like a Providence though.

You are one of the few that like that coach. Many owners are highly critical of some of the features: lack of windows, silly pop up coffee maker shelf, economy model of Aqua Hot, no access to the kitchen when slide is in, still has the ill designed door strut! Many are still crying about the Roadmaster chassis. One Monaco owner took it for a test ride and he loved the ride and handling. I think if one did a side by side with an Entegra the Monaco would be second place. I love the styling and the interior is very "Monaco like" with great cabinetry. But I am forming an opinion without a face to face look! It will be interesting to see how it sells and when they will have a lower priced model ( Like your Windsor).

If ASV doesn't get enough pre-orders it might not be made. deSanford

Saw the 2015 Dynasty at the Tampa show...certainly stepped up their game...very nice interior. The issues mentioned above sound like "lived in" perspective that the non-Monaco probably wouldn't see or note.

I would have to wonder if anyone was to do their home work on Monaco, and all the problems they have had, bankruptcy, closed, sold, bought, layoffs, one foot on a banana peal(slippery side down) who in their right mind would want to spend $500k with this background and history in mind? Monaco owners have had a lot of trouble with parts, service, and getting problems corrected through all this as I have read. I understand that people have to buy for them to make a go of things, But for me , I am not overly impressed right now with ASV for one. For me to spend that kind of money, it would not be a test on a weak foundation as there are a bunch of strong foundations out there already.

I am very surprised at how ASV has handled the whole Monaco "thing". When they bought Fleetwood everything was very professional. They started by telling owners that all warranties would be honored. Paid dealers for their warranty work and kept their excellent customer support. WE own a FW product and you cannot believe the kind of tech info they can supply as well as parts. Granted Monaco was a mere shadow of the Monaco from say 2006. One bankruptcy, a purchase gone bad by Navistar, plant closure and relocation. It is my understanding that paid big bucks for Monaco. Why? What did they get for their $$. Any goodwill was long gone when Monaco went under and Navistar made it even worse. ASV announces that the Roadmaster chassis is history and destroys the parts, jigs, etc.Then ASV decides to build a Dynasty as their first unit. Big mistake. The first unit should have been one of the mid priced units: Camelot, Windsor,etc. Something that would have a list price of about $350,000 max ( $260K discounted) A unit that would compete with the Allegro Bus or the lower end Entegra. MH's are a hot item today but to get your product into the marketplace why start with a luxury coach? Supposedly they have a custom woodshop and 75 engineers/designers working on the Monaco line. That is a lot of money spent for a product that is really not ready for the market. Even Navistar knew to start with something that was not $500,00 plus. And they were able to sell some with a questionable engine and a moose bumper front end. Imagine if ASV had built that lower priced unit with the Monaco front end, an ISL and a Monaco interior. Something practical. I am not a MH manufacturer so maybe I am totally wrong. I would be glad to eat my words and see them get orders for 50 Dynasty's!

I have lived full time in an '03 Monaco for 7 years now. There have now been two owners of Monaco since the end of the company that built it. I have called the Monaco tech support line several times throughout that period and there was absolutely no difference in either the level of help I received or the availability of any specialized parts I needed. I love my coach and I have exactly zero interest in buying anything else regardless of manufacturer. If i were interested, I would certainly look at a coach built by Monaco. All motorhome manufacturers are basically small scale operators who assemble their coaches from parts and systems built by others. They are all subject to being taken down quickly and completely by either market or ownership events.

I agree with you Steve, when I was looking it was at the Monaco's and Newmar's, the older, Monaco company built, were solid, well crafted and had one of the best reputations in the RV industry for a long time, but do you believe the the last couple of years and the new one's compair to your 03' in Quality and holding up to the long haul as yours has?

That's a hard question to answer with any degree of certainty. From what I have observed, the coaches built on the S Series chassis seemed to have held up very well in the quality of build department. Those coaches were built for a fair number of years with the same level of components and general construction standards and the build quality seems pretty level.

I admit to being a supporter of the Roadmaster chassis and particularly the S Series but I'm encouraged by the design of the chassis under the new Dynasty. The 2015 Dynasty currently on the show circuit is a one off unit that may or may not be produced in many numbers. I personally am not a fan of the 1 1/2 bath floor plans but they are very popular. I was critical of going with the small version of the AquaHot but have been assured that the big one is an option. I believe that the goal for this first new coach was to position it to compete with the Newmar Essex and Entegra Cornerstone in price and features. I have been impressed by Mike Snell's leadership of the new company. He has been very open to questions and criticism. In early January, he drove the new Dynasty himself through the truly horrible weather & zero temps to a small showing just north of Charlotte, NC. He then made the coach available to be driven in these same conditions totally unsupervised.

I have no idea how their coaches will fair in the open market and I will never be a customer in any case but I would like to see them succeed and I wish them well.

I think I can speak to the issues that have been raised here from an owner's point of view. I have the 2013 HR 43DFT tag axle coach. It was manufactured 6/12 and I purchased it May 14th the last day of Navistar ownership. They were offering a $15K discount on top of the 40% off MSRP. I've also had issues but not "build" issues. The coach has the same components many high end coach have..Cummins 10K Gen, MCD solar screens and shades, SS residential frig, 4 Sharp LED TV's with SS Sharp Microwave/convection, Power control sys w/AGS, full tile and ultra leather, 2800 sin wave inverter, Aqua Hot, Sani-Con Carefree toppers, Elec. China toilets, Stacked W/D, Fireplace King Air sleep number, in motion satellite and much more.

The issues I had was with the Lippert hydraulic lines(replaced twice) and yes ASV (Fleetwood) went out of their way to cover warranty issues. Had one cracked house battery so they replace all with 8 AGM type because original 6 volt were on back order. And I've has zero issues with the 9.3L Navistar engine and I love the active 10 air bag Roadmaster chassis. So the "build quality" is still there but as I've seen on numerous post, the component supplier may have quality issues yet to be solved.

I totally agree..... I have owned a Monaco for years. Unfortunately the new Monaco will never be the old Monaco we all loved. The new Monaco is just trying to find its groove. Hopefully the new owners can turn things around. I surely would not put any of my money on a new Monaco. There is no telling what their future will be like.

WOW! You sure know how to make a guy sick! (with envy!) :thumb::D

Why wouldn't the older, happy, devoted, ready to upgrade, Monaco owner's trade up and give Monaco the push they need to find the "groove" ? Anyone on here put their name on the paper work yet?

I would think anyone who has made a bad purchase on a coach would not want to do it again. You spend 300,500 or 700k you want quality and someone to stand behind it. Monaco's foundation has crumbled. Can it be rebuilt? Maybe. I personally would not want to gamble it when there are other high quality coaches being built with good backing and a solid foundation that are a sure bet.

Looks like most of the Monaco owners are very happy with their present coaches, and so ASV will no doubt be looking at the new "baby" boomers to purchase their RVs. I wish them well. As I have previously mentioned the service that I have received from their Coburg, Or. service facility has been triple A or 5 STARS. My only concern is the economy and the disappearance of the middle class. deSanford

While I haven't had a chance to see the new Monaco yet, I definitely wouldn't count them out to quickly if I was in the Market. They are now owned and backed by a very reputable company, that has done really with there Fleetwood and American Coach lines.

There track record would lead me to believe they will produce a very good and competitive product.

Folks it is interesting and educational to read this thread but we want be able to afford the new Dynasty until it is about 10 years old! :o There should be plenty of data to research on the unit by then.:D Unfortunately I will be almost 78 and looking to down size.;)

Bob

Nodine: I would be 80!! Do you think you will be able to drive @78? Better yet: Will we make it to 80?

Hey, you two, knock it off -- You`re making me feel old -- Here I am at 77, & y`all are talking about making it to 80, & can`t drive a 40 footer at 78 -- Have a little compassion for us older generation --The Old Geezer, William Willard

I hear people on here about their gripes with the old Monaco's bankruptcy, Navistar and ASV. However, I am encouraged with what I saw. I spoke with the gentleman from Monaco while looking at the coach at length. What he said indicated to me that ASV is working hard on resurrecting Monaco. He told me they had been severely constrained by Navistar, and were returning to what made Monaco great in the first place.
Understand this. I LOVE my '05 Monaco. The interior design of my '05 is nicer than almost every coach at the show. The ONLY coaches that were comparable in quality from that standpoint were the Entegras, and I actually like mine better. I disagree with the person that commented about the kitchen being unusable, the pop-up coffeemaker etc. I rarely do anything more than get a soda when my RV is on the road with slides-in, and gladly would trade usability with slides in for the increased space with them out. I like the fact that I could hide the coffeemaker away, clearing space for other things after coffee hours. I probably would opt for a mid-coach single bathroom like my present coach if available, but my comments about the Dynasty were more general than liking or disliking the layout. They were primarily about the woodwork, finshes, and features. The coach was a thing of beauty...truely a step forward from my beloved coach in many ways. This is the first ASV designed coach and I really, really liked it.

The jury is absolutely still out on ASV and how they'll handle the brand. I'm glad I've got my '05 during this period in their history. I'll be watching with interest to see if they can make the company great again. They certainly have met every need I've had concerning information about my present coach, and done so cheerfully and without cost. They seem to care about earning my future business. If they build coaches as nice as that Dynasty, they just might.

Wait till you see it...its purdy!

Can you elaborate on the "ill designed door strut" for those of us with older Monacos that don't have it? Not sure what you mean. Also, what do you mean crying about the Roadmaster chassis?.. both the older 2014 Dynasty and the 2015 prototype both have a Roadmaster chassis.

Trying to learn all I can.

I loved the Dynasty when I saw it at the Houston RV show in Feb. The one you showed did not seem to be the same floor plan as the one I saw, but liked it. All-in-all, the Houston RV show was a bust, in my opinion, with too many towables and too few higher end coaches - at least at this particular show. Still happy with my Cayman for e price, though!

The door strut is the scissor design that Monaco owners have suffered with and complained about ever since Monaco started building their own doors over ten years ago.

It's true that the '14 Dynasty designed during the Navistar ownership was on a Roadmaster chassis, but it was not built on the S Series semi monocoque chassis that the Dynasty had ridden on since it's birth. The '15 Dynasty, while it may be a fine chassis in its own right, is not semi monocoque and is a Roadmaster in name only. It bares very little resemblance to the legacy Roadmaster of years past. Monaco is using the name Roadmaster because they own it.

This new Roadmaster is front and rear sub assemblies from Freightliner joined by a bridge structure which is the closest thing to the old Roadmaster design. There are no longer 10 outboard air bags/shocks but 6 inboard mounted air bags. It has allowed them to offer IFS which was not possible with the traditional H frame suspension of the old Roadmaster.

Thanks Steve,
As previous multiple Monaco owners, we always enjoy your posts. We think It's RIP legacy Monaco, Coburg doesn't build them anymore, the Roadmaster is apparently gone ( what a great chassis!!) and unless someone has evidence to the contrary, it's probably being built right along with the other American/Fleetwoods, so we're not sure how the Monaco name has anything left but fond memories for a lot of us. The fact that they are advertising it as a new "Roadmaster Chassis" is enough to turn us off, because we all know that it's not even close. Do they really think that previous Monaco owners are going to buy that line?? The funny thing is that ASV, with Fleetwood, American Coach, Monaco ( and the rights to Holiday Rambler, Beaver, and Safari) is looking like legacy Monaco, lot's of brand names, very little difference in coaches

Sorry Bill, from now on you are my role model and I look forward to driving a 40 footer at 80.:)

Bob

Bob -- Driving is the easy part -- Polishing is the hard part -- Up & down the ladders gets a bit much -- In ten years, you`ll think "this is not near as bad as I thought it would be" -- William Willard

William when you get to 85 or so you might want to hire out the "Polishing" job. deSanford

Fast Forward to the October Pomona RV Show, 2014

They had two on display, with a prototype Diplomat on display as well. One of them had an MSRP of $661k that had been crossed out to upper $4k ($489?).

The good
- The stationary (!)peninsula island (with sink) is clever as you really don't loose anything on it when the slide is brought in.
- High end flexible restaurant-like kitchen faucet is a very nice touch.
- Build quality seemed very high
- The Duke was an open floorplan with view of the master from the front, while the Palace offered a more compartmentalized floorplan with the peninsula
- They offer a separate round table that tucks under an edge so stabilize it going down the road, but can be relocated anywhere in the salon (useful on the Duke wide-open floor plan).
- Driver's seat seems to have additional room behind before hitting slider wall (bonus for taller drivers).
- The new chassis has moved the fuel tank to midships, taking weight off the front axial and eliminating any issues with a steering wheel blowout taking out filler hoses

The Bad
- Not only are there few windows, but they're also not all covered with awnings! Oddly the largest salon window doesn't have one, while a smaller one does. (I'm told it was due to the window size ~ odd)
- Powered exterior window awnings aren't standard (offered with manual pull downs!).
- The circular, free standing table has a very large base that eats up leg room...and it's round.
- No real "booth" option on the Palace as the peninsula won't allow for more than a 1 person deep booth.
- Chassis includes rear drum, not disk brakes.
- Slides in eliminate all pantry access but one door.
- while the office chair is very nice...it's a huge space hog and could be a cannon ball to boot in a sudden stop as there is no way to secure its wheeled feet.

IMO the few windows they do have are very small, but the representative was willing to eliminate the overhead storage, install bigger windows and put in a larger TV on a televator behind the CS couch -- we'll see what that quote comes in at.

I've attached a price list they provided.

Mark of SJC

Lots of interesting views on the new Monaco Coaches. I will be keeping mine as previously noted a 10 year older unit would find a few of us in our late 70s or early 80s. Of course that could be a reason to buy a NEW coach now, before our coach keys are taken away. de Sanford P. S. The old Roadmaster Chassis with all the aftermarket improvements along with CrazyKnights and Vans genius ideas have made it a DREAM to drive.

Read through all the posts. I wouldn't touch a new "Monaco" with a ten foot pole. I'm a real fan of the 2007-08 Monaco products. Bought my 2007 Endeavor "used" in August of '07. Absolutely no issues with the Cummins, Allison or Roadmaster components. The stuff above those components comes unscrewed, unglued or just falls apart when you put a house on wheels and bounce it down the road. Nothing I haven't been able to fix or modify myself.

Dont read many posts like this about Monaco / HR build quality.
Mine's solid. Dont think I've tightened a single screw yet! I have only owned it a year thou. Mabe every screw was tightened right before I bought it :D.