Over the years, many people have asked us about our motorhome. We’ve been living and working full time on the road for nearly two decades, and the vast majority of that time has been in this very RV — a 2005 Newmar Mountain Aire diesel pusher. So it’s only natural that people ask us about Newmar motorhomes in general, and we’re happy to respond.
In today’s post, we’ll answer some of the questions we’ve gotten most often and introduce our readers to Newmar in general so that when folks inquire, we can point them right here for more information.
Our disclaimer is that we’ve lived, worked, and traveled in our Newmar Class A motorhome for more than 16 years now, and it has served us remarkably well. So, obviously, we love it — so we just might be a bit biased.
If you’re okay with that, then keep on reading!
About Newmar Motorhomes
Newmar is a well-known and respected brand of high-quality, luxury motorhomes. Since 1968, the company has over half a century of experience handcrafting each motorcoach with precision and great care, one at a time.
Last time we visited the Newmar factory, we toured the New Aire, a luxury diesel pusher in a smaller package.
The beginning of Newmar is actually a tale of two Marvins.
In 1968, Marvin Miller worked for a well-established RV manufacturer, and his sales manager was a man named Marvin Newcomer. They lived in the small town of Nappanee, Indiana, and they shared a dream to produce the highest quality RVs in the world.
Mr. Miller and Mr. Newcomer eventually left their jobs to start Newmar Corporation, hiring the highly skilled woodworkers of Nappanee, which has been a woodworking mecca since the 1800s.
As Marvin Miller was looking to retire, he had offers to sell his 51% stake in Newmar to many people. He chose Mahlon Miller, then President of Holiday Rambler, because he agreed to keep the high-quality motorhome company in Nappanee.
In the 1980s, Mahlon Miller proposed that Newmar enter the Class A motorhome sector and set a new standard based on Newmar’s traditional handcrafting of ultra high-quality RVs. In 1990, Newmar Corporation introduced the Dutch Star and the Mountain Aire, two luxury Class A motorhomes that continue to be popular today.
Mahlon Miller is known to this day as the “Father of Power Slide-outs,” having pioneered the technology and having been the first to introduce power and flush-floor slide-outs to a Class A motorhome.
One of the 4 slide-outs on our 2005 Newmar Mountain Aire. Technology courtesy of Mr. Mahlon Miller!
In 1991, he bought the other 49% of Newmar Corporation and built a huge facility in Nappanee to expand the business. Later in the ’90s, he added another space strictly for painting Newmar motorhomes, becoming the first RV manufacturer to produce rigs with full-body paint. In Mahlon Miller’s own words, “Stick-on decals and graphics didn’t reflect our commitment to superior quality, which is why we chose to apply full-paint finishes on everything we built from then on.”
When Mahlon Miller retired, his son Matt Miller took over as Newmar’s President and CEO. Matt maintained a strict dedication to the highest quality standards that have always been expected of Newmar motorhomes. Matt’s own retirement was recently announced.
Who Makes Newmar Motorhomes?
As noted above, Newmar Corporation, originally a private company, was acquired by Winnebago Industries in 2019. Matt Miller remained on board as the President of Newmar, a Vice President of Winnebago, and a strategic advisor to Winnebago’s Class A motorhome division.
Newmar and Winnebago have been aligned in their dedication to a high standard of quality at Newmar and to the desires of RVers who seek certain designs and amenities for their traveling comfort. They’re also well known for allowing specialized modifications.
We custom-ordered our own rig and can attest to the ability of new owners to order unique features not normally included. For us, that includes our heavy-duty 6-gauge solar prewiring and the counter in our bathroom, which we specified should be kitchen-counter height. We love it!
Newmar’s 1,000+ employees still design and build luxury Class A and Super C motorhomes following the company’s long commitment to superior quality.
Where Are Newmar Motorhomes Made?
Newmar motorhomes are still made in Nappanee, Indiana, smack dab in the heart of “motorhome country” —Elkhart County (although a small part of Nappanee is actually located in Kosciusko County).
The town is less than 4.5 square miles, has a population of fewer than 7,000 people, and is about 90 miles East of Chicago.
Types of RVs Made By Newmar
Newmar designs and builds four general types of motorhomes. Let’s take a brief look at their Gas, Diesel, Super C, and Luxury lineups.
Gas Newmar Motorhomes
Newmar’s Gas Lineup consists of the Bay Star and Bay Star Sport, both of which are built on the Ford F-Series Class A Motorhome chassis. They have a 7.3-liter V8, 350 horsepower engine providing 468 lb-ft of torque and come equipped with heavy-duty sway bars.
The Bay Star is available in eleven floorplans, while the Bay Star Sport is available in seven. All are appointed with high-quality furniture, cabinetry, appliances, high-tech amenities, and a variety of customizable options.
Diesel Newmar Motorhomes
Newmar offers four different diesel motorhomes, including the Dutch Star, Ventana, Kountry Star, and the newest in the Newmar diesel line-up, the Canyon Star (a front-engine diesel option!).
The Dutch Star (11 floor plans), Ventana (11 floor plans), and Kountry Star (8 floor plans) are available as 37, 40, and 43-foot coaches, with a choice between a Freightliner® or Spartan® chassis.
Newmar’s Comfort Drive™ steering technology, electronic stability control, tire pressure monitoring, and automatic traction control all come standard with these Newmar motorhomes, and OnGuard™ collision mitigation technology with adaptive cruise control is an option.
The new Canyon Star Diesel is a front-engine diesel available in five floorplans, including two exclusive to the Canyon Star, one of which is the only Class A front-engine diesel toy hauler on the market today.
Super C Newmar Motorhomes
Newmar’s Super C Lineup includes the Super Star and Supreme Aire, both with full air-ride cabs that are exclusive to Newmar’s Super C rigs. The Super Star is built on Freightliner’s M-2 106 chassis with a Cummins 360-horsepower & 1,150 lb-ft of torque engine along with a 20,000-lb hitch capacity. The Supreme Aire comes on the Freightliner® M-2 112 chassis powered by a 12.8L Detroit DD13 diesel engine offering 505 horsepower and 1,850 lb-ft of torque and is equipped with a 30,000-pound rated tow hitch.
The Super C motorhomes offer a variety of slide-out options and interior luxury that is – well – have a look at this video of us taking stock of the Newmar Super Star for a bird’s eye view:
Luxury Newmar Motorhomes
Newmar’s Luxury Lineup includes the King Aire, Essex, London Aire, Mountain Aire, and New Aire. (We’ve been partial to the Mountain Aire for over 16 years now, but all five are representations of traditional Newmar excellence).
The King Aire is the top-of-the-line coach built on a Spartan® K3 chassis with a passive steer tag axle. It’s a 45-foot coach, of course also equipped with Newmar’s unique Comfort Drive™ steering system.
Extensive safety features come standard with every King Aire, such as the Mobileye® lane departure warning system, OnGuard™ collision mitigation technology, automatic high-beam headlights, and adaptive cruise control.
The Essex’s Spartan chassis boasts a Cummins ISX 605-horsepower diesel engine and a 20,000-lb hitch. These 45-foot coaches are available in four floorplans, all luxuriously appointed with large windows for lots of natural light.
The London Aire has all the above-mentioned technology and offers five floorplans, including a new one for 2022, a 45-foot floorplan with a rear bedroom, and a standard work area at mid-coach with a well-appointed desk and chair.
The Mountain Aire, built on the Spartan K3 tag axle chassis, offers 500 horsepower and 1,695 lb-ft of torque, so towing and forging up hills is done with ease and pleasure. All of Newmar’s technology applies to the Mountain Aire in addition to exclusive luxury features such as tiled floors with radiant electric heat and a retractable Samsung® 50” 4K LED TV and a Bose® soundbar and subwoofer for music throughout the coach.
The New Aire is Newmar’s compact luxury coach, and although it comes in a comparatively small package at 35-feet in length, not a single bit of luxury is left behind.
Our videos are the best way for us to demonstrate. First impressions and quality:
And our follow-up interview:
How Much Do Newmar RVs Cost?
Newmar’s prices reflect their high quality, excellent craftsmanship, and high-end build from chassis to engine to interior luxury appointments.
At the time of writing this post, starting prices (MSRP) of the 2022 Newmar motorhome lineup are:
Luxury Diesels
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- King Aire: $1,399,664
- Essex: $874,185
- London Aire: $758,352
- Mountain Aire: $680,415
- New Aire: $479,747
Diesel Motorhomes
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- Dutch Star: $432,491
- Ventana: $338,473
- Kountry Star: $302,729
- Canyon Star: $256,872
Gas Motorhomes
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- Bay Star: $173,824
- Bay Star Sport: $150,402
Super C Motorhomes
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- Super Star: $389,890
- Supreme Aire: $612,068
Is Newmar a Good Brand?
Well, again, we’re biased — but we think Newmar is an excellent brand. We’ve owned and loved our Newmar motorhome for more than 16 years, and we still love it to this day.
Moreover, Newmar is among the most respected names in the RV industry, and it has held this position of high regard and respect since the company was founded more than 50 years ago.
Newmar’s dedication to excellence in building every motorhome from start to finish has earned it the reputation it carries to this day.
And for what it’s worth, Newmar remains solidly at #1 on our list of brands we’d consider if we were buying a new motorhome today.
Conclusion
Every type and brand of RV has its audience. Travelers have different budgets, different desires, and different styles of traveling and camping. Newmar motorhomes present an excellent option for a particular audience, and that’s good news.
But the better news is that there are so many options available that meet the wide variety of travelers looking for the RV that works best for them.
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Mike G
Saturday 11th of September 2021
Does Newmar have a centralized service center like REV (Indiana) or Tiffin (Alabama)? If not, where do people take Newmars for work?
TheRVgeeks
Saturday 11th of September 2021
Great question, Mike! One of the things we love most about Newmar is their excellent dealer network. It allows us to get great service all over the place, without having to go to the factory. But if you're in the Nappannee, IN area, you can also get great service at the Newmar factory, too.