Over the years that we had our Newmar motorhome, many people asked us about it. We were living and working full-time on the road for more than two decades, and the vast majority of that time was in our 2005 Newmar Mountain Aire diesel pusher. So it’s only natural that people still ask us about Newmar motorhomes in general, and we’re happy to respond.
In this post, we 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 lived, worked, and traveled in our Newmar Class A motorhome for nearly 20 years, and it served us remarkably well. So, obviously, we loved it — and 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, catering to the desires of RVers who seek specific 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 usually included. For us, that included our heavy-duty 6-gauge solar prewiring and the counter in our bathroom, which we specified should be kitchen-counter height. We loved 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. The starting prices (MSRP) of the Newmar motorhome lineup:
Luxury Diesels
- 2025 King Aire: $1,637,440
- 2025 Essex: $1,062,900
- 2025 London Aire: $910,940
- 2025 Mountain Aire: $826,284
- 2025 New Aire: $623,935
Diesel Motorhomes
- Dutch Star: $593,775
- Ventana: $467,625
- Canyon Star: $363,020
Gas Motorhomes
- Bay Star:$247,100
- Bay Star Sport: $217,280
Super C Motorhomes
- Super Star: $505,325
- Supreme Aire: $744,144
Is Newmar a Good Brand?
Well, again, we’re biased — but we think Newmar is an excellent brand. We owned and loved our Newmar motorhome for darn near 20 years, and we still loved it to the day we sold it (primarily due to our interest in downsizing). 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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David Kubissa
Saturday 13th of September 2025
As a longtime subscriber and fan, I have read and learned so much from your posts. One bit of input here: the Kountry Star model has been renamed Northern Star. We own a 2018 Ventana LE, which is the predecessor to the Kountry Star.
FredfromBoston
Thursday 11th of September 2025
WOW, I read this post this morning and said,,,,WOW it’s like they are listing to a recent discussion I had with my wife about Newmar. Almost a year ago, after reading your post on the new Grand Design Lineage motorized coach, we pulled the trigger and bought one. I actually had reached out to you at the time on some questions that I had about the Lineage which helped me make my final decision to purchase. It has been great! Now several months later and several trips under our belt,,,,my wife has told me she wished we had bought a bigger one. That being said, I told her the only coach that I would consider is a used Newmar New Air. So my question to you is what is your thoughts on a Newmar that was built during or shortly after COVID. I would be looking at a 2021/22 and maybe a 2023. Inevitably while sitting around many campfires with fellow RV’s all of whom have years more experience than myself…the discussion about sub-par coach’s built during COVID comes up. Most say to stay away from them,,,all of them. What do you guys think?? DO you think Newmar also caved into the many supply chain issues during those days and cut back on quality on the New Air. Thanks FredfromBoston
FredfromBoston
Saturday 13th of September 2025
@TheRVgeeks, Gentlemen thanks for the quick response and I do think “great minds think alike”. I told my wife that if this upgrade was to become a reality that we would have to have a certified RV inspector to look into it. Although I love the Lineage F and it is doing everything that I was expecting I do agree with her that 2 weeks trips are not a problem, but anything more than that a month of two would likely feel small. Will keep you posted and by the way, I wish you guys would do a meet and greet weekend for your followers, I certainly would attend it. Thanks FredfromBoston
TheRVgeeks
Friday 12th of September 2025
LOL! Guess great minds think alike, @FredfromBoston!
The COVID years were definitely a challenging period for manufacturers of all kinds. And while we don't think that Newmar would have ever, intentionally, cut back on quality... they were equally susceptible to their suppliers who may have done so (or who were forced to source materials/parts/supplies from other suppliers who may not have upheld the same quality standards). So, while we're sure that Newmar would've done their best to counter any reduction in quality of the end product, they're weren't 100% responsible for all of the components/appliances, etc. and so may fall prey to the same issues as lots of other RV manufacturers.
On the other hand, any coach manufactured back in 2021/2022 has been on the road, being used, for long enough that most of those issues have likely been dealt with already by the original owner(s). We'd just want to make sure we did our best due diligence in looking at all the service records for a coach from that period... and would likely want to have a professional inspector take a good look over any coach we planned to buy. That way, you'll be able to negotiate with the seller/dealer to either have those items that are found in the inspection repaired before you take ownership, or have the purchase price adjusted accordingly so that you can pay to have them fixed later.
John S.
Thursday 11th of September 2025
"Well, again, we’re biased — but we think Newmar is an excellent brand."
Having owned two Newmar models (King Aire and New Aire) I can agree with John & Peter 100% on this comment.
To be fair no RV ever made is always perfect and a fact of life is that things break. But with a organized parts department (available online to owners) a 24 hour emergency help line and a really fantastic service center in Nappanee I'd also say that Newmar is tops in customer support.
TheRVgeeks
Friday 12th of September 2025
Excellent points, @John S. Thanks for adding your knowledge and experience of Newmar to the conversation.
Johnson Gregory
Thursday 11th of September 2025
What about the new class C? I don’t see any reference to the new C in your article. it’s on the 4500 MB Chasis( that’s good, but I can’t find what the OCCC is) , it’s a 30 amp ( surprised it’s not a 50 amp), etc. I’m just not seeing. Lot of WOW’s to necessarily justify the $299, 900 investment. Your thoughts?
TheRVgeeks
Friday 12th of September 2025
You're right, Gregory! We've always known Newmar as a Class A motorhome manufacturer and we left out the new Class C they've added to the lineup. We'll update the article to include the new Freedom Aire. We don't have any experience with the new model, of course... and BECAUSE it's new, there's not many people who have experienced them, yet. We'd agree, $299,860 is a pretty steep starting point for a Sprinter-based Class C motorhome, but Newmar usually adds their touches of quality and reliability that raise their RVs above many other brands, so they tend to command higher prices.
GEORGE
Thursday 11th of September 2025
Which manufacturer has the best slide sealing systems: Newmar or Foretravel?
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 11th of September 2025
Hi George. We can't speak to Foretravel (we think they use a combination of HWH and Valid Systems for their slideouts, both of which are well-respected), since we've never owned one. But we CAN tell you that in 18+ years of full-timing in our 2005 Newmar, we only ever had ONE slideout issue (a sensor on the small, bedroom slide's lock arm failed and needed to be replaced).