And the winner is....the 2016 Newmar Dutch Star 4369!

We have looked at a lot of RVs over the years, and had done a lot of research online and by talking to people.  Knowing what we wanted (as I have said previously), we were better able to focus on several manufacturers.  But things really began to click when we walked through several of Newmar's 2015 models.

Newmar, like other manufacturers, has a line of RVs that begins with smaller ones that are inexpensive to their top-of-the-line King Aire that retails for almost a million dollars.  In our case, we had already decided that we wanted a diesel pusher, so our options within the Newmar line were limited (by price range) to the Ventana or Dutch Star.  Those are the ones we were looking at when we knew that we had found what we wanted.

At first, we were really excited about the Dutch Star 4018.  What a beautiful coach!  It is a 450HP diesel pusher with a tag axle and a very well designed floor plan.  The quality that Newmar is known for was apparent in the 4018's we walked through.  I loved it that the TV was opposite the  seating.  In the diagram to the right, you'll see a couch on the right side.  "OHC" (overhead cabinets) is labeled over the couch.  In several of the ones we saw, the 48" TV popped up on a "televator" behind the couch and two recliners replaced the fireplace and single recliner you see here.  That is one of the things we really liked about Newmar - there were a lot of optional ways to customize a coach to make it your own.

The 2015 Dutch Star 4018 is 40' long and has a lot of the basic features that we wanted, like instant hot water and an all-electric option (no LP gas for a stove, instead you can get an induction cooktop).  While we had been debating a lot of the bath and a half models we saw, the 4018 convinced us how nice it would be to have that half bath.  After seeing the 4018, we were sure that this was the coach for us....

But then we walked through a 2015 Dutch Star 4369.  At first glance (even from the outside), it was identical to the 4018.  However, when we got past the bedroom at the back of the coach, we saw the most incredible bathroom we had ever seen in a motorhome.  It was very spacious, with a large shower, huge wardrobe, double-sink vanity with two medicine cabinets, all kinds of room around the toilet, and a cabinet for a washer and dryer.  The bathroom, like the rest of the coach, had a lot of floor space.  Much more than the 4018.

Not only did it have a great rear bath, but the pantry was twice the size.  Because it is three feet longer, you can also get a third air conditioning unit.  And the fuel tank in the 4369 is 50% larger than the one in the 4018.

Because of the extra weight in the 4369, it can only carry about 5500 pounds of people and their stuff.  The 4018 can carry over 8000 pounds.  But we figure that we'll be fine.

So we changed our mind and decided on the Dutch Star 4369.  The only thing was that we knew we wanted to do a custom order and we had to wait for about a year or so.  This meant that our 4369 would be the 2016 model, and we had no idea what changes they would be making.

So we waited.  And when the 2016 Dutch Star 4369 information was published by Newmar and began to appear on dealer web sites, we were thrilled to find out that it had some new features that were well worth the wait.

Newmar's short walkthrough of the 2016 Dutch Star 4369

Next up:  The features and specs for the coach we have chosen, the 2016 Dutch Star 4369.