Chassis and Exterior Features of the 2016 Dutch Star 4369

The 2016 Dutch Star 4369 is a 43' diesel pusher with a tag axle, 450HP Cummins engine, and lots of the features that we wanted in our motorhome. I'm going to talk about a lot of the features here, with more detail on some of them explained in later posts.  We'll also talk later about options we are ordering and why we wanted them.

You can get all of the details about the DS4369 on Newmar's web site.

I love this coach.  It hits every item on our checklist, and adds so many things that we didn't even know we wanted.  Bells & Whistles are nice, too, and this rig has them in spades.

Newmar has been offering something on most of its diesel pushers for several years now that puts their driveability (is that a word?) head and shoulders above the competition.  It's called Comfort Drive, and it is basically power steering on steer-roids (had to do it).  The dashboard has an adjustment knob to adjust the sensitivity of the Comfort Drive.  When you're in a cross-wind or have large trucks passing you, you can usually feel the draft and have to make steering adjustments to compensate.  After you've been driving a while, doing this can actually make your upper arms sore.  But if you have Comfort Drive, it senses what you're doing after about 20 seconds and handles the compensation for you.  You have to drive one to see it for yourself.  In town, or anywhere else, you could literally drive using a single finger.  And when you back into your campsite, Comfort Drive automatically centers the steering wheel when you let go.  There's a video on Youtube called Newmar's Comfort Drive Steering Testimonials.

Tag axles, the rear axles used to support additional weight, are normally built so that they don't turn.  Like the drive axle in front of it, the tax axle is mounted parallel to the RV itself, so when you turn the coach, they get more wear n' tear because they are somewhat dragged across the pavement.  Beginning with some 2016 models, including the Dutch Star, Newmar introduced a passive steering tag axle that is called Ultra Steer.  When you are going below a set speed and make a left turn, the tag axle actually turns slightly to the right.  This not only reduces wear on the tag axle tires, but it gives the coach a reduced (by about 17%)  turning radius.  This Freightliner innovation is described in another Youtube video called FreightLiner UltraSteer.

Since 2010, all diesel RVs have had a special tank for diesel exhaust fluid, or DEF.  It's a liquid that is injected into the exhaust stream to clean up emissions.  Newmar used to have the DEF fill only on one side of the coach.  For 2016, there's a fill on both sides.  That's also true of the fuel fill, which has been on both sides of their diesel pushers for a few years.

Prior to 2016, Dutch Star's could pull a maximum of 10,000 pounds.  They've upped this to 15,000 pounds in 2016, partly because of their new design of the coach's foundation.  The foundation is the part of the coach that they build on top of the chassis before they start building the "house".  Because they wanted to support the additional weight of tile in the slides (another 2016 Newmar innovation), they beefed up the supports throughout the foundation and call it the STAR Foundation (Strong, True and Robust).

One of the features I really like about the Newmar diesel pushers is the side radiator.  Normally, diesel pusher radiators are in the rear behind the engine.  Not only does the side radiator get better airflow, it doesn't get as much road dust and its absence in the back allows easy access to quite a few areas of the engine.  This means that checking oil, filters, and more is much easier - and so is overall mechanical maintenance.

Newmar's quality build includes thick doors and walls (compare them yourself with other brands), R19 insulation in the ceiling, and insulation in the basement floors.  I thought that the doors to the storage areas in the basement were large in 2015, but because of the STAR redesign in 2016, the doors are actually 2" higher.

There are two sets of batteries used in a motorhome:  chassis batteries (for the engine) and house batteries (for all things inside the coach).  Normally, the coaches come with four batteries.  If you order an "all electric" upgrade, you get a residential refrigerator, an electric stovetop, an Energy Management System, and four additional batteries.  We wanted all-electric with the induction cooktop, so we'll have the 8-battery system.

The wet bay, where the sewer hoses are, has connections for the black tank and the gray tank. It also has an optional power reel with a 50' hose to connect to your outside water supply.

The power bay has an optional power reel that has 50' of 50 amp power cable.

On the passenger side, there are large storage bays in the basement, a central vacuum system, and electric awning(s).  We ordered a two-stage awning system that contains two awnings running the length of the coach, with a wind sensor and LED lighting along its edges.  You can see these awnings in the photo below.

For a real splurge, we're ordering the hammock!  Nice!