First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - Printable Version
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RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - 360 - 08-19-2025
Fantastic writeup as usual!
First I'd like to say I agree with and second Richard's assessment along with having similar reasoning beyond the fact that I prefer the aesthetic of my XLII over the mid 2000's Newell. When we get up into the P50's my heart starts to flutter a bit as I think that design is truly a work of art and the best looking non-stainless steel coach made...period, but I've not driven a P50 as I was afraid to fall in love and I can't bring myself to spend that kind of dough when in 10 years they might be down to something I may swallow.
For someone not as mechanically inclined, but interested in learning the value of schematics and parts along with stellar parts pricing as Richard and Jack have stated. I swapped out all of my shocks and a tag bag about as fast as I could pull off the wheels.
One thing Richard didn't touch on that for me has been fun to experience is the turning radius of my 07 XLII vs 03 Newell. It's not really in the same realm in the real world. I try to get myself in and out of some pretty tight spots on top of my driveway which is an interesting experience. On this last trip it became even more evident in the real world as I was looking for a rest stop spot at night and this was one of the rest stops that one stop is for both sides of the road so you entered from a side road. I pulled all the way through and after doing so wished I had taken an awkward spot that would have worked purely for a quick bit to eat. Pulling my toad I purely whipped a u-turn and had LOADS of room to spare. Even Susann was like "what are you doing...followed by a holy crap how did we just do that". I had a similar move I almost attempted in the Newell, but mid turn I aborted and I knew I was screwed. It's just super impressive. I wish I had measured the Newell in a parking lot, but I did not. I read somewhere that there is 3' of difference, but that is not accurate, it's considerably more for a non-steerable tag Newell with IFS vs. a Prevost with IFS.
I'm also someone who misses the visits to Miami. I was only 4 hours away and I only went three times in 4 years, but it's a fun trip. I love the staff, the way I was treated and it's just pretty cool to be able to stay in your coach inside a shop and nobody cares. Wanna watch guys work so you can learn or maybe you just like killing time that way, nobody cares. It just felt like a home away from home and I felt more like a part of a family than a customer. Similar to how this group feels with the camaraderie among the members.
RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - Gillic01 - 08-25-2025
Thank you for this detailed information. We live fulltime in a 2010 Fleetwood revolution and researching upgrading to like a mid 2000’s Newell, Prevost, Country Coach possibly versus say a 2015/16 production coach like Entegra Cornerstone. Like the better builds in of the Newell/prevost. I have seen post before where someone went from a high end coach to a production coach as well as the opposite.
RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - Richard - 08-25-2025
Take a good look at Foretravel pre DEF. Yes, you can buy a newer Entegra for the same money, but I am not sure you are buying more coach, or less problems.
RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - Jonestead - 08-26-2025
Well, late to the party I am as usual!
What a great write-up and may have cut our next nap time picnic table Q&A session in half, lol.
I must say, as others have stated (and illuded to), the camaraderie in the Newell community it by far and hands down superior to the country club atmosphere in the world of Prevost. Not once have i ever cringed at commentary or attitudes in any Newell experience like I frequently do in other groups. There are some wonderful people that I've met there too, willing to help and be helped, but nothing quite compares to this group of fine folk. Yes, that's right, I said it, so pat yourself on the back and take the well deserved compliment and thank you for being an awesome bunch of people.
RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - Chip Chebuhar - 09-13-2025
(08-17-2025, 05:41 PM)Richard Wrote: This could be lengthy, cause I am wordy. I am commenting on a 99 Newell with two slides that I owned for 10 years and a 2007 Marathon with two slides that I have owned for almost a year.Thanks for taking the time to share this information.
Synopsis. There is no clear winner. The Prevost drives far better. The Newell has far more usable and practical living space. The Marathon electrical work is superior but proprietary. The mid door entry floor plan of the Newell was superior in terms of living space and passenger comfort.
Now, the long winded version. My only purpose in pointing out my observations is that no RV is perfect and each owner has unique use requirements and personal preferences. My intent to is provide hands on perspective to help you if you are considering either one. It would be a better comparison between an 07 Newell and an 07 Marathon, but alas my time and funding did not permit this. Also, my perspective is one of self maintenance.
Starting with ‘why did you change after 20 years of Newell ownership’. Again, this is MY perspective, and the opinion of one person. As I contemplated the future, I could see that one of two things would take me off the travel road that I enjoy so much. The first was that I would become uncomfortable with driving a beast this size, or it would become too tiring to travel across the country. The second was that I would no longer be able to physically maintain a high end RV. To the first issue of driving, I drove a bunch of rigs, around 10 mid 2000 Newells, a couple of Super C’s, and a six Prevost based conversions. As far as the pure driving experience it was not a close comparison, the Prevost conversions were hands down winners. On the second note, I live less than an hour from both a Prevost Service center and a Marathon service center. That’s a little different than traveling to Miami, OK from where I live six months of the year. I wanted the option of throwing plastic at a problem instead of yours truly having to deal with the issue. That is the top line reasoning I used.
In contemplating selling our beloved Mickey (Newell 512) and starting over with another rig, there were a number of must haves. The first was roof air. Basement air is great, I had reengineered the AC units to the point where they were effective and reliable, but with roof air, any RV shop in the country will pop a new one on the roof. Not such an easy task to find someone to work on SCS, Cruiseair, or RVAC units. The second requirement was to stay with the Detroit S60 engine and Allison transmission. If you are in the Prevost market, monitor the FB Prevost group for the folks seeking Cruiseair technical help.
Rhonda had two requirements. Stacked washer and dryer, and two couches.
Now that the prologue is finished. Here are some specific details.
As commented earlier, the living space, storage space, and layout with the 1 1/2 bath two slide Newell is as good as it gets. The space in the rear bath and bedroom is really appreciated. The toilet in this Marathon and most Prevost conversions is cramped. If you are looking at Prevosts, I suggest you sit on the throne for a practice run.
I enjoy the larger windows in the Prevost, but an 07 Newell will have larger windows also. Both Prevost and Newell have issues with those windows breaking the seal and fogging over time. I guess I am going to learn how to fix them.
We have been in some hot and humid conditions this summer. Two AC units keep you comfy, three will have you under a blanket, and all four running will turn your lips blue.
One big difference I have noted is that due to the location of the forward roof air and the super large glass up front is that you WILL run the dash air while driving. It’s nice that the inverters will run two of the roof airs off the engine, but the air flow does NOT cool the cockpit. More about this in minute.
The Prevost does not get the fuel mileage that the Newell did. Granted, I got a exceptional 8.3 mpg with the Newell, and the best so far is 6.0 with the 14L EGR engine. There are a number of confounding factors. One the Prevost is geared lowered. I turn about 100 more RPM at 65 than I did the Newell. The second factor is the dash air as commented earlier. The dash air automatically activates the engine fan on low speed. In the 99 Newell the condenser fan was electrically activated and separate from the huge engine fan. The third factor is the 50DN alternator is powering two 4k inverters driving two roof air units. The fan and the inverter take HP. In my Newell mileage I did not factor in the fuel the generator used to run the SCS units while driving. Bottom line, I don’t know if the mileage difference is as great as I think it is. This winter I will run the overhead on the engine and install a lower restriction exhaust. That was worth about 1 mpg on the Newell.
The Newell is setup for living and easy access to the support systems like batteries, inverters, Aquahot, and plumbing. The Prevost is setup for easy maintenance. Changing shocks, air bags, suspension parts is quick in comparison. After all the bus chassis is designed to stay on the road, downtime on commercial bus means the operator is losing money.
Spare parts and documentation for the Prevost side is insanely good. On line electrical, mechanical, and pneumatic diagrams by serial number of the bus. It’s the same with parts, I can order by serial number of the bus either by phone or on line. Two days to my door.
All though the slide outs are smaller and not flat floor, I prefer the Prevost slide mechanism over the HWH for one simple feature. If the slide faults, the system flashes a code telling you what is wrong.
What problems have I dealt with? I had to replace a circulation pump on the Webasto heating system. I replace all the tie rods and drag links. I ran over the power cord which created all kinds of madness to access the cord reel in the center of the coach, and to repair the trap door which releases the cord and sewer hose. I had a noisey bearing in one of the electrical toe heaters.
And there are still air systems to chase leaks. Sigh……..
And for the final commentary. There is NO forum for Prevosts like the gurus. Most of the Prevost owners do not have dirty fingernails. I find that most of the Prevost coaches are used as toys that come out of the shed every once in a while. Not all of course, but look at the older Prevosts in general you see for sale. It is highly unusual to see a Prevost coach with over 150k miles.
If this one went up in smoke, what would I buy next time? Not trying to be politically correct, but that would depend upon the coach. Neither is perfect, both have really strong selling points.
After I posted, I realized that I had left out a very important consideration for me. The Prevost came equipped with an iPad/Crestron system which is not working well. Lucky for me there are discrete controls for every function. All the high end stuff has this gimmickry today. For the life of me I do not understand why I need the ability to lie in bed and configure the DVD to play sound through the outdoor speakers. The switching boxes and cabling to enable the connections between every TV, the satellite system, the AV system, and the Crestron is substantial. Here is the rub, streaming, Starlink, and wireless has made all that mess obsolete. I am going backwards towards simplicity. Firestick on the TV’s, one HDMI ARC cable to a capable AV receiver in the rear allows me to ignore the Crestron control. And I can change the channel with the remote. Yeah I know I sound like a retrogrouch, but I can’t imagine throwing 10 to 20K to bring that system up to date.
And one more big change I made to the coach. I removed the outdoor entertainment center which occupied half a bay, and replaced with a nice rollaway tool chest.
Thanks for taking the time to share this information. Very cool.
Chip
RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - Sea Note - 01-12-2026
Richard - Thanks for the observations. I recently acquired a 2007 Prevost with a Roberts Brothers conversion to support my wife's musical journey (www.blackjackcello.com) - if unfamiliar, they build to the entertainment market. She is a "star" configuration on a motorhome chassis (two slides) with over the road heat/ac, 5 rooftop ac, 2 heads, 1 shower, 6 bunks, and a queen stateroom in the rear. New transmission with retarder and I've since had everything zeroed out other than the engine (740K, good oil analysis) and the genny (bazillion hours, similarly good oil - and on a power slide to boot!). Local shop in Nashville did all the work and I'm really pleased with their work and advice (both in terms of quality and price). I took a ride in her before buying but have yet to drive her (she is sitting at a bus yard in Nashville). We still have our Newell (my wife calls it our New York Apartment) and we plan to split time between them this summer to decide if we want to keep both or do the sensible thing and let the Newell go (not considering the really sensible thing of letting both go).
Nice to have choices.
*EDIT - Changed "Ritchie Brothers" to "Roberts Brothers" - former is an auction house, latter is a converter.
RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - Richard - 01-12-2026
I look forward to your comments after spending some time driving and living in the Prevost.
RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - CooterBrown - 03-10-2026
(01-12-2026, 06:25 PM)Richard Wrote: I look forward to your comments after spending some time driving and living in the Prevost.
Can anyone discuss the pro's and con's of the newer models ?
RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - windtrader - 03-10-2026
Very interesting discussion; what caught my eye was the drivability and serviceability vote going to Prevost. Currently 8 years with a MCI bus conversion, I had not factored in the difference and the comments reaffirm the nature of revenue coaches being designed to be quickly and easily fixed as down time is real dollars. I heard stories about the old GM coaches and how an engine could be swapped in literally a few hours and back in service.
I also kept wondering why such a huge difference in price of older Newell vs Prevost and again it becomes pretty clear when you consider the massive sunk cost of starting the house build in the Prevost vs the Newell.
A key reason for moving past the MC-8 is dearth of parts and service, even motor oil is an overnight adventure. Both have Series 60 of similar vintage but Prevost has the full details on every part and seemingly has them on hand for quick shipping. That is a huge benefit if one gets stuck 500 miles down Baja and broken down.
RE: First Hand Owner Comparison Newell and Prevost - Greasepower - 03-11-2026
I agree
1989 newell 40 with 32k miles 8v92
1997 blue bird 40 59k miles m11 Cummins
1998 h3-45 2 slides and two rooms series 60 277k miles
Hands down the prevost is not even comparable.
Also I can get behind a slow semi on a grade and then pass him and get to 70+ engine never heats at all, cooling system is phenomenal. This is in 95-100 degrees
I won’t go back to anything but prevost.
If I could have found a two room newell I would have bought it, but I’m glad I didn’t.