We currently own a 2023 Newmar Mountain Aire 4591 diesel pusher on the Spartan K3 chassis, replacing our 2020 Newmar Dutch Star.
2023 Newmar Mountain Aire
We knew someday we would upgrade our 2020 Newmar Dutch Star to another coach. We pull a stacker trailer with our car, side by side, bikes, etc. and we wanted something with more towing power. We both thought a Super C was the way to go, so while in Grand Rapids, Michigan for service at Spartan, we popped into Midway RV where we bought the Dutch Star.
We looked at a 2024 Newmar Supreme Aire Super C coach, it was beautiful! I wondered how much space we’d truly lose in the Super C design, and it’s about 12′ of usable space. But I also didn’t like the tiny little windshield compared to the massive Class A windshield, nor the complete lack of space in the cab – the passenger couldn’t even stretch their legs out, and I was really worried about the loss of turning radius I’ve come to love. So, we said this isn’t what we want, we’ll stick to a Class A when it’s time, but we absolutely loved the interior. We were working with Chad DeMaat who of course says “Well, this is the Mountain Aire interior, we’ve got one right over there on deep clearance since it’s a 2023.”
Karen immediately says “Let’s go look? What could it hurt?”
Our checkbook, Karen. It could (and did) hurt our checkbook.
4591 Floorplan
The Mountain Aire 4591 floorplan was only made for 2 years – 2023 and 2024. It’s very similar to the very popular Dutch Star 4369, which we loved, but had everything we would’ve changed about it!
- Angled kitchen which allows for more usable counter space, and more room when slides are in.
- Larger pantry with vertical storage for cookie sheets, lids, cutting boards, etc.
- More usable storage space in the 1/2 bath.
- Better use of cabinet space in the bedroom, including a swing out TV with safe behind it and a nice corner window.
- More usable space in the back closet.
We did however lose hanging space in the bedroom, but the back closet made up for that.
Interior Features
The interior of the Mountain Aire is similar in style to our 2020 Dutch Star, but definitely a notch up. The leather is softer, the accents more glamorous, and the overall finishings just a notch up.
The Mountain Aire is in the Newmar luxury line, which also upgrades the electronics. The KIB controller system is now replaced with the SilverLeaf system, putting complete control on touchscreen panels throughout the coach, or on your phone via an app.
There were 2 things we said we’d change in the next coach – the dinette and the recliners. The Mountain Aire had 1 of 2 – the dinette was replaced with the work center and chairs, which we wanted. This one still had the recliners, but we negotiated their replacement with the theater seating, which Midway RV ordered in and replaced for us.
Horsepower and Torque
The thing I wanted when we decided to upgrade the coach was more power. Power can come in the form of horsepower but more importantly torque. The Mountain Aire delivers both.
The 2023 Mountain Aire is only available on the Spartan K3 chassis with the Cummins X12, 500HP engine featuring 1695 ft-lbs of torque.
The Spartan K3 used for the Mountain Aire is also equipped with the air self-leveling system. This not only actively monitors and adjusts the ride height while underway, it can also be used to level the coach without using the jacks. This is a great feature for a quick overnight stop.
Lithium and Solar
Other features of interest is the solar setup. This coach was ordered with the Lithium Battery and Solar Option.
2 x 320Ah Lithionics lithium ion batteries for 640Ah or 7,680 watts of stored power.
On the roof are 4-105 watt solar panels for a total of 420 watts of sun-powered recharging to the battery bank.
2-3000 watt inverters utilize this stored power for everything in the coach, including a single AC unit.
The system is solid, other than the solar panels. The 4 flexible panels are placed on the rear of the coach. 2 are on the raised roof portion and see very little shading, while 2 are not as usefully placed. We will see how we use the battery power and determine if we want to enhance this, or just run the generator now and then to recharge the batteries.
Summary and Thoughts
The 2023 Newmar Mountain Aire is a dream to drive! While we had no intention of buying a new coach that day, everything just lined up – trade-in value for the Dutch Star + work we had scheduled in the next year (full service, upgraded shocks, new tires, etc.), cash available, etc. It just worked.
Now we start over with working out the first year bugs, figuring out where things go, how we use the coach, and just making it our own. So far the towing power is amazing and we couldn’t be happier with all the new features and upgraded finishes.
