Well, we took delivery of our 2023 Newell from the factory in Miami, Oklahoma a month ago, and we’re finally settled in enough for me to find the time to post about it. The delivery process at the Newell factory was amazing – three, 8-hour days of instruction, questions and answers. Simply overwhelming, but a very, very fun and exciting 3 days! And the folks at Newell make a big deal of the process, from the initial “unveiling” to all the personal attention you and your coach receive. They are indeed a great group of people and really make you feel like a member of the “Newell Family”.
My brother and sister-in-law bought our 2018 London Aire from us, and they met us and took over the LA at the Newell factory, which allowed us to transfer everything from the LA right into the Newell. Since we’re full-time travelers, the LA was fully loaded with “stuff”, so it was quite a task to move it all to the new coach and find new places to put everything. (We’re still trying to remember where we put stuff!) After the delivery, we all drove 2 ½ hours to Ozark RV Resort at Table Rock Lake – a beautiful resort - where we spent a week continuing to learn all the tech, buttons and various new procedures, and also teaching my brother and sister-in-law the ins and outs of the LA. In an amazing coincidence, my brother and I were chatting with a very nice lady parked in the spot right next to us, only to discover it was
@ARD, with whom I had been chatting on RV Forums‼ It's a small RV world.
From there, my brother and sister-in-law headed home to Tucson, while Cathie and I drove back to Newell for a few adjustments and a little more instruction. After a couple days, we headed east, (currently in Lake Toxaway, NC), and on with our full-time travels . . . moseying east and north to ultimately spend Sept & Oct watching the leaves change in NH, VT & ME.
The Newell is simply amazing. We’re blown away by how much bigger it is, with 4 - 30” slides, compared to the 24” & 17” slides on the LA, which results in an extra 19” of width throughout the Newell. It also has a lot more headroom inside, which I can’t figure out, because the basement bays are also taller, and the coach is only 12’5” high. (It must have something to do with their slide mechanisms). When the huge windows are added in, it feels cavernous inside, in comparison. And then of course, the technology is all state of the art, the design is beautiful, and there’s nothing they haven’t thought of. The driving experience is unreal, but my favorite part is all the cameras. When stopped or driving, I can activate 8 different cameras, 360º around the coach. For example, when I back up, I have 3 screens right in front of me that show about 120º behind me, giving me a view that’s not much different than if I was pulling forward looking out the front windows.
One final note about customer service. As you can imagine, I’ve had several issues so far, (99% of them user error), and if I needed a quick answer, all it took was a phone call, (everyone gave us their personal cell numbers)! Or if it wasn’t urgent, I’d send a text, and even when I said
“this isn’t urgent – when you get a chance, I have a question” . . . I’d get an immediate response by text or phone. I sent an email to the head of customer service on
Sunday afternoon, and I emphasized in the email that it wasn’t urgent, and I didn’t want to hear back from him until Monday morning! I said,
“Todd – I DO NOT want to hear back from you today – I’m just writing now, so this can be on your to-do list Monday.” He called me within 2 minutes of sending the email; I scolded him, and he laughed and said:
“Ed, get used to it. We’re 24/7.”
Okay, I’ve rambled and bragged more than enough, and
I'm really sorry about that! We kinda like the new coach. I’ve included a couple pictures and hope to see many of you down the road.
All my best, Ed
