2016 Entegra Cornerstone 45A

An In-Depth Review of Entegra Coach's Flagship Motorhome
Article Date: January, 2016

Article and Photography by Mark Quasius

Exterior

The Cornerstone spares no expense when it comes to looking good. Our coach was painted in the Topaz paint scheme that featured a detailed graphic inlay design on a black background. Five coats of urethane clear cover this paint with a total of eight to nine thousandths of an inch of clear coat, giving a very deep look to its finish. Of course the newly redesigned front and rear caps make a huge difference this year. The bright Xenon headlights flank a stainless steel Entegra emblem that is backlit by LED lighting. The headlights are surrounded by C shaped LED accent lighting. The rear cap now sports LED taillights that are set in similar stainless steel bezels that are surrounded by red LED accent lighting. The stainless steel rear emblem is backlit by red LED lighting. Stainless steel trim is applied to the lower edge of the cargo bay doors on both sides of the coach. The rear engine access cover is now operated by a power lift mechanism for easy access.

Frameless flush mounted windows adorn the sides of the coach, giving it a smooth, attractive look. These windows are now fully opening in the 2016 Entegra line. New dual Girard power patio awnings are built into the upper fascia down the entire patio side of the coach and offer a streamlined appearance. These new awnings now are multi-angle and will extend out, then drop down near the end of their travel to afford maximum shade from the sun. A power entrance door awning as well as window awnings are also standard. The power entry steps are of the sliding style common to higher end coaches, rather than the swing out style. The entry door is very easy to open, without requiring excessive force when pulling on the handle because a pneumatic locking cylinder pulls the door tight against the seal whenever the parking brake is released. When the parking brake is applied, the pneumatic plunger releases to relieve tension on the door latch for ease in operation. A 32" LED TV is also located behind a weatherproof panel in the patio side of the coach and is equipped with a J B Lansing sound system with multiple input sources. Entegra slides are flush to offer a clean look and no window noise or air leaks when traveling.

Utilities

The Cornerstone's electric power needs are met by a number of sources. A 50 amp power retract cord reel provides easy access to campground power while a 12,500 watt Onan Quiet Diesel generator can handle the entire coach when shore power is not available. A pair of Magnum true sine wave inverters provides an additional 4,800 watts of clean power to operate the entertainment system, electric outlets, refrigerator, microwave and other electrical accessories without requiring the generator to be run. An Onan EC30 automatic generator starting system will automatically start the generator when dry camping if the battery voltage gets too low or if the thermostat calls for cooling. Battery power is provided by eight 6 volt AGM batteries, mounted on two sliding trays for ease in access.

The power cord reel and Aqua-Hot boiler are located in a driver-side compartment for easy access.

Air conditioning needs are met by three 15,000-BTU rooftop units with heat pumps. The units are ducted and feed a series of registers through-out the coach. The ducting provided even, consistent air flow throughout the coach and was whisper quiet. The thermostat controls both the cooling and heat pump modes and also the Aqua-Hot hydronic heating system. The Aqua-Hot system utilizes a boiler that is heated by a diesel burner, an electric heating element, or by the engine's hot coolant when driving. The boiler circulates hot anti-freeze through heat exchangers located throughout the coach as well as the basement. In addition, the boiler also feeds the heated tile floor loop that gives you nice warm floors on those cool mornings. An engine preheat system is the final feature of this system.

The plumbing system has been redesigned for 2016 on every Entegra Coach. New holding tanks offer additional gray tank capacity and the new Sanicon Turbo macerator will dump much faster than older models, easily matching the speed of a gravity dump. The macerator hose is located in a separate compartment and extends to 21', although extension hoses can extend this considerably. A bypass port is also located for those who would rather use a 3" slinky hose to dump their holding tanks. A redesigned wet bay panel contains switches for the electric holding tank dump valves, a connection for the black tank flush, paper towel and soap holders, as well as an outside faucet connection with a self-retracting coiled hose. A power retract hose reel hides behind the panel and is fed through a roller guide. The whole house water filter is augmented by a dedicated filter for the refrigerator and galley sink water dispenser to provide additional water filtration for drinking water.

The utility bay was completely redesigned for 2016.

Lighting throughout the coach was controlled by multiplex lighting controllers. You can create specific scenes to your own taste and save them to allow instant recall of any lighting scene from various locations within the coach. The MCD powered sun and privacy shades were also controlled by these control panels. An optional iPad can be used to send wireless signals to this system to control lighting and shades from any location in the coach.

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