Last Updated on January 3, 2023
The 2023 Entegra Cornerstone 45W is a top-of-the-line RV packed with outstanding quality-of-life features. It currently sits as one of the quietest and most stable motor homes you can own today. While its carpeting might be an issue (more on that later), this 2023 RV model is still a fantastic piece of luxury guaranteed to give you the ride of a lifetime!
The Chassis
I've often faced extremely uncomfortable situations in my RV travels due to road bumps and potholes. Not only are these annoying and stressful occurrences, but they're also prone to produce damage to installations and appliances.
I've heard many stories of trailer and RV owners having their oven and fridge doors break as they traversed through "washboard roads." A sturdy chassis is an absolute must to avoid these nuisances.
If there's an area where Entegra excels is chassis construction. The Cornerstone, just like earlier models, is reinforced with the proprietary "Exclusive X-Bridge Frame" (or X-bracing), so the suspension handles all the heavy load and deals with irregular terrain and foreign objects on the asphalt, leaving the rest of the vehicle wholly unaffected.
Hence, whenever the Cornerstone hits a pothole, the tire would go all the way down and come back up without the upper body breaking a sweat! This ensures that you get the quietest riding and remain totally unfazed by most bumps found along the way,
The service center is mounted near the rear end of the 2023 Cornerstone. This is the compartment where you find everything needed for annual maintenance services, including the breakers for the engine batteries and the air dryer filters.
In addition, you'll see massive storage trunks on the sides of the vehicle, which also take advantage of the X-bracing configuration.
Video Tour of the Entegra Cornerstone 45W
The Motor
The new Cornerstone is powered by a gargantuan 605 HP Cummins, which is particularly noisy. It's arguably the biggest engine available to RV makers as of this writing.
Surprisingly, the engine's noise is not perceptible to those inside the vehicle, but this is largely because of the dynamat coating that isolates the engine from the Cornerstone's passenger area.
This engine is evidently powerful and capable of moving the RV at a whopping 75 mph while pulling an additional 20,000 lbs. of tow weight.
Another feature worth mentioning is the side-mounted radiators, which are cleverly designed so that they don't pull hot air from the asphalt. To that effect, the gills are positioned sideways instead of from the ground up.
The Cockpit
Another area in which the 2023 Cornerstone presses all the right buttons (no pun intended) is in the cockpit design. You may already tell this is a 2023 model due to the console layout, with fewer buttons and an overall cleaner interface.
Everything about the RV can be managed from the central console's touchscreen controls. You get access to feeds from all the six cameras installed on the vehicle, as well as the different settings for audio, climate control (which, by the way, is capable of handling two different temperatures thanks to the "sync" function), and lighting, among many others.
One neat thing about the 360 degree camera feed is that, while you may not necessarily get a perfect 360 degree perspective all the time, it will indicate to you whether there is a vehicle near your blind spot, which is a nice detail introduced in this year's model.
On another note, the steering wheel is fully adjustable, and you can tilt it at will for more ergonomic driving.
See also ShowHauler Super C Motorhome Review 2023
Living Space
An RV review would not be complete if we didn't talk about what lies beyond the cockpit area.
Say what you will about the Cornerstone's outward appearance (which may not please everyone, admittedly), but once you step inside this behemoth, you'll be entirely pleased with its arrangement and interior design. Walking across its wide corridors, you may end up forgetting that you're inside a moving vehicle.
The comfortable open seating, the surprisingly ample kitchen area, the 32 x 46 shower, the king-sized bed, and the decent-sized wardrobe are just some of the major highlights here. A lot of effort seemingly went into space optimization for the design of this 2023 Cornerstone version, and it shows!
The furniture feels just as cozy and premium as it looks. The "power theater seating" has all the goodies you need for enjoying your favorite TV shows and videos on your colossal Samsung 4K Smart TV, including hidden compartments for different amenities and items, as well as the handy cup holders and charging ports, which are conveniently placed so that you don't have to move from your comfort zone.
The TV pops up on a lift, which may seem like a gimmicky feature, but it's actually a terrific mechanism to save space. However, you'd have to choose between that and looking at the scenery, which is not much of a trade-off, anyway.
Another piece of furniture worth mentioning is the hide-a-bed sofa right in front, which is helpful for when you have people staying over. The theater seating is almost just as relaxing, though.
The ceiling in this 2023 model has a cleaner look in comparison to previous models, with the air ducts and the vent fan cover blending much better with their surroundings.
Speaking of visuals, you can also choose between different flooring and cabinetry options. For example, you can opt for polished, matte, and woodgrain porcelain tiles, and there are over 12 different decor combinations at your disposal.
I do take issue with the carpeting on the slideout, which frankly takes away from the experience and adds some age to the design. Carpetless motorcoaches have been trending for a while, and the fact that Entegra has not gotten this memo yet is no less intriguing, considering how next-gen this vehicle is in all other respects.
Features and Specs
Details:
- Model: Cornerstone
- Year: 2023
- Type Class: A - Diesel
- Price: Somewhere between $850-900K
Specs:
- Under the hood, it's equipped with a 605 HP Cummins 15-liter diesel pusher with 1,950 lb. ft. torque at 1,150 RPM
- A Spartan K3 chassis with two 12V chassis batteries
- An Allison 4,000 MH 6-speed transmission
- Automatic traction control
- A hydraulic coach leveling system
- Valid Truline air leveling with auxiliary air compressor
- A towing capacity of 20,000 lb. with a 7-pin plug
- A Spartan Safehaul tow air brake system
- A feature-packed cockpit with a Dual USB port, a 12V socket, a 360º view camera system, radar sensors, an E-Z Steer assisted steering system, windshield wipers with rain sensors, and 4.3″ touchscreen side consoles
- Two 200W solar panels
- An exterior 43″, interior 50″, and front 32″ Samsung 4K UHD Smart TV.
- A LED-lit 5,000 BTU fireplace
- A side-mounted service center
- Fully equipped bedroom and kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances
- A plethora of decor and wood options
Pros and Cons
We may summarize the pros and cons of the 2023 Entegra Cornerstone 45W as follows:
Pros:
- Incredibly rigid chassis that provides one of the quietest rides on the market
- Amazing traction
- Powerful motor with a compelling towing capacity
- A superb 360º camera system for safe driving
- A decent cockpit console full of useful functions
- Good-looking interiors and comfortable dwelling areas
- Lots of decoration alternatives
Cons:
- As of this writing, there's no carpetless option
- Could use more sliding doors to optimize space
- The exterior design may not be for everyone
