National RV Show: Dynamax DX3

Photo by Shawn Spence for RVBusiness (my employer).

Editor's note: Another RV that caught my eye at the National RV Trade Show in Louisville, and this one falls into the "If Money Were No Object" category.

Dynamax DX3
Featuring a completely re-engineered Freightliner M2 chassis exclusive to Dynamax , the all-new DX3 Class A motorhome made its debut in Louisville

The new chassis is “much lighter, much less costly, and it’s still a better frame than what we had,” Dynamax President Jim Jacobs told me. “It’s been engineered to maximize structural integrity, improve road stability and maximize exterior storage compartment capacity.”

The weight and cost savings allowed Dynamax to add a number of features to the unit with a modest increase in price, about $5,000. A handful of those features include: Aqua-Hot hydronic heating system; dual 18,000 BTU fully ducted AC units with heat pumps; porcelain tile flooring; quartz solid surface countertops; 8,000-watt Onan diesel generator; and 3,000-watt inverter.

In addition, the DX3 now has Carefree Mirage roof-mounted integrated awnings with LED lighting, yet another high-end feature Jacobs said isn’t what you would expect on a coach with an MSRP of $289,000.

Jacobs made special mention of the exterior storage. “We have pass-through storage on all the compartments now where before we didn’t,” he said. “We’ve gone to Rotocast ribbed baggage compartments as well, which are much more durable and lighter weight. That’s taken a ton of weight off the frame buildup of the coach, but it’s a much stronger, much more rigid design. We’ve also straightened the walls out and put new aerodynamic fiberglass caps – front, rear and top transitional cap – which are all new, all redesigned.”

While stating Dynamax is not a high volume production manufacturer, Jacobs said the DX3 “is a product we know we can sell between 500 and 700 a year. That’s significant, but between that the Force (Class C motorhome) we know we can do those numbers.”

The DX3 prototype at the Louisville show, as well as another to be displayed at the Tampa show in January, are two of five floorplans that will be available as 2016 models.