P2000i

When you’re dealing with a luxury motorcoach sporting an out-the-door price that can touch
seven figures, high-end appointments are the norm. It can be tough to offer clients in this
rarified arena something they haven’t already seen elsewhere — but Newell Coach
Corporation manages to do just that with its 2006 P2000i, combining advanced body design
elements, prodigious power, a new automatic transmission, active suspension and exceptional
maneuverability. The P2000i leads off with a distinctive new body style developed in
partnership with Porsche Engineering’s California design studio. The swoopy outer shell
sports a host of fashion touches and highlights that are attractive as well as functional.
Among them is a restyled front end with a larger, one-piece windshield and angular headlamp
clusters, and eye-catching trim. The exterior fit and finish of the coach also are
decidedly more automotive in appearance than previous models. Beneath the exclusive
exterior profile, the company added German ZF running gear and steering mechanicals that
should render it exceptionally maneuverable in tight situations. This package also includes
an independent front suspension, and a rear tag axle with active steering capabilities that
can turn its tires up to 23 degrees. Newell also understood that, with a gross vehicle
weight rating (gvwr) of nearly 60,000 pounds, the P2000i would have immense power
requirements. The new coach taps Caterpillar’s impressive C15 engine, which develops 625 hp
and an amazing 2,050 lb-ft of torque. To handle the brute force, engineers elected to back
up the big Cat with a ZF-AS Tronic 10-speed transmission. The entire package — which took
three years to develop — is based upon a proprietary Newell chassis. “Most private
motorcoaches at the highest end of the market are based on interstate bus shells,”
explained Karl Blade, Newell’s president. “Newell chooses to engineer its own chassis and
body from scratch, to allow features we feel are important to private recreational use. The
P2000i reflects the latest and most advanced results of this philosophy.” Inside, the coach
boasts 7 feet, 4 inches of interior headroom, and a wide selection of custom interior decor
treatments, accessories and options that can be chosen by the customer. Additionally, the
chassis can be fitted with up to four flat-floor slideouts, appointed with inflatable air
seals and precision linear bearings. Two forward opposing slides create a cavernous salon
area for relaxing, dining, and viewing the 42-inch plasma television. Rearward is a
well-outfitted galley with heated marble floors and a SubZero refrigerator (among other
appointments), followed by a curbside half bath and streetside stacked washer-dryer. The
airy rear master bedroom is enhanced by another pair of opposing slideouts. The bedroom
suite also boasts a rear master bathroom and wall-to-wall wardrobe closet. Newell Coach
Corporation, (888) 363-9355, newellcoach.com