Two for the Road: The Monaco Diplomat

Dana Philp Jon Smith 

26+ years of RV sales experience 41+ years RV experience

owner of a Monaco Dynasty Homemade Chili expert

Black belt in RV fun

2011 Monaco Diplomat - 43 DFT floor plan

With the release of the 2011 Diplomat luxury diesel motorhome, Monaco RV has started 2010 with a bang and seeks to make a strong impression on the RV industry. With more than 67 combined years of RV experience, Jon Smith and Dana Philp have seen their share of highly touted coaches come down the pike. Recently, the duo took the Diplomat out for a test drive to see if it delivered on the hype. Here’s some of what they had to say.

Exterior

Jon and Dana approach the coach and examine its striking contours.

DP: The Diplomat features full body paint on the exterior that helps make the coach look newer longer. 

JS: If only Monaco could do that for all of us.

DP: No kidding. After 26 years in RV sales, some days I think I’m the oldest unit on the lot. But I still get pumped when I see new models with cool features like the keyless entry that the Diplomat has. That means I don’t have to take a bundle of keys when I go on my after dinner walk.

JS: As an option, the 2011 Diplomat offers an exterior entertainment center with a 40” LCD TV that’s integrated in the sidewall. That means it won’t take up precious cargo area down below.

Cockpit

Jon puts the key in the ignition and turns it, bringing the Diplomat’s engine to life with a roar.

JS: We've got a 425 HP Cummins engine with 1250 foot pounds of torque.  

DP: No problem merging onto the highway and getting up to speed with this engine.  The Diplomat has a Roadmaster chassis, which I’ve always loved. It has a wider stance than other chassis types, which means the engine is recessed between the chassis rail. The lower engine means less audible noise, as well as less noticeable heat in the coach.

JS: Our side mirrors have cameras mounted into them. That’s a great feature because the view in my monitor will switch if I engage my turn signal. It really opens up what might otherwise be a blind spot on the coach and helps when you change lanes.

DP: We’ve got ATC, which stands for automatic traction control. If you’re ever at a rally and parked on grass when it rains, the ATC walks your coach out by traversing power to the wheels so they don’t just spin in the mud. You won’t dig in and spin, you can simply drive away. Other coaches without ATC have to have someone help pull their RV out of the mud.

JS: We’ve also got a 55 degree wheel which makes it easy for us to make turns. It’s amazing how handy that is when you’re navigating in urban areas.

DP: Monaco and Lazydays go way back. We both believe in taking care of our customers and giving them the best experience we can. And now that Monaco is owned by Navistar...

JS: Navistar being on one of the top bus manufacturing companies in the world.

DP: It just seems like a natural fit. Monaco is poised to make great coaches for years to come. The 2011 Diplomat is sign that RV excellence is already here in 2010.

Interior

Jon and Dana enter the Diplomat and step into the living area.

JS: 

DP: All of the furniture in the Diplomat is Villa, which is the premium furnishing in an RV. It’s what you would find in a Prevost bus. 

JS: This floor plan boasts many of the features that RVers really crave. We have a full wall slide, a mid ship TV, and we have a bath and a half.

DP: And don’t forget the master bathroom has dual vanity sinks.

JS: 

DP: I was on the fence on residential refrigerators in an RV when they first came out. But did you know that they can actually consume less energy than a traditional RV refrigerator that runs on either electric or LP?