» 2009 Marquis: Beyond Words - June 30, 2008
Beaver engineers, product developers and designers roll up their collective sleeves and achieve the improbable: an even more luxurious and powerful Marquis for 2009. Mission accomplished.
By Randy Puckett
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“It’s going to be tough coming up with any changes for the ’09 models, but I guess that’s a good problem to have,” said Beaver National Sales Manager Adam Gudger in 2007 following the introduction of the 2008 Beaver Marquis.
Last week, a year after Gudger provided the above quote for our publication, I read it back to him as we sat down to discuss the new 2009 version of Beaver’s flagship motorcoach. “It wasn’t easy,” said Gudger, “but we enjoyed the challenge of trying to top ourselves on this one. And I believe we did.”
Touché.
Inspired
From the stunning granite floor to the intricate ceiling design to the craftsmanship of the woodwork, the list of Marquis’ high-end appointments is endless. “We really went all-out with Marquis’ interior design this year,” explained Gudger. “Many of its detailed appointments were inspired by luxury yachts.”
Did he say yachts? The ultimate land yacht took many of its luxury design cues from the cruising, sailing and racing vessel variety. “The ceiling design? That was inspired by a design at a yacht show,” said Gudger. The cabinet treatments are also yacht-influenced.
With Beaver, it always comes back to the woodwork, doesn’t it? And why not? The high-gloss finish, which allows the natural grain and wood tones to shine through on the hardwood cabinets and rare burl inlays is stunning. The quality of craftsmanship is remarkable, even more so the closer you get.
The same could be said for the tile work displayed throughout the coach’s floors, backsplashes and shower. Details here are phenomenal. “The granite tile found on the floor and the galley backsplash, for example, has a series of small clustered mosaic tiles evenly spaced throughout the larger tile layout,” explained Gudger. “Not only do these attractive accents visually break up the large areas of similarly-colored granite, they also serve to reference the same mosaic tile used in the vanity backsplash and shower, helping to unify the overall design.” In fact, the solid surface shower features a decorative inlay design that utilizes both the mosaic and granite tiles.
Imaginative
To complement all that custom tile and wood, Marquis dazzles with an array of interior décor packages, featuring three by Ralph Lauren (Windermere, Kingsbridge and Black Pearl). Ralph is known for sophistication and elegance, and these motorcoach décors are no exception. The four standard Marquis designs don’t slack on the luxury either. “There are some really great new décors in addition to the Ralph Lauren décors,” said Gudger. “The new Black Caviar décor is a good example — it was almost completely driven by customer input.”
Individuality
For 2009, Marquis returns all four of its popular floorplans, each distinctively-themed and unique in its own right, including a 40-footer (Pearl IV) and three 45-footers (Amethyst IV, Moonstone III and the Lapis IV). “With the luxury of returning four established floorplan designs,” said Gudger, “we could focus on improvements and upgrades most suggested by customers and immediately integrate them into the product.”
Introduced in the ’08 model year, the Pearl IV returns this year and features a separate shower and lavatory, with a second sink and vanity in the bedroom. The living/dining area houses a large freestanding table with leaf, a recliner with ottoman and opera table, and a 72-inch jackknife sofa.
Also new last year and returning this year is the Amethyst IV, known for its bath and a half theme. It features a large private bath with wash closet, large wardrobe, vanity, and shower/tub. Mid-coach, there is a second lavatory with vanity.
The Moonstone III returns after being completely redesigned last year. The PanaSuite™ full-wall slideout in the Moonstone III is 28 feet six inches long and runs from just behind the pilot’s seat to just in front of the rear walk-in wardrobe. It houses the queen bed, the dresser, a closet, a pantry, the refrigerator, the dinette, a recliner and opera table. Yeah, it’s pretty big.
The Lapis IV is the veteran of the group, with a gigantic 81-inch jackknife sofa, a similar dual vanity setup to the Pearl, and a great deal of storage at the rear of the coach. “With the Lapis’s extended galley length and sofa lengths, this floorplan yields the most living area square footage we’ve ever produced,” said Gudger.
Intelligent
In the cockpit, you’re in full control. It all begins when you take your seat behind the wheel, with the six-way power OptimaLeather™ pilot seat with electric lumbar and heat, as well as an electric sliding seat cushion and memory capabilities. There’s also the VIP Smartwheel® with integrated controls for wipers, ICC and cruise control; a GPS navigation system with touchscreen; color rear vision system with color monitor; in-dash driver’s message center; video coach system with SEE-Vision security cameras; and much more than can be mentioned here.
Riding shotgun? Your co-pilot seat has all the same features as the pilot’s, plus an adjustable footrest. You’ll also benefit from the new-for-’09 passenger-side GPS screen. Very cool.
Improving
There are several 2009 Marquis upgrades that haven’t yet been mentioned — like the Caterpillar® C-15 600 hp engine standard (C-15 625 hp optional), glass-mat batteries, power driver’s side window, electric cockpit solar screens with blackout shades, Blue Tooth hands-free link, Blue-ray Disc® package, power solar screens with blackout shades in the bedroom, and radiant floor heating in the living room, galley and bath when the full tile option is chosen. But one of the amazing things about this motorcoach again this year is the loaded carryover package that all these upgrades have been piled upon.
Consider this: on the ground floor, you’ve got the heavy-duty Roadmaster S-series steel chassis with 10 outboard-mounted airbags, 10 shocks, an air disc brake system with ABS, tag axle with antilock drum braking system, and packing a 10,000-pound towing capacity. On the house power side, you’ve got a Pure Sine Wave 2,800-watt inverter, an Onan® 12.5 kW generator, and two optional 100-watt solar panels. Outside, you’ve got options like a 32-inch LCD TV that drops down out of the slideout. Above board, you’ve got a 40-inch LCD TV in the living room ceiling and a 26-incher in the bedroom, a Bose® home theater system and optional central vac system. Oh, and there’s the house and chassis Multiplex system, which provides owners with a well-labeled and more convenient system of unprecedented electrical control.
It pains me to leave out so much, but web viewing research has revealed that Internet users who read traditional print content online tend to prefer shorter word counts. According to this research, I extended my welcome a few paragraphs ago. No worries, you’re online, everything you need or want to know about the 2009 Beaver Marquis, including full specs, floorplans, and a photo gallery, is only a click away.
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