Looking for the top 5 mid sized Class A

You might want to wait until the Hershey show this September. There's no substitute for sitting and "living" in the unit for awhile. I'm not sure why you would want a mid-entry diesel but none even come to mind. If you want mid-entry, stick to the gas units.

Whatever you do, don't just consider price or glitz. If I were you, I would, if possible, take plant tours of the top three of your picks before you buy.

Thanks everyone. You all have given me a lot to research tonight. I will check them all out and post my top 5 in terms of ehat appeals to me.

As others mentioned, I think for your criterias, you don't have a whole lot of selection but there are a few choices (more than I expected).

- Mid-entry DPs are very rare so that probably rules the majority of the DPs
- DPs 36' and under are quite rare so that rules out of lot of others as well

As a brand, I prefer Newmar and Tiffin but wouldn't necessarily rule out others. I do really like the Palazzo floorplans. One thing to keep in mind is many 36' mhs are actually longer than that so you need to decide if you like the "size of a 36' model" or if you want "something no longer than 36'"

You should also look at:

- Winnebago Forza 34T http://www.gowinnebago.com/products/2014/forza/floorplans/
- Newmar Ventana LE or Ventana 3433, 3436 or 3634 http://www.newmarcorp.com/motor-coaches/diesel/ventana-le/floorplan-options
- Tiffin Allegro RED 33AA, 34 QFA, 36 QSA http://www.tiffinmotorhomes.com/allegro-red/features/floor-plans
- Tiffin Phaeton 36GH or 36QSH http://www.tiffinmotorhomes.com/phaeton/features/floor-plans
- Fleetwood Bounder Classic Diesel 34B or 36R http://www.fleetwoodrv.com/bounderclassicdsl/floorplans/34B
- Fleetwood Excursion 33A, 33D, 35B, 35C http://www.fleetwoodrv.com/excursion/floorplans/33A
- Fleetwood Discovery 36J http://www.fleetwoodrv.com/discovery/floorplans/36J
- Thor Palazzo 33.1, 33.2, 33.3 or 36.1 http://palazzorv.com/floorplans.php

I'm sure there are others but I didn't know the websites offhand

Newmar and Tiffin. Look no further.

If I absolutely had to pick a third in the price range it would be Winnie.

The mid-entry item will be harder to find, if not darn near impossible to find. Good luck in your search. We have a '07 Journey 36G which suits us well, runs nicely with the 350 Cat. This model may also fill most of your wishes. I understand the 300 Cummins seems a bit anemic though in this size. Just my $.02

Assuming you're thinking about a new coach, here are a couple of Tiffin models to consider
Tiffin Breeze 32 BR
Tiffin Phaeton 36 GH & 36 QSH

Look at the Newmar Ventana or Ventana LE 3433 model. 34' with 4 slides. Has everything on your list. We have seen several on the road. Freightliner chassis with Cummins 360 ISB and Allison trans. www.newmarcorp.com
Go take their factory tour. You can also take the Freightliner custom chassis factory tour in Spartanburg SC.
We full time in a 33' Country Coach Allure 33' with 2 slides with no problem.

My first MH was a 1998 Kountry Star by Newmar - front end diesel and I loved the craftmanship and never had a problem. The MH had shocks and after breaking my back, I had to trade the coach for an air-ride MH. I purchased a 2008 Berkshire and its spent more time in the shop than on the road - it's in the shop now.

I highly recommend Newmar and am considering a used 2006 at Safford RV. Good luck.