Glider--Coronado or Cascadia??

I'd like some comments from those who own one or drive one. Trying to compare them. What do you like? What do you not like?

I know the obvious. Square hood verses more aero. Also the Coronado is more of an owner/operator spec truck and has more gauges etc. The ones I'm looking at both have a fridge.

How about noise level? Doors shut solid? Leg room? Turning radius? I figure the Cascadia has a much smaller turning radius than the Coronado. I currently have a Western Star. Would the Coronado have a smaller turning radius than a Western Star with about the same wheelbase?

Looks like working on the Cascadia would be a pain. Not much room under the hood and nearly impossible to get under.

What is your experience?

 

go for a real truck for the price you can get a pete or KW that one day will have a good resale value and you can sell it,,remember you don't know what a truck cost until the day you sell it

 

I'd get out of this Cascadia in a hot minute to get back into a Coronado..we had Glider Coronados at Furniture Row a Express and I loved that truck. This Cascadia I have now is beating me to death.

 

I vote for neither get what you pay for and freightliner isnt it.

 

. The dash in the Cascadia holds up better over time.

 

What about Columbia Glider?

Same roominess as the Coronado,.. lighter and shorter turn radius. I do like the Coronado,.. just thinking things through from a drivers perspective.

Been running a Cascadia loaner truck and have to say its miserable. No leg room at all. The ride is horrible. I thought my Columbia rocked and leaned into turns,.. My Columbia has nothing on this Cascadia. Handling and ride quality is much worse. Coronado has decent, comfortable ride. Not quite as nice as a T660 or 386. But worlds better than the Cascadia I am using right now. Some ergonomics are much better in the Cascadia. The headlight and wiper switch are much better and easier to use compared to the Coronado and Columbia cabs. This one has Cruise control on the steering wheel,.. much easier to use.

I thought newer trucks would be better all around,.. not to much IMO. I mistakenly thought the DD15 in this truck was a MBE motor because of all the Mercedes parts on it. It pulls better than the S60 (12.7) I last drove. How ever,.. I read that the Cascadia and the DD15 were supposed to be so much more aerodynamic and fuel efficient. I have a C15 Acert in my Columbia,.. and it out pulls and gets better fuel mileage than this Cascadia/DD15 combo,.. doing flatbed work. 7 day average in this 2009 Cascadia pulling a 53' step has been 5.87 mpg. My C15 sees 6 mpg more than this truck does. In terms of efficiency,.. a 379/389 or W9 can do this. Where is the benefit to having a Cascadia?

Hurst

 

If your gonna spend that much money, and you don't want a hood (w900 or Pete) why not look at a T660 from Fitzgerald?

The build quality is just not there in Freightliner....

 

Hurst, you know as well as anyone that how well a motor does is a relationship between the transmission spec'd, the diff ratios spec'd, etc. Many fleets, and hardly any dealers, are really in the twilight zone when it comes to spec'ing the right stuff on a truck to maximize both power and economy.

Oh, and those considering a glider, you better jump quickly. The EPA has already put new gliders starting in fiscal year 2016 on the list for needing emissions compliant systems on them. A congresswoman that represents the area where Fitzgerald is, introduced legislation to remove funding from EPA to enforce emissions stuff on gliders. It died. So the EPA is moving forward on the glider stuff.

We all knew it would happen eventually. The gooberment always is a party pooper. So, my 2013 glider, it will be maintained, and even the motor rebuilt or replaced with another crate motor. It is either that or might as well dump the whole idea and go with a regular truck. Retrofit emission junk has not ever worked out near as well as just going with a truck that is already built with emission in mind.

 

Is that now a law, or something they are proposing?

 

It's in the code now. The new 2017 emissions stuff will be all inclusive.... everything including gliders. It was brought to the attention of the congresswoman who represents area in TN where Fitzgerald is. Legislation was introduced two weeks ago to stop EPA from doing this to gliders. It died this last week, so EPA's hands are not tied. Like I stated, there could be something later that gets introduced again to restrict the EPA, but as of today, they are going to regulate same emissions restrictions on new gliders as they do on new trucks.

http://www.ccjdigital.com/provision...7-17-2015&utm_campaign=CCJ&ust_id=e2538bb77f&

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/st...etter&btm_ea=Y2Rvd25pbmdAcGFydG5lcmNvbS5uZXQ=