freightliner VS. spartan

Any one with comparisons. Will be ordering Allegro Bus 42QRP, I know cooling system far better w/ spartamn.  thanks  larry

Hi Larry,

I have an 2000 American Dream with a Spartan chassis. I have driven several new Allegro Phaetons with the Freightliner chassis. The Freightliner is much quieter than mine and the ride is somewhat smoother. I can't say the newer Spartan chassis isn't quieter as well.  Since mine is older the turning radius of the newer Freightliner is much better. I expect service will be pretty much the same.

IMHO both Spartan or Frightliner are good chassis.  Our first Bounder was gas powered and on a John Deere Chassis.  John Deere was sold to Oshkosh, which we had on our Bounder diesel, and Oshkosh was taken over by Frieightliner.  Our American Eagle has a Spartan Chassis.  I think today if we were to begin shopping for a new motorhome either chassis would be acceptable as long as it has IFS (independent front suspension)  Having driven rigs with and without IFS I would not buy a coach without IFS.  If I were to choose between the two Chassis I would tend to favor Spartan but then we have had Spartan with IFS longer than anything else.

Allegro is a great coach from what I hear.

Our Freightliner has not only been extremely reliable but Freightliner Custom Chassis has been outstanding for tech support and service at FCOC rallies.

I agree with Ron about IFS.

Larry

I've had one of each. The last time I did a test drive comparison, I thought the Freightliner was slightly better, but that was in 2002 and the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) was much higher for the coach with a Spartan chassis. If I were buying a coach today, I would make sure the coach I wanted had IFS and a side radiator. I can't remember which, but I believe that one of the chassis makers is providing Tiffin with a substantial allowance. If there were no other differences, that is the one I would buy.

I apoligise in advance but I haven't heard anything leaning either way with F-liner or Spartan. IMHO They are very similar if you are looking at an IFS across both lines.  The only advantage of a Spartan is if you are looking at a Travel Supreme with a Mid Engine to have a garage in the MH.  I have driven at length an IFS freightliner and a NON IFS RR8R Roadmaster chassis (Monaco) and preferred the NON IFS Chassis.  Can anyone explain why they love the IFS So much? 

MonacoMoe said:

I have driven at length an IFS freightliner and a NON IFS RR8R Roadmaster chassis (Monaco) and preferred the NON IFS Chassis.  Can anyone explain why they love the IFS So much? 

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Moe,

The Roadmaster chassis is far superior to Freightliner and Spartan.  You should drive a Country Coach with IFS to get a better comparison to the Roadmaster.

Phil

THanks Phil,  I will definately check out CCoach with IFS.

Phil said:

Moe,

The Roadmaster chassis is far superior to Freightliner and Spartan.? You should drive a Country Coach with IFS to get a better comparison to the Roadmaster.

Phil

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IMHO That is strictly a matter of opinion.  One of the two major reasons we discounted the Country coach was I was not favorably impressed with their chassis.  Personally I would take either Freightliner or Spartan over the CC chassis.  But then again picking a RV is really a matter of personal choices.  I might mention that we test drove a country coach then an American Eagle and both Sam and I liked the handling of the Spartan  chassis better than the CC chassis.  Again matter of personal preferences. 

Phil said:

Moe,

The Roadmaster chassis is far superior to Freightliner and Spartan.? You should drive a Country Coach with IFS to get a better comparison to the Roadmaster.

Phil

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A new TRW steering system (to RV) called Comfort drive is being offered exclusively on just two Newmar models due to limited supply . From all reports it exceeds any thing out there. Folks say it drives like a luxury car. I know several folks who are trading 2006 for 2007 and taking the hit to get it on the high end Essex. Coach steering is not affected by crosswinds, etc. I think it is only on Spartan.

blueblood said:

A new TRW steering system (to RV) called Comfort drive is being offered exclusively on just two Newmar models due to limited supply . From all reports it exceeds any thing out there. Folks say it drives like a luxury car. I know several folks who are trading 2006 for 2007 and taking the hit to get it on the high end Essex. Coach steering is not affected by crosswinds, etc. I think it is only on Spartan.

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Leo

Right now, only Spartan is using that steering system and Spartan has given Newmar a 2 year exclusive. Along with 2007 engine requirements, the 2007 Mountain Aire and Essex have moved up the price ladder a good couple of notches.

The discussion of Roadmaster vs. Spartan IFS intrigues me.  As members here know, we spent two years test driving motorhomes and comparing chassis.  Test drove more than 15 coaches.  Monaco Diplomat/Santiam/Endeavor (all identical coaches) with Roadmaster chassis were on our short list.  In the end it was lack of IFS on the Roadmaster chassis that eliminated those lovely coaches from consideration.  There is no question that they oversteer on the highway.  The constant steering corrections needed are not bad for the short haul, but would be extremely tiring on a long haul.

In the end we looked only at coaches with a suspension having IFS.

Does Roadmaster make a chassis with IFS?  If so, then that is where I would head if I wanted a Roadmaster chassis. 

We are very happy with our Spartan Mountainmaster chassis.  Spartan dealerships have done a good job for us on routine maintenance.  However, they are not as numerous as the Freightliner shops, but still always within decent distance.

I am new to RV and still early on my RV research. This is what I found on the Roadmaster Website for 2007 motorhomes with IFS and Active Suspension.....

"The Roadmaster system enables the left and right sides of the suspension to operate independently of one another. In effect, you get the benefits of independent suspension without the complexity, cost, and higher maintenance associated with conventional Independent Front Suspension."
http://www.roadmasterchassis.com/construction/index.html

Watch the High-Res video of Monoco Coach extrem testing of each chassis is put through in Indiana Roadmaster Chassis Plant.
http://www.roadmasterchassis.com/construction/rmtesting.html

The only thing I find negative on the Roadmaster chassis is the steering wheel column starts at the floor level and goes straight up vertically (not at an angle). Thus, minimize the leg room and knee area. Again, I am looking at pictures on the website in my research.

BernieD said:

Leo

, the 2007 Mountain Aire and Essex have moved up the price ladder a good couple of notches.

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Bernie- There has been a spirited discussion on the Newmar e-group about the price increases. A dealer is an active member and provides the MSRP breakdowns for all models on his web site so the members can make yr to yr and item to item comparisons. I wasn't really interested in those models so haven't paid a lot of attention to detail changes but apparently a number of items increased.  The 2007 engine has yet to be priced in. I did check my 2006 vs 2007 and found some big reductions like Sirus radio but nearly every item went up apprx. 3 per cent as I recall.

Leo

Leo

This has all been hearsay, but I heard of numbers like $50-60k higher for the Mountain Aire compared to 2006.

BernieD said:

Leo

This has all been hearsay, but I heard of numbers like $50-60k higher for the Mountain Aire compared to 2006.

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The dealer I mentioned stated that Newmar was trying to put more seperation betwen the Dutch Star and Mountain Aire. They made it essentially equal to the prior Essex by making many options std while using a slightly lower HP engine then the Essex. He forecasted a $50,000 WHOLESALE cost increase.

I need to correct my earlier post as I re-checked my info while looking for the information above. The 2006 base price increased 3% while options increased 1% except for a reduction on two. The net effect was a 2.7% increase.

Vlady daddy, that sounds like just a sales pitch.  With a solid axle tying the front wheels together it's hard for them to act independently.

Leo:

Regarding the price increases we heard the same thing you are saying when we were at the factory a few weeks ago.

I think this is being pushed by the bottom end of the diesel line.  The Ventena was introduced as the entry level coach in the 2006 line  This Kountry Star had already been upgraded in 2005 to make room for the Ventena.  The Kountry Star also dropped all production of gas powered coaches leaving the Scottsdale as the top line gas coach.  Also the Northern Star (a specialty coach with no real price break definition) was dropped.  At that time no one knew why the KS was being upgraded.  But it became obvious when the Ventena was introduced.  In 2006 the Dutch Star was upgraded to get back up above the KS.  All of this reflects a movement in the US of a much higher interest in diesel pushers than in previous years. 

Then in 2007, the All Star was introduced at a price point between the Ventena and the Kountry Star.  The All Star was also Newmar's first venture into the diesel pusher toy carrier.  The Mountain Aire and the Essex were upgraded.  And the London Aire was introduced as a new top end to compete with Prevost and Newell level coaches.

While all this has been going on, the 5th wheels have been completely re-oriented.  I do not know all the ins and outs here.

And Vladdy daddy, I agree with Caltex.  Sounds like a sales pitch.  I drove several of those chassis you were talking about and no comparison with true IFS.  Monaco talks a lot about their 8 bag air suspension system.  It is a good chassis, but no way does it do the job of IFS.

I would think that the only way to notice a real difference between an IFS chassis and a non is by taking it off some bumpy dirt roads, but why would I want to take a 300,000+ DP in the dirt?  Plus if you get stuck in the sand you cant tow a IFS chassis out from what I understand. 

No indeed,  off road driving  is not the only way to notice.  Not by a long shot.  I would suspect that off road driving would be equally rough on both IFS and non IFS suspensions, though I never tried that comparison.

The difference in steering on the highway is significant.  IFS was designed for highway steering, not off road steering.  The biggest difference I noticed was the reduction of over steering.  Not a big deal on a short trip, but a big reduction of driver fatigue on an all day journey.