Australian Freightliner Coronado

Freightliner’s new hero truck the Coronado enjoyed its full public debut in Melbourne on Wednesday. As well as showcasing the new cab design, the Coronado also marks the return of Cummins power, in addition to the in-house Detroit Diesel DD15 engine, to the Freightliner truck range after it was deleted at the end of 2007. As the US model, the Australian Coronado is available in two specifications, the standard highway or a stronger SD (Severe Duty) specification with better suspension and heavy duty chassis for applications of up to 140 tonnes. The cabs range from a bunk-less day cab through to a 58-inch raised roof sleeper that will allow even the tallest driver to stand upright.

While there is no escaping the Cummins or Detroit Diesel powerplants nestled between the chassis rails, even the engine fitment is designed to make the truck more user-friendly. Rod Bartolo, a senior engineer on the Coronado project, says the chassis rails are splayed to allow the fitment of a 1900 square-inch radiator without forcing the cab to be mounted any higher. While the cab is raised 50mm, this gap is used to tunnel hot air out of the engine bay and away from the sleeper cab to provide a cooler rest and relaxation area. The cab floor is also flat, with no engine or transmission tunnel for drivers to negotiate when moving around the cab.