GAME TIME FOR CASCADIA

SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT, but of all the factors set to determine the future success or otherwise of Freightliner’s much anticipated Cascadia range, perhaps none will be more critical, nor more measured, than build quality. It is the single strand upon which all else pales in comparison, and on which all else must be mounted.

Without it, Cascadia will almost certainly suffer the fate of numerous forebears, squeaking and rattling its way to mediocrity and generally failing to achieve the high expectations of corporate cohorts and customers alike.

With it, Cascadia will succeed like no other Freightliner ever to call Australia ‘home’, finally building on the legacy of the original FLC112 model, which, with rock-solid reliability and enduring strength, created the potential for a great future.

Sure, it is a potential that has remained far from being fully realised, but with Cascadia, initial impressions suggest Freightliner has indeed created something solid. Something able to endure, withstanding Australia’s intense demands and, in the process, provide the foundation for the brand and its buyers to capitalise on the features that make Cascadia truly unique in the conventional truck market.

There’s no question Cascadia marks an entirely new line in the sand for conventional trucks by offering levels of standard safety equipment and technology that, until now, have been the sole preserve of European cab-overs.

In effect, and unlike its conventional competitors, Cascadia customers don’t have to tick the box and pay for the privilege of an advanced and potentially life-saving safety system. It’s already there as part of a fully integrated and fully costed factory-fitted package, labelled the ‘Detroit Assurance 5.0’ suite of safety systems.

Indeed, on any reasonable assessment, Cascadia can confidently claim the mantle of ‘the safest conventional truck