Before you buy a 2009 Freightliner Coronado truck in Uganda

by Edwin

The Coronado is Freightliner’s traditional on-highway truck and features an aerodynamic design, a spacious cab and a wide range of powerful engines. In the last years, the truck has been continuously improved as Freightliner added a host of advanced technologies and a wide range of enhancements to make it able to go head to head with success against the other trucks in the segment.

Before you buy a 2009 Freightliner Coronado truck in Uganda

The Freightliner Coronado is suited for a wide area of applications such as local or single-trailer distributions or major B-double line haul jobs. The engines available for Freightliner’s rig are either the Detroit Diesel DD15 or Cummins ISX units with power options ranging from 485-600 hp.

Click here to buy or hire 2009 Freightliner Coronado truck and buy truck spare parts in Uganda

Buying a foreign used 2009 Freightliner Coronado truck from a local Ugandan car bond

You can find car bonds in Uganda specifically within Kampala from which you can buy your Freightliner Coronado. There also some car bonds that can avail you with strong hauling trucks in Uganda such as the Freightliner Coronado.

However, you have to do good research in order to find a reputable car bond or dealer who will be able to provide you with the truck that will meet your needs and above all genuinely imported machinery into Uganda. You also to make sure that that the equipment has been thoroughly inspected, expertly repaired and backed by extended coverage options so that you're assured of the highest quality, productivity and availability.

You need to look out for prices and discounts. Local car bonds may not charge the same prices for the same truck. Prices of a Freightliner Coronado may be affected by mileage of the truck, condition of the truck, model, and year of manufacture.

A Freightliner Coronado in a good condition can have a price of around USD 70,000 that is approximately 250,000,000 Ushs or above depending on your dealer. So this will also imply that you have to do thorough research and find an amicable truck dealer to sell you one that is in good condition.

Click here to buy or hire 2004 Freightliner Coronado truck and buy car spare parts in Uganda

Importing a foreign Used 2009 Freightliner Coronado truck from Japan or other parts of the world

In case if you prefer to import your own Freightliner Coronado from say Japan, things change a bit. First it would require you to find a trusted dealer or seller in that regard, determine your specific car features and requirements, expected budget you plan to spend on buying the car and well calculated taxes to be paid to the tax authorities in order to clear Freightliner Coronado.

Although Freightliner Coronado are distributed and sold worldwide, they are mainly sold in Europe. You can get them in the US, South Africa, Britain, Germany and other countries within Europe. So in case you feel like importing one for yourself, at least those countries mentioned above shouldn’t miss on your list.

It is also very important to examine the truck upon arrival to check and see if all the Freightliner Coronado components are included in the Renault Premium it was shown to you before buying it.

The taxes charged by the Uganda Revenue Authority include Import Duty, Value added (VAT), Withholding Tax, Environmental Levy, Infrastructure Levy, and Registration Fees basing on the CIF of the Freightliner Coronado.

The Freightliner Coronado is priced around $120.000 and is available in three cab versions (Day, Extended and Sleeper) with four heights configurations that is if you would prefer to buy a new one for yourself.
On arrival to Kampala, Uganda, you will have to clear the taxes at the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), apply and pay for a number plate and then the third party license.

Click here to buy or hire 2009 Freightliner Coronado truck and buy truck spare parts in Uganda

General 2009 Freightliner Coronado truck reviews for Uganda

Design: Freightliner has also paid maximum attention to the truck’s aerodynamics. As a result, the Coronado’s curved windscreen is sloped at 24 degrees to reduce wind resistance, while the bonnet guards, headlights, mirrors, air intakes, the angled front bumper and the bonnet handles were designed to offer a low drag coefficient.

The bonnet tilts almost 90 degrees and features a tilt mechanism for easy access to the engine. To keep the overall weight to a minimum, the bonnet is made of fiberglass, being also easy to repair thanks to its ‘parting lines’ design. The bonnet guards are reinforced with impact absorbing material to help eliminate damage and cracks.

The truck’s headlights are a bit rudimentary for our taste, but they feature a single high-tech reflector providing adequate front and side illumination. The bulbs are also pretty easy to change as all you have to do is tilt the cab.

Getting into the interior, Thanks to the well placed grabs and the anti slippery steps you’ll be able to climb inside without too much drama. As it was expected, the cabin offers plenty of space with more head- and leg-room than you’ll probably need. In fact, the cab is up to 20 centimeters wider than most of the conventional cabins available on the market and is also pretty solidly built being able to exceed rigorous crash-worthiness standards.

The squared dashboard design however, looks a bit dated compared to other trucks in the segment and we’ve growing tired of the Freightliner’s fake wood trim which doesn’t do anything to give the dash a modern feel. On the other hand, we like its wraparound design as it is highly functional and easy to use. The controls are also well placed and we also like the instrument cluster layout which is fairly easy to understand and its huge white gauges are designed to be seen even from a mile away.

For more convenience, the truck received a completely flat floor which makes it easy to move throughout the cabin. We don’t have any complains about the high backed seats either, as they are fairly comfortable and come with a wide range of adjustments. Moreover, the truck’s four spoke steering wheel is wrapped in leather and can also be adjusted for reach and rake allowing you to easy find a comfortable driving position. As most trucks in the segment, the all round visibility is also top notch and the plate sized door mirrors are pretty good too, keeping the blind spots to a minimum level.

Ride and handling: The Freightliner Coronado features a low tare weight starting from 7,857 kgs, which translates into a bigger payload capacity. Needless to say, that the truck’s chassis is built on heavy duty frame rails which provide a solid backbone. The Coronado’s Meritor rear axles are rated to 20,870 kgs and the rear suspension comes in a choice of Freightliner AirlinerTM or Hendrickson PRIMAXXTM airbag systems. There are also available 6.35 or 6.5 tonne Meritor packages for the front axle.

The ride is pretty comfortable and the suspensions can deal with most of the road bumps with ease, offering a pleasant ride. The pillow-block front cab mount are also designed to offer additional comfort as they can absorb shocks and vibration without too much drama.

Click here to buy or hire 2009 Freightliner Coronado truck and buy truck spare parts in Uganda

Our Conclusion

The Coronado features a heavy-duty built quality and its rugged character is sustained by a strong chassis and powerful engines. The truck may not be the most reliable in the business, but it’s still able to get the heaviest jobs done without any problems. The cab offers a lot of space and despite its relatively dated design is a nice place to be in, with intuitively placed controls and plenty of storage places to make your life on board easier.

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