Freelander 21QB - chevy or ford

doglover116 · 03-02-2011, 07:06 AM

We are considering the above motorhome - does anyone have any preference as to which engine is better - Chevy 3500 or Ford 350 - this motorhome comes with both. Anyone have one of these units, and if so - what are your comments good or bad. Thanks ----

jland · 03-02-2011, 10:35 AM

I have a 2008 Coachman Freelander on the Chevy Workhorse chassis. I'm very happy with it, it gets 10 mpg consistantly and drives well. The downside to the Chevy chassis is that it doesn't have the carrying or towing capacity that the Ford has, as the Ford is on the 450 chassis. So my advice would be that it would depend on what you're going to carry or tow, and what vehicle is more comfortable for you to drive. Drop me an e-mail if you have any specific questions about the Coachman on the Chevy chassis

doglover116 · 03-03-2011, 05:54 AM

Thanks for your response - my husband talked to a salesman yesterday and he said not to get the Chevy - so I guess we will be getting the Ford. My husband feels that the torque is higher on the Ford, therefore, it won't have to work so hard. Reading on this site, it seems that many people are happy with the Chevy - more room in the cab and quieter with better handling. We live in Fla. so it is very flat - hard to get an idea how it would work in the mountains. Do you have any comments on the Freelander?

jland · 03-03-2011, 11:36 PM

I like the Freelander... for an entry level motor home you get a lot for the money, there's a good balance of storage and people space. Like anything else there's always issues, we bought ours used so the bugs were worked out of it pretty much. I happen to like the Chevy 6.0 engine, like you stated the Ford has more torque but in my case I'd rather have the fuel economy, and I don't tow a car behind. One thing I don't like about the Chevy is that the brakes are a little too small for the vehicle, they tend to overheat in the mountains, you have to be very mindful of downshifting and such.I haven't driven the Ford so im not familiar with how they perform.

csdavis62 · 03-04-2011, 07:20 AM

I would also consider re-sale value. I would think the Ford (assuming it's the 6.8L V-10 not the 5.4L V8) would have a higher resale value since many look a capacity as very important on a Class C.

My 2 cents

tcopeland · 03-04-2011, 07:41 PM

Sales man told us Chevy was getting out of the new rv business. Not suppling power plants anymore. Who knows ??????????

doglover116 · 03-05-2011, 08:14 AM

Thanks for your responses - we have gone ahead and purchased the Freelander 21QB on the Chevy Chassis since the used unit is the one we were interested in and happened to have the Chevy. We test drove it and it seemed to be fine. Resale value is always an issue, however, I think price will determine what the market will bear at the time of sale. We will be picking up the unit next Saturday - the dealer will be going through the unit with us. This is our first motorhome, so anything we can learn to make this a better experience is appreciated.

The Shadow · 03-05-2011, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcopeland

Sales man told us Chevy was getting out of the new rv business. Not suppling power plants anymore. Who knows ??????????

It appears to me that this salesman is not in touch with the real world. GM killed the 8.1 Vortec as of Dec 2009 and that left Workhorse without a gas engine. Thus, Ford's F53 is really the only game in town for Class A gas motorhomes.

GM still supplies chassis/engines for Class C motorhomes. Its weight ratings are around those of the E350 but there is a big gap to the E450.

jland · 03-05-2011, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doglover116

Thanks for your responses - we have gone ahead and purchased the Freelander 21QB on the Chevy Chassis since the used unit is the one we were interested in and happened to have the Chevy. We test drove it and it seemed to be fine. Resale value is always an issue, however, I think price will determine what the market will bear at the time of sale. We will be picking up the unit next Saturday - the dealer will be going through the unit with us. This is our first motorhome, so anything we can learn to make this a better experience is appreciated.

Congrats! You will be very happy with it.