Looking at FT's and found a couple of 03's with what I would call the slanted nose, wondered if anyone has driven them and is there a difference in road performance. Thanks to all. Chris
We have an 03 U280 40ft "slant nose". Handles and rides great.
Roland
I was told by a motorcade director they got a bit better mileage than the bus style and handle great too.
We've had both (95 and 99). I don't think there is really any difference in road performance. A big difference, however, is the mid entry. Most prefer the front entry bus design.
jor
I noticed in the 99 36' u320 offerred here for sale that the front entry allows the dinette to be where the center entry would be. That size does work better as a front entry as the one big storage compartment underneath is not blocked by the center entry and the 1/4 turned commode fits ok in the bath. So to make the 36' floor plan work better the front entry is a big help.
That being said I prefer the center entry myself as does my DW co pilot.
Years ago I had many DW's object strenously to the then new front entries. Many wanted the exact same experience as the drivers side. No step well that drops the floor in front of the co pilots seat. i remember switching seat bases to shorten the co pilots seat so short ladys legs did not dangle in the air. No additional structure to reduce the view. No extra wind noise.
40' is more clumsy to drive but the trade off in our case was worth it.
If most think a center entry is not as desireable then maybe they can be bought for less money?
Personally I would ask more $ for a center entry in a 40'.
I do like the bigger windows in the unicoach versus a grand villa.
Talk about a tour bus. Like sitting outside.
Our two cents.
Bob and Cookie
The question of front- vs mid-entry was discussed in our house, too. Overall we preferred the mid-entry, but that preference wasn't strong enough to exclude front-entry coaches. Having Jo Ann on the same level as me makes her job easier. In addition, she generally has the GPS and her laptop in use while traveling (the better to tell me where to go), so being closer to the center console makes her job easier.
I wasn't thrilled with the TV location design on those models. The biggest improvement on the mid entry is that its quieter up front. That said, you gain a lot more usable space with a front entry.
We're having the "TV discussion" now. The main TV is in the center console, and we want a larger flat screen. It won't be where the original is, but whether it will be parked on the dash or on the pull-out table is the question. It definitely will NOT be mounted above my head.
We have changed from slope nose to flat this year. We loved the old looking slant, but find much more useable space in the flat nose. But we have a very rare custom mid door 36'. We removed the front dinette bench, and love the extra space we gained to move the recliner aft.
Much has been written about how nice the passenger space is without the front door. We also like the position of the passenger seat base some foot further forward than a front door coach. We feel their is an extra value to mid-door coaches.