Newell Coach Introduces EasiSteer ™ And StabilRide™

We can report on two very significant product innovations, EasiSteer™ electronically controlled power steering that we introduced on our 2012 Newells; and StabilRide™ active suspension that will be standard in all 2013 Newells. The combination of EasiSteer and StabilRide truly revolutionizes the driving characteristics of the coach. These are major product improvements that simply must be experienced to appreciate the added level of steering quality, riding comfort, and safety the systems provide.

As previously announced, we have been delivering new coaches incorporating EasiSteer, electronic power steering for about six months. It is the single-most dramatic enhancement in steering quality we have ever introduced. To paraphrase the famous Packard tag line, "Ask the man who drives one."

EasiSteer continuously adjusts the power boost, providing very light and easy steering at slow speeds and firm steering for comfortable highway driving. EasiSteer adjusts for the side loads created by cross winds and heavily crowned roads so that the driver need input only minimal effort to maintain a straight course. Further, the steering system assists the driver in bringing the steering back to center when completing a turn.

StabilRide is an "active suspension", available up to now in North America only on premium cars. This system is manufactured for Newell by ZF, the preeminent European motor vehicle engineering firm and supplier of Newell suspension systems, including our steering tag axle, for the last several years. If you purchase a new luxury car (Bentley, BMW, Rolls-Royce, Audi, etc.) the chances are high that it will have an advanced ZF automatic transmission or ZF active suspension, or both. While ZF active suspension systems are available on a number of premium heavy trucks and coaches in Europe, Newell is the first heavy-duty vehicle built in North America to include ZF active suspension.

Conventional vehicle suspension systems are engineered to a compromise between soft suspension for comfort when roads are smooth and straight, and stiff suspension for stability and safety when roads are not smooth and straight. The StabilRide system uses multiple sensors to monitor the vehicle's movements and adjusts the suspension stiffness at each wheel position 10 times per second. A plush comfortable ride is provided when road conditions are ideal, but the suspension instantly firms up during lane changes, corners, under braking, and when a series of dips or uneven road surfaces is encountered.

Our claims for EasiSteer and StabilRide are significant. We issue you a challenge: take a demonstration drive and see for yourself!

Email Phil Cornelius or contact him at 1 (833) 696-3935 to receive additional information regarding these and other features offered by Newell Coach Corporation.