I’ve just completed my 50,000 mile service which included an oil change and chassis lube. The Detroit DD15 engine only consumed a little over a quart of oil during this initial 50,000 miles. I still have a hard time getting my mind wrapped around the fact that you can run this many miles without any type of additional filtration system. Who would have thought that an engine this size could operate for such a long period using such a small amount of oil… I’m totally amazed at these results!!!
Now, here is the fuel mileage report for the year to date on the Cascadia Evolution.
- Lifetime 9.04 mpg
- Last 30 days 9.297
- First 15 days of April 9.533
The first leg of running this truck involved various factors which lead to decreased fuel mileage numbers. Some of these factors included: test drives, engine break in and cooler weather. Now that we’re into the springtime temperatures, my fuel mileage has increased. I’ve also been transporting more freight and doing less demonstration drives which also has been a contributing factor.
The Detroit DT12 transmission has been performing flawlessly. I’ve often talked about the E-Coast and the skip shifting abilities of the DT12 and I recently learned a new trick that this transmission can perform. While on a demonstration drive with GVW at approximately 72,000 lbs. I crossed over a railroad bridge with a steep downgrade. A traffic light was located at the bottom with a red light. I stopped to wait for the light to change when the transmission selected 5th gear to proceed (the DT12 can detect the grade your on as part of the calculation to determine the proper start up gear).When the light turned green, the truck launched smoothly forward in 5th gear. By the time we reached the middle of the intersection, the transmission shifted into 7th gear. When we reached the other side of the intersection, the transmission then skipped into 9th gear and we were off and running! My passenger was amazed at how quickly and efficiently the transmission went up through the gears.
In closing, I suggest if you get the opportunity to test drive a Cascadia Evolution equipped with the new Detroit DT12 transmission, you won’t be disappointed.