AWD TL 17-27
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• Bedford stopped building civilian trucks towards the end of 1986 and it was not until almost two years later that AWD, a David Brown company, re-started manufacture at the original General Motors site.
The initial range of five models, from 6.5 to 17 tonnes, was based on the TL chassis but included new engines, new transmissions and a revised cab.
AWD uses proprietary components, acquiring its engines from Cummins and Perkins and gearboxes from Eaton and Spicer. The TL 17-27, a recent addition to the range, offers a more powerful alternative to the more conventional 134kW (180hp) 17-18 but is designed primarily for drawbar applications at a gross train weight of up to 32.52 tonnes.
While the TL cab does tilt, its origins go back to 1960 so when our French colleague from L'Officiel was heard to say It is a vehicle of the sixties" when commenting on ride, noise levels and general comfort, he was not too far from the truth.
The driving position is close to the 8.3 litre engine — the largest of any vehicle in the group.
Smart grey seats offer little additional suspension over the stiff front two-leaf springs.
In-cab noise levels were not helped by vibration transmitted up through the gear lever from the gearbox.
For solo operation the nine-speed transmission proved more than adequate but might be a bit short for drawbar work. Even here, with the highest power-to-weight advantage and significantly more torque than the competition, the frequency of gear changing was unimpressively average.
The slow 5.86:1 final drive ratio limited top speed to just 95km/h (59mph) which is much too low for solo operation and less than ideal for the best fuel economy. In the light of experience AWD will now offer a faster ratio as an option, so for cruising, engine speed may be reduced by 2-300rpm to operate in a more economical sector of the rev band.
It came as no surprise that the AWD 17-27 returned a good average speed but fell below that of the two other UK-built vehicles.
Taking account of the engine capacity, the size of the transmission (nine gears instead of six), heavy rear towing cross member and long (6.3m) wheelbase, the unladen chassis weight compares well with the other contestants. But on price it makes little sense in specifying the model for solo operation.
At £40,155 list price the TL 17-27 is about 23% more expensive than the IL 17-18. Extras include aluminium wheels at £1,685; Windfoil air deflector kit at £950; air dam at £295 and Econocruise cruise control and speed limiter at £562.