One of the best yet
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This week the MAN TopUsed website falls under Webwatch’s gaze
Words: James Clark
Company: MAN TopUsed Address: man-top-used.co.uk and man-topused.com/en
Homepage
The man-top-used.co.uk domain is little more than an introduction to MAN’s used truck programme, containing just contact details and some overview information. To get to the real meat and start searching the network for a used truck, click on the orange ‘MAN TopUsed’ logo or point your browser at man-topused.com/en/.
This modern-looking site does not have a dedicated mobile version, although a free mobile app is available for iPhone and iPad – search the iTunes store for ‘MAN TopUsed’ to find out more.
Website performance is more than acceptable, with the homepage consistently loading in less than two seconds in our benchmarking tests. However, if you are away from base and have an Apple device, we recommend you try the app for a better user experience.
Product search
When beginning a search on the site you can set just three criteria – country, vehicle type and manufacturer. Once you click ‘Show vehicles’, however, you will be presented with nine further options to choose from, including axle configuration and emission standard. This balance between simplicity and functionality is reflective of the MAN TopUsed website as a whole.
For each result matching your criteria, the site displays a title, thumbnail image and brief description. Click on the ‘Details’ button to find out more, including technical specs and a pop-up gallery. Price is on request, at least for most vehicles in the UK.
At this stage you are able to view the listing as a PDF – useful for sharing or printing. This worked fine for us in Internet Explorer but caused Firefox 13 to crash.
As you might expect, MAN TopUsed has a number of innovative features rarely seen on independent dealer websites. For example, not only does each listings page display where the item is being held, it incorporates a Google route calculator allowing you to plot the route from your current location. Also, you can add any listing to either a ‘watchlist’ or a ‘comparison list’. A watchlist is a virtual pinboard making it easier to keep track of vehicles of interest; a comparison list allows you to view the specs of two or more vehicles side by side.
Lastly, the tabs above the listings enable you to swap between your search results, some preselected ‘top offers’, and all the ‘new arrivals’ to the site.
If you register for a free account with MAN TopUsed, you will unlock some extra features, including the ability to save searches and subscribe to search results by email. Click on the ‘Login’ link at the top of the page and then on ‘Register’ in the pop-up box.
Other pages
From the horizontal navigation menu near the top of the page you can access your watchlist, comparison list, and (if you have an account) your saved searches. At the bottom of the page are social media links through to MAN TopUsed’s presence on Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.
Conclusion
On several levels this is one of the most impressive sites Webwatch has reviewed. For a used MAN, start here.
Likes and dislikes
We like
✓ Powerful search options ✓ Comprehensive product information ✓ Innovative features such as ‘comparison list’
We’re not sure
x No need to visit man-top-used.co.uk – go straight to man-topused.com/en x ‘View as PDF’ did not work for us in all browsers x ‘Register’ option is well hidden