RENAULT MAXTER
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Price as tested: £200,000. Includes £66,150 for basic chassis and
Huwer tank body.
Engine: 9.8 litres, 249kW (338hp).
Tested GVW: 32 tonnes. Body/payload: 23.19 tonnes.
Overall speed: 65.1km/h (40.5mph).
Overall fuel consumption: 34.814/100km (8.11mpg).
It's not every day we roadtest an eight-legger worth £200,000. But then it's not every day we bring you an exclusive test of a Renault G340ti.32D Maxter sporting some of the most sophisticated waste handling hardware in the world.
For this we have to thank French tanker specialist SAJ Huwer and its British counterpart, Whale Tankers of Solihull—they lent us the truck that's probably helped to fund CM'S insurance broker's annual Christmas party thanks to the extra premium!
The right-hand-drive French registered demonstrator is owned by Huwer, but recently did the rounds of potential UK customers courtesy of Whale. The two companies struck up an entente cordiale, despite their commercial rivalry But why test a tanker when most of our 8x4 test trucks come as tippers?
It's well over 11 months since the G340ti32D eight-wheeler debuted at the Paris Motor Show as part of the latest Maxter multiwheeler line-up but our requests for a test truck from Renault bore little fruit. So when we spotted the new Maxter tanker in Whale's yard we weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth_
• PRODUCT PROFILE
Huwer's spec runs to nine sheets for its equipment alone. It is built round a 15.5m3 vacuum tank with sliding bulkhead to keep the clear water from the sludge. A separate tank is linked to a water ring pump.
Tank equipment includes sight tubes, overflow collection and quick closure devices. Hydraulic locks secure the rear door of the 1.9m diameter tank and a twin-ram underfloor tipping gear system enables semi-solids to be discharged.
Filters enable the truck to recycle dirty water sucked up when cleaning drains. Strained water can be discharged back into the drains, making more room for sludge. With so many suck/blow options the truck's abilities run from emptying large cesspools to unblocking main sewers. It even has a robotlike sledge that uses water pressure to thrust itself up a sewer pipe.
Fully computerised and with centralised controls, the tank takes its power from two compressor and vacuum pumps housed under sound-proof bodywork just behind the cab. These are in turn driven by the truck's Renault B9 gearbox; the integral PT-0 system disengages drive to the axles.
Under all that bottom loading, water recycling technology lies Renault's latest multirole eight-wheeler The G340ti.32D Maxter has the same GT high-roof cabin as used on the Manager range. Compared with previous 8x4s it sits 60mm higher to accommodate the larger radiator demanded by higher engine outputs. Ground clearance has also been raised by 90mm. Other changes include radiator and oil sump protection, three-step cab entry (the first step is retractable), vertical exhausts and light guards.
Our 5,056mm-wheelbase Maxter featured a 6mm chassis flitch. This means it's a "Level B" chassis suitable for 32-tonne tipper work: there's also a "Level A' non-flitched chassis for non tipping, on-mad applications, and a "Level C" with 8mm flitching for quarry-type work up to 40-tonnes. Suspension is factoryfitted Hendrickson Norde rubber on the 19 tonne rear bogie, and parabolic steel with twin anti-roll bars on the front. The rubber system is (almost) maintenance-free and is ideal for on-road applications which don't require full axle articulation. Two-spring rear steel suspension is optional.
Power is provided by Renault's own Euna-1 MIDR 0E20.45E3 engine. Its 9.8-litre capacity develops 249kW (338hp) at ZOOOrpm with 1,472Nm (1,0861bft) of torque at 1,200rpm. Electric cold start aids are fitted, as is an allspeed governor for P1-0 work.
A twin-plate organic clutch transfers power to the nine-speed B9 range-change synchro overdrive gearbox; power then passes to the 4.625:1 final drive bogie incorporating 2:1 hub reduction axles. An air-operated cross-axle difflock comes as standard.
With the 0.75:1 overdrive box the Maxter has an geared top speed of 36.8mph/1,000rpm on its high-ground-clearance Michelin 13 R22.5 XZY tyres.
ZF supplies the power steering. A supplementary power ram guides the second axle and this combined with the geometry of the twin-steer bogie to steer the Maxter positively round all corners.
• PRODUCTIVITY
Travelling at similar speeds to the other trucks in our test tables our Maxter returned a good overall fuel figure of 34.81it/100km (8.11mpg)—despite the handicap of its 4mhigh tanker body.
While two of its test rivals managed better overall consumption they had low tipper bodies.
Where the Maxter really scored in the economy stakes was over the A-road section of CM's tipper test route; it's 32.4/14100km (8.71mpg) was noticeably better than the tipper-bodied Foden 3325,MAN 32.322 and Volvo FL10. What's more the Maxter also beat the FL l 0 overall.
On the road the Renault eight-legger's typical tipper gearing kept the engine spinning fast on the motorway and helped sustain a brisk performance on the A-road and hill sections of our two-day route.
A quick glance at our comparison charts also shows one area where the Maxter could do better. Its body payload figure of 23.19 tonnes is nothing to write home about but clearly this also reflects the sturdy nature of its chassis.
• ON THE ROAD
The G340ti.32D's acceleration was good, if a little uneven. The slop-induced by the unbaffled and partly filled tank semed to have little effect on overall braking—it was sure-footed and powerful, which is commendable from a vehicle lacking the inherent stability of a gravel-loaded tipper.
Solid handling is another requirement for a tanker and the Renault's rigid rear suspension coupled to the light steering system was just right for the job. Ride quality was good too, giving plenty of seat-of-the-pants feel.
The MIDR engine has an effective exhaust brake and the deep gearing helps maximise its effect. Test hill descents went smoothly, if a little slowly, without using the service brakes. Unfortunately the exhaust brake's undoubted efficiency is marred on right-hand-drive models by its appaling lack of accessibility: it is much too far back and too far to the right After years of complaining it's a shame that Renault passed over the opportunity to finally sort out this irritating shortcoming when it reworked its tippers.
That aside, the overall package gives a well balanced feel. The steps in the nine-speed gearbox are a little large, but then you can always opt for the 18-speeder. The high power-to-weight ratio gives top-rank performance whatever the load. Up shifts are best made at around 1,600rpm on the edge of the solid green band; this takes engine speed back to the 1,100rpm peak torque point.
The steering is light with exceptional manoeuvrability. That said the Maxter failed to deliver the 19.1m turning circle claimed by the spec sheet, but the Renault is far from alone on that score.
• CAB COMFORT
The Maxter cab looks and feel way up high. Getting aboard is quite a job but the welldesigned grab rails do help.
The familiar Club-of-Four cab has been given an all-new interior including a new twospoke steering wheel and a new foot-operated column adjustment. The steering wheel's wider range of adjustment should now cater for drivers of all shapes and sizes With added headroom under the high roof the GT cab offers overhead bin storage. There's also a rear bulkhead bin, but no door pockets. Bottle jack, wheel brace and cab tilt bar are clamped into prepared slots behind the two seats.
Sound-absorbing material covers the walls and ceiling while there is a practical spread of padded rubber over the engine cover and floor. It all helps to make the Maxter a noticeably quieter place and our sound meter results confirmed our initial impression.
The new dash is well lit and competently laid out. It's also easier to clean. The same number of instruments as before have been rearranged into a more logical layout, bringing the more important data into clearer view. Taken together the changes revitalise an old cab. Taller drivers still have to twist a little in the seat to see under the roofline, but at least there's greater vertical travel in the new seats.
IN SUMMARY
If our Maxter is anything to go by the G340ti.32D will be a good tool as a tankerand it looks an even better bet as a tipper.
On the road it certainly offers a solid base. We found Renault's previous eight-wheelers to be solid to the point of stiffness. In tipper form little appears to have changed and for tanker and other less stable applications this has to be a desirable attribute.
Even the most driveable vehicles have to earn their keep, however. Payload is never more critical than in the depths of a recession, and whether used as a tipper or a tanker the Maxter could certainly do with losing a little weight. Either that or be branded forever as a muckaway chassis.
It only just manages to beat the MAN
possibly the heaviest comparable eight-wheeler on the road today.
With lightweights such as ERF and Foden competing for business this is an area which Renault cannot afford to neglect. Contract maintenance and spare parts prices are similarly average.
The French truck maker has had a historical problem in the UK with the strength of its dealer network. Time will tell if the revitalisation programme which was begun more than a year ago has brought things up to par.
Renault's biggest problem ,however,is likely to remain a lack of faith among potential new customers, and that's bound to take some time to overcome.
That said the G340ti.32D has the kind of attributes which could bring the customers back to the fold. It's time to give Renault another chance.
• by Danny Coughlan