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DAF holds firm in the British market
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The mid-engined MB 200 stayed right on course despite strong crosswinds on our Scottish test route. And Noel Millier found it powerful, economical, easy to drive, and comfortable into the bargain
DAF's MB200 COACH CHASSIS -3as recently been gaining 3round in Britain, particularly with fleet operators once loyal to he AEC Reliance. So to find out why it's become so popular I :ook a 12m (40ft) turbocharged )AF MB200 DKTL coach, fitted with Plaxton Supreme IV bodywork, over our Scottish test .oute.
Taking the wheel, the first hing which impressed me was he light and responsive power 3teering, and the brakes perormed equally well when ap)lied during the normal course yr driving.
But what about more stringent :onditions? Brake tests at the lotor Industry Research Asso elation proving ground at Nuneaton found that the vehicle could pull up quickly at 64.3m/h (40mph). The rear wheels did lock up under full pressure braking at this speed, but this didn't stop the coach from pulling up in a straight line.
The cambers, potholes and simulated tramlines on the tortuous MIRA circuits uncovered no quirks or problems affecting stability or passenger comfort.
Once on the AS section of CM'S test route, in sixth gear the engine gave enough flexibility between 48.2km/h (30mph) and 80.45km (50mph).
Our test coach was fitted with a Telma focal-type retarder and an exhaust brake, The Telma efficiently took care of all but final braking, the hand lever being so' positioned that to operate it I had no need to remove my right hand from the steering wheel.
Acceleration times showed that the 187.5kW (251bhp) power from the 11.6-litre engine was used to good advantage and gave an even spread of performance through the range of the six speed ZF gearbox with its ZF GV80 splitter.
Motorway acceleration was swift and allowed the vehicle to reach the maximum 110km/h (70mph) legal cruising speed quickly.
The steering wheel obscured the tachograph at about the maximum legal speed, but this was only a minor problem — a rev counter is fitted as standard and this eases the problem.
The first day of the CM test route was completed in record time, and I had little cause for criticism. Despite very strong heaciwinds on the M6 there was
no deterioration in performance, though more fuel had been used. The coach returned 30.7 lit/100km (9.19mpg) on the stretch from MIRA to Forton.
The DAF's tight turning circle and light steering proved particularly advantageous when parking for an overnight stop at Kendal, with its congested and narrow backstreets — remember the coach is 12m (40ft) long.
In normal driving, the coach pulled well in high sixth gear with the engine well within its optimal operating range — with the coach travelling at 80.45km/h (50mph) the engine is turning over at about 1,550 revs per minute. And the DAF proved to be the only coach I have yet driven capable of climbing Shap, on the M6, in high top gear at a steady 110km/h (70mph).
With the engine providing power for a top speed of 114km/h (71mph), quick journey times can be achieved by sustaining high average continuous speeds.
On the A74 it was possible for the coach to maintain 80.4km/h (50mph) with little need for gearchanging other than using the splitter to change down half a gear when the road speed fell From the passengers viewpoint, engine and transmission noise in the Plaxton-bodied MB200 DKTL was low — a good deal less obtrusive than in the Jonckheere-bodied coach I had previously tried at the Motor Show.
I was particularly impressed by the firm ride from the parabolic springs which, though not as smooth as full-air, was still on a par with air over leaf suspension.
It also seemed less likely to induce travel sickness than the soft spongey type of ride afforded by some types of air suspension.
Handling was also good, with little body roll.
Operating the GV80 splitter box was simplicity itself and obviated the need for the split second timing which in the past caused problems with some drivers using two speed axles.
Changing up simply involved preselecting the gearlever button to the high position and then de-clutching.
Changing down involved the same principle and accelerating while releasing the clutch. Throughout our route the coach demanded the minimum of effort from the driver yet still gave positive control. On the A68 section from Dalkeith to Durham, for instance, the hilly and winding route was taken with the same ease as a motorway.
The DAF took our timed hill ascent across the Cheviots and Carter Bar in low fifth gear, but it was impossible to record an accurate time as I was hindered by slower vehicles.
But the hill-climb performance seemed more like that of a private car than a 12m coach.
The Plaxton Supreme IV body was fitted with a large number of optional extras including 50 Re
laxa reclining seats, individual!, controlled electric windscreet wipers, a windscreen washe jetted through the wiper arms front foglamps, adjustable floo strips, and an air-operated door.
The upshot of all this is . practical and luxurious coacl built to touring standards. found little to criticise on thl body, which was both draughl and rattle-free and finished to high standard. My only corc plaint was that the drivers window seemed to need mor than the normal amount of effor to open.
Twin 35-gallon fuel tanks are fitted to the coach but to allow: both to fill simultaneously it is necessary to open the fuel cap on the tank on the opposite side to the one being filled.
This created a problem on one occasion as the filling station forecourt was not level and fuel went straight to the opposite tank, which overflowed, But the twin-tank arrangement does avoid the need for the driver to switch from tank to tank and minimises the likelihood of getting air in the fuel system.
Taken all round, therefore, the DAF is a competitive alternative to the Leyland Leopard, Volvo B58 and B1OM for operators requiring a long distance heavyweight coach chassis. Unlike most coaches available on the British market, the MB200 frame is of an all-welded construction and is designed to form an integral unit with the coach body.
When fitted with a retarder, the MB200 DKTL is one of the few coaches available powerful
enough to comply with We Germany's Tempo 100 reguli tonswhich allow coaches bui to required safety standards travel at 100km/h (60mph) o Autobahns. The Volvo B1OM i also available to Tempo 10 specifications.
The power-to-weight ratio the coach reduced our journe time mainly by allowing speed to be sustained while hill-climt ing. The test coach, which admi tedly was only about one quartE loaded, returned a fuel coy sumption to equal its rivals de: pite its high power and torqu outputs.
At high speed, motorwa crosswinds caused no deviatio in course, a factor which ma give a clue to the reason wh British coach operators continu to prefer the stability afforded b mid-engined coaches — partici larly as coaches are allowed higher maximum motorin speed in the UK than in area where rear-engined vehicle predominate.
In conclusion,. the DA MB200 DKTL provides a suitabl basis for all types of lonc distance coaching. It is powerft. but not excessively fast, as th power is used to maintain un form performance through th wide spread of road types in th country. Hill climbing is partict larly good for a chassis whic originates from a country almo! devoid of hills.
It is also competitively price and economic, which togethE with DAF's established truck sei vice and spares outlets both e home and abroad should resu in its consolidating its share c the British market.