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DRIVERS' IMPRESSIONS
Page 42
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We asked a couple of very experienced tipper drivers to have a go in our test vehicles. Here's what they thought.
Arthur Goes thinks very highly of the MAN. To him, the TGS is a very good truck to work with. The MAN has a spacious, almost luxurious cab interior, with lots of storage space. The up-to-date D20 440hp engine, along with the Tipmatic automatic transmission, means there is plenty of torque and power on hand to conquer almost every sort of terrain. The Mercedes-Benz comes very close in all the aforementioned aspects. Both cabs are also very quiet during handling. That goes for off-road and normal road use.
Peggy ten Tuynte agrees with Goes on this. To her, the Mercedes-Benz needs more getting used to. The steering, especially, needs more correcting on and off-road it should have a more direct character.
To ten Tuynte, it is not easy to pick a winner. To Wiert Komdeur, the TGS fits like a glove. That also goes for the Mercedes-Benz, which is equipped with the new Powershift. To Komdeur, the DAF has almost the same driving characteristics as the MAN. But the DAF is a bit noisier in the cab.
Goes would also prefer a manual gearbox in the Iveco. On the other hand, the Trakker is still a no-nonsense truck that gets the work done. Ten Tuynte thinks the Iveco handles well, although the ZF transmission lags behind at times when driving off-road. She thinks that the Iveco needs an interior restyling. The Trakker cab has been redesigned, but not enough for ten Tuynte's taste. In a way, that also goes for the Volvo 8X4. It is a down-to-earth truck, not an image builder. But it does the job it has been built for.
Komdeur thinks the Volvo, which is equipped with a six-speed gearbox, needs an eight-speeder, but the steering wheel and driver's seat adjustments are excellent. Going off-road, he hit his left knee against the dashboard.
As for the Scania, Goes, similar to the others, likes the handling of the Scania, although during off-road driving it got stuck due to a very high tyre pressure too high as it turns out. The Scania is the favourite for normal road handling. Komdeur is of the same opinion.
In conclusion, the drivers put the MAN in first place with the Mercedes-Benz and DAF as close runners up. Bringing up the rear are the Volvo, Scania and the Iveco. However, there wasn't a great deal of difference between them.