• With demand for new coaches in the UK at
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an all time low it is not surprising that only three coaches came our way in 1991.
Of these the easiest to discount was Optare's MercedesBenz 811-based StarRider, for while it was a pleasing vehicle it is simply not possible to compare a 29-seat coach based on a frontengined truck chassis with a purpose-built 12m integral. However, in terms of the price per seat the little Optare's figure of £1,600 compared well with the big integrals' £2,000.
Both of the integrals that were sampled on our Wye Valley route were based around the timeless, high quality Van Hool body 18 Alizee range which has now been in continuous production for over 10 years.
he choice comes down to the front and rear running modules: between Daf suspension, engine and axles, and Van Hool's own package using the big, powerful MAN D2866 TOH engine.
Our first test Van Hool used the Daf SB 2305 DIIS package fitted with a rearmounted 8.25-litre charge-cooled engine driving through a as six-speed gearbox with a splitter.
The second was the all-Van Hool product, in the guise of the Alicron. The two vehicles had similar dimensions and comparable price tags so the choice eventually came down to on-the-road performance.
On this basis we chose the Alicron.