Setra bets expensively on the grand Rational
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At £76,000 this German coach is not one for the impulse buyer, but even the more cautious are likely to be tempted by the clean lines and stylish performance. Noel Millier came under its spell
IT IS NOW just over a year since Kassbohrer (UK) started selling Setra coaches from its headquarters in Bordon. Hampshire, and its success 'in this time has exceeded expectations.
The Setra integral coach range already had a reputation for quality and finish second to none in Europe, and now looks well placed to repeat this in Britain.
The S215 low and high-deck coaches are already a familiar sight on British motorways despite being among the most expensive vehicles in our muchcontested market. Setra manufacture takes place mainly in Ulm in West Germany although the company does have a number of other plants including one in France where the cheapest, the Setra Rational 12m coach, is finished.
This cheaper Setra, which made its debut at the BCC coaching symposium at Blackpool and was shown at the British coach rally at Brighton, is now available for British operators, and I have just taken the first righthand-drive example for a day's touring to find out how the Setra magic had been "Rationalised".
Although the Rational does not share the same aerodynamic front-end styling as its stablemates, it still has that almost legendary Setra finish, It shares the same basic structure as the rest of the range, and the same rear-mounted Mercedes-Benz 0M422 engine and ZF S6.90 gearbox. Although the cheapest in the Setra range, the Rational is very well appointed and features carpeted entrance steps and centre aisle, reclining seats and a built-in refrigerator as standard.
For the driver, the Setra Rational is particularly pleasant and relaxing. It is obvious that it has been designed with safety in mind for the controls and driving position are difficult to criticise. I particularly approved of the nearside mirror arrangement which allowed a good view to the rear, to the ground and of the front extreme corner of the coach. As an added bonus, both the driver's window and the entrance-door window are electrically heated. The driver's signalling window is electrically operated by a dash-mounted, control.
The windscreen is a large onepiece, and the three-speed wipers have a particularly wide sweep. Unlike the more expensive Setra models, the Rational has rubber-mounted windows with opening top lights which are rattle and draught-free. In addition to the opening windows, ventilation is provided by forced air jets.
The coach has an independent front-end heating and ventilation system. The main saloon heating includes an oil-fired preheater complete with digital timer, and four underfloor heat exchanger units with two-speed blowers which feed the hot air evenly throughout the coach.
On the road, the coach is a quiet and smooth runner although I suspect its shape makes it suffer from slightl) more wind noise than the stan dard Setra coaches.
I found the steering very ligh. but not lacking in feel.
Unladen, the coach gave a car like performance. From the driv ing seat, engine noise was al most non-existent and the cen. trally-mounted rev-counter complete with green band anc directly in my line of vision proved very useful.
The familiar ZF gear-changE was particularly positive anc easy to use. A combined ex haust-brake and stop-contro has a foot-operated pad rathei than the normal foot-operatec button control. This was corn )rtable to use and would not be onfused with the foot-operated country" horn. A "town" horn s operated by a steeringolumn-mounted control.
The air brakes on the coach re complemented by a Voith iydraulic retarder which is iperated either by a hand ontrol or by initial pressure on he foot brake. An isolator ;ontrol istitted to enable the rearder to be controlled only with le hand if desired. I found the Dot control easier to use, and a loon to smooth driving.
My drive took me from the r,assbohrer base at Bordon onto he main A31 and A3 trunk roads :o the CM base at Sutton and :hen on to the M25 motorway aefore taking a rural and Ninding route through Surrey 3nd Hampshire back to Bordon.
Throughout my drive I found the coach a most civilised and responsive machine, with a passenger ride that will do a great deal to encourage repeat business.
A comfortable courier seat is included as standard.
The main entrance door is a Lightly fitting power-operated plug-type door and the emergency exit on the rear offside doubles as a continental entrance. A false-floor section can be removed to provide steps to the ground.
As with all Setras, the normal (3.225m) high Rational has a large and clean underfloor luggage locker as well as an additional locker behind the rear axle on the off-side. The corresponding locker on the near-side houses the Webasto heater unit. Access to the 206kW (280bhp) V8 engine is from the rear, or for maintenance purposes through floor traps in the back of the saloon. Daily checks are easy thanks to a cooling system sightglass, and the oil dipstick is easy to reach without the driver needing to stoop.
I was amazed at how clean the coach was after a day of driving on motorways and urban and rural roads. I could find no dirt or fuel smears in the engine compartment or in any of the lockers despite some fairly heavy rain.
The big V8 engine is powerful and full of torque. Although it has a distinctive engine note, it sounds, and is, slow revving. The naturally aspirated engine powers the big coach along at 112km/h (70mph), turning over at 2,000rpm at the edge of the green sector on the rev-counter. Its maximum output is 206kW (280bhp) at 2,300rpm. At 80km/h (50mph) it is turning over at 1,450rpm. Maximum torque is 1,040Nm (767 lbft) at 1,200rpm. One of the few mechanical differences between the main range and the Rational is in the brake system. The Rational has dual-circuit drum brakes, while the other models feature disc brakes at the front. Both models share the full air-suspension system which has independent front suspension and a raising control for use on difficult gradients.
In conclusion, the Setra S215HR Rational has a great deal of passenger appeal. The standard UK specification .coach has 53 reclining seats which make it a very suitable vehicle for long-distance touring and express work. A version with a centre-mounted sunken toilet is expected to be available later this year.
Its round-cornered windows with their "hopper" type openings give the coach a decidedly French air, which is appropriate enough as the Germanbuilt structure is completed and fitted out at the French Kassbohrer plant at Ligny-enBarrois.
While it is the least expensive 12m coach in the Setra range, it is still more expensive than equivalent European and British models. At £76,000 its purchase must require careful consideration.
It is, however, £1,000 less, and in some respects better equipped, than the Universal model Setra S215U, and £5,500 less than the S215H model already established in Britain.
With many of its parts already used across the Setra range, the Rational should pose no problem when it comes to obtaining spare parts and European service back-up. In Britain, Kassbohrer (UK) has already supplied about 60 coaches and has established both service and spares stores at Bordon plus a field service unit.
Looks are a matter of taste but I find the Rational both "different" and pleasing. I have heard comments that it is a bit Eastern European or railway-carriage, but whatever anyone may think, it catches the eye and should prove less susceptible to the quirks of fashion than many contemporary European designs.