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determined to take it easy as we enter a new millennium? The signs are there, from remote control television and Internet shopping to virtual realities and TV docusoaps—let somebody else do the work; even the work of having fun. But surely this attitude won't make it into the hard-nosed world of haulage; particularly not into the tipper sector. Tippermen expect to work hard for a living, and expect their equip • ment to do the same. They've always demanded strictly functional kit, built to a price with no bells or whistles.
So what's this? A 32-tonner with plenty of power and oodles of torque, with more gears than any eight-legger really needs, and, to cap it all, air suspension on the rear bogie. It looks like a nice plaything for the gentleman tipper driver. Ideal for a bit of weekend muckshifling on the country estate...or perhaps a second car for the harassed executive who finds that his bull-barred 4x4 just doesn't dominate the road any more.
No. MAN has built this truck for a purpose: the 32.364 VFL is designed specifically for onhighway use, optimised for payload and stability. And as we found out, it's also a doddle to drive.
PRODUCT PROFILE
Though it's mighty impressive, the 32.364 isn't the most powerful MAN eight-legger we've driven; that honour goes to the 35.4 o3VF we tested three years ago (CM 19-25 September r9 96). The 403 proved that a powerful, lightly stressed engine can deliver good fuel economy; it was a good advert for the lugging capabilities of MAN's Euro-2 engines.
The 364 tested here aims to do the same, but there are plenty of instructive differences between the two models: first, the 364 has the VFL suffix, indicating that it's a highway model—in fact, MAN's data sheet rather optimistically refers to it as a "rigid/tipper", though we suspect that the nearest it will get to mainstream haulage is a bit of brick-andblock work.
The VFL suffix also means that the truck is built on a relatively lightweight chassis, with side-member sections 8mm thick rather than the comm of the heavy-duty VF range.
And of course there's the suspension: the front end is a similar confection of parabolic leaf springs, rubbers and an anti-roll bar, though it is now mounted on a pair of dropbeam axles. The rear bogie is more different, being mounted on a four-bag air system rather than a massive inverted multi-leaf spring pack.
The air suspension features ECAS for levelling and load transfer, and this is a clue that its primary purpose is not ride comfort but stability. It's also rather more road-friendly than steel. In any case, if you wanted better ride quality you'd put the air springs at the cab end...
The combination of the lighter chassis and air suspension brings the design GVW down to 32 tonnes rather than the 35 tonnes of the VF range. The final drive is different, too: here we have MAN's HDY/HY single-reduction drive axles rather than the hub-reduction units fitted to the VF. Perhaps surprisingly, the ratio is an identical 4.11:1 as standard. That's pretty short gearing for the road, even with an overdrive top gear.
The rest of the driveline is familiar from a number of MAN tests: the "364" version of MAN's six-cylinder Euro-2 D2866 engine is rated at a true 355hp, which is quite conservative for a modern iz-litre unit. The flip side of this is a wide spread of power, with peak torque on tap from 1,000-1,500g:1m thanks to EDC. If rkooNm isn't enough for you, there's always the option of the 32.414. This has the same displacement, but a four-valve head helps it to deliver 1,85oNm from 90 ot,30 orpm with a true power rating of 4o3hp. It actually puts out more than 1,6 ooNm all the way from 800 to over r,900rpm, with a better specific fuel consumption curve to boot.
Incidentally, the 32.364 VFL and the heavy-duty 35,364 VF cost exactly the same, but the 414 engine option carries a hefty L3,75o premium.
Four-valve technology is on its way for the 36 ohp class: as reported in CM last week, MAN's Euro-3 model for next year puts out 1,700Nm from 900-1,40 °rpm While Euro-3 is likely to mean an increase in specific fuel consumption, this could be offset by lowerrevving operation.
MAN has kept the well-tried Eaton S-Series box as a standard fit with ZF's Ecosplit as an option, as is Eaton's AutoShift (this automated r6-speeder is remarkably easy to learn and promises good fuel economy).
Other manufacturers have been slow to fit disc brakes to tippers, feeling (perhaps correctly) that conservative tippermen would resist. But MAN has been putting them on the front axles of 8x4s for several years and this model is no exception; however, it retains drum brakes on the rear bogie. MAN's own EVB engine brake is a standard feature, as is automatic chassis lubrication.
The cab is the Distribution ("N") day-cab variant of the F2000 range, familiar from many a previous test. Two chassis lengths are offered, with an outer axle spread of 6.4om (as tested here) or a haulage-friendly 7.20m. Our test vehicle came fitted with a Charlton alloy body, Meiller/Harsh front-end tipping gear and a Dawbarn Evertaut Rollover sheeting system.
Finally, there's the MAN warranty: unlimited mileage for the first year, with a second year of driveline warranty up to a total of oo,o ookm. The cab, of course, is covered by a five-year unlimited-distance anti-corrosion warranty.
PRODUCTIVITY
At first it came as something of a surprise that the 32.364 returned slightly worse fuel consumption than the 35.403 round our Midlands tipper route-8.32 mpg against the older vehicle's 8.49mpg. Presumably the 403's extra torque told in its favour. With similar gearing, it trickled round most of the Aroad section of our route in 8H, while the newer truck was more comfortable in 8L at 40 mph.
The motorway section was perhaps more instructive: despite rather conservative gearing (it was turning at 1,65 orpm in top at the 88km/h limit, just above the main section of the green band) the newer MAN returned an excellent 8.85mpg at a good average speed. Next year's model, with its extra torque, could probably pull a half-gear more and deliver even better figures—or you could opt for the 32.414 right now.
But the comparative figures should be put into perspective. The difference between the two MANs' overall fuel economy was around 2%, well within the variation that could be explained by the weather (it was a blustery day on our A-road section) or the slightly lower density of today's low-sulphur fuel.
The VFL model certainly delivers far better payload than the heavyweight VF: that extra 2mrn off the chassis section, together with the lighter running gear, count for about 65okg. Our test vehicle gave a practical payload of just over 21 tonnes. But while the VFLs body/payload allowance of 22.99 tonnes is good, it still can't quite pip the class leaders thanks to a relatively big cab. Incidentally, with its twelve extra valves the 32.414 weighs iokg more than the 364.
ON THE ROAD
MAN has really mastered the art of making a truck easy to drive. Given a quick explanation of the gearbox, a competent car driver could get into the 32.364 and would soon feel at home.
First of all, getting into the cab is easy, and the driver's seat is nicely supportive. Next, all the switchgear .is easily accessible, and the instruments are clear (in a rather clinical Bavarian way). But the controls! The steering is light and precise, the gearshift throw is short and sweet and the pedals are ideal: lowmounted and lightly sprung, so there's no need to mash them down with your rigger's boots. That's not to say that the controls feel delicate—the pedals are a good size, and everything seems to be firmly screwed together.
Just to make life still easier, the MAN comes with cruise control as standard; it's the P company's usual right-hand-stalk design, which is (of course) very easy to learn.
As'we have come to expect from MAN, the engine is smooth and fairly free-revving, pouring out torque from tic_kover and able to lug down to 8-9oorprn without difficulty. The light green section covers a lot of the rev-counter, stretching from 1,000-1.900rpm, with the darker green "economy" section running from 1,300-1,600rpm: 40 mph equates to about 1,400rpm in 8L. There's little else to say about the engine; it just goes about its business without fuss or fret.
The gearbox is familiar too, the S-Series here being fitted with a double-H pattern shift. It's a pleasure in normal driving, but when you're in extremis and you really need to get into low range it's all too easy to slap the lever across with enough force to make it bounce straight back into high range. Nevertheless, we managed a blistering zmin 22.sec up Edge Hill—and if you do stop on a hill, there's plenty of grunt to get you going again. The 364 romped up the hill start despite the absence of a true crawler gear.
It was on the test hills that the ECAS rear bogie showed its worth too, planting the drive wheels so firmly that neither of the cliff-locks was needed. The ability to take off quickly also helped it in the standing-start acceleration test, where it was around 1.5sec quicker than the 35.403 from o-8okm/h. And the flexibility of the engine meant that it was barely slower in the in-gear acceleration tests.
The MAN stops almost as well as it goes: the front discs are reassuring and seem to have lost the rather "dead" feel that we encountered in the 35.403. Maybe MAN has changed the pad compound; maybe it's down to the different suspension geometry of the VF L. Our test figures are good as far as they go, although a shifting load helped the wheels lock up at 48km/h and ruled out a test from 64km/h.
The EVE engine brake works surprisingly well, even from quite low revs—the blue section of the rev-counter starts from just i.zoorpm and goes on up to 2,300rpm.
Was there a fly in the ointment? Only that the steering was quite low-geared, needing a lot of arm movement to negotiate a round about. But you get used to it, and the control efforts are low. Not much of a fly, really.
CAB COMFORT
The F2000 cab is a prime example of the German approach to product development: start with a decent design, see how it works, then knock off the rough edges until it's as comfortable as an old slipper. The N-cab is a little old-fashioned looking but spacious and pretty quiet. There is simply not much wrong with this vehicle: if you want to pick holes, it could be said that the air suspension adds little to the (already pretty good) ride comfort— but then, that's not why it's there.
SUMMARY
MAN has done the right thing in creating two distinctively different flavours of eight-legger. While the Tonka-toy toughness of the VF model will go down well with the muckaway set, for the more general operator the VFL offers a beguiling combination of excellent on-road performance and reasonable fuel economy.
Is air suspension just a plaything? Far from it. What we have seen indicates that it can make life easier by aiding traction and making the handling more stable. Cost is an issue of course, but the long-term merits of the system should help residual values.
Yes, the 32.364VEL will make your life easier, but it's hardly a plaything, and its bells and whistles help to deliver good productivity while keeping stress levels down. So don't worry, tippermen: your down-to-earth reputation is safe for a while yet.
• by 'Toby Clark