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y ou won't need reminding that Scania's replacement for the 4-Series
Page 46
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is the most modern truck in the group. but newest isn't always best. Indeed, Scania is probably not overjoyed by the fact that its pride and joy scored the lowest points in some sections.
Remarkably, these included safety, where the modest performance of its engine brake and the overall safety feature count let it down.The other poor performance was in the cab where, despite scoring highest for cab dimensions, it scored lowest for the way that space is used. There were a disconcerting number of creaks and groans from beneath the cab,including some transmitted up the steering column, but otherwise noise levels were the equal of the Volvo, and better under full power.
There was an impression that the Scania's engine was happier at higher speeds — its topgear acceleration was the best of the bunch. Continuing the mixed bag theme,steadyspeed economy under light loads was also best, but under full load on the hills it became the worst. General driveability was good, although some rather leisurely gear-shifting from the Opticruise transmission lost it some points.
Despite that, and losing a few more for brakes, the R-Series managed a victory in the driving section, aided by high scores for comfort and handling.
Much of the driving experience is centred on the multi-function steering wheel, which has nearly as many buttons as Jenson's, controlling audio,c-ruise control and information display. Personally,! found the changing textures of the half-timbered leather wheel to be an irritating distraction, but this set-up leaves room on the right-hand stalk for the Opti cruise controls, which is a great improvement.
The R-Series was fitted with a full Windows PC built into the centre of the wrap-around dash. Operated by a wireless keyboard and mouse, as well as a large touch-sensitive colour screen,the PC can do anything your desktop machine can.
More practically, it can also show images from external blindspot cameras and run telematics and communications software. But at £6,000 per vehicle you'd need to be a serious early adopter to fit it today.