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1 XF105.510 Super Space Cab 4x2

Cab suspension: Four-point air. Suspension and tyres: Front, parabolic leaf springs with Goodyear Marathon LHS 11 315/70 R22.5 tyres; rear, air suspension with Goodyear Marathon LHS 11315/70 R22.5 tyres.

Spending the night in the Daf Super Space Cab is an effortless and sometimes even pleasant experience. Without doubt, the Daf is the roomiest of the cabs tested; its dimensions are taken to the legal maximum, and it's the driver who profits.

With a shortage of drivers in almost all European countries, operators score the first point in retaining their drivers when they supply them with a roomy cab like this.

Super Space Cab mattresses have traditionally been high and wide, but a little on the soft side. This year's example feels a bit more solid, but the main disadvantage remains; it lies on a wooden plank, with no ventilation at all. In this respect, the Dutch have been overtaken by better solutions from the Germans. Its about the only let-down we could find.

Daf's Super Space Cab certainly lives up to its name. Even enough baggage for a full week's double-manning can be easily accommodated.

Just one driver slept in the cab during this test, and the easily lowered second bunk was his choice. Its wide grip doubles as a towel dryer. The retractable steps have nicely rounded surfaces, which are friendly to bare feet, and the engine tunnel is wide enough for easy dressing.

Daf has mounted extra lights in the ceiling, but a fundamental question remains: how many lights does a driver need when he is parked up?

The night heater is as easy as can be. Switch a knob on the centre console, step in your bed and adjust the thermostat mounted on the back wall of the cab to your preference.

Once in bed, you're grateful for the cab's size. You don't need to do anything with the seats, and there's enough room on the large mattress to make you feel like you are sleeping at home. Lights are easily switched on. The curtains, modified as a direct result of our last XF Cab Test, give no problems in operating, and are highly effective in keeping out the morning light.

Daf proves there's no substitute for cubic inches, but it has to be wary of keeping its spacious champion too simple. The rivals are showing improvements in the details and in luxury gadgets and the Daf might need some of these as well to stay ahead.

TdJ With temperatures plummeting towards zero, the n.ght heater test meant the cab was welcomingly warm and toasty before turning in.

Under the bottom bunk is a small fridge that will hold a couple of bottles of water and a few sandwiches. Next to it is another pull-out locker that doubles up as a table. However, when this is in place, there is little floor space to speak of, so moving around the cab is a challenge. But with it safely back in place, there is plenty of room to stand up and get undressed in the cab even with the bunk down. Headroom is ample for a six-footer, so this rather shorter occupant had no problem.

The dash has plenty of cup-holders and space for items such as your wallet and mobile phone, and both doors include big pockets to store maps and other things you might need close to hand while you are driving even sunglasses, Since the controls to the night heater/lights etc in the lveco Stralls Super' are on the top bunk, it makes sense to sleep up top.

To get there, there is a handy pull-out ladder. Again, this eats into the floor space, but you only really need it in place when you want to get into the bunk. Once in bed, the illuminated over-screen lockers are all within easy reach, and there are plenty of other storage areas to keep your bottle of water and book etc nearby once you're in bed.

The control panel means you can adjust the night heater, operate the lights, open the roof hatch and the windows, turn on the radio and CD player and set an alarm without having to get out of your sleeping bag. This lodger was even able to work the controls to turn the temperature up during the night without needing to put on the usual corrective eyewear.

The bunk is comfortable, although you cannot sit up in bed, and is long enough and wide enough for a sturdy six-footer. With the curtains pulled across the bunk, it is a nice dark place for a good night's sleep, although come morning they let in a disappointing amount of sunlight.

The one hiccup this lodger had was trying to remove the safety net there to prevent you falling out of the bunk in your sleep and get down the ladder when nature called in the middle of the night. However, familiarity with the cab may make this easier.

RA This may be Europe's most powerful on-road truck, but its no good being first at the night's stop if you aren't comfortable. Worries about left-hand-drive sleeping evaporated with the discovery that the reading light position suggested feet to the right as usual.

MAN has a neighbourly relationship with fellow Bavarian manufacturer Audi, and the overall feel of the big TGX cab shows that inspiration may have come from that quarter. Sober but well engineered restraint is the order of the day here.

As an evening rest venue, the cab didn't impress. The fridge and the folding safety rail make it impractical to sit on the bunk, and the high-spec passenger seat, luxurious on the road, doesn't provide

-1c,co,,er 55.8 a real alternative. The fridge also limits storage under

8Dkrnil67.0 the bunk, although its integral fold-up table is useful. — There's more than enough head

room and space to dress, while six white interior lights and two red night lights provide appropriate illumination for any nocturnal activity. The fridge top provides the step up to the top bunk.

The main storage is three large. illuminated, over-screen lockers, with a couple of open-fronted bins below. There are two big drawers in the centre dash and a pop-out oddments bin, including the ashtray and 24V lighter, all being one third of the dash width. The only 12V source is a DIN socket, so you may need an adaptor.

A tendency to suffer a touch of vertigo meant the top bunk was used for storage and the lower for sleeping. The mattress proved generally comfortable, but the rear filler strip gives a slight tendency to roll towards the seats. Experience reminded us to take a pillow, but two scatter cushions are on hand if you forget. We only used the main curtains, which are easy to operate, but need more than two little bits of Velcro to hold the central join and the tie-backs are barely long enough. Even at full chat, the night heater is as quiet as the hum of distant traffic.

Locating the night heater controls and basic light switches by the park brake is a good compromise if sleeping downstairs, but upstairs controls only extend to a reading light and a hole for the transferable alarm clock. A large net and a medium on the rear wall are handy for magazines etc. The only internal centrallocking switch found is on the driver's door.

CB Similar to the Renault Magnum, the Actros MegaSpace cab boasts a truly flat floor. However, it achieves that by sitting up high, four steps high, and it's not the easiest of cabs to get into and out of.

The boys from Stuttgart need to see how Scan ía does it by scalloping out a section of the floor by the door so you can instantly see that all-important top step when you exit without having to lean out (and more importantly, find it with all your foot without thinking twice). The steps need to be more 'layered', too. However, once you're inside, you'll enjoy the view, not least since the Germans have held back on massive mirror surrounds at least on the current model. Build quality is typically Teutonic, the only There's a good relationship between the comfortable Grammer driving seat (pity it hasn't got a split back like an Isri Plus) and the steering wheel. We also like the way the PowerShift auto selector has been built into the arm rest and how it folds up out the way. This helps to make cross-cab access even easier. Putting the park brake in the dash gets our vote as well.

Unlike many of its rivals, the Actros has simple-to-use heater controls, although the steering wheel buttons are less intuitive and you'll need the handbook to work out the central driver display.

Storage space in the MegaSpace is about as good as it gets. With two external storage lockers either side (the larger, uppermost units can also be accessed by lifting up the bottom bunk), there's no reason whatsoever to have any wet kit or straps etc cluttering up the floor inside. Otherwise, there's plenty of space in the front overhead lockers and door pockets (including for big bottles), plus the slide-out centre drawer and fridge under the bunk and space in the dash for oddments.

The sprung lower mattress gave us an excellent night's sleep, and having all the lighting, heating, and top vent controls at the head of the bed is most welcome. It's just a pity you can't program the heater to run for more than two hours in one 'shift'. It's early in the morning, I've just woken up, and I'm writing this from the comfort of the latest Renault Magnum cab. I'm currently sat in one of the truck's two relaxing off-duty seats (which can be converted into the lower bunk), my laptop is set up on the table in front of me, and I'm listening to The Flying Burrito Brothers on the truck's MP3-equipped stereo.

Of all the trucks in this group, the Renault Magnum is the one I most wanted to spend the night in. It might be the second-oldest cab on the road (beaten only by the Daf XF105), but it has a reputation for being one of the most spacious and comfortable to live in, What's more, the latest version is 200mm taller than it used to be, meaning the Magnum's cab is the largest it can legally be, and almost a perfect cube (2mx2mx2m).

While the Magnum's exterior has barely changed, there have been plenty of in-cab improvements. Storage facilities have been radically revamped, and there are three new overhead lockers, There was certainly no problem finding the space to store my overnight gear. It still has its trademark wardrobe, too.

If I'd brought a TV and microwave, I would have been able to find room for both. There's even a drinks cooler, but that's only because this is a left-handdrive model.

But while I'm impressed with the living quarters, it has to be said that I didn't have a particularly refreshing sleep. It started badly when I realised that I would be in the top bunk, on account of this being the only one with heater and light controls. I'm not the most athletic of blokes, and was close to needing oxygen at the end of the climb. I was a bit shocked by the lack of a side guard, too, since I'm a restless sleeper and it's a big drop to the cab floor below. Although the mattress itself is perfectly comfortable, there isn't a whole lot of headroom up there, and I headbutted the ceiling several times during the course of the night.

Overall, though, this is a pretty good truck to live in. And so it should be after all, Renault has had 18 years to perfect it. WS There was a time when the Topline had its top bunk positioned over the dashboard. Back then, it was the source of much debate. Now, it is sorely missed by those who loved it. As for those who hated it... well, they got their way.

Now the Topline is a much more traditional cab. The bottom bunk is still in sections, but they are now joined at the seam and can be folded back, which allows the seats more reclining area when the chauffeur is behind the wheel.

Unfortunately, the bottom bunk still has its design flaws. The two plastic arms rising from the base, complete with ledges that house the extra sections of mattress, can be clearly felt if any weight is placed on Noise levels: dB(A) them. After rejecting the bottom bunk, we swiftly moved up the fold-out ladder to the top bunk. Although narrower 49.0 and with less headroom, it is the more comfortable 67.0 mattress by far. Access, though, still needs some work. The ladder is fine, but the two sets of straps that hold and stow the top bunk makes access into the bunk awkward, considering the lack of headspace as well.

We'd like to see some ledges around the cab walls for the bunk to rest on, which should free up access, and the use of fully detachable straps for the safety netting and stowing the bunk. It is the larger driver that would struggle to get in and yours truly, unfortunately, fits that category.

Plus, the collection of remote controls (operating the radio/CD, alarms, night heater, sunroof, internal lights etc) on the bottom bunk need to be replicated on the top bunk. There is a fridge, coffee-maker and microwave to ensure the cab has everything you need short of a TV and the wife and kids in the cab while you are away for the week.

No one has ever been sacked for speccing a Scania Topline, and it is an excellent cab, but the Swedes need to get the bunks right if it is to achieve top-line status. KS