Trucknology proves itself on UK roads
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• CM has spent a full day at MAN's UK headquarters in Swindon with a variety of TG-A tractive units at our disposal to see how the new product fares in the sort of conditions likely to be encountered by real operators.
We covered all the angles by driving four trucks which encompassed all the variations in the range-41 os and 4605, 4x25 and 6x2s, XLs and X_XLs—but all with platinum paint fobs, and all pulling identical triaxle curtainsiders loaded with close to the maximum weight. They were all pre-production examples, but only varied from the final specification in details such as switch positioning, German language information displays and kilometre-only speedometers.
The first impression you get when climbing aboard is of excellent packaging. A relatively low engine makes for a low floor and outstanding headroom. CM's tester, scraping six foot in his shoes, still had masses of headroom in the high-roof )XL, even when standing on the vestigial engine hump.
The tall windscreen on the XXL does little to help visibility unless you're a plane spotter but, combined with the windows above the doors, it certainly enhances the feeling of airiness—if you're thinking of taking up truck driving to cure your agoraphobia, this is not the vehicle for you With the top of the screen being so far away it was nice to find that the sun blinds are electrically operated.
Comfort zone
By comparison with the cathedral-like XXL, the low-roof XL feels comfortably cosy. Talking of comfort brings us to the driving position. The steering column tilts and telescopes, released by a right-heel-operated floor button that could be straight out of the Renault Premium, while the seats deserve a paragraph to themselves.
So here it is: the usual foreand-aft, up-and-down and recline functions are there, of course, supplemented by a cushion which adjusts for angle and length, separate lumbar support for middle and lower back and side bolsters which widen enough to accommodate even those with a matching XXL shirt size. The standard cloth trim can be upgraded to leather, although we haven't seen these. On the passenger's side, an airline-style footrest bar drops down when needed. If you still can't get comfortable, you have a problem.
MAN's trademark wrap-round dashboard has been considerably flattened, easing cross-cab movement, but even the short arms of our CM tester could still reach every control without so much as a lift of the shoulder.
If you were to climb into the cab blindfolded the first look at the instrument panel would tell you, you were in a MAN. But while the panel looks familiar, it is dearer than ever, helped by the use of an interim electronic tachograph (DIN-sized but using conventional discs) mounted over the screen. The rev counter contains a digital bar graph showing turbo boost, while an easy-to-read diagnostic display sits between the two main dials.
All the mirror, window and door locking functions are controlled from a handy panel in the door. The new steering column stalks are typically sturdy, although the effort needed to twist the left stalk to give one flick of the wipers seems a bit much for what can be a frequent operation in this country.
ComfortShift
With all the accommodation sussed it was time to turn some wheels, and in particular to find out what MAN's Com fort Shift is all about We described this system in detail in our launch report (CM 30 March-5 April). Suffice to say that it retains the clutch for stopping and starting, and for changes within low range, but uses a thumb-operated button on the gear lever at all other times. MAN says this may change later in the year, when the system will work on all gears.
Even with the 410 at full weight arid on noticeable gradients, MAN's driving expert, Stuart Morton, recommended starting off in third gear/low split. Our doubts about this proved unfounded, with the ample torque allowing a block shift straight to fifth. In fact the splitter was mostly redundant, being more use for changing a gear and a half at a time.
MA N's reasoning for not having comfortshift in low range is the small amount of time spent there and indeed, fifth gear will pull away from virtually any situation where the wheels are still rolling. Not surprisingly, the 410 needed downshifts sooner than the 460, but the wide torque band meant that even when a shift was needed a full gear was usually more appropriate. Warning lights for range and split are provided on the instrument panel.
Thanks to a well-implemented application of the ZF ServoShiftassisted gear change system the change is positive and precise. The range change switch is a rocker on the right of the lever, which is more user-friendly than the previous "slap-across" arrangement, if a bit fiddly. This is largely due to its proximity to the splitter switch---if it was mounted on the front of the lever it might well be more convenient.
The run through Swindon from Junction 16 of the M4 up to Blunsden on the A419 is typical urban driving with endless roundabouts and traffic lights. By the end of it our ComfortShift thumb was complaining at the unaccustomed exercise, but soon recovered with a bit of open road motoring. After a long clutchless spell in high range it is easy to forget that the dutch is needed to change into low (and likewise, we occasionally forgot to not use the clutch when moving out of low). For the sake of consistency, we look forward to seeing ComfortShift on all gears.
Common appeal
The brakes are worthy of mention with the full Monty of discs all round and EBS. As well as working well in normal use, an errant car driver gave us the chance to sample their performance in a hurry, and the stopping distance was amazing.
The exhaust brake is controlled by a button on one of the right column stalks, and stays in operation until the button is pressed again or the throttle is applied. This allows retardation to continue on the run up to hazards during down-shifting. There is no overspeed link to the cruise control, however. A full up and downhill speed management function will have to wait for the combination of TipMatic and Intarder, due later this year.
Despite their pre-production origins, the vehicles we drove were all well built and rattle-free. They were also commendably quiet, with just a distant drone from the rnechanicals. The only exception was the XL cab whose (optional) external sun-visor produced too much wind noise.
Ride was good, and even the vast XXL cab was well-damped, although it wobbled vigorously when passed by other trucks while parked. Two and three-axle models handled satisfactorily during the drives with the well assisted steering still giving lots of feedback through the wheel, which finally looks modern.
If the Trucknology Generation delivers on the promise of these prototypes—and we don't doubt that it will—MAN has a product that is going to have immense appeal to both drivers and g-uv'nors alike.