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t)kI iUiL 1(112 ROADTEST: SEDDON ATKINSON 171340M
Page 34
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DRIVERS' VERDICTS
• After 20 years as a mechanic in the army Eddie Cliffe of Newcastle-Under-Lyme joined ANC where he has been driving for the last three years. When we met up with him at BP's Crick truckstop he was driving a Daf 85.360. After we explained the rudiments of using the torque-away engine he settled in behind the wheel and immediately commented on the feedback from the driveby-wire accelerator pedal. "It's got a funny feel to it" he said, but that did not stop him pulling away smoothly. "I'm only running at 28 tonnes with the 360 and I can tell this is a lot heavier," he added. "It doesn't pull badly for 340hp but it would be nice to have a bit extra. The gears are positive. I've been in quieter trucks—my Daf is very quiet. The cab is big enough but not as big as the high-roof EuroTech." Cliffe asked how the Jake brake worked and after trying it out over a few down grades he said "I like it!". He was surprised when we told him that the chassis was not on air suspension. "It gives a very good ride for steel," he commented. "Heated mirrors are nice first thing in the morning but I tend not to use them on the road as it just dries on the muck. The trim is a bit plasticky but the dash is quite neat; everything is accessible but what about storage lockers? You need somewhere to put your kit. The trays on top of the engine are OK for paperwork but they restrict movement a lot. The bunk looks fine for trunking." As he left the cab he added, "It not such a long-legged climb as some; the steps are pitched about right for me. I think it's better than the last one I drove.
We met Paul Harris en route from Leicester to Gibraltar in a double-manned Renault Magnum 420. He and his co-driver expected to arrive there in a couple of days. Seated in the Strato he told us: "It sounds all right. It's got the rumble of a bigger engine. "As we climbed the first incline he added: "It pulls well for 340hp. I've got the same gear layout on the Magnum but here the throw is shorter and the gate is closer. It's much more precise. The clutch is a bit sharp though. Considering the weight the Jake brake does a good job. The driving position is comfortable but maybe I haven't set the seat
damper quite right—it's bottoming out. The cab seems completely different to
the Iveco; it looks more robust and durable. It's big enough for UK work with one driver but it's not big enough for two."
Ian Tulett normally drives a Daf 430 with a Space Cab for Axtra Express Haulage. As he climbed in he told us: "This is a tremendous improvement over the old 401. A full-width cab gives that bit of extra space that you want if you spend a couple of weeks away at a time. It should be easy to keep clean now they've got away from that speckled dash. The electric window switches would be easier to reach if they were on the door instead of being tucked under the steering wheel on the end of the fascia: I suppose that you have to have the ignition on if you want to open a window at night, and what about the radio?" We told him that the radio was not wired into the ignition. 'The stalks are a bit close but the pedals are fine and you couldn't have a larger accelerator. It feels nice to drive," he added after letting the engine pull away in third and accelerating up to speed. "There's no need to rev and double declutch between gears and the split is very smooth. That Jake brake, it's lovely! You can let it coast but with two levels of retardation there's no chance of this truck running away with you. On some of the mountains in Europe you have to watch that the trailer brakes don't over heat. I expect this saves a lot of wear on the back brakes. The engine pulls well. It's got more torque than my old Daf 350. Very driver friendly," he concluded.