THE CONTESTANTS
Page 36
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Our five trucks are a mixed bunch, including one all-new cab. None have been tested before in their present form.
Lightest of the bunch is the Leyland Daf FT 80.330. The old Roadtrain cab has had the Daf facelift and power now comes from the Dutch 11.6-litre engine. Internally little has changed.
For £42,910 (ex-VAT), you get an all steel sprung chassis and rubber front cab .suspension with leaf spring and dampers at the rear. Anti-roll bars are fitted to both axles. The driver does get an air suspended seat, complete with adjustable lumbar support. The sleeper cab adds £1,500 to the price and the cab heater will cost another £595.
The warranty covers cab paintwork for two years and rusting through from the inside of the box sections for five years. To qualify for this cover, however, the cab must be re-treated between nine and 12 months after delivery and you'll need a warranty certificate.
The Mercedes-Benz 2448LS, flagship of the Mercedes range, is the only twin-steer in the group. The G (for Grossraum Kabine) cab is the largest offered by Mercedes with twin bunks as standard. It's the most expensive of the five at £69,380 (ex-VAT). The standard cab specification includes a cab heater, but not much else compared with some of its rivals: a high roof might have been nice.
The front axle is steel sprung, while the middle and rear get air suspension. Antiroll bars are fitted to the front and rear axles. The cab sits on U-springs at the front and a leaf spring at the rear, with dampers all round. An air sprung driver's seat is standard. The cab is covered for 12 months under the manufacturer's warranty, but Mercedes says that any claims outside that period would be considered on their merits,
We have driven a Pegaso Troner 1236.38TX on the Continent and look forward to a UK test. It shares its cab with the Leyland Daf 95 and Seddon Atkinson Strato. For the UK market, the TX specification is pretty comprehensive. Air suspension is standard on the rear axle, with steel at the front and anti-roll bars all round. The Troner also boasts a four-point air suspended cab and heated driver's seat, with a lumbar adjustment. The £61,313 (ex-VAT) price tag includes a programmable cab heater and air conditioning; the warranty covers the cab for five years, with regular inspections.
The revolutionary Renault AE cab has caused quite a stir since it's launch last year. It's big and imposing from the outside, but how does it shape up on the inside? We picked the AE 380.19TD — at £53,950 (ex-VAT) the cheapest of the AE range — powered by Renault's MIDR 06.35.4011 12-litre engine. This model is all steel sprung with anti-roll bars front and rear. The cab gets electronically controlled four-point air suspension which is obviously thought to be enough to insulate the driver from the road, as the driver's seat is fixed. Cab heater and air conditioning come as standard.
Completing this year's line-up is the Volvo F16, fitted with the Globetrotter cab which was revised last year. Suspension is steel at the front and air at the back with anti-roll bars front and rear. Of the five the Volvo is the only cab with four-point coil suspension and air-assisted dampers at the rear. The driver also gets an air suspended and heated seat with lumbar support and seat-belt. At 265,000 (ex-VAT) the F16 comes well equipped, including a cab heater and air conditioning as standard. Volvo offers a three-year anti-corrosion warranty covering corrosion which arises due to faulty manufacturing and is dependent on regular inspections during the first 30 months.