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The MAN is, according to its makers, getting a high
Page 43
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level of acceptance in fleets. Climbing into the cab. its easy to see why. Good ground clearance, sturdy construction: this is a wagon a newcomer could quite happily jump in and drive.
On the road, the feeling of being in a vehicle designed for this specific task is rapidly reinforced. The legendary MAN torque characteristics soon become apparent, pulling effortlessly up from 1,000 revs without recourse to a downshift, digging in and lugging hard on long shallow climbs. The ZF gearbox is well known in
fleets and simple to use. You might quibble that it has four too many ratios at the low end, but range-change and split on the button give a precise, smooth shift.
On descents, we particularly liked the exhaust brake feature; dab it firmly at the top of the hill and the second you exceed that speed, it cuts in to slow the lorry automatically.
Although our test vehicle was so new the paint was scarcely dry, its parabolic and hydraulically damped suspension layout handled roundabouts and corners with stately aplomb, demonstrating how far tipper handling has improved to iron out excessive body roll over the past 10 years.
Off-road on the very soft quarry site, a combination of hub-reduction axles, diff and cross locks meant the MAN was unlikely to get stuck and mud-plugged happily in sixth low when loaded. Drivers will like the EBS and ABS braking assistance, the workshop the MANtronic CAN-bus system. Operators will applaud the EGR engine — SCR tanks on muckaway tippers are unlikely to be popular.
Some might find the M series day cab a little spartan; we welcomed its simplicity, with plenty of room VA MN Up _ for day kit and easy-to-clean, 1 no-frills, fit-for-purpose trim, i The penalty for robust construction and hubreduction axles is the highest unladen weight of the three tippers tested.