Midimat offered in Dart midi
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• Dennis is offering an alternative Voith transmision for its Dart midi chassis which is claimed to increase fuel economy and reduce brake wear. The German-built automatic Midimat transmission has a lock-up capability in second and third gears and an integral retarder — Dennis is the first British commercial vehicle manufacturer to make use of it.
London Buses has ordered three Midimat transmissions, the first of which will be delivered in March. One is for a new Dart for Centre West; the other two are retrofits for Leaside Buses and London General.
The Midimat was launched in the UK at the NEC in 1990. A self-diagnosis system is built in and a microprocessor control changes the gearshift programme to suit laden and unladen running.
It is slightly more expensive than the Dart's standard transmission, the Allison AT545, which has a Telma retarder.
About 70 Midimats have been sold on the Continent since its debut at the 1989 Frankfurt Show: users include Neoplan, Van Hool and Menarini.