OTHER CONTENDERS Foden 4380 Leyland Daf 95.360
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Nearly a third of the tractive units sold last year were running on three axles and many of them were twin-steers so the 6x2 trio we tested was a fair selection from those on offer.
One of our tests compared a pair of sixalded Leyland Daf FTG 95360 outfits being evaluated by Royal Mail. One was matched to a wind-cheating Cartwright EFT 36 box van semi-trailer; the other pulled our standard Crane Fruehauf curtainsider.
The "green" outfit bristled with good ideas including air-brake silencers, Brigade's Backeye rear-view camera; a soot trap catalytic convertor and Hope anti-jack-knife device.
With five axles on full air this twin-steer has superb ride and handling qualities, but cab-comfort was only average and it was well down on fuel economy. Foden's pic-n-mix Euro-I Cummins-powered 4380 twin-steer came with a wide range of extras and a pretty fair price tag The gutsy 14-litre block made it fleet of foot with a reasonable return on fuel but it was the 24-tonne plus payload that edged it in front on fleet appeal.
The Jake brake was noisy but particularly effective and the 4380 handled extremely well, especially over the demanding hilly section of our test route.
The Sandbach outfit struck a nice balance between brakes and steering.
It also earned good marks for its Hi-Line plastic cab which gives the driver plenty of storage and elbow room, but some of the interior space seemed wasted.
But it was Scania's thrifty R113-360 6x2 with lifting second steer axle that pulled ahead of the pack_
A carefully specified driveline provided exceptional fuel economy of 36.9lit/100km (7.6mpg) with a good journey time. Scanias have little excess flab on their frame and its 23.75 tonne payload gave it top marks on productivity, while well-engineered chassis suspension gave good ride quality.
Even without the Topline package Scania's twin-bunk cab has much to commend it, not least the heated drivers seat. Build quality is high, and a high list price was matched by good residual values.
Twin-steers help with weight distribution, attract lower taxes on 3+3 work and give better manoeuvrability. Scania's 6x2 is an elegant example of the breed.