THE CAB
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The cab is the first thing you'll notice—and be impressed by. It follows Renault's Magnum and Mercedes' Actros in being mounted high above a selfcontained chassis unit, giving the cab interior a flat floor and isolating it from outside noise and vibration. But the MIL version stands apart by virtue of its enormous windscreen (just over a metre deep) and extra windows above the side doors.
Both the )(XL and the smaller XL versions are 2,44m wide; subsequent versions will be 2.24m wide but will share many components. The XXI. is 3.78m high (to correspond with the Continent's commonplace 3.8m trailers) while the XL is 3.26m high. The clearest evidence of the modular approach is in the two-piece side doors, with a Dotted-on lower plastic section. Sensibly. MAN has chosen to have a conventional set of steps ahead of the front wheels, rather than the aft-mounted "ladder" of the Magnum.
Nevertheless, there are only four steps up to the JUL cab rather than the five to Mercedes MegaSpace cab.
The cab frame is a massively strong, all-steel construction, galvanised for corrosion resistance. Beneath the screen aperture is the "system carrier" to which many of the cab components are mounted and which adds impact strength. This is bonded (glued) rather than welded to the main frame to prevent heat-induced distortion and damage to material coatings. Other parts are also bonded to the frame, including the windscreen and the massive SMC roof section. Inside, the cabs make geed use of the flat floor concept, with exceptionally good crosscab access and plenty of room to change. The bunks are enormous, and sliding storage units echo the fittings of the Actros. The deep screen and low dashboard increase the feeling of openness, while the main instruments are clustered in a "cockpit" around the driver.
Materials were clearly a priority in the design: MAN appears to have looked at the opposition and decided that the TG's cab mouldings and fittings would feel more solid and substantial than theirs. Certainly the mas sive, creak-free dashboard (in a "rubbery" material) bodes well for the durability of the cab.
Aerodynamic efficiency was a priority in the design, despite the near-vertical windscreen. A more steeply
raked screen was considered. but it was found that even an extreme 30' rake improved the Cd (aerodynamic drag index) by just 0.02.
Even now, the new model is claimed to be substantially more fuel-efficient than the F2000.