t might be thought that Commercial Motor has a tendency
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to ignore middleweight distribution trucks, but it's not true, honest. The truth is that the appearance of one of these forgotten workhorses on a manufacturer's test fleet is as rare as a genuine smile from a politician. But this Scania is not only here to represent the breed—it does it as a genuine working truck.
Before it was loaned back to Scania GB for press testing, its bedding-in period comprised i5,0ookrn of real work in the service of its owner, catering food distributor 3663, which is the new name for the Booker group. By the way, why 3663? It would be too easy to tell you, but look at the letters on the keypad of your desktop phone for a clue.
Our test truck has not benefited from any optimised-for-economy specification, either. Every feature is there to do a job of work, and as its working environment is intensive multidrop delivery in congested city centres, it features Scania's self-changing Opticruise transmission for the driver, and the latest clean exhaust kit for the air-breathing public.
PRODUCT PROFILE
Uniquely among major European truck builders, Scania only makes heavy trucks, How long this situation will continue, given the gap from 4.6 to 18 tonnes in the combined Volkswagen/Scania range, is a question for another day, but for now the P94D 4.x2 is the baby in the family.
It's designed for a 19-tonne GVW with nine wheelbase options from 4.5 to 6.3m, ours being 5.5m. All the available power units are from the nine-litre DSC9 range, with outputs in Euro-2 form from 220 to
ohp. But like a growing number of conscientious urban operators, 3663 chose Scan ia's entry-level 230hp Euro-3 engine well in advance of compulsory fitment. The nine-litre DSC9 turbo-diesel also comes in 26o and 3oohp versions; Scania's complete Euro-3 range extends to ii, 12, and r6-litre units up to 58ohp. Unlike the larger capacity engines in the family with their four-valvesper-cylinder heads and electronic unit injection, the nine-litre Euro-3 features electronic control of a conventional in-line pump and two valves per cylinder.
The more precise injection control given by the electronics helps the fight against emissions, as do redesigned cylinder heads and piston crowns and revised turbocharger settings. The 3663 fleet is also specified with Eminox CRT particulate traps to further the clean air cause, but also with an eye on continuing VED rebates for green vehicles.
More electronic chippery is at work in the Opticruise transmission, collating information from various sources to select what it believes to be the most appropriate gear for the job. Should the driver disagree, the system provides the choice of nearly complete manual control, with the chips only interfering if the driver tries something stupid.
PRODUCTIVITY