On the road with the VIO MAN
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by Martin Hayes
TO INTRODUCE a truck *osting £15,950 to the British market at present takes a lot of nerve. MAN has just taken that step with the introduction of its new 19.330 model. Fitted with its well-proven (on the Continent) VIO engine, which develops 246kW (330bhp) at 2,500rpm an d 1030Nm (760113ft) of torque at 1,400 rpm, the new vehicle is aimed at the long-distance market.
The National Freight Corporation's own specification for a Middle East trunk vehicle (CM May 16) was studied by MAN before launching this vehicle. Last week I had an opportunity to try the first 19.330 truck in the UK.
Coupled to a Tasktip tipping trailer and loaded to the UK maximum weight, I took the MAN over a hilly section of A3 in Surrey south of Esher. This gave plenty of proof of the value of high-powered trucks : rarely did the speed drop below 48Iun/h (30mph) even on the sharpest gradients. For the British market the 19.330 is fitted as standard with the MAN two-berth sleeper cab. Already wellequipped, comfort is improved in this version by the addition of a suspended passenger seat and eight-track stereo. Airconditioning, by Webasto, is available for about £700.
The new model is fitted with a Fuller RTO. 9513 rangechange gearbox giving 13 forward speeds. This is controlled in normal MAN fashion by a column-mounted lever. Operating at 32 tons — 12 tons below its designed maximum — the low range of the gearbox is largely unused. Normal starts can be accon4lished in fifth. Then a three-position switch on the end of the gear lever is moved to the "direct" position (from "low") and the gear lever shifted to the next gear. In the high range, each of the four speeds can be split by moving the same switch to a third position.
On the very new vehicle use of the .splitter sometimes meant a delay which presumably will disappear when the truck is fully run in. The gearchange pattern sounds complicated and it is initially. At the end of my 30-minute run I was beginning to get the hang of things, and really fast changes are possible with practice. On the road the truck really gets a. move on with commendably swift .acceleration. One advantage of a naturally-aspirated power unit like this is the amount of power low down. Good torque at very low rpm is a feature of the unit. I was impressed too by the steering which •is direct and retains plenty. of feel.
The VIO made its debut at the launch of a new MAN dealer, Mabodys Engineering Ltd of TET House, Lyon Road, London SW19 2SB. The company operates. a 24-thour breakdown service from its premises which include a 279 sqrn (3,000sqft) workshop.