1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154 
THE J-SERIES Saviem is the first Club of Four truck
Page 62
Page 63
Page 65
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
to be available in the UK. A result of the engineering cooperation between DAF, Magirus Deutz, Saviem and Volvo, the vehicles have been on sale in their various countries of origin since 1975.
Supplied to us for test at 13,200kg (13 tons) gross the JP 13A XL comes in at the lighter end of the middleweight range for rigid corn
mercial vehicles. With a payload of 8,910kg (8.5 tons) a useful 23.5 lit/100km (12mpg) overall fuel consumption was returned while averaging a speed of 58km/ h (36.1mph) over our Midlands test route.
The vehicle, which is powered by a 5.5-litre (335cuin) six-cylinder diesel engine driving through a five-speed synchromesh gearbox to a single-reduction rear axle, was able to maintain a speed of 96km / h (60mph) for long periods on the motorway. This contributed to the high section speed of 87km /h (54.2mph).
The steering, although unassisted, was not heavy when manoeuvring at slow speeds. With a lock that differed from one side to the other by 3.4m (lift) the truck was still able to turn within a 20m (66ft) diameter. circle.
On the A-road section a careful eye on the rev counter was needed to keep the engine within the usable torque range, but combined with adequate use of the gearbox a reasonable headway was maintained.
Fish Hill, the timed hill climb, was met and overcome without undue fuss dropping down to 24km /h (15mph) in second gear for most of the way. The latter part of the route which is hilly and slow usually knocks the fuel consumption figures right down but the Saviem 13 coped well returning 24.7Iit/ 100km (11.4mpg).
Brake tests
• At MIRA during the braking tests only the front wheels could be made to lock up with a full application of the service brakes. The rear wheels did not lock owing to the pressure limiting load apportioning valve which may have been too effective as the stopping distances tended to be longer than I might have expected.
The service line incorporates a split system with each half independent of the other and able to provide -full braking should one line fail.
The hand-operated brake is intended only for parking, as the secondary requirements are met with the service system. However, I did try it out at 32km / h (20mph) and got a good Tapley reading of 34 per cent after a long initial delay.
The hill restarts on the measured gradients were a little more than the clutch could manage even on the 1 in 6, but the hand brake held in both directions on a 1 in 4.
The poor impression I had of the truck's acceleration performance at MIRA were perhaps unfounded after examination of the average speed achieved over the road circuit.
Cab comfort
• As in many of the Continental heavy cabs a high degree of comfort has been provided with shaped clothcovered seats adjustable in three planes, air-flow heating and demisting, storage space including a lockable glove compartment, compartment, and naturally a full range of dials surrounded by the warning lights of the monitoring systems. The cab is flexibly mounted at four points and incorporates two dampers at the rear which reduce any tendency for large movements.
The suspension on both front and rear axles is fitted with anti-roll bars which do a good job in providing a high degree of stability.
At the end of the test a walk around the vehicle bought to my notice a few points worth mentioning.
Starting at the front, the grill lifts up exposing the large windscreen washer bottle which is in a good position for topping up. Moving to the offside I noticed the air deflectors designed to keep the side windows and rear view mirrors clear from dirt.
During the 200-mile road test I found it necessary to clean the mirrors only once before we resumed after our lunch break. The mirrors are mounted on spring-loaded arms which move back into place if knocked.
Behind the cab are the oil and water fillers as well as the dip stick all of which can be used without having to lift the cab.
Accessibility?
• The fuel tank mounted on the offside fitted under the platform floor well within the extremes of the vehicle but with a filler neck which is difficult to refuel with a pump gun and absolutely impossible to top up with a can. The spare wheel lowering mechanism is on the offside — not a good idea from a safety point of view.
If a change of wheels became necessary on a motorway the driver would have to stand in the slow lane to lower the spare wheel. The rear lights are mounted on spring steel brackets which are claimed to prolong the life of the bulbs in the rear light.
Down on the near side is the battery encased in a metal box which is a good point for security provided it does not also deter servicing.
Just behind the wheel arch are the reservoirs and master cylinders for the brake system which also includes automatic brake adjusters on all of the wheels.
And so back to the cab which can be tilted to 52' providing access to the engine without the gear-shift lever or the steering having to be connected. However, the gearshift does have to be reengaged before the vehicle can be moved off.
Final impressions
• In total I found the Saviem a very well made vehicle providing a high degree of corn
The Saviem cab was very well appointed for a 13-tonner.
fort which the driver has rightly come to expect. The overall fuel consumption figure, linked to the average speed attained, I believe show this vehicle to be well suited to urban and country delivery work.
The few minor faults I did have cause to complain about, such as the spare wheel mounting. I am told was an inheritance from the French left-hand model and there is in fact an option to have fitted it on the near side. The Saviem fleet engineer agreed that the fuel filler needs some modification, possibly a larger neck to the filler.
It is a well appointed truck, but it would need to have about 40 per cent more useful life than its competitors from the domestic market to justify the additional £2,000 capital expenditure. The chassis cab price tag on the Saviem is £8,703 against £5,900 for the equivalent Bedford and £6,700 for a Ford. The body price was £750 giving a total cost as tested of £9,453.