A call to make There's no shortage of quality contenders
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for the International Truck of the Year 2014. All the judges have to do is come up with a winner. Its a tight race CHANGE OF THE GUARD
Having voted in this year's IToY awards, UK judge and CM contributor Brian Weatherley is stepping down, and the mantle of IToY UK jury member is passing to Will Shiers, CM editor —thereby continuing CM's long-standing position as the official UK journal for IToY. Now in its 37th year, the IToY award continues to be highly prized among Europe's CV manufacturers with the jury, made up of senior journalists and editors, representing 25 countries from Ireland in the west and Russia in the east, to Finland in the north and Turkey in the south. Together their magazines have a combined total readership of more than 700,000 transport operators. Words: Brian Weathertey
Choosing the winner from the shortlisted contenders for the International Truck of the Year (IToY) 2014 is no easy task. Once the votes from the 25 judges have been added up, and the winner is revealed, we believe it will be the closest thing we've seen for a long time in the annual race.
Why? Because the shortlist includes the new Daf XF, MAN's Euro-6 range, the Mercedes-Benz Arocs construction line-up, Scania's Streamline and the new Volvo FH. But the IToY judges have been hard at work, just in time for the 2014 title holder to be announced at the Comtrans CV show in Moscow between 10 and 14 September. Contenders
First up is the new Daf XF, which some have called "the best XF ever" — and we wouldn't argue with that. We are impressed with how well Daf has injected fresh life into its long-serving XF cab, around in some form for nearly 26 years, although you'd hardly think so looking at the latest iteration. The Super Space cab continues to attract high praise for its practical, well-thought-out and highly useable living room. Throw in a new, improvedhandling chassis and updated drivetrain featuring Euro-6 engines, including the latest MX11 — which are said to have the same good economy, if not better, as their Euro-5/ATe predecessors — and you've got an imposing long-haul truck. Will that be enough to give it the nod? Read what we said about
it in CM 29 November 2012.
MAN's Euro-6 line-up (made up of the latest TGX/S heavies and TGM/TGL middleweights) is arguably the dark horse of the competition, with the most obvious visual changes exemplified by new front ends designed to ensure maximum airflow to the latest Euro-6 engines. But there's much more to them than just a prettier face. Although the TGX/S interiors remain much as before, they're still extremely driver-friendly, especially in the tallest XXL cab. After pioneering EGR-only engines, MAN has moved to EGR and SCR with two-stage turbo technology and common-rail fuelling for Euro-6. On the road, the 13-litre TGX is an impressive performer, while the TGM and TGL middleweights (both with new interiors) are well up for the urban jungle. The one thing missing from MAN's engine armour is a big banger above 13-litre displacement and 480hp, but that's due next year. Will that count against it come voting time? Read more in CM 25 April.
A is for... While it can't be easy to keep coming up with names beginning with A for its new Euro-6 trucks, Mercedes-Benz has struck the right note with the Arocs, the tough-sounding moniker for its construction range of rigids, multi-wheelers and heavy-duty tractors. With cabs and drivetrains derived from the Actros and Antos units, the Arocs presents an extensive on/off-road model choice for would-be buyers. What's more, its faster-thinking
Powershift 3 auto, impressive ride and good off-road steering, make it a hard-to-ignore IToY contender. In particular, we think the Arocs eight-legger with its 2.3m-wide cab sporting a "proper" tipper interior, atop the German's latest 0M470 10.7-litre engine, could be a potent machine — providing Mercedes gets the weight right for British tippermen. Could this be its Achilles heel, in as much as Mercedes has to deliver right-hand-drive models that can match the needs of UK, rather than continental, buyers? See CM 30 May for more. Made in Sweden
Next is Scania's Streamline, a well-known name for a new wind-cheating Euro-6 truck. Streamline (offered on the truck maker's Gand R-series chassis) is a 'sum of the parts' package in as much as the combination of a more detailed slippery cab, with full air management package, revised Opticruise gearbox with economy mode and Active Prediction cruise control. These features work together with the manufacturer's latest second-generation Euro-6 engines (including an SCR-only 410hp rating, among others) and are said to deliver up to 8% fuel savings — music to any operator's ears.
But will the fact that the Streamline's assets are somewhat hidden beneath a familiar exterior work against it when seen against new cab rivals from Mercedes, Daf or Volvo? For more on the Streamline, see CM 16 May. I see, I see
Lastly, a truck that's practically new from the ground up: Volvo's new FH. For starters, there's a more spacious cab, with greater room inside thanks to a less-raked windscreen, while slimmer A-posts and excellent, less visually intrusive, mirrors mean it's easier to spot road users on roundabouts and junctions. Next, there's the revised dash and driver controls, improved ride and handling, superb steering and the latest I-See predictive cruise control software.
With the addition of proven Euro-5 and greener Euro-6 engines (with the promise next year of the I-Torque version of the 460hp 13-litre that, together with I-See, is said to deliver up to 10% fuel savings) you can see why Volvo has high hopes for the new FH. Yet for a flagship tractor range there's still no flat-floor cab. Could that sway the judges when it comes to the voting? You'll be the first to know when we publish the IToY 2014 winner next week, and also take a look at the previous 36 winners. So who will take the 2014 IToY title? It's too close to call, but at least you won't have to wait too long to find out — just make sure you get your copy of CM! •