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TESTERS'

TWELVEMONTH by Tony Wilding, whiled

NINETEEN vehicles have been put through road tests in the past year, which is Around the usual number in 12 months, and for a change vehicles appear in all seven categories into which this review is divided.

In one way, however, the road-test year has been a disappointment and this is due to the shortage of vehicles from British manufacturers. No fewer than nine test vehicles came from overseas and in the heavy-truck categories imports have it all to. themselves except for the sole Dennis 24-ton-gross tractive unit.

It is notable that the big British names are missing from the list of vehicles tested, there being no AEC, Leyland, Albion, ERF, Foden, Atkinson, Seddon, Guy, Scattunell, Commer, Dodge, Ford or Bedford heavies.

There have been a Bedford light van, Seddon and Bedford passenger vehicles and three examples of goods vehicles made by that part of British Leyland Motor Corporation which was at one time BMC and which now carry the name of Leyland Redline. But these and the Dennis and two special types—a Bedford 4 X 4 and a Reynolds-Boughton 6 x 6 airfield crash tender—complete the British content of this review.

First light vehicle tested was the DAF 7cwt pick-up and, in spite of its small 746cc twin-cylinder air-cooled engine, this vehicle gave extremely good acceleration performance thanks largely to its well-designed automatic transmission.

The DAF's fuel consumption was also commendable with over 40 mpg obtained on a low-speed non-stop run but when driven hard or with four stops per mile the fuel usage increased considerably, which is normal with a vehicle having a lower power engine. The DAF showed up well on brake tests but it was found that handling was difficult with a pronounced oversteer if too much of the payload was carried at the rear end of the body floor. Handling qualities could not be criticized when the load was positioned correctly.

The second vehicle tested in this category was the Simca 1100 which carried a full 8cwt payload and produced better than average fuel consumption restilts for its type and also performed with sports-car-like agility while giving a high standard of ride and comfort.

The Simca van is based completely on the car and has a transverse engine with front-wheel-drive layout. Even though the engine produced its maximum output of 54 bhp at 6000 rpm the power unit would run at up to 7400 rpm without undue stress and it was possible to exceed 70 mph in third gear. Even so the vehicle was happy in top gear even at relatively low speeds. There was not much complaint from the transmission at below 15 mph and there was ample traction and smoothness at around 30 and 40 mph in the highest gear.

Steering on the Simca was a little heavy when carrying out slow-speed manoeuvring but there was good layout of controls and low pedal efforts were required which, with the comfortable driving position, made the van a delight to drive on long joumeys.

The Volkswagen 1-ton van still looks very much the same as the models produced many years ago but there have been continuous changes in the detail design of the bodywork and, more important, the mechanical specification has been improved progressively over the years. The VW tested this year was outwardly the same as the van tested in 1968 but had disc brakes at the front and bigger drum units at the rear and a slightly higher-power engine.

Generally good handling characteristics included positive steering and braking but the 1600 cc engine—now producing 50 bhp net—needed to be kept revving quite fast obtain an adequate performance. Acceler tion times through the gears were quite goi but top-gear performance was poor.

Fuel consumption was also disappointii with a fully laden four-stops-per-mile figu of 13.9 mpg and the tester felt that sour insulation of the engine compartment cou have been improved.

Leyland Redline The first British vehicle to appear in ti section was the Leyland Redline F 3.5-ton-gross chassis with Kenning 450 ft body. The diesel-engined version of t smallest FG—introduced originally years ago as the Austin and Morrisreturned extremely good fuel consumptic figures. The brakes' excellence is shown the high-standard results obtained maximum-pressure stops, and they we smooth, progressive and responsive operation.

The FG's general handling wl reasonably good except that steering sit; heavy for a vehicle of its class and while tl body was generally well designed with ea: access to the load space through the wii sliding cab doors, it was not all that easy get into the driving seat from outside ti vehicle due to the inconvenient positionit of the forward door pillar.

The operational route over which the F was put was the circuit which includ about 64 miles of motorway and then varil types of road over the Cotswolds ai Chilterns. As well as returning a creditab fuel consumption the FG was also open praise for completing the 194 miles in 5 12min at an average speed of 37.3 mph.

Completing this section of this road te review is the Bedford HA van which, as August 1964, was found to be an efficie and comfortable little vehicle. The mod remained virtually unchanged since the test except that the slightly larger HB .-car engine has been substituted for the nal unit. Also the vehicle now has wider es and more comfortable seats as used ie Bedford CF. The changes made were d to give worthwhile improvements on t is still a very competitive van model. latest engine has a higher capacity than redecessor but this is derated and in fact luces 8.1 bhp less than the earlier unit.

he latest HA proved almost identical in Drmance to the original version; except the four-stops-per-mile test showed rtly higher fuel usage. The changes

e to the design could be said to be in the 'ests of extending life rather than roving performance. This applies icularly to the braking where lining area been increased by over 38 per cent :h must give longer lining life.

Inch market the next category we come to the :est vehicle tested outside Britain. This the Saviem Super Galion SG4 which a major share of the French market in 6-metric-ton class. A type of operational was carried out with this vehicle over a nile route to the south-west of Paris and the laden vehicle returned 20.1 mpg at average speed of 33.9 mph. :ompanying the commendable fuel sumption figures which varied between and 24.5 mpg when fully laden, were 511ent acceleration times. The braking its were satisfactory although these tits were marred by excessive wheel zing and bouncing and hopping from the • end.

)n many parts of the operational route ered there was an extremely rough road 'ace which provided the opportunity to over the fine qualities of the suspension this vehicle. The cab on the SG4 is fitted to car standards and although a tively small vehicle there was ample in for three men.

Ile French truck's steering did not ;eh its other high qualities and almost ltinuous attention and frequent rection were needed to keep to a chosen . A feeling of "stickiness" in the steering I heaviness could have been due to the :d for lubrication or some small ustment.

The British vehicle in this section was the Leyland Redline Terrier 850 which is the 8.5-ton-gross chassis in the range of four vehicles introduced to replace higher weight chassis in the FG range. The test vehicle had particularly good suspension and was very quiet. The Terrier has the new Clayton Dewandre "full power hydraulic" braking system which initially was difficult to apply smoothly but satisfactory with experience. General results were up to standard but the steering was heavy.

There is just one vehicle in the next category, which was tested in July last year as the BMC Laird but is now marketed as the Leyland Redline Laird. The test vehicle was a 12-ton-gross four-wheeler carrying a payload of just over 7.75 tons and this was the first vehicle put through the 194-mile operational trial route over the Cotswolds and Chilterns. Although similar in appearance to the original FJ introduced in 1964, the Laird which succeeded it in 1968 has many differences under the surface. Gross weight and payload of the LR 1200 was over 1 ton greater than on the FJ from which it had been developed but even so set-route fuel consumptions were much better on this vehicle than on the original test of the comparable FL The extra weight did not affect braking or acceleration and the figures obtained were substantially the same as for the 7-ton FL

The 13.4 mpg returned at an average speed of 34 mph on the operational trial suggests that the Laird is a profitable vehicle to operate. It was a comfortable vehicle to drive and did not require undue effort in handling but the interior noise level was rather high by present-day standards and the steering required too much concentration to ensure the vehicle kept to the chosen line.

Both vehicles in the next category originated from Sweden. The Scania LB80, a 16-ton-gross rigid was tested in Britain while the Volvo 22-ton-gross six-wheeler

was put through its paces in Sweden. The Scania was tested as a tipper and the report complements that of the 32-ton-gross tractive unit version of this model tested in April 1970. It differed from all other Scanias tested by CM in that the engine was not turbocharged; the manufacturers consider that the 155 bhp produced by the naturally-aspirated 7.8-litre diesel is adequate for 16 tons—no one would argue with this—whereas for the 32-ton-gross limit in the tractive unit version the turbocharged engine giving 199 bhp is essential. Results obtained on the test of the Scania proved the vehicle to be well up to the expected standards of the make.

The weather was wet during the test period which prevented maximum-pressure brake stops being made, but this had one advantage in that it allowed a proper assessment to be made of the tipper on poor surfaces. The availability of 10 ratios in the Scania splitter gearbox was felt by the tester to be unnecessary. First-class acceleration times were obtained without recourse to splitting the ratios.

The complete accuracy of the Scania steering came in for particular praise from the tester and the standard of interior cab trim and finish were also praised. But there were difficulties with the fierceness of the clutch which required particular care to be taken when starting off from rest.

The Volvo 22-ton-gross 6 x 2 tipper appearing in this section was tested at the same time as the 38-ton-gross Volvo combination which appears in the next category. Both these vehicles were put through a 350-mile operational trial route in Sweden and both the G88 and the FB88 had the same basic mechanical specification, the tests enabling simultaneous evaluation to be made on the FB88/G88 6 X 2 used solo and with a trailer at its full 38-ton-gross maximum design weight.

Roth vehicles had the turbocharged Volvo engine giving 260 bhp net and driving through the SR61 16-speed synchrom gearbox which comprises the origi eight-speed range-change Volvo design v the addition of two-speed splitter gearini the rear end. Although this number of rev was not necessary on the solo vehicle, it 1 of particular benefit at 38 tons and tiller a very good average speed to be obtaii on the 360-mile trial. All results on th two tests were to a very high standard driver-comfort, steering, suspension, lo tion of controls and so on were first-class.

Although not included in the charts third Volvo was driven at the same time the two listed, this being a 6 X 4 tract unit with two-axle semi-trailer and runn at 39 tons. This vehicle was not put throt a normal road test procedure but was tal on the operational triad to assess characteristics of the MR61 torqi converter /synchromesh transmission wh has been developed by Volvo; the tort convertor is located between the clutch a the main gearbox (an eight-spe range-change unit) and can double 1 torque being delivered to the chiving On normal operation the torque conver can be cut out of action and it was in t condition that most of the 350 miles w covered. On the operational trial route, I FB88 6 X 4 gave 5.45 mpg at 36.9 mph.

Myth exploded

Next vehicle in the over-14-ton-k category tested in the year was the Sea LB140 which was put through the Brit operational trial at the end of last year v, a drawbar trailer and running at a gr weight of 38 tons.

This was one of the tests carried out CM that exploded the myth that rn1 power means greater consumption a although running at a higher gross well than is permitted in Britain, the 350 b Scania V8 engine gave a fuel consumpt 5.7 mpg at an average of 39.2 mph over 731-mile route. The tractor/trailer nbination was in its element on torways and returned fuel consumptions around 7 mpg on these sections, better a we have learned to expect from normal ton artics with engines well over 100 bhp powerful.

[he hardest part of driving the Scania ; keeping within the legal lorry and trailer t of 30 mph on normal roads. The ibination was much more stable and less [cult to handle than an artic. The Scania ; "wonderfully quiet" and had a very atonable cab, but the "sticky" .r-change selector mechanism often lked attempted quick changes.

[he Ncania tractor and trailer ibination was the last vehicle to be put nigh a CM test route which included "thing Shap. Shortly afterwards the exten

of M6 was opened and the Dennis hint 24-ton-gross tractive unit was the t test vehicle to complete this part of M6. .t Defiant also provided another first, this ig that it had the Perkins turbocharged 54 engine. The improvement in the route Scotland by eliminating the difficult 36 ts through Kendal and over Shap cut at a 1 hour off the normal time for the run„ nabled the 376-mile first leg of the operant1 trial to be completed in just 1 minute r the 9 hours at an average speed of 42 k. commendable 7.9 mpg was returned I the turbocharged engine performed fectly throughout the test. It was Testing that acceleration times were al to those of similar-weight chassis with higher-power Perkins V8; the torque puts of the two power units are not very eh different.

[here was a feeling of "rubberiness" in power steering and a short lag which became used to, and the only major Icisms were that the noise level in the cab ; rather high and the front suspension hard. The Dennis came in for praise, vever, for its cab which gives excellent ward visibility, is easy to get into and out Ind has a spacious interior with adequate .ting capacity and a high standard of a.

Exceptional quietness in the cab and first-class suspension were the main impressions of the Mercedes-Benz /Eylert 38-ton combination. These were important factors in making a long-distance test in Germany free from strain. The:test once again disproved the idea that high power brings a worsening in fuel consumption with 6.2 mpg returned. And only a little over 9 hours was needed to complete an almost-350 mile journey. The Mercedes LP 1632 has a superb cab interior but the gear change did not match up to the generally high standard of the design.

Off-road tests were the main parts of assessments made of the two vehicles in the "special-types" category. The first vehicle tested was the Bedford M type 4 x 4 and this vehicle accepted a considerable amount of punishment at the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment test tracks at Bagshot Heath. It came through without a murmur and the suspension of the model proved to be particularly well designed, while the vehicle was capable of climbing 1 in 2.75 gradients with no trouble at all; on later tests at the MVEE track at Chobham the vehicle managed a restart up a 1 in 3 slope.

It was clear from the way in which the M-type performed that the new model 'should give good service as a tipper on even the most arduous site. The driver will find the M-type a considerable improvement on the earlier model not only from the better suspension but also from the nicer interior trim and greater cab comfort.

The second vehicle in this category really was a special, this being an airfield fire /crash tender developed jointly by Reynolds-Boughton Engineering Services Ltd and Pyrene. The 6 x 6 vehicle was designed to cope with large-scale disasters on or near airports and one of the design parameters of the equipment fitted is that it must be able to discharge 27,000gal of foam in 2min, throwing it 250ft from the monitor nozzle and that the vehicle must have particulary stringent acceleration and performance. The Pathfinder was tested as a chassis only but at its designed gross weight of 33.5 tons. Even so it had an exhilarating performance and reached 50 mph from rest in 34.4sec. To get this sort of performance the Pathfinder has a GM Detroit 608bhp V16 diesel of 18.62 litres.

Some difficulties were experienced with traction both when descending and ascending gradients which go up to 1 in 2.5 severity but it was found possible to restart the vehicle on a 1 in 4 gradient and surmount a 1 in 2.9.

PSV section

The three vehicles in the psv section were put through different types of tests. The Seddon Pennine was driven over the London to Scotland and return operational trial route, the Bedford YRQ over the Cotswolds and Chilterns operational trial route and the Bedford/Deansgate 12-seater bus was given a complete test for this class of machine including fuel consumption checks with simulated pick-up stops.

The Seddon Pennine Four with Plaxton 51-seat body had the Perkins V8 179 bhp diesel (mounted centrally at the front end) and promised to be at home on any type of route. On the operational trial this proved to be exactly the case and although the fitting of the lowest ratio available in the design made fuel consumption relatively high for a vehicle grossing 11 tons 13.5cwt, it enabled the coach to show up well on the hilly and congested sections of the route. With a higher axle ratio it is likely that a very good fuel consumption would have been obtained without much deterioration in the gradient climbing ability. There was a very lively performance but it was felt that the coachbuilder, could have sound-proofed the engine compartment better. Noise level in the driving area was rather high when running at maximum speed; the cooling fan was particularly noisy.

The Bedford YRQ, which was tested with a Duple body having 45 seats, is unusual in having its underfloor engine mou vertically within the wheelbase. In spill this the floor is no higher than in a no design and the interior noise level in body was exceptionally low. The coach among the quietest passenger vehicles driven by the tester and on a par witl usually quite expensive rear-engined typ The steering on the YRQ particularly good and with consider redesign in respect of brake units this Bedford model never gave any cause doubting that the brakes were adequato the job they had to do. On a high-si motorway run the YRQ was nearly 3 more economical than the YAM and h 10 mph higher average speed. When tr to engage second quickly it was found the gear change mechanism could someti baulk at engaging the ratio readily. On other hand the ride characteristics excellent, as was the steering (not pc assisted).

• The steering of the Bedford CF on w the Deansgate 12-seat conversion is h was impressive and the coach could ric faulted on any major aspect of handlin driver and passenger comfort. W carrying a full load representing normal-size passengers the 12-seater running well within the gross weight lin the Bedford CF 35cwt van on which based: a dozen 20 stone heavyweights be carried within the gross weight limit, means that the vehicle will be ablt withstand heavier duty than normal and a bonus of extra life and reliability.

Light handling characteristics, exce steering and so on made the CF a far f tiring vehicle to drive and the effort nee apart from a heavy gear change, was no removed from that needed to drive a car And that completes the list; as has seen there was a varied bag of vehicles. signs are that the next 12 months produce an equally interesting selection road test and it is gratifying that n vehicles from British manufacturers ar the pipeline. There seems to be rene interest in providing vehicles for road t and this promises well for next ye review.