DRIVERS' VERDICTS
Page 36
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As is our wont, we took the MAN out on the road and asked some professional drivers to take it for a spin...
Dave Hopkinson has been driving on the Continent for more than 30 years, since he was 18. When we met him at BP's Swindon truckstop he was in the cab of the Leyland Daf 85.360 that he drives for Knight Berkeley, waiting for a call to send him to Italy. He jumped up into the cab and without hesitation said: "This seat is very soft. I like to have the suspension harder than this." We showed him how to adjust the damper and the other seat adjustments to his liking, then went on to explain the gearbox with indicators for high range and high split on the dash. "The last MAN I drove had column change!" he told us. "I can't reach the exhaust brake easily. I do a lot of work in Italy and I use the exhaust brake a lot. It's essential if you don't want to cook the linings." Out on the road he said: "It pulls well and it keeps up in traffic. All of the controls are handily spread around the driving position; the pedals are about the right height for me. It's quieter than mine." As we returned to the park Hopkinson reversed it neatly. "The steering takes no effort and it's got a good lock," he commented. "I think it's got more room to move about in than mine and the centre box is all right for papers. It's fitted with lights for double bunks and the night heater is automatic. I see it has seat belts but I don't like to wear them in a truck. It's low powered but it seems to be ideal for supermarket work where there isn't much weight."
Hopkinson: "It seems to be ideal For supermarket work."
Ex-stockman Leighton Jones was up from Llantrisant near Cardiff in an older MAN 262 powered by a 9.97-litre fivecylinder engine delivering 10hp less than our test vehicle's smaller 6.87-litre unit. He was much bigger than our previous driver and pushed the seat right back before he climbed in. "I know where it needs to be," he told us. "There's just about enough room and the seat seems to give plenty of support but it doesn't have any lumbar adjustment like the Volvo. The layout looks much the same as mine but here the wiper switch is on the other side of the column, the radio has got a slightly bigger display and it's got a headlight leveller. It might be about the same power but it's got a bit more guts than mine and it's quieter. The power starts to drop off if the revs are taken too high above the green. The gearbox feels about the same but we're quicker through the gears. "Visibility is very good all round," he added. "The roller blinds are better than the one you pull down; they cover most of the width of the screen and only leave a little gap in the middle. The air suspension on the drive axle gives a smooth ride. My bunk is higher which gives me room to stow things underneath—you can't do that with this bunk and there isn't much room anywhere else."