D verywhere you look today, technol ogy is tripping over
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itself to stay in front. Buy any of the latest hi-tech goods in virtually any sphere and you can guarantee that almost before you've mastered the controls, and almost certainly before
you've paid for them, they are obsolete. From the mid-fifties onwards the American motor industry was always being accused of planned obsolescence, but even with its new range every year it doesn't begin to compare to today's product cycles, seemingly measured in weeks. The result is often a product which is unproven until the consumer finds the bugs the hard way.
One area, though, where such principles would be suicidal is truck manufacturing. With high overheads and low margins, hauliers wouldn't survive if they had to moonlight as unpaid testers. Consequently, new technology has to prove its worth beyond doubt before cynical operators sign on the line. And few demonstrate hard-nosed conservatism more than those in the constiuction sector: the tippermen.
Scania's latest offering for the full CM test treatment demonstrates the philosophy perfectly. With a traditional big, torquey engine and simple transmission, brakes and suspension, it adds technology-rich features such as electronic unit injection and anti-lock brakes only where the benefits are proven beyond question.
PRODUCT PROFILE
Scania's contribution to the construction sector is its class C range, featuring two, three and four-axle rigids and two and three-axled tractive units. There is a model available for just about every niche in the tipper and mixer market. Accommodation ranges from a lowroof day cab to a high-roof sleeper, with a pair of bonneted T-cab versions thrown in for good measure. Add engine choices from the ninelitre 26o up to the new 16-litre V8 580, a host of transmissions including the automated Opticruise and the GA652 fully automatic torque converter six-speeder, and a choice of frame, wheelbase and suspension specifications, and it would amazing to see two identi
cal class C trucks come off the line together.
This test looks at the Pi 14 CB8x4 HZ34o tipper. In English, that's a 34-tonne design 8x4, with the smallest cab, a high-level chassis, and steel parabolic springs at both ends. Its engine is the Scania DCri-or; a Euro-2 io.6-litre, straight-six with electronic unit injection rated at a nominal 340hp—a 380hp version is optional. This drives through Scania's own GR9oo gearbox, with four main ratios and two range ratios, together with a single crawler speed.
Supported by the all-steel suspension which has an inverted four-leaf spring on each side of the rear bogie, Scania's high-level chassis is fitted with three-leaf springs on the now standard straight front axles; no anti-roll bars are fitted on this wheelbase version, The rear bogie comprises a pair of single-reduction axles pulling the fastest (3.68:1) ratio-3.95 and 4.24 options are available for hill-dwellers.
Our example came with the optional traction control, which can be turned off if a little more wheelspin becomes desirable.
The test truck is on the shortest of four wheelbase options, the longest adding another 1.40m. It is equipped with a conventional 18.6 m3 aggregates body from newcomers Rouse and Beer, lifted by Edbro front gear and sheeted by the ubiquitous Dawbarn Evertaut system. the whole lot weighs in at 1,899kg.
PRODUCTIVITY
Its engine may be the lower rated of the two ro.6-litre engines available, but there's nothing low rate about the P it4 340's productivity figures. Among the group of most recent 8)4 tipper test subjects in our comparison chart, the Scania's overall figure of 8,39mpg inches it ahead of the competition. With the route spat into A-road and motorways sections, the Scania is beaten into second place by two different opponents, but its consistency over the whole route wins the day.
The impressive fuel consumption wasn't achieved by crawling around the route, however. It also recorded the highest average speed of the group, despite road conditions which were no better than average, with a par ticularly creditable motorway performance.
If outright payload was your ultimate priority you wouldn't be looking at a heavy-duty chassis such as the Scania's, but the weight penalty, compared with a lightweight "onhighway" type, is barely half a tonne. The Rouse and Beer body which was fitted to the test truck gives a usable payload within a whisker of 21 tonnes.
Daily checks will not eat into the working day too badly, with a few moments spent opening the grille and front corner panels revealing dipstick, coolant reservoir and the other less frequently needed fluids. Any oil needed is added from behind the cab's nearside rear corner. In dusty conditions, it's good to know that the pollen filter can be removed and shaken out in less time than it takes to read about it. The screen wash bottle lives behind the nearside step while the lower grille, which drops down to reveal the towing points and to create a vast platform allegedly capable of supporting three men, means there is no excuse for the bits of screen missed by the wipers to be neglected.
The lower grille also serves well as an impromptu picnic bench, with the main panel acting as a sun shade or, more likely, as an umbrella. Although most of the Scania's light bulbs need tools for replacement, the necessary screwdrivers for lens removal are thoughtfully included in the spare bulb kit.
No 8x4 is going to win prizes for autotesting and the Scania, with its front axle spread of nearly two metres, is no exception with a turning circle of arm. The weight and gearing of the steering, however, is just about right for the job.
ON THE ROAD
Scania's recommendations place it firmly in -the camp that believes in using first normal gear for starting off in most situations, in the interests of clutch life and general mechanical well-being. But this is no hardship, as just two further changes through the odd numbers sees you in high range where, for the most part, you can stay.
The gear lever is close at hand—maybe too close, as our tester's left leg occasionally operated the side-mounted range-change button unintentionally. As is normal with Scania's gearboxes, a slight pause is needed during range changes, as a rushed shift is likely to end up in neutral. You soon get into the habit of listening for the epicyclic gear train to engage.
With the subtleties of the gear change mastered, it was time to pit the Scania against the clock at the proving ground. Not surprisingly, its performance eclipsed the two lower powered opponents in the comparison group, and lost to the MAN 364 in the o-5okm/h and 32-64kmjh runs by three seconds each time.
But surprisingly, and arguably more importantly, the torquey and flexible Scania outperformed the MAN on the 48-64km/h run by half a second, while out on the road, its advantage up the daunting challenge of Edge Hill was a full second.
The performance of the all-drum braking system deserves a special mention. In the highest speed test on the track, from 64krn/h, the application of the CM tester's 105kg on the pedal reiulted in what was described on the test sheet as "perfect". No locking, no pulling and not even any ABS chatter through the pedal—just a clean stop 3.2.m (or a Ford Fiesta) shorter than the nearest contemporary. Unfortunately, the park brake was not quite so impressive, although it finally held on the i-in-3 slope after creeping for a couple of metres, it was so close to being defeated by the laws of physics that we only recorded a pass on the I-in-4 slope.
The exhaust brake operates on the first two inches of the service brake pedal's travel; when switched to automatic it can be virtually forgotten. Once its operation becomes famil
iar, it soon becomes a fully integrated part of everyday driving. Sampling its cornering prowess at the proving ground to well beyond normal limits showed the Scania to have reserves capable of satisfying even the most bonus-motivated of muckaway drivers.
Once the weight hunkers down onto the springs there is hardly any further roll, despite the absence of anti-roll bars. And it's not as if the suspension is rock solid—it is firm but it coped with the worst surfaces our route could provide without any discomfort.
CAB COMFORT
Scania's cabs have built up a strong reputation for driver appeal, and just because they get their boots dirtier than their distribution brethren doesn't mean that tipper drivers have to lose out on comfort. Our version's low-mounted C-cab, with its high engine hump, effectively rules out reaching the passenger seat without a short walk in the fresh air, but cab entry and exit is easy enough. The two external cab steps are quite widely spaced, but not enough to be a problem.
The wraparound dash gives the feeling of being in "mission control". The instrument panel houses a full-sized tachograph and a smaller rev-counter, with the usual complement of gauges for fuel, coolant and air being complemented by oil pressure and voltmeter displays. The left-hand stalk of the tilt and telescope column is a busy place, with dip and indicator switches sharing room with the cruise control, which also has a memory for PTO operating speed, while the right stalk controls the wipers.
A switch panel at the left of the dash houses switches for traction control, mirror heat, white smoke reduction, exhaust brake and headlamp levelling; controls for the main lights and the cross and inter-axle diff locks is directly in front of the driver. A secondary switch panel above the screen contains a prewired beacon switch as well as the interior lighting master switch. Cab lighting is comprehensive, with three map lights and a pair each of general interior and step lights.
electric windows are fitted, but there's no central locking. The windows don't fully retract into the door frames, which can be mildly irritating at times. The heated mirrors, with their smoothly styled brackets, give good visibility and have well protected glasses, with the passenger side being electrically adjusted. A Clarion RDS/EON radio-cassette unit is mounted above the screen, next to a spare DIN aperture for a new-generation tachograph or, as in the test truck's case, a VeMis data logging unit. Two DIN power sockets, one i2V and one 24V, and a cigar lighter should meet all the supplementary power needs of a day cab. A nice residual-friendly touch is the vertical plastic strip between the instrument panel, designed for mounting a cab-phone, which can be cheaply replaced when the phone is removed, avoiding unsightly holes.
The powerful heating and ventilation system does not feature recirculation, but the standard pollen filter is claimed to remove the need for it. Each occupant gets a pair of fresh air vents, and there is a furl complement of side window demisting slots.
Options fitted
Adjustable steering
Staggered fold-down sun visors cover all the gaps, while the view forward is helped by the low-bottomed screen.
Seats are trimmed in grey velour, with the driver having a well-specified Isri air-suspended item. Features include two levels of heating, an extending cushion and two separate lumbar adjustments, as well as the usual controls for cushion and squab angle, height and reach. The passenger makes do with sliding and reclining, but on the test truck was treated to a handy table surface from the options list, fitted to the dash above the fuse box.
A large but shallow-lidded box between the seats accommodates most odds and ends, such as maps, delivery notes and copies of The Sporting Life. There are also numerous nooks and crannies for storing other smallish items, but in this smallest of Scania cabs anything as big as an overnight bag would have to live on the passenger seat or in the footwell,
SUMMARY
They say that noone ever got fired for buying I BM computers, and it is equally unlikely that any fleet manager will receive a P45 for specifying Scania. With residuals likely to be as firm as the handling, it represents a pretty safe bet.
The Scania P114 340 8x4's low-tech spec belles its ability. It should not be quite this economical, quite this quick or be able to carry quite this much, but it is. Maybe it should not handle quite as well or ride quite as comfortably, but it does. Maybe you could even spend a night in the cosy cab—well, all right, no, but you may well get an extra load in before going home for tea.
• by Colin Barnett