SCANIA P1lit Now this is a proper fleet tractor! Despite
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more than 160,000km on the clock, this Weetabix fleet tractor looked new, which is a testament to good use of materials. And though it's a small cab, with air suspension only on the rear axle, the Scania's noise and ride measurements are the best of the group. This is a very sound performer.
Sleeper's comments The Scania P sleeper cab may be as wide as the top-of-the range Topline (it also shares the quality of build and finish) but in all other instances it's pretty darn small, and by no means a fully fledged live-in truck. To be fair to Scania, however, it's only designed for the odd night away. The space factor really hits home when it comes to getting changed. Contortionists will enjoy themselves but for the rest of us it's not much better than changing in a car.
On the plus side, the bunk's firm and wide enough for your average sized driver.
So what of the all-important heater? We were expecting a lot of heat with such a compact cab. In fact with the Weetabix logo on the side our sleeper had images of being shrunk to the size of one of those free gifts in cereal packets. In fact the heater was one of the least efficient in our test group. It managed to reach 12.5°C only after 30 minutes of full blast and 14°C overall after being turned back on in the small hours.
Storage wise there's a partition at the driver's head for clothes to be hung up and two sizeable lockers under the bunk. An aircraftstyle net on the headboard will hold the latest copy of CM and there's an adjustable reading lamp for insomniacs. Other lights include two spots in the cab ceiling.
No one will complain about the odd night in the Scania P sleeper cab. It's just a shame there's not more room to change.
• Charles Young Expert's comments: The Scania's wrap-around dash design favours the driver, although cross-cab access is poor. Modular switch inserts help uniformity while keeping tooling costs manageable, and visible fixings look "technical". Fit is not as good as the MAN's, but the Scania is more welcoming.
Heater controls are easy to understand, but shouldn't the heated mirror control be grouped with them? Switch stalks are positive, but the steering column cowl "clonks" as they operate.
Stowage is limited by the lowprofile cab design and high engine hump, but there is adequate space for oddments. There is no fabric on the doors, but a well-integrated design makes up for it—still, the obtrusive door check strap can bang a careless shin.
The seat is excellent, with good detail design and durable-looking fabric, and the rubber floor mats are lipped to catch mud and slush. The simple bunk design matches the seat, but the mattress is split to increase usable under-bunk space.
Ride comments The Scania's combined results were probably the best out of the group, with an especially good performance on the brokenconcrete surface.
The sharpest bumps were kept to a very low amplitude, and while the suspension made quite a lot of noise over the worst bits, it was not quite as loud as the Merc.
Interestingly the vertical shocks through the floor were slightly better than the Iveco, which had air suspension on the front axle!