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Scania with power to go

Cab design

The new cab is a complete departure from the old 3-Series. It was styled jointly by Scania and Italian design house Bertone and features an upright windscreen with smooth, large-radius front corners on the sides, roof and under-bumper air dam. Air flow is further assisted by the exterior sun visor which channels air up to the roof deflector.

The fold-away bottom step and flush-fitting side windows help smooth flow around the sides of the cab.

Despite its vertical screen, drag on the new cab is up to 12°0 less than the 3Series. depending on the bodywork and equipment fitted. The cab is wider and longer than the 3-Series to give more interior space.

The first two Rcab models will be the Tontine and a standard sleeper. Topline models offer standing headroom of 1.97m over the engine cover and lower bunk. The added height is not solely due to the higher roof; the vee-shape of the front chassis rails allows the engine to be fitted 50mm lower in the chassis, reducing the floor height. The wider cab makes room for wardrobe hanging space at the end of the 2.0m bunk.

In the Topline the driver goes upstairs to bed. Instead of overhead lockers at the front of the cab, the main sleeping accommodation is in a 900mm-wide bunk over the seats which hinges up when not in use to give more headroom (see impressions, page 21) A switch panel allows the driver to control the night heater, interior lights, electric roof hatch and central locking from the top berth. Access is via a curved metal ladder which folds down over the passenger seat.

The rear bunk is split into three sections which allows the passenger seat to be pushed right to the back of the cab for extra standing space.

There is some under-bunk stowage, including exterior lockers, and a choice of a storage box or fridge between the seats. Four flat overhead lockers are built into the sides and rear.

The standard 4 Series sleeper cab offers more conventional accommodation with rear bunks and front overhead lockers. Even so, it still offers more headroom than in the current 3-Series Topline cab,

Scania drivers will feel at home behind the controls: the curved 3-Series dashboard has been carried over on the new range. However, there's a new steering wheel, column and control stalks with cruise control built into the left-hand stalk with the indicators and dip/flash. Washers and wipers are operated by the right hand stalk.

The new four-spoke steering wheel is adjustable for height and rake using a control on the left side of the column.

Fuses are conventionally mounted behind a hinged panel in front of the passenger seat which also contains the socket for plug-in diagnostic equipment.

The 4-Series gear levers are cab mounted, eliminating the hole in the floor and a source of noise. Optional dual-glazed side windows also help to reduce noise and offer better thermal insulation.

Scania claims an exclusive for its optional air-suspended luxury seat. It follows the design pioneered in the Volvo PH with a split backrest, all the usual adjustments, a two-part backrest and four pneumatic lumbar adjustments. The top of the backrest can be folded to form a table and the seat belt is built into the frame.

Four-point air suspension is standard on all cab variants. Steel is used throughout, except for plastic mouldings such as bumpers which are vulnerable to impact damage. The cab meets Swedish safety standards, although this is no longer a requirement since Sweden joined the EU. This means it must withstand a 1,000kg weight dropped from three metres onto one Apost. There is a similar test for the rear wall and it must support a static 15-tonne load on the roof.

Chassis

The vee-shaped front section makes room for a larger radiator and allows the bumper anchorages and cab mounts to be repositioned. This is said to offer greater cab stability with better protection of the steering components in case of a frontal impact.

The vee section flares outwards from just behind the cab, resulting in a wider front track.

Otherwise, the chassis, width and rear track is the same as the 3-Series, but it is made of a higher tensile steel.

There is a choice of rear air suspension with front parabolic springs, or air suspension all round. Air suspension systems are electronically controlled and 40% softer than before, thanks to larger suspension units. The electronic control allows two loading/unloading heights to be pre-programmed.

Engines

At least for the time being the 3Series, with the existing 11-litre engine, will be available alongside the new models. Beyond Euro-3 the 11-litre engine will disappear, so future developments will concentrate on the 12litre as the mainstay of the Rcabbed 4-Series models 400hp certainly won't be the only 12litre rating. Expect higher and lower-powered variants.

The gap between the latest 400hp 12-litre and 460hp 14-litre vee engines will clearly have to be filled. Having pioneered turbocompounding on production truck engines Scania could offer a double-blown diesel in the 4 Series some time in 1996 to help fill that gap.

The four-valves-per-cylinder design remains pure Scania with separate cylinder heads and a conventional fuel system. The valves are operated by a highmounted camshaft, roller cam followers and short pushrods. Separate cylinder heads rule out an overhead camshaft.

Articulated steel/aluminium pistons run in detachable cylinder liners. Scania is working with Cummins on fuel systems but for now at least the 12-litre engine will have the latest generation Bosch electronic diesel control (EDC). Standard features include cruise/PT() engine speed control and an automatic cold start facility. EDC can also communicate with other on-board electronic systems including the gearbox, retarder, brakes and traction control. The 12-litre models will be badged R124, The vee-eight engine, which also has the latest EDC system, is a development of the Euro-2 versions launched last year. Like the 12-litre engine, 530 variants feature articulated steel/aluminium pistons, with aluminium for 460 variants: 14-litre models will be badged R144.

Both engines will be offered with the 14-speed GRS900 rangechange and splitter box, as a manual or, for the first time, with the Opticruise semi-automated gearshift. It retains a standard clutch which is used for pulling away and coming to rest. The driver can use the gear lever to select upward or downward shifts, or leave the system to change gear automatically.

The box can be specified with S4:ania's own integral retarder as part of an integrated braking sys. tern. Electronics link the brake, retarder and exhaust brake: the system chooses which to apply when the brake pedal is pressed. Scania claims that this can reduce service brake use by 75%.

Renault, MAN and Iveco Ford have all launched disc-braked trucks, but the 4-series Scania will stick with drum brakes for the time being. According to Kaj Holmelius, Scania's vice-president of chassis and cab development and production, there are problems with combined disc/drum brake systems and Scania will only introduce an alldisc system on the 4-Series. An electronically actuated braking system will be available within 12 months, he adds.

The smaller P-cab models should be here by September or October 1996 but Scania is not saying much about its plans for the 85-litre engine except that "it will be the same story" and will clear the 1996 Euro-2 hurdle without electronic add-ons.

Market

As reported last week, the 3Series will stay in production until the end of 1996 and the 4Series models will not immediately replace the existing models.

According to UK sales and marketing director Charles Rabbidge, the first right-handdrive models to arrive in the UK will be the R124 400 and R144 5304x2 Topline tractive units.

Until August 1996 there will be no standard sleeper cabs and no R144 460s; between January and June the UK will probably get only 25 RHD 4-Series models a month although a few 6x2 tagaxle models may be among them.

Operators who cannot wait for full RID production to start may be able to order left-hookers.

The official UK launch is scheduled for June with the full RHD line-up available from August.

Cab comfort

While fleet engineers will be most interested in the 4-Series' powertrain, drivers will want to know if the latest products from SOdertalje have maintained Scania's enviable reputation for cab comfort.

Is it better than the 3-Series? Does it match up to the Volvo FR? The short answer to those questions is yes, and yes.

Through clever use of available space and with a keen eye for detail, Scania has produced a cab that even the most discerning will find hard to fault.

While the 3-Series' trademark curving binnacle, complete with all those blanked-off switch positions, is carried over to the new range it has been redesigned to look less intrusive. The previously dash-mounted EDC-based cruise control switches have now been relocated to an infinitely more practical stalk on the left hand of the wheel and we were pleased to find that Scania has opted for a more user friendly steering column adjustment. Twist the control one way to alter the height and twist it the other to alter the steering wheel angle. It's not as good as the Volvo one-shot pedal adjustment, but it's probably the next best thing.

That, and the new seat, gives an enormous range of adjustment which beats most of its rivals and should suit just about all shapes and sizes of driver. Round one to the 4-Series.

The new grey trim is muted and practical; the rubber floor mats and plastic covering on the engine hump look hard-wearing and easy to clean. And the 4 Series' lower engine hump means you no longer have to struggle to get from the driver's seat into the passenger area, as you do in the existing models.

There's certainly more room in the 4 Series. We have always wondered why a country which produces tall people has consistently built trucks with less than average headroom. Now, within the space of a month, Both Volvo arid Scania have launched products which finally fit their lofty countrymen.

The top bunk is a clever piece of packaging, offering accommodation of Magnum-beating proportions. The "standard" L-cab roofline is now as high as the 3Series Topline sleeper. More importantly, the 4 Series' Topline cabin tackles all the complaints of lack of standing room in Scania's high-roof sleeper.

The new Topline's top bunk is mounted so it hinges on the front wall. As a result the bottom bunk now has plenty of space over it (1.97m compared with the 3 Series' 1.52m) and a driver can stand on the engine hump or lower bed without banging his head.

How do they do that? Simply by using a flat windscreen and not raking the Topline's A-posts back, as is the case in the curved Volvo PH cab, or filling up the

forward overhead space with deep lockers in the headlining, as in the Iveco EuroStar or Daf Super Space cab.

The Topline setup works well. Access to the top bunk using the swing-down ladder is easy, although many drivers will ignore it and simply tilt the top of the driver's seat back flat and use it as a step up. Scania says it's strengthened it for just that reason.

The top bunk has a comfortable sprung mattress and at last there's room to spread out. When not in use the top bunk swings up on hydraulic dampers and is held against the roof by a strap. But we reckon that drivers will leave it down and stow bags on it where they'll be held firm against the front of the cab in the event of heavy braking. Is this the end of nets on top bunks?

Where the Topline configuration does lose out against the EuroStar or Super Space Cab is that it can't match their deep headlining lockers. However, the Top line's slim lockers on the rear and side walls will take clothes or support a TV when the lid is swung down. What they can't take is big bags or bulky objects. Most drivers will probably accept the compromise, but we're not entirely convinced.

David Burke, Scania GB's sales and marketing manager, says: "We need to make drivers aware of the possibilities of using the space in the Topline. When long-haul drivers get in the cab where do they keep their clothes? In their bag. But with these lockers they can actually keep them neatly instead of getting crumpled up."

There's further storage space in the headlining and a slim centre console box. Whether the Topline front bunk works in practice we'll have to see. But it will be at the top of our list for test trucks for next year's CM Sleeper Cab Test.

Scania's attention to detail on the 4 Series has certainly paid dividends. The really positive electric window switches stand proud of the door trim so there's no more fumbling in the dark.

The infinitely variable airsprung driver's seat (made specially for Scania by Isri) should fit even the most awkwardly shaped driver; our only reservation is that the seat is now festooned with a fistful of switches which on one of the trucks we drove needed a fair amount of manipulation before anything happened. If you're going to make seats that fancy they have to be reliable.

All this is combined with regular long-haul "must-haves" like 12V sockets, air conditioning and, on L models, a new electronic temperature control (ETC) system to maintain a constant temperature in the cab—even the heater is quieter, thanks to moving the fan motors outside. Interior noise has not always been a Scania strong point but, helped no doubt by its dual glazed side windows, the new model is a big improvement on its predecessors.

On the road

CM drove a selection of 4-Series models at the launch last week. As UK operators are most likely to be interested in the R124 400; our first drive was in a Topline tractor fitted with the 400hp 12litre engine, Opticruise automated gear shift and the integrated braking system.

We drove the 4-Series in gusty conditions which tested wind as well as road and engine noise penetration. If it's not as good as the whispering giants from MAN and Volvo, it certainly isn't far behind.

The R124 is a willing worker with a good spread of torque. It won't set any new class standards however. The Cummins M11 380 is a more impressive performer and we reckon the Volvo FH12 420 could see it off without much difficulty. Even so, it has plenty to offer with more than adequate urge for 38 tonnes. Ride and handling are traditional Scania strengths and the 4Series does not disappoint. Even the high roof Topline offers a finely controlled ride with minimal cab roll.

Air-suspended cab, drive axle and seat too often lead to the legendary plate-of-jelly ride, but the Scania was remarkably float free. We tried locking up the air suspended seat but the difference was minimal.

The 4 Series' integral seat belts hold the driver firmly without being restrictive. There's also talk of fitting Scania truck cabs with driver air bags before the end of 1996 although Lars Gardell, director of development chassis and cabs, says that such devices "could give a false sense of safety". He says seatbelts offer the greatest safety potential in a collision or rollover.

The Topline's flat screen gives good all-round visibility, helped by the firmly mounted mirrors. They're no smaller than those on the 3-Series but do appear to be better positioned to cut down on blind spots.

For those seeking more power, there are the R144 vee-eight 460 and 530 models. These are traditionally popular with owner-drivers and we can't see much that will dent their enthusiasm. The 460 has enough torque to bother some of its 500hp rivals and should satisfy all but the most power hungry. For those, we suspect that only the 530 will do. It has stump-pulling torque and we found that the splitter was unnecessary on level ground.

Full-air suspension earned high marks for its float-free ride, but they don't do much that steel/air models couldn't match.

In some respects the 4-Series is conservative to the point of being cautious. In others, it bears the stamp of a product where every part has been tried and tested. In other words, it feels like a Scania.

The 4-Series' future looks rosy.