T he wind had wormed its way through seven layers of
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clothing. Hands and faces were like magnets to the persistent drizzle. Our feet ached, our minds were numb, and the darned compressor wouldn't start...
Everything was running to form in the annual Commercial Motor Cab Test (although of course the weather was worse in the old days!).
We'd finally gathered seven cabs at the MIRA proving ground near Nuneaton after a couple of near noshows from the new Leyland Dal 95 and the Mercedes Actros. These were the first right-hookers in the UK and they arrived with minutes to spare.
It was our first chance to take a good look at the Renault, and the first opportunity to put the Scania on the ride meter. The cabs were comparable on most counts except that the Foden, MAN and Volvo were 6x2s.
Did this mean they would ride better than the 4x2s from Leyland Daf, Mercedes, Scania and Renault?
As in previous years we spent two days measuring and photographing each cab, assessing heat and noise insulation and measuring ride qualify. We finished on the second night by sleeping in the cabs (employing some reluctant help from our non-testing colleagues). Mattress assessments were carried out by Asghar Khan, quality assurance manager for Silentnight.