id-weight Boxer's owerful punch
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Graham Montgomerie tests LV's medium-weight rigid.
AS FAR as the overall commercial vehicle market is concerned, Leyland is represented in pretty well nearly every sector from the mini-van up to the Scammell.
In the 10 to 16-ton category, the Leyland contender is the Boxer, with a choice of seven rigids from 10 to 16.2 tonnes (9.84 to 16 tons) gross, plus a 20-tonne tractive unit. The particular model which I have just tested was the BX 1325 in long wheelbase haulage form, complete with the latest G-range cab.
Overall the Boxer proved itself capable of returning good journey times without being heavy on diesel. The one poor aspect of its measured performance was the braking result, which was disappointing.
Specification Two versions of the Leyland 98-series engine are available for the Boxer range. Our test model had the turbocharged 698TV which delivers 1 02kW (1 37bhp) at 2,500rpm. At just over 1 3 tons gross, this gave the Boxer a power-to-weight ratio of over 10bhp /ton and its performance on the road reflected this.
A five-speed Turner gearbox is standard, with synchromesh on the upper four ratios. Top gear is direct which, when using the high ratio of the Eaton twospeed axle, gave the Boxer a top speed of 106km /h (66mph). In this context "Eaton axle" is something of a misnomer, as it is a Leyland axle casing fitting with the Eaton driving head.
Earlier this year, a restyled cab interior was announced for the G cab which is fitted to a great number of Leylands — the rier, Boxer, Mastiff and ler Mastiff from the hum/ Light Vehicle division the Chieftain, Clydesdale Reiver from the Heavy divi
he plain black trim of the ier models has been aced by a two-tone brown -y, nutmeg and coriander!) olstery with brushed nylon re panels to the seats. The or controls have been reI at the driver's fingertips er than on the screen header
iormance
'he well matched drive-line a the Boxer an impressive ormance. On the motorway ion it proved to be a real r, averaging 88km /h 9mph) to the end of M45. 3 high speed was not 'eyed at the expense of a
fu -1 consumption. as can see by the results in the )rn • nying table,
'ehi les tested over the CM lani s route are notoriously ins' tent relating fuel coniptiin to road conditions. le de well on the motorway, a eimparatively poor figure A-r ad operation and vice ;a, but the Boxer was res ve in its consistency — pit a 10-minute crawl ug the outskirts of Kenilth, courtesy of the traffic iin to the Royal Show.
lver:II the Boxer BX 1325 red hat it has the ability to Ibin' good fuel consumption shirt journey times. Over 1 0-odd miles of the ratiinal trial route, the Boxer irrizd 21.1 lit/ 100km .4 pg) at the very high rag speed of 63km /h 2m • h).
)n t e test gradients at MIRA on he hills throughout the I se tion, the Boxer's perfor
ice as first class. In first (s cond was adequate on leve ) and the low axle ratio, spo ed of the 1 in 4 hill with liffi ulty, in spite of being at lim t of the park brake's ty but more about the :es I ter.
;oin up the long Fish Hill ib out of Broadway, the ar was in one of those classic ring situations where one was too high and the next down was too low, • In spite his, it went up the hill dly alternating between I hich and third low.
fur test Boxer was the longn the Leyland range, with a elbase of 5.1m (16ft 9in). g wheelbase rigids can letimes be a little cumbere and although the Boxer iled well on the road, the turning circle at well over 20 metres is on the large side.
The steering on the Leyland is cam-and-lever with power assistance standard on the 1325. In general I liked the ease of control which this gave — it helped to cancel out the relative lack of lock,
Braking
As far as the measured performance of the Boxer was concerned, what let it down was the braking test. The 1425 and larger models have a full-air split system but smaller models have an air-actuated hydraulic layout utilising spring brakes for parking. I was very disappointed to
find that in spite of having nearly 50sqin / ton of lining area, the Boxer took over 120ft to stop from 40mph.
As I hoped that this was not typical for a Boxer, I asked the Leyland engineers if they could check it out on return to base. On going through the system they found that the fluid in the front half of the system was contaminated. On retesting it for their own satisfaction, the Leyland lads recorded just over 90ft from 40mph.
The park brake did not exactly complement the excellent hill-climbing ability of the Boxer. Although, as I mentioned earlier, a 1 in 4 restart was achieved, it was only possible by slipping the clutch fairly hard as the park brake would not hold. On the 1 in 5, however, it held the vehicle quite safely.
Accessibility
Although the restyled cab is an improvement over the original, it is a great shame that Leyland has not done anything to make tilting the cab easier. To complete this exercise still means disconnecting the steering and removing a couple of bolts. Leyland argues that an experienced fitter can do the job in a few minutes and that the cab should not need to be tilted very often anyway, but the fact remains that the Boxer falls far behind the opposition on this score.
Once the cab is tilted, however, accessibility is as good as any. The cab does not need to be tilted for routine level checking. A small panel on the engine cowl gives access to the dipstick and oil filler and the header tank behind the cab are in easy reach to check the coolant.
Driver comfort
In the area of driver comf was impressed with the B( The restyled cab proved a fortable place to spend a In ing day yvith the controls, major ad minor, within reach. It is nice to report tha comfort of the long-haul oi is spreading to the med weight category.
One minor point whicl trigues me about the cu design of cab interiors is Leyland, MAN and Scania all arrived at the same idea steering wheel boss.
Even when working harc noise level was never exce in the Boxer's cab. Most ti charged engines exhibit characteristic turbine whinE with the 6-98TV it was al impossible to tell whether i blown or not.
With this type of vehicIE driver is often in and out c cab many times during a and it is here that the E notches up a very def "plus" with excellent ea entry and exit, courtesy of sited steps and a grab hanE
Summary
As a cost-effective pie capital equipment, the f showed up very well.
Ignoring the braking pi mance, which was hopeful isolated occurrence, my major criticism concern! cab-tilting method.
The basic chasses pric the BX 1325 is £8,670. addition of the two-speed (£357), rear dampers (E rear mudwings (£39) an( driver's suspension seat (E brought the chassis price £9,231 as tested.