MAN Lifts The MANtle!
Despite the worst weather conditions encountered on a Scottish test for some time, MAN’s TGA 26.440 threw down the EGR gauntlet and returned a stunning overall performance. Our regular ‘wheel MAN’ John Henderson delivers his MANdate! SINCE the year 2000, MAN’s TGA range has ensconced itself in many fleets and won over plenty of new customers by delivering a wide range of rock solid qualities. In the build up to Euro 4 emissions standards, this manufacturer had a magnificent ace up its sleeve in the shape of its D20 and D26 engines which would indeed confirm to the new regulations, but without the need for any additional urea additives. History and market share statistics now tell us just how successful these motors became and continue to be, across a huge range of customer types. I’d nagged MAN’s public relations people for some time, looking for a TGA to test and it initially seemed slightly ironic that when one duly arrived last October, it was then perhaps obsolete having been superseded by the new TGS/TGX range launched four weeks earlier. Further thought however gave a couple of good reasons to go ahead, one being I never refuse a drive in anything and more importantly, the power train and mechanical set up in the new range is all but identical to its well proven predecessor. Last October was a busy month for testing with a good selection of manufacturers heading north before the weather broke for the winter. The generally fine settled conditions prevailed for all but one of our tests and fate decided that the TGA 26.440 pulled the short straw, suffering a day of incessant driving rain brought in by a robust westerly breeze. My concerns about the MAN’s potential performance began early in my car on the drive across country from Midlothian to Abington, as I gingerly picked my way through a series of floods and one diversion as a result of the ongoing deluge. With this amount of surface water fuel consumption was definitely going to suffer and walking around checking the white unit and trailer, with their EGR extolling ‘add nothing’ graphics, my main line of thinking was just to do my level best to see if I could salvage some semi reasonable results with a canny drive in the downpour, that was forecast to last all day. WELCOMING Once aboard, the LX high roof sleeper cab was a warm and welcoming place to be and although a slightly narrower option, it’s primarily aimed at the fleet sector and is really a great place to work and live. Our truck came with a single bunk (two are the standard fitment) and this option certainly creates a lot more space, adding to the roomy feel. Storage space is best described as generally adequate and is complemented by an under bunk, slide out cool box with fold down table. The single bed option obviously frees up a great deal of space on the rear cab headline area and it would be worth MAN’s while to offer some sort of built in cupboards there. Having said that though, I am reliably informed the new S and X models do have a vastly improved range of cubby holes and cabinets. The TGA’s steering wheel is one of the largest diameter units in the business and once sat behind it, you appreciate the logic of its size by the amount of information that can be viewed through its internal area. The easy to live with wheel’s black and silver centre hub contains the usual array of radio, phone, cruise and information buttons and these are well placed and a joy to use. All the other dashboard switches are logically arranged and close to hand. The handbrake lever and drive selector switch, located down left of the driver’s seat, were in my opinion marginally too far back for frequent use. This again, I believe has now been rectified with the newcomers. MAN’s ever comfortable high backed air suspended seat has a built in headrest, shoulder edges and adjustable lumbar support, all of which make for a good day’s sitting with no aches or pains encountered. The black plastic finish of the dash area and door panels are offset by the lighter floor and furnishing finishes which help keep the interior bright by reflecting the daylight. Heading off north on the M74, despite the billowing spray and rain, visibility fore and aft was good through the large windscreen and side windows and the four rear view mirrors. Between junction 13 and Glasgow’s eastern fringes, the M74 consists of many surface changes including the noisy concrete variety. The depth of water filled ruts in the left hand lane varied enormously en route, so one of my first check areas was the stopping units. Thankfully the all round discs came with an antilock system (ABS), antis slip regulation (ASR) and the now almost industry standard of electronic braking operation (EBS.) These units and their associated acronyms worked away superbly offering predictable and nicely graduated stopping forces, resulting in a CRD (completely reassured driver!). Additional retardation was via the right hand stalk of the steering column to a useful engine brake, which under most circumstances easily kept any potential over run speeds well in check. The damp conditions were also a good test of the windscreen wipers and heating and ventilation systems, with the twin arms and blades offering a good swept volume area of the front glass and the automatic temperature control of the air conditioning system ensuring mist free vision at all times, in a comfortable environment. THRIFTY SIPPER Progress northwards to Perthshire’s timed hill climbs was cautious but good and the TGA set a respectable first figure on Cairnie Brae, just a few seconds shy of the 500bhp plus truck standard. It was therefore disappointing on the next gradient to be baulked by slow moving vehicles and despite my best efforts with an early right indicator, not a single motorist would let me out to overtake, forcing abandonment of all measurements this time. The D20 engine is a remarkable unit and once on the move it’s hard to believe that ‘only’ 440bhp is being produced. The six cylinder in-line, turbocharged unit delivers good pick away torque and the common rail electronic diesel control ensures a crisp, meaty response every time the right pedal is pushed downwards. Operationally it’s generally a quiet motor too, with just enough decibel feedback in the cab to make you aware of the ongoing state of affairs. Producing the maximum power at 1,990rpm the engine also features an almost flat torque curve from 1,000-1,400 revs, which allows you to let it lug right down and down on the climbs, saving shifts and the contents of the 480 litre fuel tank. Talking of diesel, on arrival at the first stop at Kinross my first calculations revealed a consumption figure of 8.14mpg, which left me wondering what might have been had the roads been dry. Nevertheless it spurred me on to keep trying on the next sectors to see if the proverbial cat could indeed be pulled out of the bag. On the advice of John Griffiths, my MAN minder for the day, to get the best out of this particular TGA’s TipMatic gear change system, a mixture of automatic and manual intervention was advisable. Anything that requires a ratio below 10th is best left to the truck’s onboard sensors, such as stop start traffic, junctions and roundabouts. Once out on clearer routes, the finer details of progress can be addressed by manual shifting as required, observing of course what the vehicle cannot see in the shape of the road ahead. A button on the end of the right hand stalk shifts across these two parameters and I found the set up straightforward to use. Moves up and down the gears are by the usual pull/push method respectively and I thought this control was slightly over sensitive, occasionally jumping two cogs as a result of me holding on to the lever for a millisecond too long. However some serious concentration soon allowed acclimatisation and rectification with the finely set control. About 60% of the Fife second sector is on two way, 40mph restricted roads and the MAN was quite happy to sit in 12th (top) and lug down to just a shade below 1,000rpm to cope with any undulations, resulting in another encouraging result of 8.86mpg. A manual ZF 16 speed, range change, splitter gearbox can also be opted for on this motor, but adds 65kg to the kerb weight. RAINBOW WARRIOR The new M9 spur has transformed the mid afternoon departure from South Queensferry, with traffic conditions now far removed from the days of the stop/start A8000. True to the day’s form though, the MAN was put to a difficult challenge with a huge fuel spill affecting the full width of the left hand lane right down to the M8 split just after the Newbridge roundabout. The tell-tale rainbow spectrum shine added to the challenge of wet roads and put my mind to a sharp focus onto the MAN’s steering and handling abilities. As mentioned earlier the multi function steering wheel allows good control and ultra fine positioning through the ZF8098 servocom hydraulically assisted system. The TGA 26.440 has a wheelbase of 2,600mm between the first and second axles and although the latter is fixed and not steered the tractor handled remarkably well and was always sure footed throughout the day. Taperleaf springs, dampers and a stabiliser bar keep the front axle in check with the two rear units having the same ancillary components, albeit with air bags replacing the steel leafs. Running fully loaded with a ballast loaded box van trailer, these units were more than up to the job and despite one big emergency swerve to avoid an agricultural tractor emerging from a side road on the left, complete with protruding raised front forks, this set up always felt well within its limits. As we’ve come to expect from this maker the standard of chassis engineering is top notch and the bolted and riveted 8mm thick, high tensile steel rails and their associated fitments impressing on the detailed, cursory inspection. Once clear of the road slick it was business as usual for the last sector and the weather too with the continuing precipitation putting an extra dimension on this most challenging leg of the three part test. It’s the mark of a well sorted wagon when in situations like these it does not put a wheel wrong and believe me the 295/80R22.5 tyres were indeed being asked questions on the A702. Higher than usual traffic levels kept me on my toes, but the MAN is a forgiving vehicle to drive. It’s hard to believe that a finely engineered vehicle such as this has already been superseded and I’m sure that interest from operators in the brace of new models from Munich is sure to be intense. Back to the TGA though and with one last trick up its inlet manifold, the D20 raised my eyebrows somewhat with a first ever (checked and verified) figure of 7mpg for the last segment which brought its overall sector average up to a league topping 8mpg - despite the conditions! With the manufacturer claiming at least 2mpg improvement from the new TGS/X cabs we await a full measured evaluation of these recent arrivals with baited breath. With nearly all the truck makers now reporting long lead times, so second hand and nearly new vehicles have become a desirable commodity for many operators. Our test was primarily aimed at the mechanical components below the cab of the TGA, which of course feature in the latest newcomers, but it also serves as a guide as to what you can expect of a dealer-serviced, good quality used example. Come more rain, hale or shine this type of MAN tractor unit should continue to deliver competitive performances in its Euro 4, EGR guise for many years to come.