New Generation Scania: Launch review

Well, after all the secrecy and speculation, we have finally had our hands on the New Generation Scania trucks here in Australia. Following on from a trip to Sweden last year, where the new models were made available for a select few Aussie journos, there has been a lot of nothing coming from Scania about the New Generation trucks' arrival in Australia.

Even during the shakedown period, which involved 11 of the new trucks running in various applications around Australia, Scania has remained very quiet in terms of what operators can expect from the new model range.

With the New Generation models officially launched in Sydney yesterday, we can finally dish out a bit of information on the locally adapted variants, the range of models available and the benefits operators can expect over the previous range. We can also report on our recent drive from Melbourne to Sydney aboard two of the New Generation models, a G500 and an R620.

What's new?
The New Generation range is the result of over 10 years' design work, and it doesn't take long to see where many of the changes have been made. The cab is all new, inside and out, with no common parts carried over from the current design, but still retains that unmistakable Scania appearance.

Plenty of work has also gone on under the shell, with updated driveline components and an increase in the availability of Euro6 models. Technology has also been ramped up, with improved safety features and some smart software changes to improve efficiency.

Make no mistake, this is not a revamp – this is a whole new model line-up. To go through each individual model would take up too many pages so we'll just keep it broad for now. The New Generation range includes new P, G and R cabs, with the addition of a new, flat floor, S cab. Also available, across the entire range, is the XT construction package, which includes headlight and underbody protection, along with a choice of different trim packages for both the interior and exterior. This is intended more for those off-road tasks, but is available with any cab and engine combination from the range.

The cab
When we drove the current model G and R cabs recently, we mentioned just how good they were, even after 15 years on the market. The question was just how much better could the New Generation range be? The answer is, plenty. The new cabs offer improved access, vision and safety while still providing the comfort and low noise levels we've all come to expect from the Swedish manufacturer.

Vision is the biggest winner from the driver's seat, with the narrow A pillars and redesigned mirrors providing very little in the way of blind spots. The huge windscreen now wraps around the front corners of the cab, giving a wider uninterrupted view out the front. The dash has also been mounted lower in the cab, further improving vision of the area directly in front of the truck.

Out the side windows, the mirrors are a clever design that allows the driver to look through between the main and spotter mirrors, eliminating the blind spot behind the mirror. Rearward vision is also excellent, and all four mirrors (spotter and main, left and right) are electrically adjusted and heated. There are also downward mirrors above the passenger window and on the front left corner of the cab.

On the topic of vision, the external sun visor has been removed, with a dark strip across the top of the windscreen said to provide the same shading. While the main aim of removing the visor was to improve aerodynamics and reduce wind noise, it has led to a few other changes.

In an interesting move, the marker lights which were previously housed in the external visor have been relocated into the cab, behind the top of the windscreen. This not only protects the lights from damage, but makes for easier cleaning. With the marker lights being LEDs, they shouldn't need to be changed for a very long time, but when the time comes they can be accessed from inside the cab. For what it's worth, the internal sun visors were put to use on our drive, and they did a great job.

Light the way
Another of the big changes within the cab is the placement of the lighting controls. All of the controls for the exterior lighting – headlights, fog lights, driving lights etc – are now fitted into the top of the driver's door. Also located here are the mirror controls for adjustment and heating, and the window controls. All of these are easily reached and operated with an arm resting on the door, and while it seems like a strange place to have all these buttons, it makes perfect sense when you are using them. Oh, and Scania tells us that all of the switches on the door are rain, sleet and snow proof, so they won't short out when you open the door in bad weather.

Also integrated into the doors – and a first in any truck model – are side curtain airbags. With rollovers being a major cause of driver death and injury, these could well prove to be the smartest safety addition we have seen in a long time, across all brands.

Along with the rest of the safety equipment fitted – lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, ABS, EBS, traction control, disc brakes, advanced emergency braking and a driver’s airbag - side curtain airbags make the New Generation Scanias some of the safest trucks available on the Australian market.

The dash has been completely redesigned and, as mentioned earlier, now sits lower in the cab. The main instrument cluster displays a wealth of information. While a lot to take in at first, it soon becomes very easy to read. The amount of information on permanent display means you need to know where to look for the information you want, but once you get used to it, it works very well.

In the centre of the instrument cluster is the screen for the on-board computer, with all the information not already displayed. This includes all of the driver scoring data, axle weights (while stationary), trip information and fuel economy figures.

The controls for the trip computer, cruise control and downhill speed control are all mounted on the steering wheel. Again, these take a bit of getting used to, but are simple to read and operate without taking a hand off the wheel.

The seats offer all the same adjustment as the previous model, including for height, reach and rebound and three areas of adjustable lumbar and side support. While heated seats have been common for a while now, and almost standard for Scania drivers, there is now also a ventilated option, whereby a fan in the seat pushes out cool air onto the driver's back.

This is sure to be appreciated on hot summer days, as will the climate control air conditioning. As with most European trucks, the air con in the new Scanias would make an Eskimo feel right at home.

Under the cab
There has also been a raft of changes made beneath the cab. All engine platforms have been updated in the search for better fuel efficiency, with Scania claiming fuel saving of five per cent or better across the board. There is also an obvious shift towards Euro6, with the majority of power outputs now offered this guise.

In terms of the big iron, the V8 engines are now available in 520hp, 580hp, 650hp and 730hp ratings in Euro6 form. There are only two Euro5 V8 options: 520hp and 620hp. While the power ratings might be similar to the previous generation of engines, there is a lot of changes within the engines to improve economy, including the removal of EGR on all but the 730hp engine.

Changes in the cylinder head, pistons, crankcase and crankshaft, auxiliary equipment (air compressor, fuel pump, oil pump and water pump) and a new fixed-vein turbo all contribute to the big efficiency claims. When combined with the more aerodynamic shape, Scania is claiming a 7-10 per cent fuel saving for V8 models.

The six-cylinder engine platform has not missed out on its share of attention, with the 12.7-litre unit now available in 370hp, 410hp, 450hp and 500hp Euro6 ratings. Euro5 ratings are very similar, though Scania now offers Euro6 as standard across the six-cylinder engine range.

The 12.7-litre engine range is also now SCR only, with no EGR, and uses a new engine management system, reworked cylinder head and fixed-geometry turbo to achieve a claimed fuel saving of four per cent over the previous range.

The five-cylinder, 9.3-litre engine – available in 280hp, 320hp and 360hp variants – adopts many of the same improvements as the bigger six-cylinder, including a fixed-geometry turbo, and SCR-only emissions control. This engine targets roles where tare weight is paramount, as it offers a significant weight saving over the six-cylinder powerplant.

An all-new 7.0-litre, six-cylinder engine has also been introduced, to be offered in P cab vehicles for urban duties. Available in power ratings of 220hp, 250hp and 280hp, it will be aimed at operators who use low entry cabs, or in applications such as the waste industry or firefighting roles.

Optimised Opticruise
The transmission range has also been updated, with the Opticruise AMT now fitted with a layshaft brake to reduce shift times. Scania claims a 45 per cent reduction in shift times, and our experience on the road proved it was certainly much quicker than the previous generation.

The shifts, whether changing up or down, were very fast, with very little power-off time or break in driveline torque. They were so quick that, at times, they resembled a full automatic transmission. With the layshaft brake slowing the transmission, and the exhaust brake bringing the engine revs down, gear shifts were completed in the blink of an eye and with faultless accuracy.

The other benefit of this is that the turbo doesn't have time to slow down as much, so there is no lag and more power on tap as soon as the shift is made. The difference is most notable in the hills, when a down shift is made without losing any momentum during the change.

The verdict
Having piloted two of these new models between Melbourne and Sydney, it's easy to see why Scania Australia is so excited to bring the New Generation Down Under. It's not very often that a manufacturer introduces a whole new model line-up, and it rarely arrives here within less than four or five years of its European release. In this case, we are seeing the new Scania range released here just a couple of years after its debut in Europe, having already gone through a rigorous local shake-down.

The New Generation certainly looks the goods, but only time will tell if operators can achieve the results Scania is claiming. Even without the big savings in running costs, the New Generation range would be appealing to operators, with all the comfort and safety features sure to impress both owner-drivers and fleet operators.

The move to Euro6 without any sacrifice in power or efficiency, meanwhile, should also be enough to see a few more operators adopt the more environmentally friendly standard.

Our initial impression is very positive, but it will be interesting to see if they grow old as gracefully as their predecessors.