Scania G500 Review Kalgoorlie to Perth: Review

When we got the call offering a drive in the New Gen Scania under real Australian road conditions, we jumped at it.

We were offered a selection of drives that typified the way in which these trucks would be used and while many will be doing the Sydney to Melbourne run and up the coast to Brisbane, many will also be tackling the outback on our skinny and not-so-cared-for highways.

So we chose to take the run from Kalgoorlie to Perth, a common stretch for truckies servicing the mines and keeping the miners and their families fed.

The Kal to Perth drive is around 650 kilometres and while the road isn’t too bad, in places it’s a bit rough and often travelled by very big and wide loads, a couple of which we came across.

So, all things considered, we thought this would be a good way to test the Scania in real-world conditions.

Our truck for the day was a Scania G500 6x4 with a Freighter B-double set loaded to a GCM of 55.5 tonnes.

The Scania is powered by the DC13 155 13-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel, putting out 500hp (368kW) and 2550Nm (1881lb/ft). This runs through an Opticruise 12-speed automatic transmission to Scania’s RB662 diffs with diff locks and a 3.42 ratio.

The gearbox features Scania’s retarder (which we’ll get to later) and a transmission oil cooler, and is prepped for PTO if needed.

Front suspension is parabolic springs with a 7100kg capacity and anti-roll bar while the rear rolls on air bags.

Fuel is 700 litres in two tanks with 105 litres of AdBlue.

I’ve got to admit, I love the Scania’s interior. It is really driver focussed and everything is thoughtfully placed so that even if you’re not used to driving these vehicles, it’s easy to pick up, with all the most-often-used controls handy to the driver.

The steering wheel has all the features needed to control the truck including the radar cruise controls and you can scroll through the central menu to access the driving modes. You can adjust your speed on the cruise control, your distance between you and the vehicle in front and change from Eco mode to Standard and up to Power with a flick of the thumbs on the wheel.

The cab offers four-point air suspension and both the driver and co-pilot get air-suspension seats as standard.

There are a host of safety features in the Scania including lane departure warning, AEB emergency braking, and driver and passenger side curtain airbags.

There’s heaps of storage all around the cab, including a slide-out fridge between the driver and passenger so you can grab a cool drink or some food along the way.

Dawn was a long way off when we headed for the yard in Kalgoorlie, where our two Scanias waited. Fortunately, the rain which had fallen during the night had backed off and the downpipes off the tin workshop roof were reduced to dribble.

But the roads were wet and the red dirt clung to the Bridgestones as we rolled out of the yard and onto the streets of Kalgoorlie, heading for the Great Eastern Highway and west toward Perth.

Kalgoorlie doesn’t seem to sleep, and there was plenty of traffic on the roads as our little convoy of Scanias and one clapped-out Prado rental car began our journey.

One thing to note, and it was very apparent to me in the gloomy morning light, is the vision from the cab in the new Scanias. The A pillar is thin and the windscreen spreads wide and high in front of the driver to give an expansive view of the road ahead, as well as good peripheral vision with excellent placement of the mirrors.

The lights are good too with LED headlights, tail lights and fog lights that light up the road pretty well for standard items. Operators who do a lot of long-haul night driving might want to add some spotties, but for local work and a bit of country driving, the regular ones are fine.

The ride is smooth and comfortable and also quiet so you can hold a conversation easily or listen to your favourite tunes without cranking up the stereo to ridiculous levels.

It may seem like cheating for the traditionalists, but I used all the technology at hand and soon had the G500 cruising under the guidance of the adaptive cruise control, which dutifully followed the Scania in front. I’d set it for 100km/h and as the truck ahead slowed down and sped up, so did my truck. I had the distance set out to about 60 metres and the cruise, along with the Optimcruise, left little for me to do but steer.

At 100km/h the big 13-litre six was ticking over at a lazy 1350rpm and we were returning 2.0km/litre.

Approaching some of the small hills on the route we flicked to Power mode, which ups the revs between changes and allows the gears to hang on for a bit longer. It also came in handy for overtaking some of the numerous wide loads we encountered and that are common on this route.

But most of the time we stayed in Standard mode. My co-driver, Jimmy, one of the Scania driver trainers, told me that the Eco mode was really only used for general driving on relatively flat roads or with light loads.

Coming into towns and down some of the gentle hills, it was just a matter of flicking out the cruise control and a bit of a haul on the retarder (operated via a stalk on the steering column) and the Scania slowed beautifully. Once familiar with the retarder, you can virtually bring the truck to a stop using just it and then a dab on the services brakes at the end.

The retarder is a wonderful device and is aided by the Descent Speed Control which will, with a dab of the brakes, hold the truck at a given speed downhill with a combination of the retarder, the exhaust brake and the service brakes. It’s a bit unnerving at first, but works a treat on the smaller hills.

We ducked into Kelliberrin for a pie and a cuppa, and I had to admit that after the first 400 kays, I was feeling remarkably fresh.

Back on the road and it was business as usual and only a quick 250km roll into Perth. Down Greenmount into the Big Smoke we were in seventh gear at 1700rpm, holding the 40km/h truck limit with no trouble at all.

And so our trip came to an end at the big BP on Abernathy Road, where we refuelled for the next leg of the journey for these two trucks. Then it was around to the dealership for a quick service during the afternoon and they were right to go.

Our trip was uneventful and dead easy. But that’s mainly due to the trucks. The roads were at times ordinary and we came across a few big wide loads but the Scanias took them all in their stride.

The cab and seats were comfortable, but one small gripe I had was that my seat didn’t have arm rests (the driver’s seat in the other Scania did) and that would have completed the comfort picture. I didn’t get to check the sleeper, but it looked roomy and comfortable, and Jimmy assured me it was.

There’s not too much bling, and I reckon the cab could do with a bit of a personal touch and some extras from the accessory catalogue, but on the whole it was a thoroughly enjoyable drive in what is a truly world class truck and one that is well suited to our roads.

Scania G500 6x4
Engine: DC13 155 Euro 6, 13-litre, in-line six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Power: 500hp (368kW) at 1900rpm
Torque: 2550Nm (1881lb-ft) at 1000-1300rpm
Fuel System: Scania XPI Extra-High Pressure Injection
Emission System: Scania SCR, DPF
Gearbox: GRSO905R Opticruise, overdrive 12-speed +2 crawler gears
Scania Opticruise Modes: Economy, Standard and Power (ex-factory)
Cruise Control: Adaptive Cruise Control with Active Prediction topographical interface
Brakes: ABS/EBS7 disc brakes with Advanced Emergency Braking
Retarder: Scania R 4100 D retarder (plus engine exhaust brake)
Rear axle ratio: 3.42:1
Axle distance: 3150 mm
Bogie distance: 1350 mm
Wheels: Alcoa DuraBright
Tyres: Bridgestone 295/80R 22.5 steer/drive patterns
Suspension: Steel parabolic leaf (front), 2-spring air (rear), load transfer system
Fuel tanks: 300 litres (right), 400 litres (left), 105 litres (AdBlue)
Cab: CG 20 Sleeper cab with 800mm pocket spring bunk, electric cab tilt system, 45cm side air deflectors, 25cm roof mounted air deflector, triple catwalk at back of cab
Standard features: Scania Communicator C 300, electronic stability system and traction control, lane departure warning and forward-looking camera, Eco-roll, hill hold, differential lock