Scania Group says its new Australian coach model has many benefits for local operators.
Over the past year, soaring diesel costs have placed a mammoth strain on operators around the country. As international influences continue to drive a fluctuating price at the bowser, manufacturers have turned to introducing more efficient models to combat the fuel furore.
International heavy vehicle manufacturer Scania Group kept its customers at front of mind when it successfully brought its new Scania Touring coach to Australia.
“We can see clearly that the new Scania Touring coach continues to build on the success in the Australian market it has achieved since launch in late 2018,” Scania Buses and Power Solutions Director of Sales Julian Gurney told ABC.
“With the arrival of the NBG chassis and all new driver station and the high performance, low emission and frugal consumption 370 hp six-cylinder engine, we now have an even more attractive package for tourism, charter and school bus operators.”
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Gurney says the new vehicle features Scania’s most powerful engine yet for the Touring range in a 370hp, 13-litre model. Alongside these engine innovations, Scania has also boosted the efficiency of the Touring coach by using a New Bus Generation chassis design and driver station to accompany its renowned safety technology.
There are many considerations that bus and coach manufacturers currently face when it comes to introducing new models: environmental impacts, weight and safety are but a few.
While all of these options are considered on the new Touring model, Gurney says Scania Bus Australia has put a concerted effort into maximising fuel savings for operators currently struggling with the rising price of diesel.
The most significant fuel savings on the Scania Touring coach comes from enhanced engine efficiency and an improved cruise control system that is bolstered by terrain-aware ‘active prediction’ to stay ahead of the curve.
Fuel savings aren’t just limited to Scania’s technology. The manufacturer has also improved the comfort of its all-new driver station to ensure driver attention and attitude remain paramount to driving down fuel usage.
“Travel operators know the importance of keeping costs to a minimum and fuel consumption is one of the main contributors to operating cost,” Gurney says.
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“Compared to previous models, the new generation of Scania Touring can save up to six per cent fuel and emissions running on mineral diesel alone without compromising on performance.”
The new 12.3m 57-seat coach comes with options, including a 12-speed Scania Opticruise automated manual transmission with a built-in Retarder or a new six-speed ZF automatic.
Alongside the new chassis design and driver station, the Touring also includes Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that include Vulnerable Road User Collision Warning radars.
Gurney says the new design is an evolution of more than a century of engineering experience through an in-house design that helps Scania’s latest model deliver reliability, durability and performance for Australian operators.
“Like every Scania, the new Touring delivers excellent drivability, a great turning circle, advanced driver assistance systems, and improved assisted handling, steering and braking,” Gurney says.
“We consider the driver station to be industry-leading in design, adjustability and comfort, offering particularly good visibility for the driver thanks to the lower setting for the dashboard and ADAS safety that reduces blind spots, important in densely populated urban areas where pedestrians may be hard for the driver to see at intersections and crossings.”
Since it arrived on Australian shores in late March, the Touring has been offering an innovative way forward for operators all over the country.
Gurney says the Touring is available with a selection of frugal and clean Scania five-and-six cylinder engines to maintain excellent uptime and fuel economy while reducing emissions and noise.
This technology is partnered with plenty of underfloor luggage capacity to ensure the Scania Touring combines sustainable mobility with operating economy.
Earlier this year, Scania Group discussed its progress when it comes to biofuel options. Now, the new Touring’s five-cylinder engines come with full B100 biodiesel compatibility as standard to reduce carbon emissions output by up to 80 per cent without impacting the range of the coach.
When it comes to the improvements for drivers, Gurney says the effort put into maintaining driver comfort and alertness is also a key feature for operators wanting to focus on driver retention and attraction.
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The Touring follows Scania’s NBG series, with the former replicating the latter’s suspension, gearbox and weight distribution improvements made on the chassis. Gurney says a mid-saloon wheelchair lift can also be incorporated to help meet regulations or requirements, depending on the customer’s needs.
Finally, the Scania ADAS system is the other major part of the new coach model. The systems include Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assistance, Blind Spot Warnings detectors, an electro-pneumatically activated parking brake, Vulnerable Road User Collision Warning and underrun protection to protect other road users.
It all makes for an exciting update to the Touring fleet that Gurney is certain will take Scania’s coach range to the next level.
“Combining the technical update with the renowned Scania durability, reliability and super-supportive nationwide dealer network, the Scania Touring is the optimal choice for operators who work their vehicles hard,” Gurney says.
“Scania Touring is built on a bespoke Scania mass-production line that turns out identical vehicles to a very high Scania quality standard day-after-day, ensuring a long working life for vehicles that resists squeaks and rattles.
“Our experience with these vehicles in Australia on our very demanding and often quite poor road surfaces shows that the Scania Touring is more than up to the job of delivering durable and reliable service over many hundreds of thousands of kilometres.”