GOING GLOBAL
ON THE ROAD I had a brief back-to-back drive in a current R450 and a new 460R Super (the power rating now proceeds the model designation) on a recent trip to Scania's home town of Södertälje, Sweden. I would like to say that I immediately noticed the additional 10hp, but didn't. What was obvious however was how the new 13-litre is more refined, and quieter too. It's also happier to lug at lower revs, with maximum torque now being available between 900rpm and 1,300rpm. Obviously lugging at lower revs means fewer gear changes, which correlates directly with improved fuel economy. The 460 is matched to the new G25 transmission. Gear changes are quick and flawless, and there was certainly no temptation to
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override it on my short drive. I was particularly impressed with how smoothly it re-engaged a gear after a spell in Eco-roll. For the bulk of my mainly motorway journey, the truck was either in 12th gear, overdrive or Eco-roll. My test truck was fitted with the new CRB and a retarder, the two working effortlessly together. There are four settings, the first being the traditional exhaust brake, followed by CRB, then the retarder, and finally CRB together with the retarder. The old R450 was unquestionably already an excellent driver's truck, but it's just been usurped by the 460R. What's more, with a claimed improvement in fuel economy and a payback in just 18 months, it's also likely to improve Scania's operator appeal too.
of electric vehicles, customers are not buying to the extent needed to make a big difference,” explains Traton Group CEO and Scania CEO and President, Christian Levin, when I ask him how he can justify investing in a new family of combustion engines. “So the most efficient thing we can do is work on 99 per cent of the sales, and improve the combustion engine. If we can take out 10 per cent fuel, that is 10 per cent less CO2. But Levin confirmed that this is indeed the ‘final hurrah’ for the diesel engine, and said Traton Group’s R&D budgets are quickly shifting away from combustion engines, and into autonomous and electrified transport.
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THE SUPER DRIVELINE? At the heart of it is a new DC13 12.74litre, 6-cylinder engine is, which according to Scania, is the most
