Iveco’s new Euro Rider 6x2 chassis attracted great interest at the 2008 BAV BusExpo with its steerable tag axle.
Iveco has expanded its stable of vehicles with the launch of the Euro Rider 6×2 chassis, which was released at the 2008 BAV BusExpo and created a lot of interest with its steerable tag axle.
ABC took the opportunity to take a Coach Design-bodied coach for a run; the 13.5-metre vehicle was built for Stonestreets in Toowoomba, Queensland.
Meeting with Iveco’s Cameron Millen at the Dandenong factory we set off for a jaunt through the Dandenong Ranges to see how the coach handles windy roads and hills.
The Coach Design body was well finished and specced up for touring and charter work with a wide entry making it perfect for the older passengers to board the coach.
Entering the coach is by four easy steps of 390mm, 190mm, 190mm and 190mm to the driver’s area followed by a 225mm step to the sunken isle and a 190mm stop to the seats.
Passengers are greeted by 50 Styleride Silhouette ARD68 recliners trimmed in Holdsworth fabric. On-board entertainment consists of a Clarion AE3000 radio with PA and a six-disc CD and DVD player, a large 60cm LCD screen fitted to the front header and four smaller 20cm LCD screens under the luggage racks.
Other internal features include red curtains, carpet runner for the isle, toilet complete with electric hand dryer and blue trim on the luggage racks.
For the driver the dash has been trimmed in grey vinyl, and they sit on an Isri 6860/875 seat with head and arm rests.
Cooling comes from a Thermo King LRT11 1004 heat/cool roof-top unit with X430 compressor and standard boost pump.
Driving the Iveco is a dream – the driver’s area is well set out with everything in easy reach and all the important gauges and lights in easy sight.
Two stalks on the steering column operate lights, wipers and indicators (left-hand side), and the right operates the cruise control, retarder and gear selection, heated-electric mirrors and a reversing camera, which also assists the driver as do the electric blinds.
Getting behind the wheel the coach is very comfortable to drive and had no trouble in keeping up with the traffic or climbing hills.
The steering was light but gave very good road feel and was a joy to drive through the hills. The steerable tag axle made the coach so much more maneuverable.
The ZF-AS Tronic transmission is a breeze to drive. Once selecting drive it is just like driving an automatic but using the right-hand stalk you can manually change up or down gears, by holding the drive button down a little longer puts you in manual mode and you can use the right-hand stalk to change gears.
It is so simple and you have the best of both worlds with a manual and an automatic combined in one.
The AS Tronic combines tried and trusted ZF technology with modern electronics and was specifically designed for buses with EDC engines and CAN communication.
The control unit of the 12-speed automatic transmission provides for optimally coordinated shifting and clutch work.
Perfect communication between engine, clutch, and transmission protects the entire driveline both when maneuvering at crawling speed and on the road.
Due to the high number of closely stepped gears, the engine always operates in the most economical range.
Moreover, the integrated retarder allows for safe fading-free deceleration and protects the brakes.
The AS Tronic provides for more safety on the road and for more efficiency through reduced fuel consumption, less wear and minimum maintenance efforts.
At the heart of the Euro Rider is an Iveco Cursor 10, 10-litre inline six-cylinder turbocharged and inter-cooled engine developing 330kW (450hp) at 1,600 to 2,200rpm and delivering a massive 2,100Nm of torque between 1,000 to 1,600rpm.
This is coupled to a ZF 12-speed AS Tronic transmission with an integral retarder (ratios are: first 12.53, second 9.59, third 7.44, fourth 5.78, fifth 4.75, sixth 3.55, seventh 2.7, eighth 2.1, ninth 1.63, tenth 1.27, eleventh 1, twelfth 0.78 and reverse 11.41).
ZF’s retarder (intarder) works a treat as the driver can vary the amount of retardation; it is very easy to being the coach to a complete halt just using the retarder.
Full electronically controlled air suspension works well and provides a superb ride with two air bags and two shock absorbers and a leveling valve in the independent front axle, four air bags, four shock-absorbers and two leveling valves on the drive axle, and two air bags and two shock-absorbers and a leveling valve on the tag.
The brakes are dual circuits full air system with discs all round with ABS and ASR.
A large 650-litre fuel tank has been mounted above the rear axle with fillers on both sides.
In summing up the Iveco Euro Rider 6×2 is an exceptional coach and I found it hard to find something wrong with the vehicle (the only thing would be the near side rearview mirror which was a bit loose, nothing a spanner could not fix).
A good coach that will find a home with any operator looking for a good quality three-axle vehicle.
ABC thanks Iveco’s Cameron Millen for allowing us access to this lovely coach.