Full disclosure, I have always been a bit of a Scania fan. I’ve driven plenty of them and loved pretty much all of them. The majority of my experience was back in New Zealand, where I had the pleasure of experiencing the mighty Series 3 450s and even putting some miles on the big 530hp V8 when it first broke ground. By the time I got to experience the Scania prowess over here in Australia, I was behind the wheel of a 730hp monster and pretty much all the gearsticks had been replaced by automatic transmissions much smarter than I’ll ever be. Whilst Scania has a considerable array of variants to cater for every vocation, my experiences were limited to the ‘big boy’ versions, or more appropriately, the R-Series. I had a little bit of time behind the wheel of a couple of G-series, but the P-series were new to me. Hence the opportunity to take one of these workhorses for a spin and check out their new 500hp Super P version was too much to pass up.
Let’s do all the technical recycled sales brochure stuff first. The P-series is labelled as Scania’s most versatile cab range. Its low-weight, low-height design makes it a perfect jack of all trades urban truck. Having the low height gives you extremely easy access. Even for short guys like me, the two-step entrance is easy. Add in the visibility from the low-set windscreen and the truck is ideal for working and delivering around cities and industrial areas. Then top it all off with all the standard safety features synonymous with Scanias, as well as the creature comforts you expect from the Swedish stylists, and you have a truck that drivers are happy to inhabit for more than just a local delivery.
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This was a truck designed to do all the important behind-the-scenes work, keeping the world of transport revolving whilst never really chasing the limelight of its bigger brothers. The main thing that tended to hamstring the P-series from chasing the limelight that its bigger R-series and S-series brothers got was the power package underneath it. The traditional 13-litre straight 6 motor available in the P-series topped out here in Australia at 450hp. When the double overhead cam Super engines first hit Australian shores, that increased to 460hp. Overseas, Scania did offer 480hp versions, however it wasn’t seen here in Australia due to the fact we can melt bitumen on a winter’s day here and the cooling package wasn’t on point for that.
However, the latest evolution of Scania’s Super engines has seen the playing field change again. The new P-Series engine, with a larger cooling package, is wound out to 500hp and 2650Nm of torque. That’s topping the torque tally in the 500hp field – it’s even putting in a competitive total in the 540hp market. It’s not just the numbers that are important – as the saying goes ‘It’s not how big it is, it’s what you do with it that counts’ and the six cylinder Scania Super engine is doing all the right things with is torque curve.
“The torque curve is actually a torque straight,” says sales director for Scania, Benjamin Nye. “It’s as flat as a pancake from 900-1320 rpm, and what this means on the road is effortless driveability. The 500 P will eat hills for breakfast and head to the mountains for a snack before lunch.”
All of a sudden, the P-series has added a very strong string to its bow and along with doing all the grunt work around town and on smaller missions, it is equipped to suit up and fill in on those big boy roles when needed. That’s where our test drive comes in, trying out the P-series with a loaded single, grossing 36,560kg and a B-double setup grossing 56,160kg.
In order to put the P-series and its 500hp Super engine through its paces, Scania had us out west of Melbourne, heading a couple of hours down the road so we could find a couple of decent hills to test these pocket rockets. I began with the stunning silver Scania and single trailer in tow, accompanied by Benjamin Nye himself, who was happy to sit and talk me through the new Super engines.
What I have to say first is focused on the ease of settling into a Scania. Whether you have driven millions of miles in them or merely experienced a quick trip round the corner once when you were starting out, there is a comfortable familiarity about the Swedish setup. Everything is so handy and accessible. It always feels very natural. It took me all of two minutes to get myself set up and the steering wheel adjusted. You could add another couple of minutes if you wanted to link your phone to the media system, but I was happy to listen to the harmonious melodies of the Scania salesman.
Once we headed out of the Laverton workshop, I focussed on negotiating the ever-friendly Melbourne traffic and Ben unveiled the thinking behind the move for a 500hp P-series.
“The opportunity came about to introduce the 500hp in the P-cab, and the reason we’ve done that is it opens up this truck to really become the jack of all trades,” he says. “It’s a good single trailer truck as we are now, and it can do B-double. You can have it in your fleet, predominantly doing single trailer or light B-double work. And if something happens and one of your big trucks goes down, you can actually stick it under a heavier load and do a Tarcutta changeover. It has the ability to adapt into different roles.”
I must admit I did a terrible job of taking note of the P-cab’s performance heading out of Melbourne towards Torquay. There are several rolling hills and a couple of step climbs, but the little P-cab just ate them up and never gave me any indications that we were under load or strain. The conversation with Ben was effortless in the insulated cab and if it wasn’t for my predilection for using the Scania retarder you could almost feel like you were taking a luxury car out for a spin. The latest Opti cruise automatic transmission is incredible with its foresight and efficiency. Pair that with the low torque range on these Super engines and the changes feel seamless. There is no dropping late and struggling to pull out of the doldrums. Every change seems timed to land perfectly on that Scania torque range and just keep cruising.
The impressive gear selection was a lot more evident with the B-double, where the truck was doing a bit more work. With the single behind and sitting just below 40T, the P-cab Scania felt like a champion weightlifter warming up with just the bar. It was going through the motions but never really challenged.
After a quick spot of lunch, I grabbed my gear and jumped in the other demo, this time with the B-double behind and sitting closer to 60t. This was what I was keen to test out. It didn’t take long either – the back roads out of Torquay included a left-hand turn from a roundabout straight up a step pinch and onwards to the M1. Rolling through the roundabout, we hit the pinch with little to no momentum – you could feel the Super engine doing its work. I mean that literally as well. The thing about the P-cabs is they do sit low, and as such you have that engine mound between the seats. It still features incredible insulation, so it’s not screaming or heating up like the old classic used to. But it does offer a little more feel to your drive. You can hear the hum of the six-cylinder beside you and you can get a sense of the engine doing its job. More so when the truck has slowed and is climbing into the challenge. It was almost like you could feel all 2650Nm strapping on and pitching in to pull the 57t vehicle up the hill. The stillness and quietness of a Scania cab meant you could focus on appreciating the work going on beneath you.
Sorry I got a little deep there, but it really is nice to feel a truck working. There was never any hint of struggle, just purpose. After that steep climb out of Torquay, the rest of the hills felt more like undulations than actual challenges. By the return you almost felt guilty for how easy the run was.
There is a lot to love about the P-series and kudos needs to go to Scania in general as well. Obviously, the exhaust brake and retarder combination is still one of the leading lights on the Scania CV, that hasn’t changed. You have the comfort that comes with years of building quality trucks. Again, that hasn’t changed. You also have the new safety additions that Scania keep improving, like the Blind Spot Monitoring System. On each of the front pillars is a decent-sized light that glows yellow whenever a vehicle is spotted beside you. Whilst this concept isn’t new, the Scania light placement is. It is perfectly placed for your eyes to catch it every time you are checking your mirrors, without ever deliberately looking for the light. Obviously, some wizard in engineering calculated the perfect positioning and nailed it.
As for the P-series progression into the 500 market and whether it has nailed its objective, I can definitely see them succeeding. From a driver’s point of view, it is still the perfect round-town rig – small and manoeuvrable enough to do the local and domestic jobs required of it, with great vision and access making it an easy truck to operate. And now, with a big enough package underneath it, it has the means to step up and help the big boys out if you need to send it away for a couple of nights. There’s room for a driver to get some kip and it is comfortable enough that you are not going to be complaining after 14 hours behind the wheel.
The technology packed into the small P-series means it ticks all the boxes from an operator’s point of view as well. Its lightweight cab with easy access and great visibility make it a truck for everyone to drive. The new 13-litre Super engine comes with estimated fuel savings of eight per cent, a number which has been found to be easily exceeded by many customers. The safety features fitted to the P-cab, like the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, the latest blind spot and vulnerable road user radar warning systems and industry-leading standard rollover protecting side curtain airbags fitted above each door, ensure the P-series is right up there for driver safety. Then you have the flexibility of design. I am not going to get into listing the hundreds of interior options, that’s too big to portray. I am just meaning the variety of build options available for a P-series-4×2, 6×2, 6×4, 8×2 and 8×4 – you can even have a 10×4 with lazy or steerable tag axles. As well as a range of cabs from day cabs to sleepers, the P-series really is a jack of all trades and now it has the power to be the master of many as well.
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