TRUCK & BUS: Which is more fun to drive? A truck or a bus - Featuring the Scania G460 Truck & Scania Marcopolo Coach

Today I shall try to answer the very important question of whether a prime mover truck complete with a trailer or a bus is a better drive. I am sure this is one question that would never pop into the mind of most Malaysians. But just in case you happen to come into circumstances where the only means of transport is either a bus or a truck, this would answer your question.

A few months ago I was given the opportunity to try both by Scania at their Driver Competitions 2014/2015 at the Sepang Circuit. One was a Scania G460 truck and the bus was a Scania Marcopolo. I have to say that I truly love what I do and the opportunities I get. I mean, who gets to try trucks and buses at race tracks. This was my second excursion in a prime mover truck after I tried a Volvo FM series complete with a tanker load of 10 tons. On a race track in Thailand. Life is pretty interesting sometimes.

Anyway, let's talk a bit about the truck I tried this time. It was a Scania G460, This is equipped with a 13,000cc 6 cylinder turbodiesel engine. It makes, 460hp, hence the G460 namesake and a fat 2,250Nm worth of torque. The drive configuration is in 6x2 form with the rearmost wheels able to be lifted out when not needed (when there is no load for less road drag to save fuel). It comes in a variety of gearboxes, the one I tried was the automatic with range splitter. It has 12+2 gears (2 reverse). There is also cruise control and the Scania Retarder engine/exhaust braking system that combines with the regular brakes intelligently for precise downhill braking control which in turn saves fuel by keeping average speeds up and at the same time minimizes brake wear. In short, it is easy to actually put the truck into gear and just drive off.

Drive, drive, drive your truck, gently on the track...merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream...

So with all this tech, it makes driving this tall vehicle so darn easy. The view out of the very luxurious cabin is good and as usual, watch out for the angle of the trailer that you are pulling whilst taking the lines around Sepang. Of course, it was also so bloody surreal as the haze from the Indonesian forest fires was at its peak and blanketed Sepang with it. Never had truck or bus driving been so dream-like. You turn the large leather and wood trimmed wheel with ease as it is power assisted. No effort needed at all. The throttle feels responsive and you are aware that you should not prod that happy pedal too much as when empty, the pull is effortless, if not deliberately slow. Now being seated right above the front wheels makes turning a clinch. Just turn the steering wheel where you want to go and its there. Again, the trailer behind you is the catch. Of course, if you want something truly fast and nimbler, you could learn to unhook the trailer.

This brings me to the bus. The Scania Marcopolo is Scania's complete coach. In other words, this is a complete coach that is built by Scania. Usually, most bus manufacturers in Malaysia would only supply the bare chassis and a local coachbuilder would build a body on to of it. This one is different in that it is fully supplied by Scania. You can maintain everything from one source. You do not need to go to a separate coachbuilder for body trim repairs or to Scania for chassis and drivetrain work. All are done by the manufacturer.

Yes, there you have it. The bus steering position. Doubles as a plate during lunch.

Anyway, the Marcopolo demonstrator is a fantastic bus. It is super luxurious with wood trim everywhere including the flooring (check out the photo below). Leather, wood and quality fabric for the seats are a good combo to show a sense of old world luxury even for something like a bus. I loved being in it. I wish I could own such a toy...er bus. Driving the darn thing couldn't be easier too. It wasn't that much fun as I had passengers too (about ten or so people ended up being passengers whilst I took it for a spin). So it was a constant 80-90kmh around the circuit. Actually it was almost the same average speed in the truck too as I don't do this for a living you know.

Driving the Marcopolo is almost like driving the G460. It has the same good ergonomic layout in both. Everything is within easy reach and visibility is well taken care by the massive front wind screen and the overhanging rear view wing mirrors that jut out at least two feet in front of the bus. With power steering and the same 13,000cc engine (in 410hp and 2,000Nm tune), it's an easy drive. No long trailer to look out for at the back but the overall length of the bus is longer than the 6x2 prime mover G460 I drove earlier if it had its trailer unhooked. And like the truck, if it were without passengers, and the need to drive like a good person, it would be quite fast indeed. In fact, it can do silly fast as it has full air suspension (like the truck), ABS, EBD, traction control, electronic stability control and more. Both of the Scanias have the same safety features that would allow you to drive fast when you need to do so.

A situation like being chased by zombies may never happen but in case that happens and you have to take a bus or a truck. You couldn't do much better than picking a Scania (that being said, any of the European trucks is a good choice as they are packed with driver aids). Press on the loud pedal and everything works automatically for you. Like the truck, the brake disengages automatically, gears shift automatically and you just drive off and steer. Of course, everything is a scale or two larger than your usual personal transport. Everything also feels slightly larger and slower. The controls are light as any car out there, but the responses are slightly, deliberately slower. Oh, the bus is slightly more refined as the engine sits way back at the rear. So it is rear engined, rear wheel drive. Like a Porsche 911. Nope. No sports car reflexes here obviously. Easy to drive? Yes. Definitely.

The only thing that makes me think that the truck is a better drive than the bus is that if you drove it without a trailer is that the steering is more direct than the bus. Note again that the truck's cabin sits directly on the front wheels which are the steering wheels. You turn the steering wheel and it reacts instantly. The bus on the other hand has its front wheels way behind the driver. You turn the steering wheel and it understeers very early on. The sensation of being in front of the cornering wheels make it not as direct to drive as the truck. It does feel like you need to turn the wheel first before the bus turns. But it is not to say that the truck isn't without issues. It is tall and has a higher center of gravity. You have to be be a little bit more used to driving it before you push the truck.

So which is more fun to drive? I have to say that a car is more fun. But when saddled with such a choice I have to go with the truck even though I can bring more friends with me in the bus (although the truck can seat three abreast and does have a sleeping berth behind the seats). More direct steering, more power (2,250Nm vs 2,000Nm), the possibility to drive just the head without the trailer (if you could unhitch it) would mean controlling massive torque all by yourself without any load to interfere with driving pleasure. So the truck wins. By a feather.  

The corner before the back straight in the G460......

Feels like piloting the Millennium Falcon....bus, truck, space freighter, whats the difference.

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