MAN’s new truck: destined to delight drivers

A seriously big deal

In the commercial vehicle world, a new truck doesn’t come along often. In the case of this all-new MAN range (the new truck generation covers the TGX, TGS, TGM and TGL, it isn’t just a single model), we have waited all of 20 years! Was it worth the wait? For sure. While the “new” exterior doesn’t feature lots of radical changes (more about that later), there are many other features of the truck that are seriously impressive.

 

The same can be said of the numbers pertaining to the truck. The company spent €1.3 billion (roughly R21 billion) on the project – this figure includes research and development costs, engineering expenses and investments into the plant. A total of 12 million working hours were devoted to the project; four million test kilometres were driven before the launch; 2,8 million lines of software code were written, and a whopping 2 100 MAN employees were directly involved in the conception and birth of the new truck generation. To ensure that the new truck boasts the most magnificent paint quality, the company also invested €85 million (R1,3 billion) in a new paint shop. On the subject of painting, some 3 000 cab colours are available as standard.

Of course, all those numbers – while remarkable – don’t necessarily add up to a good truck. So, what does the new vehicle offer transport operators and drivers?

 

Evolutionary exterior

In short, the new truck offers a lot – not least of which are a spectacular interior, outstanding safety credentials and lower fuel consumption. But let’s start with the most obvious (if not most important) feature of any truck: the exterior.

 

I first saw the new truck generation at a special event for members of the International Truck of the Year jury in Munich last year (a strenuous legal agreement meant that I was prohibited from writing about the vehicle before now). To be perfectly frank, I was somewhat disappointed at the exterior – because it looks very similar to the previous generation MAN. I was hoping for something with a completely new exterior – and this statement certainly doesn’t apply to MAN’s new truck generation; it’s an evolution as opposed to a revolution. Essentially, the body in white is the same. However, it has received some nips and tucks, and they’re going to make drivers extremely happy.

 

For instance, the doors open wider (meaning easier ingress and egress), the stairs are also wider (which is nice for drivers who are quite podgy or those with size 12 shoes), and there’s also a new spoiler fitted to the side of the truck. The spoiler is there as a direct result of customer feedback. The MAN development team did an incredibly thorough job when planning the new vehicle. They didn’t create a truck based on what THEY wanted… instead, they chatted to over 700 drivers and asked them for their wishes and desires. One of the things that bugged those drivers was the fact that, with the previous generation, dirt collected under the door handles – meaning they always entered the truck with dirty hands. So, the design team came up with the aforementioned spoiler. It’s simple – yet effective. I drove the truck through mud and rain, and my hands were never dirty.

 

Another smart concept was getting rid of the glass panels above the doors on the side of the truck. They annoyed drivers – because of the extra light that came into the cab. So, the glass panels were tossed and replaced with metal. Measures such as these mean happy drivers and, as we all know, happy drivers are productive drivers.

 

Revolutionary interior

Something else that will make drivers incredibly happy is the interior; while the exterior is an evolution, the interior is undoubtedly a revolution. It would be fair (and honest) to say that it’s in a completely different league to that of the old truck.

 

It’s mega impressive – from the second that you climb into the cab. I love the fact that the dashboard is wrapped around the driver; everything is within easy reach because the controls are actually “turned towards the driver”, as the chaps from MAN say.

 

I really enjoy the fact that the cab has a decidedly upper-class feel to it; it’s almost as though the chaps from MAN looked at their premium Scania sibling and decided that they wanted to go to the same party and hang in the same circles. We all know that Swedish trucks have always been much loved by drivers – because they’re so comfortable, well designed and driver-focused. Well, this new MAN is right up there with those premium Swedish trucks …

 

I also love the super comfortable bunk bed (you can raise the one end, almost like hospital beds… so you can read easily or maybe alleviate back pain). Plus, I’m a big fan of the fact that there are deliberately no charging points for phones right near the driver’s seat. This is because the designers really don’t want drivers fiddling with their phones while they’re on the road (I don’t want that either; I’m sure most road users are right behind me on this subject).

 

There are so many cool interior features in the new truck that I could write a book about them. However, I’m going to restrict myself to commenting on what is probably my favourite interior feature: MAN SmartSelect. This dial, which controls the infotainment system, is incredibly user-friendly – and it is so much safer than a touch screen (because you don’t have to look away from the road for as long). You just turn the dials and then press to select whatever function you’re after – it really is blonde proof (because it’s so simple). Importantly, it features a wrist rest – so you don’t end up with messed up shoulder muscles, and you (hopefully) won’t need rotator cuff surgery.

 

Safe as the new truck generation

Something else that’s good news from a health point of view is the proliferation of safety features in the new truck generation; I was extremely mindful of these features while navigating traffic in and around Bilbao (some of those Spanish drivers are almost as crazy as us South Africans, you know!)

Up for grabs is MAN AttentionGuard (it evaluates the number of times the vehicle strays from the lane and then berates the driver via an optical warning), an Emergency Brake Assist system (which warns the driver during critical situations and initiates emergency braking if there is a risk of a rear-end collision with a moving or stationary vehicle in front) and Congestion Assistant (operating at speeds of up to 40 km/h, it controls the driveline, brakes and steering; it also decelerates the truck if the vehicle in front hits the brakes). Other very worthwhile safety features include Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Change Support and Lane Return Assist. The pièce de résistance is Turn Assist (it monitors the hard-to-see side area next to the truck on the co-driver’s side at speeds of up to 30 km/h). It’s a big deal because MAN is the first company in Europe to introduce EU2024 compliant Turn Assist.

 

A truck for frugal operators

Operators will love this truck too – because it boasts economy par excellence. In fact, the 12.4 litre, six-cylinder D26 engine (available in 430 hp, 470 hp and 510 hp output variants) offers an eight percent fuel saving – which is not to be sneezed at. The 510 hp D26 was fitted to our test truck; it does a superb job – Bilbao’s hilly terrain didn’t bother it in the least.

Various other engines will be offered – including the re-developed D15 engine (with nine litres of displacement and a performance range of 330 hp, 360 hp and 400 hp), the MAN D38 (with 540 to 640 hp) and the D08 engine (available in 160 to 320 hp).

So, there you have it: a truck generation that will be appreciated by truck drivers, fellow road users and transport operators alike. Sounds like a real win to me.

 

The new truck will be launched in South Africa in the fourth quarter of 2021.