Jonathan Welch gets behind the wheel of the next generation Scania Touring and is impressed by the new cab layout
Scania’s Touring was launched in left hand drive form for Europe at Busworld 2009, bringing with it Scania’s current house style. It was the culmination of a project begun in 2005 by Scania to offer a Chinese body on a full European chassis, as opposed to using European running gear. This also marked the start of the Swedish marque’s relationship with China’s Higer. An initial model, the A80, was produced for the Egyptian market, and debuted there in 2007.
There was no initial hurry to bring the model to the UK, where Scania offered both its own OmniExpress range as well as Irizar products, and a right hand drive version finally arrived in 2015. The initial batch of right hand drive coaches consisted of 20 tri-axle 13.7m models, and the range grew to include a 12.1 metre option as well as a short 10.9m model which was introduced in the UK as a result of customer demand for a smaller ‘big’ coach.
Actually, if we dial the clock back a few decades, what we now see as a ‘short’ coach was a normal full-size vehicle, 36 feet or 11 metres being a common length in the 1960s. Nowadays, it’s among the shortest full-size coach lengths available.
Built on the same latest generation KNI chassis (that’s K for coach, N for normal floor height and I for independent suspension) as the 12.1 metre coach, the 10.9m version was introduced to the UK in mid 2020. CBW was invited to drive the latest Next Generation model, which has received a number of upgrades, most obviously to the cab area, as well as internal trim. Our test example was fitted with seats for 42 people and a rear floor-level toilet, including four removable seats to create space for a wheelchair user over the rear axle.
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