It has been 11 months since the Plaxton Panorama demonstrator first broke cover in Scarborough. Sales are now gaining pace and the industry is curious to see what this important new product in the Plaxton range has to offer. Richard Sharman had the chance to test drive a recent delivery to Acklams Coaches of Beverley
The day dawned a cold, wet and windy as I made my way to Acklams Coaches’ depot in the historic market town of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
On arrival at the operator, the first thing that was immediately apparent was that the company loves the Plaxton product; from the Cheetah XL to the Panther and Elitei, it’s all here and in immaculate condition.
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Acklams’ Volvo B11RLE Plaxton Panorama first made its debut on the important stage that is the Euro Bus Expo at the NEC last year, on the Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) stand. This is a significant vehicle because it fills a gap in the coach range which, capacity-wise, the Elitei couldn’t quite manage. It is also the first double-decker coach to be sold by Plaxton since the Paramount 4000 back in 1984.
The Paramount 4000 was well-received by the industry and attracted a large number of orders from both express coach operators and tour operators, perhaps the most memorable version being the batch supplied to Flight Link which had large luggage capacity above the mid-engined Volvo B10M chassis and a passenger compartment in the lower rear section of the coach.
Plaxton is hoping to reignite the flame of nostalgia with recent vehicle names, the Leopard fitting in nicely with the big cat theme but also jogging the memory of long-standing operators of the Plaxton Supreme-bodied Leyland Leopards. The Panorama obviously refers to the views to be had from the upper deck, but also harks back to the hugely successful Plaxton Panorama Elite body that came before the Supreme and was built between 1968 and 1975.
Body styling and features
There is certainly no mistaking that the Panorama is a Plaxton product, and in some respects it represents the Elitei’s big brother. On first inspection of the Panorama, it is a very impressive looking vehicle. When the Elitei first came out I considered it the behemoth of the Plaxton range, but at 14.5m long and 3.95m high, the Panorama is even more imposing – in a good way.
It is an impressive-looking coach that very much keeps within the ethos of the Plaxton range. The front profile of the Panorama is pretty much identical to the Elitei, just taller. Acklams Coaches’ Panorama is fitted with a roof-mounted upper deck windscreen wiper, which none of the other production vehicles have so far – a hugely beneficial feature for those sat near the front upstairs.
It is the side profile that really catches the eye though; the dark-tinted glazing with Plaxton’s signature curve at the last window unit really stands out, and gives that ‘executive’ look. The chrome trim around the curve and lower part of the glazing also accentuates this feature.
In terms of the body panels on the side of the Panorama, the styling has been kept simple, with large flat areas that make an eye-catching livery easy to apply. The flared wheel arches are a nice styling cue, as well as being practical in cutting down road spray on a wet day. Acklams Coaches has specified three nearside roofline LED lights to assist with night-time work; these are situated above the entry/exit door and the luggage door area.
The luggage compartment of the Panorama has a total capacity of 450kg, accessible through three lockers on the offside and one locker plus a door on the nearside. Acklams initially also had a ski box fitted to the rear of the Panorama to increase the 450kg limit, but has since taken delivery of a trailer which has more than doubled that luggage capacity. The trailer is also going into fleet livery to match the coach.
The rear of vehicle is well-styled and much work has been done to ensure that the Panorama is as aerodynamic as possible. To this end, as well as the standard Plaxton roofline spoiler, there are also aerodynamic fins fitted to both sides of the rear of the vehicle to aid airflow. This feature was first introduced to the Elitei with the 68-plate batch of megabus.com vehicles.
The asymmetric rear window follows in the footsteps of the rest of the Plaxton range, with chrome trim around it to accentuate the lines. A full-width rear LED destination screen is fitted at the top of the rear window on the inside, although this function was not in use with Acklams’ destination programme at the time of the test. A high-level LED repeat brake light is included above the vents for the air-conditioning fans.
Engine access is good, with a smaller boot lid for everyday checks and a larger dropdown section to gain full access to the engine compartment. A large piece of chrome trim sits above the rear number plate and the rear light clusters are highlighted by silver trim.
The Acklams Panorama is the first to be fitted with a tow bar, so the centre section of the rear bumper has been nicely modified from the factory to allow for this.
Impressive interior
Two staircases, a toilet, servery, rear exit door and wide entry area all fit comfortably into the well-designed 3.95m-high, 2.55m-wide Plaxton Panorama body.
Acklams Coaches has opted to remove one double seat from the lower deck, by the rear exit door, making its vehicle an 85-seater. By contrast, the batch of five Panoramas at Stagecoach Western have 83 seats and a permanent wheelchair bay, though the seating incorporates four sliding tip-up seats which would allow for a total of 87 passenger seats which could simply and quickly be converted in service to accommodate a wheelchair passenger. The wheelchair access ramp is neatly stored on the luggage bay door.
The first impression that the passenger has of the Panorama is the wide entrance area, which immediately makes it feel like a spacious vehicle. Part of the reason for this is that the crew seat has been designed so that it is well out of the way of the flow of the vehicle.
Plaxton has also carefully considered the interior mouldings, many of which are curved to increase space. This is very evident once you pass the point of the front staircase. To the left is a large curved unit that houses the vehicle electronics, while to the right above the nearside front wheel is a small luggage area with two curved supports. These features greatly increase the space and will help improve the passenger flow whilst boarding the Panorama.
The lower deck roof is fairly low for anyone who is taller than five feet, eight inches, but Plaxton has allowed for this by fitting curved roof panels over the centre of the saloon floor.
Once seated in the lower saloon, the one noticeable feature of the Panorama is that the windows seem small and quite high up compared to the seat position. This does not affect the passengers’ view though, and once you get moving you soon get used to it. Having experienced riding in the vehicle first as a passenger, the lower deck is certainly comfortable, and the suspension delivers a very smooth ride.
Other features of the lower deck are the toilet and servery unit at the rear of the vehicle, opposite the exit door. A large high-quality Shades bespoke toilet unit with a curved out-swinging door allows enough room for a flip-down baby changing unit to be fitted above the toilet. A vanity unit above the wash basin includes a mirror, hand wash and hand dryer. A large bin is also included in the toilet unit moulding. This area is illuminated by blue LEDs and frosted glass from the saloon glazing.
To the left of the toilet unit is a hot water tap, a basin for hot drinks and a large fridge. To the right of the unit is a built-in bin, heater unit and a monitor for passengers who are facing the rear of the vehicle from the seats around the tables behind the front axle. Forward-facing passengers have a large monitor over the nearside wheel arch moulding.
The lower saloon floor has full tracking under the carpet to allow for easy vehicle reconfiguration later in life, if required.
Plaxton has used Brusa Extend 300 passenger seats, which are comfortable and feature centre and outer armrests, magazine nets, fold down tables and centre USB ports. On Acklams’ vehicle, 20 passengers can sit downstairs, with eight around tables.
Upper saloon
Having two staircases in definitely an advantage for the Panorama, particularly in express vehicle format. Both staircases are easy to negotiate, with large, shallow steps and LED units lighting the steps’ edges. The rear staircase leads directly to the centre exit of the vehicle.
The upper deck of the Panorama seats 65 passengers, making full use of the 14.5m chassis. Seating is well spaced-out, although the nearside offers slightly more legroom due to the front staircase having to be set back further to allow for cab area space.
In terms of ride quality, the upper deck certainly delivers on passenger comfort. On the 35-minute trip to the football stadium with Acklams driver Phil at the wheel, the ride was smooth and had no apparent body roll, the suspension having just the right amount of stiffness to deliver a comfortable ride.
All-around vision is excellent for all passengers; the only view that you don’t have is out of the rear of the vehicle. From the interior, the rear section is fully carpeted with a large access panel to allow engineers to gain access to the full-width rear LED destination display and the CCTV camera mounted above the five rear seats. From the outside the Panorama does have a rear top window, but this serves to carry on the Plaxton range look and simply houses the destination display.
Passengers sitting in the front two seats benefit from an excellent view of the road ahead; a top windscreen wiper also works in conjunction with the driver’s windscreen wipers. Four flip-down video monitors and one large screen mounted at the front of the vehicle give passengers a good view wherever they are sat. The four passengers sat at the front benefit from two small monitors mounted just under eye level, so that they don’t have to crick their neck looking up – a nice touch.
Driver’s environment
The design of the cab area has been well thought out. Sitting in the Isringhausen 6860/875/RH/NTS seat for the first time, I was impressed by how far the driver’s seat goes back – an area which the Plaxton range has definitely improved on in recent years – and by how good the all-around visibility is.
I admit that it does take some getting used to not having a large full-height windscreen like on most coaches but, to be honest, as you get used to it you find it is actually better in that glare is reduced right down and the view on the road ahead is in no way impaired. Vision through the cab and entry door windows is also very good.
Both of the mirrors are well-placed, and having the built-in blind spot mirror is a great help. Having that nearside mirror mounted to the entry door is a huge help when the vehicle is in motion, too, as you do not constantly have to worry about tree branches knocking the mirror arm off on A-roads. However, the main observation that I have about the placement of this mirror is that if the vehicle were to be used in an express service application, the driver is unable to see down the nearside of the vehicle to check that closing the plug door will not affect any pedestrians walking by. The middle exit door does have the added benefit of having a camera mounted in the exit area though, which automatically shows on the driver’s monitor when the door is in operation.
The dashboard layout is very good; all the switches that the driver needs are easily to hand. The Hanover DG3 destination controller, Bosch audio systems, Heavac climate control, driver’s CCTV monitor and lighting controls are to the left of the dash. To the right is the master switch, suspension, safety systems, Volvo digital tachograph reader, headlights and mirror controls. The driver also benefits from three air vents built into the dashboard, an individual air-conditioning unit through the demisters, an electric cab window, three USB ports and a powered sunblind. The Volvo I-Shift gear selector, handbrake and broms brake are located neatly under the cab window.
Out on the road
The Plaxton Panorama is powered by Volvo’s B11R six-cylinder, common rail, SCR-equipped 10.8-litre turbocharged diesel engine, certified to Euro VI emission standards. It develops 460hp when fitted with a Volvo I-Shift gearbox. There is an option for a ZF unit, but this reduces the engine to a 380hp version. This chassis has been specially-designed for the Panorama by Volvo.
The test route for the Panorama would take it on the motorway, B-roads, hills and the narrow roads around the hometown of Acklams Coaches, Beverley. For the test, the Volvo I-shift gearbox was set to Economy, as this is the default setting that operators would prefer drivers to run with due to the savings made on fuel costs.
Departing from Doncaster Services, the coach park was full of – yes, you guessed it – HGVs. Luckily, the Panorama has rear wheel steering, making it easy to manoeuvre out of tight spots, which proved highly effective in the coach park.
As I left the services and indicated to pull out, a view of the offside of the coach came up on the dash-mounted CCTV screen – a handy feature if you are in a tight spot.
As I pulled out on to the motorway, the 10.8-litre engine, combined with the I-Shift gearbox, delivered smooth acceleration through the 12 gears up to the speed limiter, where is happily sat within the green band on the rev counter. Torrential rain and wind began again whilst on the motorway section, but for the size of the vehicle I was impressed that the high winds only required very slight correction on the steering wheel to keep it in a straight line.
To aid the driver’s view of the rear corners, extended rear corner marker lights positioned at mid-skirt height are fitted. These proved useful on the Motorway in heavy rain, as the bright white LED lights clearly indicated the rear of the vehicle through the spray coming from the wheels of the Panorama and the HGV being overtaken.
The Panorama cruised along nicely on the motorway, eating up the miles in a quiet and refined fashion. Acklams Coaches driver Phil, who accompanied me and whose allocated vehicle is this Panorama, was sat in the crew seat. The crew seat has been well set back, which really helps when driving the Panorama as the driver has a completely uninterrupted view to the nearside. The second driver, or indeed courier, benefits from a drinks holder, microphone, separate lighting and a USB charging point. Although they are sat fairly low down, there is plenty of room for them to stretch their legs out on a long journey.
After a relaxing section of motorway driving, it was time to give the Panorama and its B11R engine a workout on the B1230. As I joined the B-road, the smoothness of the tarmacked motorway disappeared to reveal the opposite kind of road surface, that typical of a UK B-road. The Panorama took this in its stride, the suspension taking care of the uneven surface and potholes, and the 315/80 R22.5-inch tyres maintaining perfect grip despite the large amount of surface water that had built up since the early hours of the morning.
There were some hilly aspects of the road, and whilst the I-Shift can confidently handle these it is noticeable, at least in economy mode, that progress is not as quick as maybe you would like it to be. One aspect of the I-Shift gearbox is that slight pause between the gears; this does deliver a comfortable passenger experience but can slow progress slightly. It would be interesting to see how the optional ZF EcoLife 6AP2000C automatic performs in the Panorama. It may have less horsepower when fitted, but the gearbox operates without a pause. The batch of five vehicles for Stagecoach Western have this option, which may be better suited to express service operation.
Around five miles from Beverley, I decided to pull over and select the manual gear option, where the gears can be toggled up or down on the side of the gear selector.
This did slightly increase the speed of acceleration, although the lower gear ratios are quite short. You have the choice of 12 gears, and the gear you are in is shown on the dash display. This is a good feature of the I-Shift gearbox, and it still allows for a smooth change.
As we approach Beverley, the road narrowed and I became much more aware of the size of the Panorama. It’s not that it is a problem, it is more the ignorance of other motorists you encounter that do not allow you the extra room to manoeuvre. Once again, the rear steering axle came into its own whilst making tight turns around the town. As we returned to the depot, I couldn’t really think of anything that I would change about the Plaxton Panorama. It is a good all-rounder, ideal as a touring coach or for express service applications.
The test drive covered 38 miles over a combination of motorway, hills and B roads from Doncaster Services to Beverley, with the Volvo B11R producing an impressive 8.5 Miles Per Gallon (MPG). Running on purely motorway between Hull and Doncaster, a distance of 37.3 miles, the Panorama achieved 10mpg.
Plaxton has confirmed that orders for 2019 so far amount to 30 Panoramas, which includes the Acklams Coaches vehicle tested and the recent delivery of one to Matthews.ie. This leaves 28 to be delivered this year, although due to commercial confidentiality Plaxton is unable to confirm which operators the current orders are for.
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