Mellor Coachcraft revealed two new variants of the Strata range during Euro Bus Expo at the National Exhibition Centre last month. Richard Sharman visited the Mellor factory at Rochdale to test drive the existing Strata and take a closer look at the two new longer variants
There is no doubt that Mellor Coachcraft has found success with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-based Strata. Introduced in 2016, the vehicle has seen many applications throughout the industry which has included volume orders from Arriva, McGill’s and Rotala. [wlm_nonmember][…]
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The key to this success is that it has a big bus feel, yet can go where standard buses cannot. This benefits the operator in a number of ways. It allows them to send the Strata on routes that may have access problems due to parked cars, or still operate a route that is no longer viable with a full size bus because of reduced passenger numbers or increased running costs.
First impressions
The Greater Manchester town of Rochdale is the home of Mellor Coachcraft, located next to the railway station with the train line running on a viaduct overhead.
The first thing I noticed as I arrived on site was what a hive of activity it was, with many vehicles in build throughout the two units. In between the two units a number of completed vehicles await delivery, including two Stratas for Rotala-owned Diamond Bus. The vehicle I would be taking for a test drive was an 18 plate Strata with 21 seats. Judging by the small windscreen sticker in the windscreen it had just returned from the West Midlands.
The styling on the Strata has been well thought out, with the front benefitting from good aerodynamic design, the rear featuring round LED lighting units and built in reversing camera and the side profile looking more like a full size bus. The sliding entry door means there is no door to intrude into the interior space, giving the Strata a completely clear entry area that leads to a cab like any conventional bus.
Comfortable cab
One advantage of having the wide body is that the cab area has plenty of room. It also allows for a reasonable sized luggage pen to the near side, in front of the entry door. It is big enough to store a buggy at an angle or a number of shopping bags.
In terms of switchgear, all the switches for door operation, interior lighting, bell push light, emergency door open and the nice touch of a power operated drivers’ blind are banked together in a neat row of modern looking switches.
Underneath you will find the controls for the Eberspacher heater, electric mirrors and the destination gear which in this case in a mobitec ICU 402 unit.
Another feature which takes some time to get used to is that the interior mirror is mounted on the nearside A pillar, though to be honest this is better for the driver – no more having to crick your neck to look at the mirror mounted to the destination box.
There is no cab door on this version, but provision has been made for a ticket machine base. The new larger versions of the Strata do feature cab doors.
The Mercedes-Benz original demister unit takes care of the driver’s needs for hot or cold air, and a small drivers signalling window is also provided. Whilst none of the demonstrators feature assault screens, it is worth noting that the Stratas supplied to Arriva were specified with them.
Interior quality
You may be wondering what makes the Strata feel like a big bus. One of the main reasons is the interior space. The gangway is 37cm wide once you get to the seated area, which feels ample for a vehicle of this size. The height of the Strata is 276cm, giving the saloon an airiness, which is also assisted by the large bonded side windows which feature four sliding windows for ventilation. The rear window is also curved at the top, which lets additional light in. The plastic trim around the windows adds to the big bus feel as it provides a ledge.
The Strata is equipped with either an Eberspacher or Webasto auxiliary heater unit, which is neatly mounted in a unit above the entry door, which also includes the door motor, vehicle electrics, lighting, bus stopping sign and two heater vents.
The ceiling is fitted with a number of vents to carry the heat to the rear of the vehicle. On the day of the test drive I tried the Eberspacher unit out and within five minutes the Strata was lovely and warm.
Stylish dark wood-effect flooring has been fitted to this demonstration vehicle. At the rear of the vehicle it is also fitted to the step that has been incorporated for the emergency exit.
The 21 Kiel Ligero seats feature three-point belts and are comfortable. LED strip lighting is fitted to each side of the vehicle and the final nice touch are the large bell pushes that have been fitted to six of the yellow handrails.
On the road
Having a chance to drive the Strata, my main objective was to see how much difference this size vehicle made to routes where parked cars are major problem. Every bus service operator up and down the country will more than likely know a housing estate or a certain road where vehicles are constantly getting delayed or stuck due to this issue.
Getting ready to set off from the Mellor site, I got comfortable in the cab. As expected, the original Mercedes-Benz dash is as it would be in the van version.
Pulling out onto the road, the first thing I was confronted with was a narrow road with cars parked on either side, including four parked right on the junction at the end. These cars already sported a number of yellow car parking tickets plastered over the windscreens, so I am guessing they had been there for a good few days.
This was the perfect chance to test out how the Strata deals with this situation. I knew for sure that if I was driving a rear-engined small bus that I would not be able to get through the gap.
Edging up to the gap and checking the well placed mirrors, I could see I had a few inches to play with on either side. I took the opportunity to take a photo of the Strata in this position to show the size of gap that it can squeeze through.
The advantage of the powered sliding entry door also came into play. Despite the few inches I had to the near side, the door could still open without issue. Had this been a plug door, there is no chance it would have opened.
Happy that I had documented the benefit of the size of the vehicle, I set off for a drive around the Rochdale area.
There are plenty of narrow residential roads in this town and the Strata took them all in its stride. Power from the Mercedes-Benz 516 linked to the seven-speed gearbox was more than adequate for town service work.
Driving around Rochdale I could see that the town is currently undergoing a lot of regeneration, with the metal framework for many new buildings nearly complete and a new bus station giving the town a modern, vibrant feel.
In terms of vision, the cab of the Strata is surrounded by glass. There were no blind spots from the A or B window pillars.
Having completed a tour of all the narrow streets I could find in Rochdale, it was time for the Strata to stretch its legs and head out into the countryside.
Rochdale is surrounded by hills, so I took the steepest looking gradient. The seven-speed gearbox changed effortlessly and delivered the power when needed from the 163bhp Mercedes-Benz Sprinter engine.
Although the Strata has quite a wide body for a van chassis, it is not noticeable and handles as you would expect. No body roll was noticable on tight corners or roundabouts.
A pause was made for internal and external photographs in the car park of the Fair View Inn on the top of the B6194 while the weather remained dry.
Returning to Mellor, it is fair to say that the Strata really is a useful vehicle that can help solve operators’ issues on routes where a large bus is no longer required, or indeed where parking issues are delaying services.
New variants
The Strata Plus and the Strata Ultra made their debut at the NEC and will soon be available as demonstrators.
This move immediately opens up the Strata to new markets, in particular the Strata Ultra which is capable of carrying 30 passengers, of which 27 can be seated. The Strata Plus can carry 26 passengers, 23 of which are seated.
The Strata Ultra could become a good contender for operators who need to replace aging conventional low-floor 28-seaters: allowing for the extra seats means that the length of the Strata Ultra is 877.5cm in length.
The 21-seater Strata that was used on test was 776cm, with the Strata Plus sitting between the Strata and Strata Ultra at 810cm.
Looking at the two new demonstrators, the main differences apart from the length and seating are that the bus stopping sign has been moved next to the entry door on the Strata Plus and is of the larger Mobitec scrolling type which can also display next stop information.
White LED Mobitec displays have been used with the Mobitec ICU602 controller.
All seats are provided with dual USB charging points, located in between the seats and on the side wall in the near side lower seating area.
On the Strata Ultra the sliding windows have been split up, with one full size window in between to allow the rear of the vehicle to be well ventilated. The difference in length means that the Strata Plus gains a small side window at the back of the vehicle compared to the standard Strata, the Strata Ultra gaining one almost full-sized side window.
Of particular note is that the Strata Plus and Ultra both feature two single seats in the nearside lower saloon, with the seat closest to the step also having a decency screen attached to the handrail to prevent the passenger falling out of the seat and down the saloon in an emergency braking situation. By comparison, the standard Strata has two double seats in the lower saloon.
The third generation Mercedes-Benz Sprinter makes its debut on these two new variants. The updated styling fits the Strata perfectly, adding an enhanced flow of the body line at the front. The two engine grilles in the bonnet on either side are slightly larger than the second generation Sprinter, but Mercedes-Benz has designed them to fit in discreetly within the line of the bonnet.
The most noticeable change to the cab area is the new Mercedes-Benz dashboard, which features a new seven inch touchscreen, with an option to display sat-nav if specified. The new multi-function steering wheel also adds a touch of class to the drivers’ environment. Additionally, the Strata Ultra demonstrator features the gear selector for the automatic gearbox on a stalk behind the steering wheel, meaning there is no longer a need for a gear stick selector to be mounted in the dash.
Cleverly, Mellor has specified the Strata Plus demonstrator with paddle shift controls for the gearbox located on the steering wheel, allowing operators to try both gearbox types with these demonstrators.
The Mellor Strata range offers operators a good selection of lengths, seating capacities and specifications. Coupled to the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, it is definitely an option to look at.
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