The 29-seater market in the UK is a crowded one, but EVM Direct and Altas are pinning their hopes on the aerodynamic Viator being a breakthrough model. Richard Sharman put it to the test
The first Lithuanian commercial midi bus, the Altas Viator, was launched at the IAA show in left-hand drive form in October 2018. Built on the Iveco Daily 70C21H chassis and powered by the 3-litre engine with a Hi-Matic gearbox, the Viator can carry up to 29 passengers plus courier.
At the time, Altas confirmed at the IAA that the aerodynamic design would be heading for the UK market, with a right-hand drive model planned for development and introduction to the UK market within two years. True to their word and exactly two years to the day, the first UK example, built on a UK Iveco Daily chassis arrived at EVM Direct in Crawley, West Sussex.
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Designed and developed in Lithuania
The engineering solutions and design for the Viator were developed in Lithuania, and the parts and components were chosen from the global automotive industry. The bus frame is made of Finnish stainless steel, while modern composite materials that are light and feature good heat and noise insulation are used for the exterior and interior panels.
Commenting on the Viator, Edvardas Radzevičius, CEO of Altas Commercial Transport said: “For more than 15 years, we have been working within the European markets and we have seen that more midi-sized buses are in demand, besides the minibuses we already manufacture. Our customers in different countries have asked for such a product, and with this midi bus, we will fill a gap in the existing range of small and medium buses.
“After listening to the responses from the first commercial midi bus from the Altas brand, we are convinced that this will be a product that is highly sought after across Europe. We are and will remain partners with the major European automobile manufacturers, but we also plan to continue creating unique Lithuanian products.
“When Lithuania decided to begin manufacturing components for vehicles, the foreign experts were sceptical. Today, even the largest automotive component manufacturers are establishing facilities in the country, and the Lithuanian companies have begun developing not only electric motors and future technologies for self-propelled vehicles but also fully-equipped passenger buses.”
The Altas Viator was designed by Dominykas Budinas, an industrial and automotive designer. In 2019 the Viator won an A’ Design Award, one of the biggest design awards worldwide, evaluating product design in 100 different product categories according to the Locarno classification of industrial sectors. The competition has been held annually since 2010, and around 100,000 products compete every year for almost 10,000 awards in different fields.
The applications are evaluated by an international team of judges which this year comprised 209 design professionals, academics and media representatives from various countries of the world. The best products are selected based on a product’s innovation, functionality, aesthetic design and energy efficiency.
Edvardas continued: “Every year the Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design category is one of the most popular ones, so the competition among the participating products is very intense. The category encompasses a wide range of products: bicycles, cars, motorcycles, ships and yachts, buses and even trains. This year, nine winners have been selected in this category, of which the only bus-class product is the Viator. Our goal in developing the Viator midi bus was to create a product that would stand out from the market-standard models, using bold and innovative solutions. The model’s presentation attracted a lot of attention in the 2018 IAA exhibition in Hanover and now it has been recognised in this competition, which means that our solutions paid off. This is a recognition of not only us but also of Dominykas Budinas.”
Bringing the Viator to the UK market
For those who were aware of this product coming to the UK, it has been a long two-year wait, but it has been worth it. EVM Direct has teamed up with Altas to offer its customers a 29-seater option, a sector that EVM Direct previously had not entered. But as EVM UK Sales and Marketing Director, Peter Flynn explains, now is the right time: “Over the years our customers have grown with us and we get asked to supply bigger vehicles. We want to continue to help our customers with that growth, so working with Altas on the project was an ideal fit for us as we know the quality and backup is there.”
Peter continued: “We already have five years’ experience of working with Altas as they help to build the EVM City Line product during our busy production period of February to July. It means we have the flexibility to meet customer demand by using both our Kilbeggan factory in Ireland and the Altas facility in Lithuania.”
Managing Director of EVM, Danny McGee added: “There are always new manufacturers coming to the UK to try and sell minibuses, it’s a desirable market, but you have to get everything right. You have to be consistent and always be there for the customer. In terms of after-sales service and residual values, the EVM product has proved itself over the years and the Viator will follow in the footsteps of what we have already achieved.
“Spare parts for the Viator product can be delivered next day. We ordered a part at 1600hrs and it arrived with us at 1200hrs the next day, the infrastructure and support are well organised. Every vehicle comes with a USB stick that contains the vehicle manuals, spare parts book and wiring diagrams.”
Gary Harding, Group Sales Manager of Iveco Retail Ltd told CBW: “We are proud to be associated with EVM Direct Ltd in the development of the EVM Altas Viator midibus, built on the Iveco Daily 70C21H A8 CC/P Chassis Cowl with the 3.0 Litre 205HP engine and 8-Speed Hi-Matic transmission for absolute driving pleasure.
“In a fast changing world, where automation plays an increasing role in the efficiency, productivity and reliability of products and services, the Iveco Daily makes great progress on the path towards autonomous driving and enhanced safety.
“The Iveco Daily offers various advanced, assisted driving & Safety drive assistance systems such as; AEBS and City Brake Pro, Queue Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Pro Active Lane Keeping Assist, Crosswind Assist, Hill Descent Control and Traction Plus.
“The Iveco Daily embraces enhanced connectivity, which is much more than using your mobile device onboard. It is the enabler of a whole range of services, allowing us to support your business more proactively and effectively, with Remote Diagnostics, Over the Air (OTA) Service and Proactive Servicing, maximising your productivity.
“Clients can also manage their vehicle in real time through the MYDAILY app. Managing your fleet has never been easier.”
First look at the UK version
There are many coach-built minibuses out there in the market, but the Viator has got to be one of the most futuristic designs to arrive in the UK market during 2020. Whilst it maintains a small amount of the Iveco Daily’s DNA on the exterior of the chassis cowl, this is very minimal and limited to just the bonnet and the LED headlights. What has been achieved is a look that is almost Range Rover-like in terms of frontal styling with clean, modern flowing lines.
Once you have gone beyond the chassis cowl you find a coach built body that is designed to attract attention. The Viator has more of big coach look about it, due to the high windows, angled upwards at the rear, locker doors on both sides, full-length emergency exit door, flared wheel arches and the aerodynamic fins on the roofline that not only increase fuel economy but also protect customers from the rain by directing it away from the entry door.
Even the Hella orange marker lights mounted in the locker panels mimic the shape of the Viator.
Moving to the rear of the Viator, it is pleasing to see that the rear styling is just as futuristic, with a lot of effort going into the design. A substantial spoiler extends beyond roofline and contains the centre mounted MXN reversing camera. An abundance of curves are used on the rear, including a recessed area on the cantilever boot for the number plate and handle, this is all set off nicely by Hella high-level repeat indicators, marker lights and narrow units used for the main tail and indicator units. The reflectors, reversing and fog lights are neatly tucked away under the main boot line. The demonstrator vehicle also has a Variobloc towbar.
Build quality up to standard
A lot of effort went into the exterior styling but how does that translate on the interior? I am pleased to say that it exceeds expectations. The build is of high quality. The wide entry door, using an Anlas Kalip door mechanism and motor, as used in EVM products, reveals two shallow steps to the saloon, which has a sunken gangway making access easier for passengers.
Once onboard there is certainly an air of luxury and space about the Viator, the entry platform is quite large for this class of midi bus and due to the rake of the windscreen the Iveco dashboard not intruding into this area, there is plenty of space for passengers to board and alight.
Looking down the saloon reveals bespoke roof panels and high-quality luggage rack units made in-house by Altas. Both have been designed to allow ample room for passengers to place hand luggage in the racks easily, and without damaging the roof lining. The passengers then have a choice of 29 comfortable STER (formerly known as Fource Seating Systems) Active 30 model seats to choose from, with legroom on both sides being significant enough for a tall person to be comfortable. Passengers also benefit from seat belt height adjustment. The seatbacks feature mobile phone holders with two 5V USB charging points per seatback.
A roof-mounted 18kw Autoclima RT160 air-conditioning unit keeps the saloon cool in the summer, whilst a 12kW Eberspächer pre-heater, mounted in the second locker on the offside, provides heat to the convector units which are mounted to both sides of the saloon and under the rear bench seat. All saloon glazing is athermic double dark grey tinted, meaning that it is resistant to heat passing through, keeping the saloon cool in summer and keeping the heat in during the winter.
The Tarabus Gaya Wood walnut effect flooring has antislip particles ingrained into it for passenger safety in wet conditions, and adds a quality finish to the saloon of the Viator.
Iveco driveabilty
When it comes to the driver’s working environment, it can sometimes be overlooked, but this is certainly not the case with the Viator. The driver has a comfortable Pilot X’TREME P1300 seat which has air suspension with a built-in air compressor; it is also heated and has a hands free microphone integrated into it. Due to having a large cab area, the driver’s seat does go back a long way for taller drivers. Lockable driver storage units can be found under the cab window and above in the luggage rack. Every side window surrounding the cab, along with the windscreen is heated.
Once seated in the cab I found that all-around vision is good, with the A and B pillars not causing any issues. The Iveco dashboard feels completely integrated into the Viator, this being down to the body controls to the right being well designed to complement it, rather than just added on. The touchscreen body function control unit is one of the best designs I have seen for some time: you can control all the interior lighting, heated screen, central locking to all doors including lockers and the powered sunblind from it. The door control button is kept separate but is grouped with the body function control unit and the controls for the air-conditioning and heating.
The Iveco dashboard has an air of quality to it, everything is to hand, and the speedo is easy to see through the multifunction steering wheel, which includes hands-free phone control, cruise control and selection buttons for the dash binnacle options. A Pioneer head unit has been fitted and this includes satellite navigation, and shows the reversing camera when reverse is selected. The manual parking brake is fitted to the right of the driver’s seat to avoid a potential trip hazard for passengers.
Gear selection is via an in-dash gearstick which has power and eco modes drive options. Setting off from Crawley in eco mode, the 3.0 litre Iveco engine is responsive due to its 210 hp, but quiet in operation, and there is no noise from any of the interior fittings. The ZF developed HI-MATIC gearbox has made the Daily very drivable, with changes between the eight gears almost unnoticeable.
Aside from the HI-MATIC gearbox, another welcome feature is the fitment of a TELMA LVRS600 retarder, which adds additional braking power for the safety of the passengers and driver, in addition to reducing brake lining maintenance costs. Around the dual carriageway of Crawley, the TELMA retarder is very effective, allowing powerful braking with minimal pressure on the brake pedal. It also has the addition of the four stage hand control. Which is an excellent feature.
The Iveco 70C21 chassis has air suspension on the rear axle to improve passenger ride quality, whilst heading towards Gatwick Airport I took a few trips around the many roundabouts at speed to see how 7200kg Viator reacts.
At 2900mm, it is quite tall, but even at speed body roll is minimal, with the Michelin 225/175 R16 C Agilis tyres sticking like glue to the tarmac.
Arriving at Gatwick Airport, it was time to pull over and change the gear selection to power mode. Pulling away you can feel the difference in the drive, gears are held for slightly longer and torque is increased, making it ideal for when all 29 seats and courier are in use, along with the total 4.5 m3 luggage capacity being full.
People often underestimate the Iveco in favour of the three-pointed star in this sector, but the Daily has come a long way in the last few years, and when combined with a body like the Altas Viator, it is certainly a worthy contender to be considered when looking to buy a 29-seater. EVM Direct UK expects the Viator to retail for £122,00 pre-Brexit.
