SCANIA is a new player which is among the roster of known European truck manufacturers in the Philippines. It has brought its lineup of heavy-duty trucks since 2015.
This Swedish truck maker introduced its latest deluxe bus—the new Marcopolo. Dubbed by Scania as a complete coach and solution, the Marcopolo not only offers safety and comfort, but it is also for ultimate passenger experience. In order to feel the first-class ride of the Marcopolo, Scania Philippines recently hosted members of the media and bloggers for a ride event and trip to the province of Pampanga.
Exterior-wise, the massive and tall frame denotes what a modern bus should look like—curvy edges with aerodynamic fascia. But that’s not all as the front end design highlights an extensive glass windshield and sleek-looking headlamps. Interior-wise, meantime, you’ll see more of what Scania is talking about. What greeted us were the light and breezy color motif of the 49-seater cabin with LED ambient light running along the overhead compartment. Noteworthy also was how the aisle and seat flooring are levelled unlike the typical bus layout. Settling was absolutely easy as there was enough legroom. In fact, aside from reclining, aisle seats even have lateral adjustments to further create space in between.
Overhead consoles are also up-to-date with smaller yet powerful air-vents, which has flow controller along with the LED reading lights and attention buttons. There are also LED screens upfront and smaller units in the middle for visual entertainment. As soon as we hit the road, more of the comfort features were experienced. For one, the supple ride provided by the coach’s air suspension was clearly noticeable. The suspension system is even capable to adjust the vehicle’s ground clearance for easy passenger ingress/egress. There were less vibration and exterior noise level inside. So cruising along the freeway was absolutely blissful thanks to the comfy seats, cool air-con, soft and quiet ride. What’s more, there are even USB chargers installed between the foot rest for smartphones and gadgets. Now that’s something cringe-worthy for the gadget addicts.
Derived from the K 360 IB 4×2 platfrom, the Marcopolo is powered by 13-liter DC13 six-cylinder in-line, four-valves per cylinder, turbo-charged and intercooled diesel engine. Its capable to generate 360 hp at 1,900 rpm and 1,750 N-m of maximum torque at 1,000 -1,350 rpm. Paired to an eight-speed automated manual gearbox, the Marcopolo is also equipped with cruise control and speed limiter functions. Safety-wise, there are five CCTV cameras inside the cabin and all seats are installed with afety belts. Other standard safety features are the Scania Retarder – automatic and manual control, Disc brakes on front and rear axle, full air brakes with independent circuits, electronically controlled anti-lock braking system (EBS), traction control, interlock valve with parking brake, and hill hold function.
Interestingly, Scania Philippines is set to deliver 10 units of Marcopolo to its customer, P&O Transport, in order for the company to have additional units to ply the Manila-Naga route. So we won’t be surprised if more of these Scania Marcopolo buses would eventually service other provincial routes in the country very soon.
Image credits: Randy S. Peregrino