A comparison test drive of 5217 kilometres across challenging terrain shows an impressive fuel saving
Shortly before MAN presented their new TGX EfficientLine 2 at the IAA 2014 exhibition, two MAN TGX 18.480 semi-trailer tractors embarked on a comparison test drive across 5217 km of challenging terrain. The first tractor was the MAN TGX EfficientLine model, which has been on the market since 2010 and has sold more than 27,000 vehicles. The second tractor at the starting line was the new MAN TGX EfficientLine 2. In this version, MAN is bundling new fuel-reducing technologies to reduce the total cost of operation (TCO) and lower CO2 emissions even further.
The new MAN TGX EfficientLine 2’s energy saving potential was put to the test, with its advanced GPS cruise control system EfficientCruise, the optimised D26 engine with TopTorque, the torque increase of 200 Nm in the two highest gears, and the new gearbox functions of the automatic gear shift system MAN TipMatic 2. The TÜV Süd testing agency confirmed the comparability of the two vehicles and accompanied them on their journey. The results of the TÜV assessment show that the MAN TGX EfficientLine 2 saves 6.57 per cent diesel compared to the previous model.
Without a driver, but fully loaded and carrying a spare wheel, 875 litres of diesel and 80 litres of AdBlue, the semi-trailer combination weighed 38,230 kg. During the journey, both MAN tractors were occupied by two trainers from MAN ProfiDrive.
The evaluation of the eight-day journey shows that the vehicles were travelling uphill for 46 per cent of the route, ascending 31,075 metres, which is equivalent to three and a half times the height of Mount Everest. Starting at the MAN Truck Forum in Munich, the route then followed the Brenner Pass into south-west Europe. From Genoa, the vehicles passed along the western Mediterranean coasts of Italy, France and Spain. In Andalusia, the two MAN TGX tractors left the hilly coastal region, travelling inland and cresting the Sierra Nevada mountain range and taking the 1390 metre high Puerto de la Mora de Huétor pass. The vehicles then headed northwards through Spain, towards Irun and the Bay of Biscay. The route continued further to the north, passing Bordeaux, Orléans and Paris, travelling through Belgium and the urban Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany. Having travelled between 552 and 749 kilometres per day, the two MAN TGX EfficientLine tractors reached the finish at the Hanover exhibition centre.
The comparison of the MAN EfficientLine 2 with its predecessor can be summarised as follows:
- Vehicle weight of the loaded semitrailer combination: 38,230 kg
- Route length: 5217 km
- Total height ascended: 31,075 m
- Length of ascending route: 2399 km (46 per cent of total route)
- Average EfficientLine 2 consumption (determined by TÜV): 30.17 l/100 km
- Fuel saving: 6.57 per cent
