New Adventure Travel

Plaxton Elite-iVolvo B11R 6x2

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laxton unveiled the Elite range in 2008when a 14m example for Country Lion,based on a Volvo B12B 6x2 chassis,

appeared at the Birmingham Show. The followingyear, a two axle 12.6m version on Volvo’s B9Rchassis was shown at Coach & Bus Live in the

colours of Jones of Login, Carmarthenshire. Withinthe Plaxton range, the Elite is the premium model,placed above the Panther and, at the time of itslaunch, the Profile.

Two years before the first Elites went into buildat the Scarborough plant, Plaxton also started

building something else that ithad not built before: 15m longmodels. These were based onthe original Panther range andmounted on the Volvo B12BT6x2 chassis giving a maximumcapacity of 65. Designedprimarily to maximise capacityon express routes without theneed to go down the doubledeck route, exampleswere delivered toStagecoach and Parks ofHamilton. Some havesince been converted to a3+2 schoolbus specifica-tion which gives them anincredible seatingcapacity in the lower 80s,though it has to be saidthat it isn’t every schoolcontract you can usethem on.

With Volvo’s discontin-uation of the TX range,which included the B12B,Plaxton switched to buildingthe 15m Panther 2 on the B13R6x2 chassis and with theimpending demise of thatplatform the offering beneaththe Panther 2 will be the B11R6x2. Plaxton has also mountedthe 15m Elite on the B13R,supplying Stagecoach with abatch for the Stranraer serviceand Parks with nine foroperation on Citylink Gold

diagrams. With the advent of Whole Vehicle TypeApproval, seat spacing requirements dictate thatthe total capacity possible in a 15m Panther 2 orElite drops from 65 to 61.

Picking up on both the 15m and Elitedevelopment strands to create the biggest coachesPlaxton has ever built is the 3.97m high Elite-iwhich made its debut last year in the blue coloursof Stagecoach’s megabus.com fleet at Euro BusExpo. Stagecoach had placed an initial order for11 examples which were delivered at the turn ofthe year. They entered service on Megabus.comroutes running from Blochairne depot in Glasgowand can be seen on the motorway network on thebrand’s main services. One also participated in therecent UK Coach Rally at Alton Towers.

Although it has built double deckers andcoaches with rear lower deck lounges before aspart of the Paramount 4000 range, I believe theElite-i is the first Plaxton design to feature anoverdeck seating arrangement with seats abovethe driver’s head and passenger provision within aforward cabin. Among the advantages of thearrangement are that its DDA specificationprovides rapid and direct boarding for awheelchair passenger, which Plaxton calculate canbe 75% quicker than using a side mounted lift, an

Plaxton Elite-i Volvo B11R 6x2

P

New Adventure has specified a similar layout for the upper deck tothat chosen by Stagecoach, though the trim is different.

The upper deck from the rear showing the inset in the floor at thecentre stairwell and the step up over the cab area.

New style racks are a feature of the Plaxton range. Theyare more open than previous designs.

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important consideration on the express work forwhich the Elite-i has been designed. On top of thisit has a much greater luggage capacity than a

double decker without the need for a trailer and itprovides a high total seating capacity. It also has anoticeably lower initial cost than a double deckcoach with a retail price of £327,000.

The Stagecoach specification called for 75seats, of which 71 were on the upper deck, threewere in the lower deck cabin to the rear of thedriver and one, a demountable single seat that canmake way for a wheelchair, to the left of the driver.A feature of the design is a very wide entrancewith two separate doors, the forward one ofwhich normally remains closed unless there is awheelchair to board, with normal access providedthrough the second door in this front aperture,adjacent to the forward staircase over the nearsidefront wheel.

The first independent customer for the Elite-i isNew Adventure Travel of Cardiff which is run byKevyn Jones. This large and rapidly growing fleetalready includes a variety of high capacity coachesincluding 61-seat Neoplan Tourliners, a variety of14m models and 79-seat double deck NeoplanSkyliners. The imminent delivery oftwo Elite-i B11RTs will furtherstrengthen its high capacityoffering.

Before the new coaches werehanded over to New Adventure,B&CB went to Plaxton Coach Sales’Anston facility to meet MarketingManager, Andrew Warrender andtry out an example of this imposingnew model.

ChassisThe B11R is the third chassis on

which Plaxton has mounted 15mbodies and the process of doing sofor the Elite-i requires a number ofchanges from the standard B11Rchassis arrangement. These arepredominantly at the front wherethe front overhang has to beextended and the driving position

lowered to enable the passenger compartment tofit above the cab.

The New Adventure and Stagecoach vehicles allhave Euro5 VolvoD11C engines withselective catalyticreduction (SCR)emission control.The B11R will onlybe offered with thisunit for one year.After this the Euro6D11K poweredvariant will featureSCR but not EGR(exhaust gas recir-culation).

The D11C comeswith outputs of330, 370, 410 and450hp in the B11R.For this applicationthe 450hp/332kWmodel is specified,delivering thatoutput at 1,600-1,900rpm anddeveloping peaktorque of 2150Nm

at 950-1,400rpm. It is an 11-litre(actually 10.8-litre) in-line six-cylinder design with turbochargerand intercooler. Features include aone-piece cylinder head, overheadcamshaft, four valves per cylinder,electronic unit injection, on boarddiagnostics, the Volvo EMS2 enginecontrol system and softwareprotection. The management systeminforms the driver if replenishmentof the 60-litre AdBlue tank isrequired or if the engine emissionslevel is above what it should be.

The transmission is Volvo’s own I-Shift AP2612D 12-speed automatedmanual gearbox. The ZF EcoLife6AP2000B fully automatic box isnot offered with this engine outputthough it can be supplied with the370hp engine.

The drive axle is Volvo’s RS1228C unit and,though I couldn’t find mention of it on Volvo’s

specification sheet, the rear tag axle is activelysteered. Power steering is the familiar ZF nut andball system.

Suspension is electronically controlled withferry lift incorporated and optional kneeling facility.There are front and rear stabilisers and twodouble acting shock absorbers at the front with a

further six at the rear. Two levelling sensors arefitted on the drive axle with another at the frontand there are four air bellows on the drive axleand two each on the front and tag axles.

Braking is the Volvo EBS5 system with discs allround and separate circuits for each axle, ABS,ASR, ESP (electronic stability programme) and a

variety of other features including: hill start, liningwear sensing, brake blending, brake temperature

warning, brake assist, automatic difflock, automatic new brake padcalibration, door brake, dual retardercontrol and poor brake performancewarning. The park brake, which acts onthe drive axle, is air operated.

Electrically, the B11R has a 24 voltsystem with two 12volt batteries. Volvo’smultiplex system monitors all of thevehicle’s devices, provides diagnosticinformation for the driver and engineersand controls the engine management,transmission and suspension.

Michelin 315/80R22.5 tyres aremounted the 9.00” x 22.5” AlcoaDurabright alloy wheels.

BodyJig built at the Scarborough plant the

welded stainless steel structure uses12% chromium steel protected by a twostage undersealing process. The main

The launch customer for the Elite-i Volvo B11R was Stagecoach’smegabus.com fleet which has been operating 11 examples since the turn ofthe year and has more on order.

Andrew found the cabclaustrophobic initially butsoon became accustomedto it and thought the mirrorset up and visibilityprovided was excellent.

The front stairwell arrangement with the fridgemounted off the platform area.

The front staircase arrange-ment. Rail provision is good.

The centre stair well with thehalf step into the toilet.

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bodyside panels are composites bonded in place,with GRP front and rear panels and aluminiumframed and single skinned locker door panels.

The sheer sizeof the coachgives it animposingpresence whichPlaxton havesoftened with aslight rake to thefront uppersection and anattractivelycontoured rearwith the spoilerarrangementalready popularon other Elitemodels. Unlikelower heightElites, it does nothave the raisedfront roofsection thatsweeps into theroof line half wayalong the coach.Instead, the roof profile is flat, save for themounting of the Thermo King air conditioning unitahead of the drive axle. Such a large coach with

so much panelling presents the opportunity toreally create something exciting in the liverydepartment, though New Adventure’s restrainedscheme, focusing on its logo on a white

background, doesn’t really make the most of this. The front is fully glazed from the lower edge of

the windscreen upwards, with the digitaldestination equipment mounted behind thescreen between decks. Below is a new style oflower panel, thecentre section ofwhich can bepartially hingedforward, thoughto no particularpurposebecause, unlikeon other Elites,it does notprovide accessto anything. Thefixed frontcorner panelsare newsimplified threepart units. Thewindow linesmatch on eachside of thecoach, runningalong the sidesfrom the loweredge of the screen along to just beyond the twindoors before sweeping up to meet the mainwindow line that then runs the full length of the

coach at the same depth. There is also arear window mounted within a metalliceffect moulding. Side windows aredoubled glazed using 3mm thick glass,chosen to minimise weight without com-promising the rigidity of the structure.

On each side there is a one piececantilever locker door, that on the offsidebeing particularly large, providing accessto the luggage hold which is horizontallysplit, mezzanine fashion, to enable fulluse to be made of the 15.2 cubic metrestowage area. You don’t get that sort ofspace on a double decker, unless you aretowing a trailer. Both the nearside andoptionally the offside luggage locker

doors are pneumatically powered. The nearsidelocker door is smaller because ahead of thenearside continental door arrangement is the

toilet compartment, which takes up comparativelylittle of the hold.

At the rear the usual Plaxton engine coverarrangement is employed. A small top hinged flapgives access to the top of the engine and the daily

check pointwith the panelbelow hingedto come out alittle to improvethis access. Forfuller accessthe whole ofthe lower panelcan beremoved.

InteriorAlthough the

uses to whichthey will be putare verydifferent, theNew Adventurespecification isvery similar tothat chosen byStagecoach.Apart fromdifferent seattrim, soft ratherthan hardtrimmed side

casings and the installation of a Bosch (formerlyBlaupunkt) Professional Line DVD and videosystem on the New Adventure coach, they aresimilar, with the internal layout exactly the sameexcept for the ticketing equipment provision onthe Stagecoach coaches.

The main passenger entrance is at the frontthrough the second of the two adjacent powereddoors. The nearside of the entrance/lower saloonarea has a flat floor with a demountable singlepassenger seat in isolation at the nearside frontalongside the driver’s cab area. This has thebenefit of its own monitor screen on the dashthough it suffers quite badly from reflections.Behind the driver is a partition separating him/herfrom the three passenger seats beyond. Thisscreen has a clear Perspex upper section set at anangle and slightly wrapped around the driver’s

area. Above the triple seats, which havea recline facility, there is a mouldedceiling unit containing the passengerservice units and a monitor set againstthe screen ensures passenger can sharein the visual entertainment provided.The seats themselves are accessed via ashallow step with a second shallowerstep between the second and thirdseats. The space provided is similar to arear seat and passengers can see out ofthe front and side windows, but it isslightly claustrophobic, especially in thecentre seat.

Handrail provision is excellent on therelatively spacious forward staircasewhich has three steps from the platformto a second platform. Here there is afridge built in to the bulkhead facing youas you ascend, after which the final twostairs turn 90 degrees to the left to giveaccess to the main aisle, which issunken. A litter bin is built into the

As well as the two-part front door arrangement the Elite-i has a nearside centre door with the toiletcompartment ahead of it.

Arm and shoulder room in therearmost seats is good.

Though they do recline, thelower deck triple seats willprobably not be the mostpopular seats on the coach,though they will enable friendsor relatives of a wheelchairpassenger to travel nearby.

It isn’t the easiest to get intobut the Shades Technics toiletcompartment is wellequipped when you get inthere.

Front seat legroom on the upper deck is quite good.

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screen around the stairwell. The first three seatrows are set slightly higher than the others in thesaloon and are accessed by an additional step upfrom the aisle, a compromise necessary to

surmount the drivers/entrance area below. It doesslightly impair your view if you sit in the fourthdouble on the offside but it’s not a big issue. Thechild in me always propels me to the front seatson coaches and I’ve often been disappointed inthe level of legroom provision on double deckersand overdeckers, but this was quite acceptable.Mounted on the ceiling between the front seats isa, possibly somewhat over large, unit incorporat-ing a powered drop down videoscreen. Set beneath it at an angleon each side are small fixedmonitors for the front seatpassengers, though theseseemed rather in the face of theaisle seat passengers and Iwondered whether they wouldn’thave been better mounted in thedash area ahead of each seat.

Looking down the aisle, thefeeling is one of some spacious-ness compared with therestricted headroom afforded bymany double deck designs. Acontributory factor is the new fulllength Plaxton racks which areopen with see through supports.They provide considerableheadroom while maintaining thecapacity of earlier generations ofPlaxton rack as the ducting ismounted within the cantrail cove.There are two glazed escapehatches and the Thermo King air

conditioning, which proved effective, is mountedon the roof ahead of the rear axle. Lights,including blue night lights, are effective.

Standard seating in the Elite-i is the Fainsa Galarecliner incorporating all-age three pointbelts with internal mechanisms. Trimwas moquette to the front with aleather headrest insert and a plain butsoft trimmed back. Thoughcomfortable, they are simply specifiedwith only an aisle armrest, a smallcentre armrest, a grab handle to theaisle side rear of each seat and notables, nets or coat hooks. You canspecify other choices, such asPolitecnica, at an on cost as well asenhanced levels of trim if you wish. Inthe rear corner seats shoulder room isgood, and legroom is acceptable, a littletighter on the offside than the near.

The nearside centre entrance isideal for UKexpressoperations. Ithas six stepsfrom the groundto the saloon,the top oneslightly inset intothe aisle.Handrailprovision on theleft as you boardcould beimproved. Themoulded ShadesTechnics toiletcompartment isentirely belowfloor level. It is

well equipped with freshwater toilet, hand basinand hot air dryer but Ifound access to itsomething of a struggle,not helped by the protrusion of the doormechanism when the centre door is closed and anawkward half step at the entrance.

The list of options available includes upgraded

entertainment systems, upgraded seats, variablecolour interior lighting, CCTV and reverse camerasystems and a full width servery across the rear ofthe upper deck or in place of the seats in thelower saloon.

On the roadThis was the first 15m coach that regular B&CB

test driver, Andrew Fowler, had driven though hehas extensive experience with 14m designs,including a B12BT 6x2 in his own fleet.

Setting off a little tentatively from the Anstonyard, Andrew quickly found that it wasn’t anymore difficult to get round a corner than a B7R,providing there was the space available for it. Theinitial feeling that the cab’s low roof made it claus-trophobic soon wore off, whereafter he likened itto driving a pick up truck. The layout of thecontrols is essentially the same as a standard Elitewith everything in reach. ‘It is well thought outwhich has been the case on all of the Plaxtonswe’ve tested’ he said. Andrew couldn’t read the

digital tachograph display because it was behindthe steering wheel rim but all of the necessaryinformation was available on the main display. Hefound visibility was excellent and liked the mirrors

which are located at thebottom of the cab windowline on each side where,because they are bottommounted, they don’t vibrate.

You are a long way fromthe engine but neverthelessit did seem particularly quietin the cab area and Andrewwas impressed with thestability for such a highcoach. It was a warm stillday but the characteristicsmeant that you weren’t veryaware of the height. Therewas a reservation that hewas so far away from thepassengers and he didwonder what it would belike for the driver if therewas someone overlytalkative or miserable in thesingle front seat, thoughone imagines that will be

the last to be allocated in most

A large front door aperture has two powered doors that open indepen-dently of each other to reveal the demountable single front seat that canmake way for a wheelchair, three seats behind the driver and, to theright, the stairwell.

The Elite-i has an imposing appearance and the design lends itself to eyecatchinglivery applications.

The monitor and personal service units for the seats in thelower deck seats.

The main monitor screen on the upper deck in its housing.The two small screens below are for the benefit of the frontseat passengers.

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cases and will effectively be a crew seat. He wasalso unsure about the wheelchair location and thethree seats behind the driver, saying, ‘they’re ontheir own. If you have a centre lift they’re still withthe party.’

Our route took us along the A57 to the A1,

down the A1 to the A616, then back via Ollertonto Worksop and back on to the A57 to return toAnston.

Andrew felt the unladen coach had plentyof power with the 450hp unit and the I-Shiftbox was well set up to provide smoothchanges. ‘They keep improving the I-Shiftand this one’s pretty near seamless.’

Checking out the gear selection andengine speeds at key road speeds we foundthat at 30mph (on an incline) it was in 9thdoing 1350rpm, at 40mph it was in 10th at1,400rpm and at 50mph it was showing1,300rpm in 11th gear, with a slightly higherrev count on an incline, the change pointfrom 10th to 11th on the level being ataround 44mph. At between 51-52mph itchanged into top at around 1,500rpm andat 60mph in top was showing around1,300rpm, rising to 1,350rpm at 100kph(62.5mph). The green band indicated coversthe range 1,100-1,800rpm and Andrewconsidered the set up not particularly high revving.

He commented, ‘It does handle well and it ridesextremely well. The brakes are spot-on and thesuspension is very good. It doesn’t actually feel asif you are driving such a big thing – it’s quitestrange really. As coaches have grown we gotused to it because it doesn’t drive

differently to any otherVolvo.

With the rear coverremoved Andrewcommented on what along way within theengine bay the enginewas located, a side effectof leaving the rearchassis as it is built butextending the rearoverhang of thecomplete vehicle toprovide the maximuminterior length andattendant capacity. It isnoticeable howaccessible the unit is andhow much simpler overall the layout

of the chassis is compared with earliergenerations such as the TX platform.

Overall, though he wasn’t expecting anythingspecial from it beforehand, Andrew was quite aconvert to the Elite-i, saying, ‘I was expecting a

beast but it turned out not to be one; it’s more ofa gentle giant.’

PossibilitiesFor the future we are promised a shorter

14.2m version of the Elite-i if there is demand for

it. The model would seat four less passengers, butit will not come until post Euro6, if at all, Plaxton’sMarketing Manager, Andrew Warrender,

confirmed. He also revealed that Plaxton hadreceived enquiries for a coach rather thanexpress version. This would not be DDAcompliant but it is a possibility if the demandis there to justify the engineering investment.

The other possibility, and a fascinatingone, is that Plaxton could offer the Elite-i inleft hand drive. There was a lot of talk ofoffering the original Elite in Europe when atri-axle B12BT 6x2 belonging to HenryCooper Coaches it was entered in the 2009CoachEuroTest to decide The InternationalCoach of the Year 2010 winner. It didn’t winbut created a lot of favourable comment so aleft hand drive version, possibly marketed byVolvo which has given Plaxton the status ofone of only six preferred bodybuilders inEurope, shouldn’t be ruled out.

Last wordPlaxton may not be producing coaches in the

numbers it once did, but it continues to developthe range to encourage operators to buy. Since theElite-i another new option has been launched atthe other end of the full sized range: the 10.8mPanther Cub. The Elite-i was designed for a fairlyspecialised niche, that of express services, and itserves it well, but as we found it also hasconvincing credentials as a high capacity tourerand private hire coach, with significant cost andluggage capacity benefits over a double decker.

By Stuart Jones

DimensionsLength: .................................................15,000mmWidth: ......................................................2,550mmHeight: .....................................................3,960mmFront overhang: ......................................3,100mmRear overhang: .......................................3,735mmMain wheelbase:....................................6,765mmBogie wheelbase: ..................................1,400mmLuggage capacity: ....................15.2 cubic metresUnladen weight:......................................16,087kgGVW:.........................................................24,750kgThe rear of the Elite-i is similarly styled to other members of the Elite family with a distinct spoiler

at the top.

Providing a massive 15.2 cubic metres of space, the luggagearea is horizontally partitioned to maximise its usefulness.Note the folding ramp for wheelchairs stowed in the hold.

Luggage provision on the offside where the cantilever door ispneumatically powered as it is on the nearside.

Volvo’s Euro5 D11C 450hp unit is fitted in the B11RT 6x2chassis.

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