The International Truck of the Year 2008 was unveiled at last week's Amsterdam truck show - Jury chairman Andy Salter explains the decision. The MAN TG Series has been voted International Truck of the Year 2008 (IToY) at The European Road Transport Show in Amsterdam. The international jury, made up of CV journalists from 20 European countries, awarded the new TG Series a total of 111 votes to giving MAN's new heavy duty truck range a clear lead.
There were a number of strong challengers this year - the MAN beat off the Iveco Stralis and Renault Premium Lander to scoop top honours. This is MAN's seventh ITOY award, which is an unprecedented achievement Mercedes and Volvo each have five victories under their belts. The TG Series replaces the TGA in the MAN line-up. The TGX, with its full-width cab, is designed for long-haul work the narrower TGS will appeal to the short-haul and construction sectors. The flagship 680hp V8 version of the TGX is currently the most powerful road-going truck in the world - the rest of the range relies on the well-regarded D26 and D20 motors rated at 320-540hp.
Although the driveline and electrical system are a straight carry over from the old TGA range this is much more than a facelift new 35% of the parts on the new line-up are new. The exterior changes to the TGX/TGS are largely cosmetic but there have been some functional improvements. For example, improved aerodynamics are said to cut fuel consumption by 2% and wind noise by 30%. A new roof spoiler for the XLX cab is also claimed to improve fuel efficiency.
New mirrors are claimed to stay cleaner for longer the stylish new headlight cluster features long-life bulbs and LEDs are now used for the parking and marker lights. Down below a lighter and more durable rear axle connection with the springs cuts the weight by 20kg. TGX tractors are offered with single-leaf parabolic springs on the front axle - a saving of 46kg - while the rear axles are now equipped with a cast X-section control arm instead of forged, shaving a further 23kg. All of which, along with a wholesale review of the cab interior, combine to make the new TG Series a significant new model entry.
It went into production in September, so it just scraped under the wire as a contender for ItoY 2008. The jury was particularly impressed with the cab enhancements, which address many of the complaints directed at the previous range. Special mention was also made of the improvements to the chassis - the new front axle on the TGX significantly enhances its steering set-up.
The contenders
One of the favourites for the International Truck of the Year 2008 was the Iveco Stralis - in fact the MAN victory came as a surprise to many industry observers. The Stralis benefits from a stylish cab makeover while power comes from a Euro-5 version of the well-regarded Cursor engine - but Iveco had to be content with the runner-up spot on the podium.
Third place went to Renault's Premium Lander light construction range. This is an extremely impressive addition to the Renault line-up, but only one tipper has been victorious in the past so the Lander was always a long shot. Remaining places on the shortlist went to the Sisu C600 and the Iveco Trakker.
The judging
Each of the 20 International Truck of the Year jury members has 12 votes to cast and no more than seven votes may be case for any one candidate. Voting takes place as a secret ballot by fax, with no conferring between the judges. The votes are collected by the IToY independent adjudicator Umberto de Pretto at the IRU in Geneva before the chairman is then notified of the jury's decision.
This year's votes were:
- MAN TG Series: 111
- Iveco Stralis: 77
- Renault Premium Lander: 55
- Sisu C600: 6
- Iveco Trakker: 1
The roll of honour
- 1977 Seddon Atkinson 200
- 1978 MAN 280
- 1979 Volvo F7
- 1980 MAN 321
- 1981 Leyland T45
- 1982 Ford Cargo
- 1983 Renault G260/290
- 1984 Volvo F10
- 1985 Mercedes-Benz LN2
- 1986 Volvo FL
- 1987 MAN F90
- 1988 DAF 95
- 1989 Scania 3 Series
- 1990 Mercedes Benz SK
- 1991 Renault Magnum
- 1992 Iveco EuroCargo
- 1993 Iveco EuroTech
- 1994 Volvo FH
- 1995 MAN F2000
- 1996 Scania 4 Series
- 1997 Mercedes-Benz Actros
- 1998 DAF 95XF
- 1999 Mercedes-Benz Atego
- 2000 Volvo FH Series
- 2001 MAN TG-A
- 2002 DAF LF
- 2003 Iveco Stralis
- 2004 Mercedes-Benz Actros
- 2005 Scania R Series
- 2006 MAN TGL
- 2007 DAF XF 105
- 2008 MAN TG Series
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