SCANIA S500 VS S650 V8
(^72) July 2019 Truck & Driver
The transmission
offers smooth, fast
changes and rarely
makes a wrong move, the
layshaft brake really speeding
things up and keeping the engine
working efficiently. Both ride and
handling are excellent, making
the truck a pleasure to drive even
on poor surfaces. A new set of
drive-axle tyres on the truck
meant it was easy to spin the
wheels in the damp conditions,
proving just how quickly the 500
engine builds up torque from low
revs (and that new tyres need to
be run-in for the first day or so).
Power output is ideal for most
applications but the engine is
equally capable of giving good
fuel returns.
Although the 650 V8 felt
similar on the road, the extra
power and torque is immediately
apparent. You can hardly hear it
at tick-over yet once up and
“Although the 650 V8 felt similar
on the road, the extra power and
torque is immediately apparent”
running there is a muted V8
burble, definitely a better engine
note than offered by the previous
Euro 6 V8s. The performance
cannot be faulted – it just gets up
to speed and stays there, even at
44 tonnes, and another 20
tonnes or more would make little
difference; the tougher the route,
the better it performs.
As with the 500, the optional
retarder keeps things in check if
used properly and, unless you
carry empty cardboard boxes,
specifying a V8 without one is
missing the point, as your average
speed is a combination of going
up hills as quickly as possible and
coming down the other side in
the same manner, complemented
by a huge margin of safety.
Verdict
Which is the better truck? The V8
650 is superb, a classic V8, that
needs a demanding application
to really justify the extra cost, but
we would still love to drive one
full-time. The 500 straight-six
model is first-rate, too; it does
almost everything extremely well
and makes more economic sense
to most operators. However, it is
not a V8 – and some buyers will
always be prepared to pay the
extra premium.
S500: Chris Good reports an average of 9.7mpg for both his S500s – but his S650 runs them close on economy