TRUCK ON TRIAL DAF XF480VSSCANIA R500
48 TRUCKING Summer 2019 http://www.truckingmag.co.uk
The R500 has been customised,
partly by the company and partly by
the driver, Kris Lunn. It has one of two
personalised registration plates- TH04ORY – and painted on its side
is a tribute to the company owner and
founder, Peter John Thory, who died in
- Bailey’s at Wisbech fitted the
skirts, catwalk and A-frame at the
rear of the cab, as well as the chassis
infill. It has 3-in-1 perimeter exhaust
stacks. Safety cameras are fitted all
round, as these are becoming more
and more a requirement by many
quarries and sites before they allow
trucks access. This vehicle is also fully
FORS-compliant.
The DAFs are much
cheaper, but the Scanias
hold their value betterTester’s verdict: Pip Dunn
These are two of the best trucks on
the market in just about every respect.
Drivers tend to love them, they are both
widely regarded as being great on fuel
consumption (assuming you drive them
properly), and they enable competitive
payloads. Both also look good,
especially in a decent livery – as seen on
these two machines.
Where they differ is in price, with the
Scania traditionally being considerably
more expensive. If you keep a truck for
three or four years, then resale value is a
factor – and the Scania will win hands
down in that respect.
If you keep the trucks on the road for
10 years, resale is less of an issue. But
keeping them on the road comes down
to build quality. I always used to say the
only 10-plus year-old tractors you
tended to see on the road in any great
numbers were Scanias, and while that is
no longer exclusively the case, the
Södertälje manufacturer certainly
does have a better longevity than most
other marques.
That said, you should comfortably get
10 years out of an XF if you look after it
and have it regularly serviced. The longer
you keep the truck, the more relevanttotal cost of ownership (TCO) becomes,
and that again starts to swing things in
favour of the Scania.
The Scania also benefits from being
bang up to date. Yes, the DAF cab is still
fit for purpose and has had plenty of
facelifts to the cabin and the driveline
to keep it up with the competition. But
the fact remains the XF cab is the oldest
on the market, and while others continue
to upgrade their cabs, PACCAR
steadfastly refuses to do the same with
its Dutch brand.
Which would we choose? Well, if we
were purely choosing based on the
driving experience, then we’d go for the
Scania. It’s just that more refined, it looks
good, handles well, and is perfect for
drivers. It’s not as heavy as you might
think and it’s very good on fuel. It is a
damn good truck.
But if we were the ones opening our
wallet and handing over the cash, then
it’s hard to look past the DAF. It has an
attractive purchase price, good back-up
and competitive fuel returns (while not
quite as good as the Scania).
Do your sums, but both these
trucks will earn you good money if
operated properly.ABOVE: Scania dash is much improved