Over 80 AOS Grand Toro midicoaches have been sold in the UK since the vehicle was launched here in 2022 by dealership EVM, it has been announced.
Some of that success has been put down to its durable Cummins/Allison driveline by EVM Managing Director Danny McGee. He adds that buyers have taken to the model because of the size of the Grand Toro, which is 8.5m long and carries a maximum of 37 passengers, or 35 in the PSVAR compliant variant.
“While it benefits from a premium driveline and a full-size coach style interior and exterior, it is priced appropriately for its size and market,” says Mr McGee. “It is a durable product offering operators bus OEM standards and a natural progression from smaller converted vehicles built on truck-derived chassis.”
Power in the AOS Grand Toro is from the Cummins B4.5 engine developing 206bhp driving through the Allison T 3720R xFE gearbox, which has six forward speeds and an integral retarder.
Among buyers of the AOS Grand Toro is Dawsongroup Bus and Coach. It has taken six so far, with more to follow. Managing Director Paul Sainthouse says that the business saw the Cummins/Allison driveline as a good reason to invest in the model.
“In fact, we would not have been comfortable with buying vehicle from a manufacturer relatively new to the UK market that did not have a proven driveline,” adds Mr Sainthouse.
“Our customers like the Grand Toro because it lets them enjoy the benefits of fuel economy and manoeuvrability of a midicoach, particularly while in urban areas. They also recognise that their full-sized coaches are not always full.
“They want to know that the vehicles they choose from us have good aftersales technical and parts support, and that is certainly offered by Allison. It is also technology that most operators will be familiar with.
“The driver and rider experiences are very important to customers, too,” continues Mr Sainthouse. “Thanks to the Allison transmission, we know that the vehicles deliver a high-quality ride, the drivers will find it easy to get on with, and the fuel economy will be class leading.”
Allison says that the xFE’s gear ratios are optimised to minimise fuel usage. Shifting is controlled by the FuelSense 2.0 software package that majors on economy. That delivers longer periods of operation with the torque converter locked. When stationary, the transmission selects neutral to minimise parasitic drag on the engine.
