Irizar’s i6S has been added to the manufacturer’s range to fill a gap between existing high-floor models the i6 and the i8. The first two integral examples will enter service soon. Here, we drive one of them
Irizar’s new i6S was announced earlier in 2017, and its market positioning is between the existing i6 and i8, both of which have been unaffected by the i6S’s arrival.
The most obvious change on the i6S compared to the i6 is to frontal and rear restyling. The lower dash has elements of the i8, but there are other revisions; the wheel arches and the metallic ‘flash’ below the side windows at the front are changed, for example.
There are also various internal modifications, including to the front modesty screens, the dash and the monitors.
The i6S integral has the i8 integral’s latest generation multiplex wiring system, which can optionally offer joystick and touch-screen control over all vehicle functions. In the future, it will also support remote diagnostics.
So far, Irizar UK has sold five i6S integrals. The model debuted in right-hand drive form at Coach & Bus UK and the first two are for The Kings Ferry.
“The i6S bridges the gap between the i6 and i8, but the standard i6 integral will remain our most popular coach. At the moment, it accounts for 80% of orders for the i6 integral range,” says Irizar UK Director Steve O’Neill.
“The pricing difference between the two models will be just under £10,000, and that closing of the gap is something that we expect will result in the split becoming 70/30.”
The i6S continues the kerbside appeal of the existing Irizar line-up. In super-high form little compares with the Spanish-built coaches in that regard, and several high-profile buyers have shown their confidence in the product with repeat business.
Among them is The Kings Ferry. Last week, MD Ian Fraser kindly made one of the coaches available prior to delivery for a routeone Test Drive.
Build
The i6S integrals for The Kings Ferry are PSVAR-compliant, 14.07m 57-seat tri-axles with PLS wheelchair lifts in the luggage locker immediately behind the nearside front wheel.
The accessibility package includes Hanover destination displays. At the front and nearside are full-width screens, while at the rear is a numeric repeater.
The buyer also specifies other extras. Powered locker doors have an audible warning when activated, and downlights are above them; Irizar can add almost as many of these as the buyer requires.
Although not fitted to the coaches for The Kings Ferry, a floor-level toilet and a continental door behind the rearmost axle are available to maximise luggage space. As it is, they each have a centre continental door and a compact centre sunken toilet to permit good leg room.
Already developed for the i8 integral is a Masats wheelchair lift mounted within the ski locker over the drive axle, and it can be incorporated into the super-high i6S. Additionally, should an enabling order be received, there will be the option of a lift within the steps at the front door.
Within a small locker behind the offside rear wheel is the canister for the optional Fogmaker engine bay fire suppressor. There is also enough room there for the driver’s cleaning materials.
Power is from a 10.8-litre DAF MX-11 engine developing 435bhp. It is coupled to a ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox. The MX-11 develops its 2,100Nm of peak torque from 1,000rpm.
Passenger access
Four steps take able-bodied passengers from floor level to the platform and two more to the sunken gangway. Handrail provision around the door is reasonable. On the left is a sturdy long bar, but on the right, provision is less. No grab rail is provided on the underside of the courier seat and the squab is not locked in place when in the upright position.
Step edges are marked in contrasting colours, and each has a high-grip area on the lip. The sunken gangway allows Irizar to fit full-length LED lighting in the edge of the step up to the seating area. It provides a lot of illumination.
All of the 57 i6 Plus seats have upright hand-holds in each corner. They are finished in a dark moquette with synthetic leather headrest inserts.
An outward-opening door is fitted above the lift stowage area to permit the boarding and alighting of wheelchair users.
Two seat pairs in The Kings Ferry’s coaches are tracked, although the rails extend further for tying-down purposes. There is no limit to the number of tracked seats on coaches built to order.
Operation of the lift is via a two-button control on a wander lead, but it first has to be enabled from the cab.
An interlock is fitted to prevent handbrake release unless the lift is stowed, and the same occurs if the driver attempts to move with the front door open. That is useful, and it will help to avoid the mechanism from coming out of adjustment.
Passenger comfort
Irizar’s i6 Plus seat is standard in the i6S, and Steve points out that this upgrade accounts for much of the price differential over a standard i6. The test coach’s seats are finished in a red and black moquette with artificial leather inserts.
The wood-effect flooring is covered by removable black carpet, and coupled to the seat moquette, that may suggest that the cabin is rather dark. It’s not; much of the upper area is considerably brighter, and the lighting fitted provides excellent illumination.
Besides the floor-level LEDs described earlier, further full-length strips are in the lip of each luggage rack, and the passenger service units have powerful reading lights. Additionally, the deep windows admit a good amount of natural light.
The Kings Ferry has opted for a compact toilet, and thus there is no servery above it. Instead, AD Coach Systems has added a small boiler and sink adjacent to the courier seat.
Climate control is via a combination of air-conditioning and perimeter radiators. When started from cold, the coach warmed quickly. Once the temperature became slightly above what was comfortable, it quickly came back down again.
Every seat pair – including those that are removable – has power for mobile devices in the form of two USB points and one 240v socket below the base.
The i6S has two fixed monitors, and the fitment of them has been modified slightly over the i6. In The Kings Ferry’s coaches, a comprehensive entertainment system including an Actia DVD player is provided.
Driver comfort
Fitted to the test coach is an Alcolock GB DS-10 handset. It requires the driver to breathe into a mouthpiece to prove that he or she is not over a pre-set alcohol limit. Should they fail the test, the engine will not start.
The cab has a high-specification heated Isringhausen seat. Like the courier’s, it matches those in the saloon. A safe is within the base and an excellent amount of other storage is within a tray and a large bin under the signalling window.
Irizar sticks with the tried-and-tested manner of steering wheel reach and rake adjustment via a small switch on the column. The wheel is the standard Irizar type, but the dash is unique to the i6S integral. It shares some elements with the i8 integral, but certainly not all of it. Controls are marked with pictograms that make their purpose clear, and dials are easy to read.
Both the signalling and the peage windows are powered, and the former is also heated. Twin electric sunblinds are fitted, although they slightly mar the view in the gullwing mirrors when in a particular position.
As is the case on all Irizar integral coaches, much information can be harvested from the dash computer, including tyre pressure and DPF fill level.
It has two further, and very useful, functions: An external light testing programme and the ability to set suspension kneeling to engage automatically whenever the door is opened.
When the light test mode is selected, a sequence is followed that illuminates every bulb in turn until the driver turns it off again.
Before both coaches enter service, they will each be fitted with a comprehensive CCTV system that will include a reversing display.
Performance
435bhp is the MX-11’s highest rating for now, although that will increase slightly next year. When coupled to the EcoLife, performance is sprightly. The 12-speed automated AS-Tronic unit is also available.
When moving away, power delivery is instantaneous and the coach picks up well. Keeping up with other traffic is managed with little difficulty, but in some cases the driver may not initially appreciate quite how rapid the i6S integral is.
That’s because the MX-11 is so muted. As tested, the i6S integral is one of the quietest coaches yet driven by routeone, and from the driver’s seat the engine is completely inaudible. The magic carpet-esque ride quality is furthered by the gearbox’s smoothness and the soft suspension.
The MX-11 produces its peak power from 1,425rpm, which should give excellent top-gear hill-climbing. routeone was unable to put that to the test, but accelerating rapidly past HGVs on the A1 posed no problem.
Manoeuvrability of the coach is also excellent. At Blyth services, it accomplished a tight U-turn with ease, something beyond an older coach that arrived later that required a shunt to complete the same manoeuvre.
While the i6S integral as tested is a high coach, it can be pushed hard into roundabouts with no worry; it’s one of the best in this regard.
A three-stage gearbox retarder is fitted, activated by both the brake pedal and the customary stalk on the right-hand side of the steering column.
Verdict
There is not a huge amount of difference between the existing i6 and the new i6S.
Most of it is cosmetic, but there is no styling overhaul; instead, Irizar has developed a look that the discerning operator, driver or passenger will recognise but that retains a link between the two models.
Doing that marks the coach as a bridge between the i6 and i8, and that is exactly where Irizar UK is marketing it.
i6 operators will find that the i6S has everything that they would expect of the existing coach, but there are some subtle improvements inside. i6 Plus seats come as standard, for example, but other than the items described, Irizar has stuck to an ‘if it’s not broken’ philosophy. That’s wise.
The i6s integral has some clever technology, but the overriding impression is that it’s an easy coach. It’s easy to drive, and it’s easy for passengers to cover long distances in. It will also be easy to integrate it into a fleet of standard i6s, and its driveline will make it easy to maintain.
Not every operator will be able to justify the uplift for an i6S, but those existing Irizar buyers that can will undoubtedly find it to their tastes.
