UNVI and dealership Coachtraders will use Euro Bus Expo to debut a new L24 front-engined midicoach on the DAF XB chassis at 16,000kg GVW.
It will be built at 9.35m with a maximum of 35 seats or 37 in a more basic arrangement, and at 10.5m with space for 41 or 45 passengers.
PSVAR compliance will be available on each variant and manufacture of the first vehicles was well underway in late September. Coachtraders has already sold 16 of the type, Director Gordon Robertson advises.
While the L24 has echoes of a left-hand drive midicoach already built by UNVI, the model has been developed and uprated specifically for right-hand drive requirements.
The XB underframe will be powered by the Paccar PX-7 engine developing 257bhp in the shorter L24 and 287bhp in the longer variant. Power will be taken via a ZF PowerLine fully automatic gearbox.
Of the L24 midicoaches sold already, Mr Robertson advises that seven are for one customer. “We wanted to adapt the existing body, which is smaller, to suit our needs and the XB was the frontrunner for that,” he continues. “We will build the L24 only on the DAF for the UK market.”
The L24 acts as a replacement for Touring GT and Voyager GT bodies previously produced by UNVI on the Mercedes-Benz Atego. That chassis has been dropped from the line-up and when combined with the DAF underframe and automatic gearbox, dealer Coachtraders is confident of sales success for the newcomer.
Use of a 16,000kg base vehicle will bring 19.5-inch wheels, air suspension on the rear axle, a large fuel tank and excellent luggage capacity, Mr Robertson says. He adds that particular care at the design stage has gone into the entrance around the engine area.
In addition to the L24, Coachtraders expects to have other members of the UNVI small coach line-up present, including the M20 on Iveco Daily chassis as a replacement for the Compa, along with examples of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-based products from both UNVI and Paramount Conversions.
Euro Bus Expo is the UK’s only dedicated coach and bus trade show. To register for free tickets, visit the show website.
