Operators wanting a coach that gives a high capacity in a compact envelope have a lot of models to consider. Volvo and Sunsundegui are in this marker with the B8R SB3. Tim Deakin drives one
Competition in keen in the low-height, high-capacity school coach segment, and Volvo is the latest manufacturer to join the party. It offers the Sunsundegui SB3-bodied B8R as a simple and cost-effective product in this sector, and it has 72 seats within a 12.2m length.
The model was introduced to complement Volvo’s existing line-up, including that offered with Plaxton.
Although the SB3 is also offered in left-hand drive, the UK variant has been designed with the needs of operators here in mind, says Regional Sales Manager Richard Mann.
“We gave Sunsundegui a brief for a 72-seater at a competitive price. It sent people to the UK and they spoke to us and they also spoke to operators. Then they came back with some ideas.â€
While at 3.3m it is lower than other Sunsundegui models, the SB3 comes complete with the Spanish coachbuilder’s trademark frontal and rear styling.
SB3s in the UK are certified under the National Small Series Type Approval scheme owing to their 3+2 seating, and Volvo expects an annual volume of up to 20 here.
The SB3 is unashamedly a basic coach. In stock form it comes with plastic flooring, and a manually-operated offside emergency door is fitted as standard.
Meanwhile, luggage racks and the separate passenger service units can be deleted if required, but a starting retail price of £205,000 with both present is good value given that the benefits of a Volvo underframe are part of the package.
Richard and Product Engineering Manager Norman Thomas kindly accompanied routeone on a test drive of a stock SB3 recently.
Build
The SB3 is available only at 12.2m, and that is one of several factors that Volvo believes makes it eminently practical for use in cities, particularly London.
Indeed, the SB3’s arrival in the UK was originally driven by ULEZ considerations in the capital, although naturally it is also well-suited to use elsewhere.
An electrically-powered Masats door is fitted and the manually-operated offside emergency exit comes with a neat slide-out chequer plate step arrangement.
Usefully, an audible and dash warning activates when the emergency door is secured, meaning that there is no excuse for the driver to forget to unlock it after a period parked.
Volvo has gone for a simple is best approach with the driveline. In stock SB3s the 7.7-litre D8K engine is rated at 320bhp and coupled to a ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox, although the 350bhp rating can be specified on coaches built to order along with an I-Shift automated manual gearbox.
A modest amount of underfloor luggage space is provided, all accessed via top-hinged manual doors. Including a compartment behind the offside rear wheel, total volume is approximately 5.2m3 and carrying capacity a marked 585kg.
An accessible version of the SB3 is not yet available, but Sunsundegui has been consulted about the possibility of introducing one. Its answer is that it can be done, and while it is not yet at the drawing stage, the option will be developed in the future.
Fuel capacity is 300 litres and it is added on the nearside only, immediately behind the door. 48 litres of AdBlue is carried, and this goes in at the rear on the same side. Steel wheels are fitted.
Passenger access
Entry to the SB3 is via four steps to the platform and then two more to the aisle.
That may sound a lot, but Sunsundegui has taken into account the fact that passengers using the coach are likely to be children, and thus the steps are much shallower than is typical.
All edges are lined in high-visibility yellow, and handrails are in the same colour. Again, their positioning takes into account children’s needs.
Access along the coach is reasonable, although naturally the aisle is narrow as a result of the 3+2 seating.
However, the floor is low enough that the wheel arches intrude, and they would perhaps benefit from being lined in the same yellow as used at the door. A further step is present at the rear to clear the engine.
Passenger comfort
Seats are from Buckingham, and they have three-point belts and leather headrest inserts.
While the vast majority of the coach is to a high-density layout, Sunsundegui has taken into account the fact that teachers may also travel on the SB3.
As a result, the front nearside seat pair and the rear five are conventionally-sized, and comfort is not compromised for adults that sit there.
Also to the benefit of teachers is a microphone positioned on the nearside B-pillar.
Luggage racks are provided on stock coaches, and unusually the passenger service units are not directly on the underside. Instead, they are attached to a separate fascia immediately above the window.
Either or both of these elements can be de-specified should the buyer wish, and a customer’s coach where neither are present awaiting delivery allowed a comparison to be made. The difference in saloon ambience is noticeable, and there is a more airy feel where racks are not present.
Lighting is via the passenger service units (when fitted), which have an override control in the cab. There are also six ‘arches’ in the roof that provide light and that have three brightness settings. All saloon lights are LED.
A radio/CD player is fitted, although no DVD capability is included and no monitors are present. Eberspächer climate control is standard, with the roof-mounted unit providing 24kW of cooling capacity and 38kW of heating. Additionally, perimeter radiators are installed.
Driver comfort
One area where neither Sunsundegui nor Volvo have economised on the SB3 is the cab.
The driver retains most, if not all, of the luxuries that he or she would expect on a much more expensive coach, and that will be appreciated.
The Isringhausen seat is air-suspended and it has a safe within the base, and a microphone is mounted on the driver’s B-pillar.
The steering wheel adjusts via a pedal activated by the driver’s left foot, and the offside wide-angle mirror is fitted in Sunsundegui’s usual location, internally on the A-pillar. That makes adjustment easy.
A single gullwing mirror is to the nearside and the main offside pane is below the driver’s line of sight.
Nevertheless, all give a good view, and that is helped by a large, single-piece signalling window similar to that fitted to the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo. It is electrically heated and lowered, and has a manual blind; the windscreen has a one-piece electric blind
Ambience in the cab is good, although the handbrake is mounted rather low down. As is usual on a Volvo the dash is well laid out and stalk controls are easy to understand.
Performance
ZF’s EcoLife gearbox gives ‘select and forget’ simplicity and it works well with the D8K. Naturally the engine requires slightly more revs than larger units, and the coach initially feels a little sluggish from stationary.
That suggestion is disproven by acceleration figures, however. Progress to 50mph is made at a rate that would be expected of a heavier and more powerful coach with an automated gearbox, and shift quality is very good.
The EcoLife changes up at around 1,500rpm, and at the limited speed the engine is turning at just below that.
As a result, top gear can be achieved at the single-carriageway limit of 50mph at 1,200rpm, and that will no doubt aid fuel economy.
While the modest 320bhp output is noticeable when compared to more powerful engines, the SB3 is in no way lacking and it is well up to the application that Volvo is aiming it at.
On B8R chassis with the EcoLife gearbox, the Volvo Engine Brake (VEB) is deleted. Auxiliary braking is handled instead by the EcoLife’s hydraulic retarder, although drivers familiar with both may not necessarily realise the difference between them.
That’s thanks to Volvo’s use of the same right-hand stalk for both, and also the performance of the gearbox retarder, which is no worse than what would be expected of a VEB. At its most powerful it slows the coach rapidly, and under normal driving its first stage activates with the brake pedal.
Volvo Dynamic Steering is an option on the B8R chassis, but on the SB3 the manufacturer has elected not to offer it in the name of keeping the price as keen as possible.
Other performance aspects of the B8R SB3 are typical Volvo. It holds the road very well, no doubt helped by its low height, and there is a noticeable difference in manoeuvrability between the 12.2m model and its 12.8m sister.
Verdict
The high-capacity, low-height sector is competitive, and Volvo joins a number of other dealers and manufacturers in targeting it.
Previously, these needs would have been met by older coaches that were converted later in life, but that is changing for some buyers.
“We went for 12.2m on the SB3 for a simple reason, and that is to give good access,†says Richard.
“It is a school coach and we make no bones about that, but it is a useful addition to our already extensive range and we are seeing a respectable level of interest from operators.â€
That’s not surprising, and drivers used to older coaches on school work will appreciate being given an SB3.
While it’s competitively priced, the cab comes with all of Volvo’s normal luxuries, and with the EcoLife gearbox it is simple to drive. Visibility is also good and the saloon benefits from a comprehensive climate control system – again, a premium fitting.
Volvo supplies comprehensive back-up for the SB3, including covering all body aspects. The coach comes with a two-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and a third year of driveline cover, although it’s difficult to see where the B8R’s mechanical units could be seriously tested over that period given that it will likely fulfil lower-mileage roles.
One or two minor changes would further improve the SB3, but in most ways it is a Ronseal coach: It does exactly what it says on the tin. And in this area of the market, that’s perhaps the most important thing of all.
