Minis to Midis continues to develop its range of small coaches, and a further two recently joined its line-up. It displayed them both for operators to inspect at a pair of events held at the end of last week
Minis to Midis calls itself the small coach dealer, and in one way that’s true. None of its products seat more than 37, but in volume terms it’s up there with other independent dealerships, and that’s largely thanks to the breadth of its range.
That offering grew further recently with the Noone Turas 600s and Turas 900v. The former is built on an Iveco Daily chassis and seats 25, while the latter is a cost-effective development of the established Turas 900. Mounted on a Mercedes-Benz Atego base vehicle, it seats 33.
Both were displayed alongside other Turas models and the Otokar Navigo T at Minis to Midis’ open house at its Doncaster premises on Thursday last week (27 July).
It was the first instance of what General Manager Paul Gardner hopes will become a yearly event, and the dealership also attended the CPT Ride and Drive evening at North Weald the following day.
Combining the new models with Minis to Midis’ existing range gives a unique one-stop shop for operators, says Paul, who took over the reins from his father Alan White on 1 July after joining in late 2016.
“One of the things that I’ve enjoyed the most since coming to the business is meeting customers old and new, as we are all able to do at an open house,” he says.
“We see some exceptionally high-quality operators coming to us and we’re also seeing more volume orders. DJ Coaches has taken four Turas 700s, and we have also supplied three Turas 900s to City Circle, for example.”
But the family operators that have provided Minis to Midis with its core business since formation will not be forgotten, and Paul is adamant that it won’t become an organisation that chases volume at the expense of service.
Instead, he says that it will continue to deliver the same level of attention to all of its customers, as demonstrated by last week’s event.
What’s new?
The Turas 900v is a development of the established Turas 900. Retail price is £135,000, with the £10,000 saving achieved via a number of specification changes. They include retention of the OEM dash, simpler seats, plastic flooring, steel wheels and use of a 9.5t GVW chassis.
“That makes it more of an entry-level model, but in addition we have the opportunity to build a ‘crossover’ between the 900 and the 900v,” says Paul.
This mid-grounder comes on the same 10.5t GVW chassis used by the Turas 900 and it adds £5,000 to the Turas 900v’s retail price.
One of the benefits of the heavier chassis is its automated gearbox instead of the 9.5t GVW model’s six-speed manual. Other aspects of the Turas 900 can also be included as required.
“Between them, the Turas 900, the Turas 900v and the crossover give buyers a choice. The Turas 900 is a luxury midicoach. It comes with range-topping seats, wood-effect flooring and Noone’s own remodelled dash with mahogany inlays among other items.”
In contrast, the Turas 900v is more of a stock-type model, although it is still well-appointed. The first two UK examples were shown last week; they are for Johnson Bros Tours and Starline Minicoaches of Chichester.
“A further derivative of the Turas 900 will be launched at Coach and Bus UK, and that will allow the model to become a comprehensive midicoach range in its own right.”
Starline’s Turas 900v has a commanding cab position and noise levels are good for a coach in its class. It handles well, and the manual gearbox is simple to use. At 6,800kg unladen it’s also lightweight. Fuel returns of 18mpg are expected.
A new Iveco: The Turas 600s
Also shown for the first time last week in UK specification was the Turas 600s. It’s built on the same 7.2t GVW Daily chassis as the larger and established Turas 700, but it is shorter and aimed more at applications where luggage capacity is a major consideration.
“The Turas 600s is 8m long and it seats 25, which puts it into extended Sprinter territory,” says Paul. He adds that it is a stand-alone model, and not a development of the Turas 700.
“It has revised styling and two are in the UK so far.” One is for Waltons Coaches of Freckleton, and that vehicle was shown last week.
It has wood-effect flooring and the same USB sockets and sophisticated lighting arrangement that are standard on all Turas models; retail price is £105,000.
“The Turas 600s is a natural replacement for the 25-seat Vario-based midicoaches of the previous generation, but it has the advantage of a large boot, meaning that it can be well-loaded with passengers and luggage.
“In the long-term I expect the Turas 600s to be the better seller of the two Daily-based models. In both cases operators get a lot of coach for their money and we have already taken a number of further orders for the Turas 600s.”
Examples of both Ivecos will be held in stock. “We believe that they and the Turas 900v are products that we can order two or three of at a time, meaning that we will be able to supply them quickly.”
At the front, the smaller Iveco is noticeably different to the Turas 700. The Irish market already has a Turas 700s, which has the same styling of the Turas 600s, and Paul expects the 700s to come to the UK in the future.
Both Iveco-based models field the Hi-Matic gearbox as standard. A short drive in Waltons’ Turas 600s showed the driveline to be as capable and quiet as ever.
Rest of the range
The Noone Turas line-up is completed by two Sprinter minicoaches. The Envoy is a conversion while the Turas 500 is a coachbuilt model, and both are aimed at the top of the market.
“There is huge demand for Sprinters, but it is often price-driven. As we exclusively target the high end, we are away from much of it,” says Paul, who adds that Minis to Midis’ typical Sprinter volume would be 12 units per year.
5,500kg GVW versions of the Envoy and Turas 500 will follow, but there is a possibility of the Turas 600s eating into demand for the coachbuilt example.
The conversion is usually kept in stock, but the coachbuilt model is produced to order.
“I believe that one of the key strengths of the Noone Turas range is the breadth that it offers, from a Sprinter conversion to the Atego-based vehicles and those in between.
“We have dealt with a number of operators that have purchased a variety of models,” says Paul.
Turkish delight
Completing the Minis to Minis range is the Otokar Navigo T. It’s a cost-effective, compact midicoach that seats 37. At the moment it’s a standardised product, but as volumes grow, Paul is hopeful that more options will become available.
“We want to reach the stage where we can order the Navigo T as a bespoke vehicle,” he says. “We’re not there yet, but an ideal conclusion would be to offer it to a comparable specification to the Turas 900, although the current offering is deceivingly well-equipped.”
The sole remaining example of the initial batch of 20 Navigo Ts ordered by Brian Noone for both itself and Minis to Midis was displayed last week, and Paul says that more are on order; the first of them will be available in October.
Encouragingly, he reports that more than one operator has chosen the Otokar on a repeat purchase basis, and like the Turas range, it is competitively priced, at £120,000.
Operators who visited Minis to Midis last week may have been surprised by the extent of what it has to offer when the doors at its modest yet well-equipped premises are raised.
Like many of its customers, it remains a family business, yet Paul brings a wealth of experience from the corporate environment. Add a strong model range that will soon get even bigger, and it’s well placed to keep building in the future.