Scania K360IB4x2EB Irizar i6

Body

Wearing vinyls celebrating two decades of Scania-Irizar collaboration, the coach carried a metallic bronze colour scheme set off by extra dark tint windows and the polished bright work flash that runs from the front along and up the feature pillar. The sloping lower edge of the forward window bays and the bulbous dome that continues half way along the coach to disguise the air conditioning give it a style that is distinctive and unmistakeably Irizar. It’s a modern look and with its flat lower panels that curve in at the base, also a practical one.

The i6 is nominally 3.5m high, but when the air conditioning unit is factored in this rises to 3.73m.

Luggage capacity in the hold within the wheelbase is approximately eight cubic metres, the powered nearside door that gives access to it being a substantial one piece unit. Useful extras that come as standard are an Irizar toolkit in a durable box and a get you home mirror mounted on the rear bulkhead.

A peage window set in the main window of the powered front door echoes the shape of the driver’s side window. The door opens rearwards to reveal four steps curving slightly towards the right. At the top of them the platform area lead to two more steps, the first of them angled as the seating deck extends further on the nearside than on the offside. The main floor is flat throughout, although you can still specify a sunken gangway if you wish, and trimmed in a wooden plank effect flooring material. The steps at both entrances are similarly treated though the forward edges have attractive anti-slip cappings with rubber protrusions. The courier seat folds away neatly and there is a handrail to the dash edge, though nothing to the right between the door pillar and the edge of the decency screen.

Driver and courier seat trim matched that of the seats in the saloon which is always a plus for me as it helps form that all important first impression the customer gets. Matching the bronze exterior Scania had opted for soft trims in shades of brown with beige headrest inserts.

Irizar had the seat developed specifically for the i6. With three point belts featuring the more easily maintained external mechanisms, they were track mounted and incorporated features including recline, folding aisle side armrests, rear grab handles and drop down tables with cup-holder cut-outs. Two drop down footrests were fitted on each double seat, though for reasons I couldn’t fathom there was only a single drop down unit beneath the penultimate seat row.

Though I recognise the advantage of being able to clean them easily I have never been a fan of uncovered plastic on seat backs because I find it cold and unwelcoming and passengers will spend a lot longer looking at it than they will the attractively trim cushion area at the front. A soft trim finish is available as an option. An alternative to Irizar’s i6 seat is the unit it developed specifically for the PB, which, among other features, has winged headrests. Going for this cost option still enables 53 recliners to be accommodated.

Spacing, which under the Bus Directive has to be a minimum of 680mm rather than the previous 610mm, was comfortable in every position though the 745mm on the nearside is marginally more spacious than the 720mm on the offside. There were three seats where the pillar was badly situated relative to the passenger, impairing the view, though not on the scale of the wide feature pillar of the PB.

Full length open racks run along both sides of the saloon with a gap on the offside over the door and toilet unit, which also enables the second monitor to be fitted where it can be seen but people don’t bash their heads if they walk up the coach. A point I like is that the rack supports are discreet giving them a very open look that contributes to an impression of spaciousness.

The toilet compartment is centrally mounted ahead of the centre continental door and stairwell, and is relatively spacious. In addition to the usual equipment it is equipped with useful handrail mounted sufficiently high on the wall near the door to be useful when entering or exiting. I found it relatively easy to get in and out of and the staircase benefitted from rails on both sides, though another on the upper section of the toilet compartment would not go amiss. The top of the unit incorporates a hot water facility with a useful moulded tray incorporated as well as insets for four cups.

It is also possible to specify a rear saloon toilet in place of the mid mounted unit on two axles, but only on the 12.2m and 12.65m coaches. This is not currently possible on the 12.45m that we tested because of where the rear emergency door is and the impact it has on where the seats can be aligned.

In coach entertainment employs the Bosch (formerly Blaupunkt) Professional Line 3 system with DVD, CD, radio, two microphones (one on a stalk next to the driver and a wander microphone in the dash to the right of the courier), a USB port and an iPod connection. There are two flat screen monitors, one within a neat housing at the front and the other integrated on the offside above the toilet compartment.

Simon thought the courier seat a big improvement on that of the Century he had, the cut away in the lower dash section providing reasonable legroom, though Andrew, with his longer legs, wasn’t quite as enthusiastic. Provision included a wander light and a cup holder on the A-pillar with a deep top loading fridge incorporated in the nearside dash. The seat itself, which like the driver’s seat was trimmed to match those in the saloon, was easy to use and stowed well back so as not to impede the entrance when not in use.

Simon said how much he liked the interior, commenting on how well finished it was. ‘It’s a nice looking vehicle; the customers would like it very much’, he said.

To me, the i6 offers nearly all the wow factor you associate with the PB without the flagship model’s weaknesses for around £20,000 less and I’d argue that customers simply won’t spot the difference. It’s got the bulbous dome, but it doesn’t have the specially engineered crease in the body side; instead it has flat side panels that are more practical and the fit is spot on, which it often hasn’t been on the PB.