Current MAN TGXXL compared to TGXL

Twice this week I’ve had to swap trucks from my 2014 euro6 TGX 480 in to a 2018 TGXXL 500

Apart from the fact the ride quality and handling is better due to the 290000k difference on the clock the extra ponies were useless due to the fact it’s been screwed to 52mph and the N/s blind spot is bigger
and now it has the dreaded lane departure and eco roll so I didn’t use CC
No CD slot and the radio menu for Bluetooth phone is harder to navigate
Lockers are out of reach from drivers seat

so to sum it up ,no I don’t want to swap my comfy slipper for some shiny new shoes if they only can do what the slippers do just as good

Presumably it has Traxon in place of Arsetronic.
So, how does the gearbox compare please?

I’m in a 2018 tgx xl500. I don’t quite get why the extra power is pointless because you’re limited to 52mph. The extra power is there to help you maintain 52mph on the hills isn’t it?

nomiS36:
I’m in a 2018 tgx xl500. I don’t quite get why the extra power is pointless because you’re limited to 52mph. The extra power is there to help you maintain 52mph on the hills isn’t it?

Because it makes for a frustrating drive. Passing heavier but faster motors on hills, only to go through it all again on the flat. I’d want either 52 and no power or 56 and lots of it.

Juddian:
Presumably it has Traxon in place of Arsetronic.
So, how does the gearbox compare please?

No it’s still arsetronic as it behaves the same as my regular steed if you don’t come to a stop at the lights and pull off again going through every gear till 10th
I think these are clearance stock from MAN

Juddian:
Presumably it has Traxon in place of Arsetronic.
So, how does the gearbox compare please?

I’d like to know this too. I drove one on that MAN day I went to at millbrook and didn’t feel it was the giant leap forward they were claiming. Certainly not ishift good anyway. However, I’d be interested to hear if it is better out there in the real world.
It seems I was lucky to get my manual ‘box because we’re putting an order in with MAN as we speak for next year and they’re saying they’ve dropped the manual option so it’ll be traxon. A real shame they’ve dropped manual for drivers like me I say [emoji17]

Drempels:

nomiS36:
I’m in a 2018 tgx xl500. I don’t quite get why the extra power is pointless because you’re limited to 52mph. The extra power is there to help you maintain 52mph on the hills isn’t it?

Because it makes for a frustrating drive. Passing heavier but faster motors on hills, only to go through it all again on the flat. I’d want either 52 and no power or 56 and lots of it.

Yeah, fair comment.

Drempels:

nomiS36:
I’m in a 2018 tgx xl500. I don’t quite get why the extra power is pointless because you’re limited to 52mph. The extra power is there to help you maintain 52mph on the hills isn’t it?

Because it makes for a frustrating drive. Passing heavier but faster motors on hills, only to go through it all again on the flat. I’d want either 52 and no power or 56 and lots of it.

Yep , that’s what I’m getting at as my 2014 one does 53mph so why would I want to go slower ?
Just wish the limiter was set like my Merc 26t 55.9 mph on dash 58mph on sat nav

nomiS36:

Juddian:
Presumably it has Traxon in place of Arsetronic.
So, how does the gearbox compare please?

I’d like to know this too. I drove one on that MAN day I went to at millbrook and didn’t feel it was the giant leap forward they were claiming. Certainly not ishift good anyway. However, I’d be interested to hear if it is better out there in the real world.
It seems I was lucky to get my manual ‘box because we’re putting an order in with MAN as we speak for next year and they’re saying they’ve dropped the manual option so it’ll be traxon. A real shame they’ve dropped manual for drivers like me I say [emoji17]

As I said i think this was still the Arsetronic as it behaved the same as my truck

blue estate:

Juddian:
Presumably it has Traxon in place of Arsetronic.
So, how does the gearbox compare please?

No it’s still arsetronic as it behaves the same as my regular steed if you don’t come to a stop at the lights and pull off again going through every gear till 10th
I think these are clearance stock from MAN

Ah, pity that, yes it possibly might have been last batch, thanks for answering.

I understood that Traxon programming is supposed to improve things a lot, but you never know till either you or another driver who takes an interest (few) or is even remotely bothered or could tell (fewer still) gets to try it out, the sales mob would say it’s wondrous that’s their job to tell you what you want to hear…never mind so long as its still got manual as a permanent alternative, unlike DAF’s which default to bloody eco hell , then i’ll be alright.

Got used to eco-roll now, and i wouldn’t dream of turning the lane departure ■■■■■■■■ off, feet wouldn’t touch the floor where i am

Juddian:

blue estate:

Juddian:
Presumably it has Traxon in place of Arsetronic.
So, how does the gearbox compare please?

No it’s still arsetronic as it behaves the same as my regular steed if you don’t come to a stop at the lights and pull off again going through every gear till 10th [emoji49]
I think these are clearance stock from MAN [emoji6]

Ah, pity that, yes it possibly might have been last batch, thanks for answering.

I understood that Traxon programming is supposed to improve things a lot, but you never know till either you or another driver who takes an interest (few) or is even remotely bothered or could tell (fewer still) gets to try it out, the sales mob would say it’s wondrous that’s their job [emoji48] to tell you what you want to hear…never mind so long as its still got manual as a permanent alternative, unlike DAF’s which default to bloody eco hell [emoji57] , then i’ll be alright.

Got used to eco-roll now, and i wouldn’t dream of turning the lane departure ■■■■■■■■ off, feet wouldn’t touch the floor where i am [emoji1]

In my Merc the collision avoidance had a mind of its own and would see ghosts [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
P/s yes these are last of batch as I had a shifty on MAN’s site and the dash on new efficient line is different and gear switch is in with the switches by your left knee , the one I drove was same as mine on hand brake console

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Ah yes, just had a poke nose meself, thankfully not too much has changed, parking brake still beside you but appears to be where the gearshift was so not quite such a stretch back (but thats going by the 3d pic so possibly hasn’t moved at all ), thankfully still got a parking brake and not followed Volvo into the the mad hatter’s cavern of EPB weirdness.

Despite MAN’s huge mirrors appearing relatively unchanged, so much peering round still the order of the day at junctions, i prefer the main mirror to be on top and the smaller more convex mirror below and to be fair the mirrors i found bloody good for maneuvering and general all round observation, able to be set up to cover almost all the usual blind spots yet without being too convex as to work out what you are seeing, which is something i find with the wide angle mirrors on some other vehicles.

I Have a 2018 xxl , 500 and the new gearbox is way ahead of the older one,s

My first xxl was a 56 plate 530 tga and the gear box was dire …to be honest worse than that .

Then i got a 2010 480 xxl and it was slightly better ( might have been i got used to the auto by that point).

My next one was a 2015 , 480 and it was set slightly different to the 60 plate i had before …was always trying to get to the highest gear as quick as it could.
Might be ok on mororways but in the highlands doing logging it was a rite pain in the ■■■■.

I got my new one march this year and it was one of the first with the new box and i,m very pleased with it so far.
gear changes are much quicker and smoother than any of the other MAN,s i have driven .
I hardly use manual at all now ( even off rd in the woods im in auto most of the time).

The gear knob on the dash takes a bit of getting used to after years of the switch being down beside the handbrake.

The hanbdbrake is another thing …shift the gear switch , but leave the handbrake in the middle of the floor still ?.
They could have gone with it on the dash or an electric one.

The fridge is now out the way …fully under the bed …but the brackets that support it are not up to much and it rattles .
It rattles a lot !!! does my head in , i have tried jamming stuff in front of it , down the side of it …still it rattles.

They have changed the position of the interior lights behind the bunk to the center …making you want to sleep with your head
to the drivers side …bit weird when you have spent years sleeping to the other end ( i still do and just have to ■■■■■ about for the light switch ).

Mine has the beige interior and takes a bit of cleaning …the latest ones we got have the grey dash which is better for the muddy job
we do .

Other than that its still all the same …same blind spots …same big mirrors.

I like it but wished we could get a bit more BHP ( TAG axles limited to 500BHP as they tend to eat propshafts).

Nice truck …but then im a bit biast as they are all i have driven for the last 20 years lol.

Thanks Dingo, i think that’s the first report of MAN/Traxon from someone who’s used the previous versions a lot and who doesn’t have vested interests in bumming it up.

Whilst Arsetronic was a pain in the arse, at least it could be manually driven and there was no denying it’s reliability.

I too have a soft spot for MAN’s, never let me down, well apart from the 440 EGR engine

I know the boss has ordered 4 more coming around November December time to replace all our euro5 trucks as Southampton is probably getting a LEZ zone [emoji49]
Hopefully they’re the new type

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Aren’t the new MAN’s using the Scania gearbox not Traxon?

2 days driving MAN and i feel like 10yrs younger…
will not get back to cheap actros…i rather leave company!
dont mind looks ■■■■■ cheap inside…but it drives nice…

blue estate:
I know the boss has ordered 4 more coming around November December time to replace all our euro5 trucks as Southampton is probably getting a LEZ zone [emoji49]
Hopefully they’re the new type

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Southampton LEZ?

any more info? i still believe other cities than London have one more year in them at least!

Juddian:

blue estate:

Juddian:
Presumably it has Traxon in place of Arsetronic.
So, how does the gearbox compare please?

No it’s still arsetronic as it behaves the same as my regular steed if you don’t come to a stop at the lights and pull off again going through every gear till 10th
I think these are clearance stock from MAN

Ah, pity that, yes it possibly might have been last batch, thanks for answering.

I understood that Traxon programming is supposed to improve things a lot, but you never know till either you or another driver who takes an interest (few) or is even remotely bothered or could tell (fewer still) gets to try it out, the sales mob would say it’s wondrous that’s their job to tell you what you want to hear…never mind so long as its still got manual as a permanent alternative, unlike DAF’s which default to bloody eco hell , then i’ll be alright.

Got used to eco-roll now, and i wouldn’t dream of turning the lane departure ■■■■■■■■ off, feet wouldn’t touch the floor where i am

My current steed is an 18 plate 500 whatever (the one with the windows above the doors and a massive windscreen) and I can say hand on heart that it is the ONLY automatic lorry I’ve driven that I’m happy to leave in full auto 99% of the time, the 1% being when I intercede and change up earlier than I know that the computer would. Curiously ours don’t come with the eco roll mode whereas our last Mercs did. The Merc however I would drive in manual until I was in top gear on a free flowing road and then put it in auto to gain from the eco roll.

Overall it is a far far better place to be than the Merc and as a 4/5 night a week tramper that’s what matters to me.

LL79:

blue estate:
I know the boss has ordered 4 more coming around November December time to replace all our euro5 trucks as Southampton is probably getting a LEZ zone [emoji49]
Hopefully they’re the new type

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Southampton LEZ?

any more info? i still believe other cities than London have one more year in them at least!

All here my friend ,http://www.southampton.gov.uk/council-democracy/have-your-say/clean-air-consultation-faqs.aspx