to be honest ive been dring a 26 480 manual for last 2 years xxl cab all the bells and whistles anyway boss decided to buy 2 volvos and get me a 26 500 auto.well i wasnt impressed at first about the auto bit but love this new traxass box they have got it right once you get used to it its a pleasure to drive and them 500 horses all of them come to the party when needed so dont knock em till youve tried one also remember the new scania is the same box im told with a different name that was from a scania salesman
Nite Owl:
Was driving a 13 plate MAN last night. Same problem, hooking up or reversing onto a bay was pretty much Impossible without putting it in tortoise mode.
Err what do you think that mode is for? Slow speed manoeuvring. Not being in tortoise mode when reversing is equivalent to being in high split in reverse on a manual box and I doubt you used to reverse in that.
Its interesting how some people seem to have no problem driving with them whilst others do and it seems the prevailing attitude amongst those that do is that they’re the kinds of drivers who are used to teararsing around, typically the kind of driver who in a company would be the one using the most fuel, having the most breakdowns, having the most damage.
Well bring this post up to date I now have a 68 plate 500 and it’s a different experience a complete pleasure to drive pulls nice no jumping in reverse and no lag pulling away my only gripe is the curtains could be better when closed they don’t quiet cover the pointless window behind the doors
bjd:
my only gripe is the curtains could be better when closed they don’t quiet cover the pointless window behind the doors
Which is why you see so many of them windows covered in by cardboard, insulation or similar.
Drempels:
WTF Happened to MAN? Rudolf Diesel must be turning in his graveHad a flat-cab F90 362 years ago, pulled like a winner, what a motor. Didn’t drive another one till 2012. What a horrible thing. I hate them with a passion now. It’s a real shame, they were great lorries once.
We had an F90 sleeper cab on hire for a week, what a brilliant motor it was with a ton of room inside. I didn’t want to give it back at the end of the week.
I’m not sure which one is the worst truck, Iveco or MAN. The MAN ('16 plate) I’ve driven twice has made me hate my life. First, the steering wheel is OVERSIZED. I have broad shoulders and long arms yet I find my arms are stretched outwards when holding it with both hands which is very uncomfortable after a while. The side mirrors are too large and make for some crazy blind spots at roundabouts where I constantly have to lean forward/outwards to see properly. Then it’s an automatic 12 speed and always insists on taking off in FIFTH gear which takes forever to even get the wheels spinning, let alone accelerate to above 5mph; still haven’t figured out how to manually turn on the engine break (it’s automatic too when you press the brake pedal). Even the heating is awkward, my feet are always cold in this one - the lower air outlets have a very limited area of effect just very close to the 2 pedals and that’s it, you move one of your feet away from these 2 spots and it’ll be ice cold. Oh and the audio is crap but so are most of the other trucks so it’s ok.
ETS, drive the thing in manual, it will be a different vehicle entirely, but there is something wrong with the gearbox programming anyway, that year it should start off loaded in 3rd or possibly 2nd on flat ground, and start of in 4th empty or possibly 3rd depending on terrain as you came to rest…later Traxon box (which isn’t they say even though it has Traxon stamped on the bloody casing 
) almost always starts in 3rd empty/2nd loaded.
Sounds to me like the box needs updating, that’s not a 5 minute download whilst you drink their coffee, but it can be done during its standard inspection.
The clutch (usually the thrust bearing gives out first) won’t be long for this world if the thing has been starting in 5th for a long time, thankfully when the thrust bearing spits its dummy out you lose all drive immediately and its a tow-in job, enjoy 
The exhaust brake whilst you have found is automatic with the footbrake applied (can be cancelled via dash switch), if you press the little centre button on the RH column stalk if in auto the vehicle should change down to an appropriate gear to maximise exhaust braking, in manual mode you of course have control of the downshifts.
As you probably know, the slightly larger switch which surrounds the exhauster button swaps between manual and auto modes.
I don’t mind the big steering wheel and would rather have that than the saucer sized wheel Volvo use, which in the event of power steering failure you’d not have a hope in hell of steering.
Have to agree with you about the mirrors, and if you look at them carefully, if they had only been fitted the other way round at design stage, with the wide part of the mirror housing the motors on the outside instead of inside, you would gain about 3" of useful vision on both sides.
But they are hardly alone in this, its taken Volvo with the latest vehicles to get rid of the blind spots caused by oversized poorly sited mirrors.
My biggest bugbear with MAN’s is the oversensitive self cancelling indicators, i just wish the bloody self cancelling pawl would wear out, sadly it seems to be the hardest wearing part in the whole vehicle
New MAN out next year so i’m told, maybe they’ll improve the mirrors then, not too sure what i hear about lane departure ■■■■■■■■ and possible vehicle input on the steering 
Juddian:
My biggest bugbear with MAN’s is the oversensitive self cancelling indicators, i just wish the bloody self cancelling pawl would wear out, sadly it seems to be the hardest wearing part in the whole vehicle
Oh right, forgot about these 
Still better than Renault/Volvo where using the indicator stick has a 50% chance of turning off your headlights
latest gearbox is definitely better, i actualy enjoy reversing with MAN now…
Over sensitive self cancelling indicators boil my ■■■■ too! Badly designed mirrors creating massive blind spots, especially the near side do too!
It seems I was very lucky to get one of the last 16 speed comfortshift manuals in ‘my’ 18 plater. We tried to get the same box in the new truck coming this year and they’ve stopped offering it as an option! WTF!
ETS:
I’m not sure which one is the worst truck, Iveco or MAN. The MAN ('16 plate) I’ve driven twice has made me hate my life. First, the steering wheel is OVERSIZED. I have broad shoulders and long arms yet I find my arms are stretched outwards when holding it with both hands which is very uncomfortable after a while. The side mirrors are too large and make for some crazy blind spots at roundabouts where I constantly have to lean forward/outwards to see properly. Then it’s an automatic 12 speed and always insists on taking off in FIFTH gear which takes forever to even get the wheels spinning, let alone accelerate to above 5mph; still haven’t figured out how to manually turn on the engine break (it’s automatic too when you press the brake pedal). Even the heating is awkward, my feet are always cold in this one - the lower air outlets have a very limited area of effect just very close to the 2 pedals and that’s it, you move one of your feet away from these 2 spots and it’ll be ice cold. Oh and the audio is crap but so are most of the other trucks so it’s ok.
I drive a 15 plate auto ok a bit slow when moving off but it sometimes does it in 2nd if I am loaded agreed that the steering wheel is oversized alway has been my arms are not the longest but then I am not the tallest have to lean forward or back to see & do find it has some blind spots but then so do others in fact most makes the mirrors are set in the wrong place although never had a problem with the heater but normally it is set on the windscreen
Never had an issue reversing MAN artics, tortoise mode and off you go, the same technique applies to the moon mileage 60 plate sheds we have right through to the 19 plate new ones.
Workmen & tools imo.