How Low Can You Go?

First impressions of the exterior of Scania’s new low-entry L-series have been mixed, but what is the Swedish marque’s contender for urban operations like on the road?

- Will Shiers

Opinions on social media famously come without a filter, so when photos of Scania’s new L-series were posted on the sites of T&D’s sister publication, Commercial Motor, no punches were pulled. “Has it been chopped in half?”, “It looks like it’s melting!” and “It’s gurning!” were just some of the comments.

Admittedly, the low-entry truck does look a bit different, but let’s not forget that it’s built for two specific purposes – to aid driver access and to provide a better view of vulnerable road users. And if any vehicle is going to successfully achieve these key design criteria, it goes without saying that it isn’t going to look like a conventional truck. But, unlike some of its rivals, at least it does still look like a truck.

Behind the wheel

More important than its external appearance is its on-road ability, which we were able to experience first-hand in Sweden recently.

On mainland Europe most L-series sold will be fitted with refuse collection bodywork. It is only in the UK, in particular London and other cities plagued by cyclists and run by people hell-bent on introducing unique vehicle design policies, that it’s expected to prove popular for urban distribution, construction and the waste sector.

With this in mind, we drove an L360 6x2 fitted with skip-loader bodywork. Access to it couldn’t be easier, especially in one-step guise. With the air suspension in the kneeling position, the wide step is just 438mm high so that you step rather than climb into the truck. It’s no more challenging than getting in and out of an SUV. The two-step version, although lower still – 150mm from the ground – isn’t quite as intuitive to enter as the one-step cab.