Driven – MAN 26.640 Optiview

Trucking took a top-of-the-range MAN 26.640, with the 15.3-litre D38 engine rated at 640hp, for a drive around Warwickshire, and not even road closures could dampen our spirits! I have to admit, I love driving the new MAN range. Well, it's not new anymore; it was launched in early 2020, so it is close to four years old.

And, yes, the cab is knocking on a bit, but it's been so well thought out inside that it has to be right up there as one of the trucks I like driving the most. This test drive was something of a luxury--a top-of-the-range TGX 26.640 with the biggest GX cab and the new Optiview digital camera system to replace the wing mirrors. With the most powerful engine, the largest cab and all the options ticked, this was one hell of a flagship.

Flagships are sometimes, well, usually, hard to justify financially, especially if you are out there to make the maximum dosh possible. Still, for owner drivers for small fleets or just where you need lots of power for fast journey times, then they make sense. They are also good tools to reward a long-standing or just an all-round bloody good member of the team.

Any driver who has a truck of this calibre isn't likely to struggle coming into work. When MAN relaunched the TGX range, it did so with a varied line-up, but the cab remained essentially the same as the TG-A cab first introduced in 2000. Now, that is no bad thing in some respects because, as I have often said, what manufacturers do inside the cab really counts.

In previous years, I have been critical of the TGX cab simply because irritating, unnecessary design features let it down. Most of these were eliminated in the 2018 minor makeover, but the new 2020 models go one step further. Again, apologies for repeating myself here, but I said this new incarnation of the TGX had a Scania-quality interior (at a MAN price!), and that is probably in no part due to the fact that the Traton Group owns both companies.

The driveline was also carried over from the previous MAN models, and for 44-tonne operators, that essentially means a mix of the D26 12.4-litre 6-cylinder engine and the D38 15.3-litre 6-cylinder. (If you are working at 40 tonnes on five axles, you might get away with the D15 9-litre 6-cylinder in its 400hp output, but most UK hauliers would realistically only plump for that engine if doing 28, 32 or 35 tonnes GVW work). As expected, the real winner for MAN has been the D26 in its 470 and 510hp outputs (it is also available at 430hp). There are many 26.470 and 26.510 6x2 mid-lift tractors on our roads.

But for those wanting more power, the D38 is available in 540, 580, and 640hp outputs. I'd say the 540 or 580 would be the best for the majority of UK users, but they are scarce indeed (in fact, I think I've only seen these models in Germany), and, as is understandable, most going for the D38 opt for the biggest--the 26.640. There are three wide cabs: the GN flat-roof sleeper, the GM high-roof sleeper, and the biggest GX cab.

The D26 models can also have these with the narrower cab in NN day, FN sleeper, or FM high-roof sleeper options. MAN has standard 6x2 midlifts and 6x2 small midlifts, while the D26 can be a 6x2 tag - the D38 can't (for the UK) as the engine is longer, and so the propshaft can't be the length it needs to be whilst retaining the required angle to be a successful a 6x2 tag with this engine. MAN has hinted it might be able to offer a D38 tag 'soon', but it would have to be on a longer wheelbase, and that brings its complications over length and/or weight distribution.

In 2021, MAN launched its new Optiview digital mirrors, the second company to announce a move to this form of rear view. However, it was actually the third to bring it to market, as DAF nipped in and added them to its new XF/XG models just before it.

Technical overview

The truck that is the subject of this test is the ultimate top-of-the-range MAN - a 26.640 midlift with the most oversized GX cab and Optiview. I loaded it at close to 44 tonnes and took it for a decent workout on the roads of Warwickshire, with a couple of challenging hills to boot.

I won't go into too much detail about the spec as it should, hopefully, be familiar to readers. Still, as a brief overview, the truck was rated at 44,000kg with the D38 15.3-litre straight six, which delivers 640hp at 1,800rpm and a maximum torque of 3,000Nm at 900-1,400rpm. It was fitted with the GX high roof 2.5m-wide sleeper cab, the most oversized cab in the MAN product range.

It had a 4,000mm wheelbase, an 8,000kg front axle, a 7,100kg midlife axle, and an 11,500kg drive axle. The Tipmatic 12.30DD 12-speed automated gearbox was fitted.

On the road

I didn't have too long with the TGX, but enough time to get a feel for it, hauling a decent load. First up was a spin along the A46 between Warwick and Coventry, and here, given its mass of power available, it had no problem getting up to 56mph.

The acceleration was excellent, as you'd expect, and it handled very well. The days of MANs having overly large steering wheels are long gone, and now it's the perfect size. Optiview is an excellent system, and the large screens on the A-pillars give a good view of the road behind.

When correctly set up, the lines allow you to pull in when safe to do so, regardless of whether the driver of the vehicle you are overtaking flashes you in or not. You must set the lines up first, though. If you pull the same length trailer every day, once you've set it up, you won't need to tweak it.

The only issue would be if you then haul an overlength load. If you swap a standard tri-axle for a short trailer, you could just leave the lines as they are set up - for the day-to-day trailer length. I had planned to take the truck into Kenilworth, but there was a road closure, so it was back only the A46 and needed to head up to the next junction.

But at least that gave me more experience handling the truck on roundabouts. Coming off here, I had to negotiate the mass of HS2 roadworks in the area, with rows and rows of cones set out, often with no regard for HGVs. This string of cones, in fairness, was not too bad, but it was tight nonetheless.

Here, the digital mirrors are good as you have no wing mirror, giving you a blind spot. Like DAF, MAN has opted for cameras to replace the kerbside and front mirrors. I like this setup, but whereas DAF has its screen below the passenger-side rear-view screen, MAN has it in the middle of the dash.

It was a little confusing, perhaps, but the images were good. Put it this way: no cones were injured or killed in my negotiation of the road! Into Kenilworth, I took the truck around my favourite 'killer' turn - a left hairpin that goes straight into a stiff hill.

It's certainly a challenge for drivers as you have to take the road while initially having no real view of traffic coming down the hill. So, you have to go very slow to avoid creating an issue with any oncoming traffic, which means there is no scope for getting a run at it. It's down to a walking pace, with an element of 'hoping for the best'.

I've tackled this junction in a number of trucks now, and it's a place where you need the extra power if you are fully loaded, and even in a 500hp truck, I have spun out here once. With 640hp and 3,000Nm, the MAN coped superbly, admittedly helped by no traffic coming down the hill, so as soon as I knew it was clear, I could give it some welly, and it made the climb without any issue. It's an argument many will give you about going big on the power - situations like this.

In general haulage, you simply never know when you may be faced with a scenario like this, and that's a valid argument for lots of power, especially if you carry lots of weight lots of the time. Put it this way: I wouldn't have liked this manoeuvre in a 450hp truck. I will try it one day, though, and I'll report back!

The next stage of the drive was unplanned. I knew where I was going, and as I approached the roundabout, there was another dreaded 'road closed' sign. Why that couldn't have been much further down the road, I don't know, but it forced me into a very 'on the hoof' diversion.

Luckily, I know Kenilworth well. I lived there as a kid, but that was over 30 years ago. While I know the road layout well, I am no longer familiar with the changes that have been made in the intervening time, such as traffic calming, one-way streets, or weight restrictions.

There was nothing for it but to take a right and head down a residential road. It was tight - many cars parked on both sides, and an impatient motorist coming the other way, initially thinking he'd not let me through before having the inevitable second thoughts and giving way while mouthing words along the lines of 'why are you bringing that big thing down here?' I had no choice.

I knew the artic would fit, but car drivers need to show some degree of patience. There's a whole lot of reasons a lorry might be on this road - it may have been making a delivery, the driver may be lost, or he might have bloody well had head this way too because some numpty didn't put out 'road closed' signs in sensible places! Anyway, having reached the end, I took a right turn through a more residential area, where a very nice bus driver saw me and gave me all the room I needed, which was basically all of the road, to make my next left turn.

I have to admit, this wasn't part of the plan, and I was very relieved to get out of the built-up area and back onto the dual carriageway. However, it did show how much better the digital mirrors are in these scenarios. There was no clipping on overhanging trees, there was a great rear view, and it left me calm and confident in a tight driving scenario.

But this is not one of your average road tests, I should say.

Conclusions

I often think MAN doesn't get the credit it deserves. It has loyal fans, and the product range is superb. I would encourage any operator looking for a new lorry to give the brand a detailed look; they might be very surprised indeed.

The issues it had with Euro 5 are long gone, and the current range is as good as anything from Sweden to the Netherlands. It has worked wonders to make an ageing cab entirely fit for purpose. It is lovely and a great place to work, live, and tramp inside.

It has buckets of room and, if spec'ed well, should be a driver's dream. The big MAN had a presence as well. When MAN implemented this makeover, it said it wanted the TGX to 'look like a lion'.

It might not look feline, but it seems mean, ready for business and like it will take no prisoners. Most hauliers probably don't need 640 horses, and those who do - especially our friends north of Hadrian's Wall - might lament the lack of a tag axle on the D38, but the fact is the 26.640 is one hell of a flagship; It has it all, power, comfort, presence, performance and it will probably be cheaper than its rivals. Yet, it will hold its value; you don't see many 640s on the used dealers' forecourts, and those that end up there don't stay there for long.

I still think the 26.510 is probably the best MAN on the road, but if you are looking for a top-spec truck to reward that driver who's been with you for years or just after the biggest and best, this machine is well worth giving the once-over. If you place an order, tick the Optiview option! I have to say, this was one of those road tests that was over way too quickly.

Had I had the time, I'd have happily taken the truck out for a much longer drive, and I genuinely was 'sad' to hand the keys back! Finally, in the quest for balance, openness, and honesty, I must confess I now own a MAN 26.640 ... although mine is only a Tekno model!

Specification

? Model: MAN 26.640

? Design GVW/GCW: 44,000kg ?

Chassis: 4,000mm wheelbase ? Front axle: 8,000kg capacity., 385/88R22.5 tyres

? Rear axle: 7,100kg (midlift) 11,500kg (drive).

1:2.31 ratio, 315/70R22.2 tyres ?

Gearbox: Tipmatic 12.30DD 12-speed automatic ? Engine: D3876 LF16 Euro 6e, 15.3-litre, 6-cylinder

? Max power: 640hp @ 1,800rpm ?

Max torque: 3,000Nm @ 900-1,400rpm ? Cab: GX double bunk high roof sleeper

Verdict

We like

+ Excellent cab interior + Plenty of power + Superb road holding

+ Immense road presence + Sensible pricing We don't like

- The kerbside camera screen position

This first appeared in the JANUARY 2024 issue of Trucking Mag.

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