Manufacturer / MMiinniiss ttoo MMiiddiiss

The new Turas 700 minicoachRob Orchard gets his hands on one of the new Portuguese builtmid-range contenders from Noones/Minis-to-Midis

REPORT BY ROB ORCHARD

One of the fall outs of theloss of the Mercedes-BenzVario has been an upsurgein interest in reasonably

priced 25-29 seat minicoaches. Anumber of dealers have alreadyintroduced new product to this sectorand others are looking at it closely.One of the first off the mark wasNoones with their Turas 700 whichis marketed exclusively in the UK byAlan White’s Minis-to-Midis operation.

The main route for replacementsfor the Vario has been the use of theMercedes-Benz Atego range of truckchassis in order to achieve the holygrail of 33 seats. There is no doubt thatthe Atego chassis represents a majoradvance over the outdated Vario inall aspects. The quality of its engines,transmissions, suspension and handlingfor example. Perhaps of even greater

importance is its ability to providemuch better axle loadings and GVWsespecially on the rear which in recentyears has been the Achilles heel for theVario. However that upgrade comesat a considerable increase in price.The Atego chassis, for all its benefits,is substantially, typically £25 - 30,000,more than a Vario based product.

For that reason some operators arelooking closely at their operations to seewhether they really do need to have 33seaters or whether, for much of theirwork, they can manage with cheaper25-29 seaters. It isn’t only the questionof initial purchase price difference; thesmaller vehicle should have better fueleconomy and lower maintenance costs.

The base vehicle for the Noones/Minis-to-Midis Turas 700 is theexcellent Iveco New Daily, nowavailable with the spectacularHi-Matic eight-speed automatictransmission which has replaced theAgile six-speed automated unit.

For the production of the new Turas700 Noones turned again to IrmaosMota of Portugal who already producetheir Mercedes-Benz Sprinter basedTuras 500 coachbuilt model. IrmaosMota have also been producing theSprinter van conversion Turas 500C,but production of that model hasnow switched to the Turkish builder,Erduman, and is branded Turas 500CEnvoy. Erduman is also producing the33 seat Turas 900 coachbuilt vehicles.

I recently visited Minis-to-Midisat their Doncaster base to evaluatethe new Turas 700. I’ve known AlanWhite, boss of Minis-to-Midis for manyyears and it is always a pleasure tovisit this well run family business.

The basis of the Turas 700 is the70C17 Iveco New Daily chassis witha 4,750mm wheelbase. A feature ofthe Iveco New Daily is that the chassisversions are not simply the base ofthe van model with the panellingomitted, they are proper ladder frame

The standard of thefinish is very good.

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Minis to Midis \ Manufacturer

units giving them greater strength andrigidity. This gives a vehicle 8.495mlong; 2.410m wide and 3.050m high.The unladen weight is 4,807 kg and themaximum permitted GVW is 7.2tonnes.

Power is provided by the excellent3.0-litre Iveco direct injection, commonrail, turbocharged four cylinder dieselengine. This engine is available in avariety of forms with either Euro5+or Euro6 emission standards andpower outputs of 146bhp or 170bhp.In the Turas 700 Noones have optedto use only the 170bhp version toEuro6. This version uses a variablegeometry turbocharger. Emission controluses a mixed EGR/SCR system withthe addition of AdBlue. The engineproduces a maximum torque figure of400Nm across a wide speed range.

Two types of transmission areavailable; the well respected Iveco six-speed manual box or the new Hi-Maticeight-speed automatic. Although intheir literature Iveco show these asbeing Iveco products they are infact manufactured for Iveco by ZF.

The vehicle has independentfront suspension with torsion barand shock absorbers whilst the rearsuspension on the Turas 700 is fullair with stabiliser. Braking is a dualcircuit hydraulic system using discs allround. A Telma retarder is standard.Steering is powered and the coachcomes with a 115 litre fuel tank and a25 litre AdBlue tank. Electrics are 12v.

The body structure is constructed ofwelded steel tubing heavily corrosionprotected and meets all current EUregulations on structural integrity.

Cladding uses fibreglass mouldingsfor the front, rear and roof.

The design incorporates a largerear boot with lift up access doorand illumination. In addition thereare underfloor side lockers with liftup doors and internal illumination.In total the vehicle has four cu.m. ofluggage space with an allowance ofaround 120 kg when carrying a fullcomplement of passengers and theflexibility to fully load with 25 to 27.

Inside the vehicle has seating

for 29 using Sege 3060T coachseats trimmed in virtual leatherand moquette and fitted with threepoint seat belts. In addition thereis a courier seat similarly trimmedand fitted with a three point belt.

The interior is trimmed in a mixof moulded panels and soft feelsuede finish. The suede finishis also used on the ceiling.

Full length parcel racks arefitted with the racks incorporatingthe main lighting and the usualindividual passenger service panels

Glazing uses dark tinted, bonded,double glazed units for the mainsaloon. The front quarter lights arealso double glazed. The rear windowis single glazed to comply withemergency regulations. The windscreenis toughened and laminated and isalso heated. The driver’s side windowis electrically operated. A roof mountedglazed emergency hatch is fitted inthe ceiling. Saloon windows are fittedwith full draw pleated curtains.

Lighting for the saloon uses LED unitswith three settings. There are additionalindividual LED lights at each seat.

Heating uses thermostaticallycontrolled convection radiators downeach side of the saloon. There isa forced air system with individualpassenger controls. In addition thevehicle is fitted with an Autoclima airconditioning system with digital controlof temperature and air flow. The cabutilises the Iveco in-dash system withseparate air conditioning for the driver.

The passenger entrance has athree-step entrance with flat, wide,carpeted steps that are illuminatedat night. The entrance is fitted withan electrically operated rearwardopening glazed power door. Internallythe floor is flat with one step towards

Left: Themirrors areheated andelectricallyadjusted.

Below: Thestylish Turas700 is basedon the IvecoNew Daily.

The interior provides seating for 29 plus courier.

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the rear and the rear seats mountedon a plinth. The floor is trimmed inTara Plus non-slip flooring with hardwearing carpet in the entrance and astudded heavy duty gangway carpet.

The driver’s cab is well appointedincluding electrically adjustable andheated exterior mirrors; radio/CD/PA system with microphone points forthe driver and courier; mobile phonecharging points; storage facilities anddocuments nets; individual roll downblinds and a reversing camera.

The exterior fitments include rooflevel marker lights and wheel trims.

The vehicle as described is priced at

around £106,000 excluding VAT. Thechassis carries a four year warranty.

On the roadFirst impressions of the Turas 700 arethat this is a nicely styled minicoach,especially the way the Iveco NewDaily front end has been integrated.The vehicle oozes quality and thisis maintained when you enter thevehicle because the fit and finish ofthe internal trimming is very good.

The cab is spacious and welllaid out. It utilises in the main thestandard Iveco dash. I particularlylike the panel to the right of thedriver that incorporates all the bodysystem switches, the air conditioningcontrols, the radio system controlsand the reversing camera screen allwithin easy reach of the driver.

I have driven quite a few IvecoNew Dailys in various guises andI have been struck before by how

quiet the latest Iveco Euro6 diesel is.This situation was maintained in theTuras 700 which is a quiet vehicle.

With Alan White accompanyingme we set out on a tour of SouthYorkshire on what had turned out foronce to be a really nice day. Plenty ofopportunity to test out the sunblinds!

Performance of the vehicle wasas I had expected. The 170bhpengine has bags of power andtorque but it goes about its businesswithout fuss always seeming to becompletely on top of the job.

The Iveco (ZF) six speed manualtransmission was light and easy touse and had a nice spread of ratios.

Handling was exemplary evenon deformed surfaces giving afeel of real security on the road.Steering was light but positive andthe vehicle sat on the road perfectlymaking one feel very secure.

Vision through the large screen wasunhindered and when combined withthe good sized, well positioned vibrationfree mirrors gave great all round vision.

I was impressed with the qualityof build and the complete absenceof rattles, squeaks or vibrationjust a feeling of taughtness.

Braking was to the usual high standardwith smooth straight line stoppingand plenty in reserve if needed. Thefitment of the Telma retarder is a majorbonus avoiding the need in manyinstances to use the service brakes.

Ride was excellent, particularly in thesaloon where the benefit of the rearair suspension can be appreciated.The combination of the convectionheating and the air conditioning madeit easy to achieve a very balancedambience with heat around the feetbut a cooler fresher feeling higherup. The seats are very comfortablewith the requisite level of support.

The Turas 700 performed faultlessly,it just simply got on with the jobwithout any fuss or stress.

This is a very attractive small coachwhich should be economical to runand which will prove popular withcustomers. If you are looking for a 29seater the Turas 700 is undoubtedlyone you should consider seriously.

For further information contactMinis-to-Midis on: t. 01302 892060e-mail: sales@ministomidis.comwebsite: www.ministomidis.comFor readers in Ireland contactNoones on: t. 00353 1628 6311,e-mail: sales@noone.iewebsite www.noone.ie

Top left: The large rear boot with lift up door.

Top right: The front entrance is fitted with a glazedpowered door.

Below left: The tip up, fully belted courier seat.

Below right: Neat grouping of body system switches,heating controls and rear view camera.

TThheerree aarree ggoooodd ssiizzeedd lloocckkeerrss oonn bbootthh ssiiddeess..

Manufacturer / Minis to Midis