THE Tourino is now ten years old. In fact, it was in the autumn of

2003 that it made its first appearance at Bus-world Kortrijk, when its 9.35 metres in length also marked Mercedes’ debut in the segment of medium size touring coaches. From the very beginning its distinctive features have been a clearly distinguishable family identity (its aesthetic is modelled on the Travego), easy manoeuvrability and a high comfort level for both the driver and passengers.

10 years as a MidiStar

BusToCoach on-line Magazine - April 2013

Lenght mm 9,350 Width mm 2,400 Height with AC mm 3,300 Wheelbase mm 4,680 Front overhang mm 1,900 Rear overhang mm 2,770 Turning circle mm 17,120 Fuel tank litres 200 AdBlue tank litres 25 Luggage m3 4.1 Empty weight kg 9,800 Perm. GWV kg 13,140 Engine OM 926 LA Power kW (cv)/rpm 286 (210)/2,300 Torque Nm/rpm 1,120/1,200-1,600 Gearbox manual G85-6 Tyres 265/70 R 19.5

DIMENSIONS

MERCEDES - TOURINO

Throughout the years, its exterior aesthetics basically remained unchanged with the roof line merging into the b-pillar of the front door and the second door positioned on the rear overhang. What has changed, albeit slightly, is the design of the grille with the Mercedes star on top of the protruding front bumper.With bodywork by Portuguese company Ca-etanoBus (co-owned by Daimler up to 2010) on a Mercedes OC 500 RF chassis (manufac-tured in the Spanish plant of Sámano), the Tourino however embraced the evolution of basic mechanics, from the engine to security systems, but also of comfort criteria for pas-senger and ergonomics of the driver’s seat (dashboard and controls layout).Under the hood (in the rear), there is a 7.2-li-tre Om 926 LA six-cylinder vertical inline engine with BlueTec SCR diesel technology with AdBlue injected into exhaust gases to classify as Euro V. 286 horsepower (210 kW) make this engine the most powerful on the market for this size of vehicles, combined to 1,120 Nm of torque between 1,200 and 1,600 rpm.It mounts a Mercedes G 85 six-speed manual transmission controlled with the lever on the floor to the right of the driver.Safety features include electronically con-trolled EBS braking system on pneumatic disk brakes, and also ABS, ASR, ESP and BA, integrated with the action of the Voith VR 123 hydraulic retarder. Air suspensions take advantage of the independent wheel geometry of the front axle to provide running stability. Likewise the drive axle, it is made by Mercedes. The drive axle is the H04 mo-del with a maximum capacity of 9.44 tonnes, allowing the possible addition of a rear ski box or a 2 tonnes trailer.It should be noted that the location of the second door on the rear overhang makes room for luggage space between the axles for a volume of 4.1 cubic feet capacity, ac-cessible via two hinged flaps on both sides of the vehicle. The compact size of Tourino, 9.35 metres in length and 2.4 metres in width, ensure excel-lent manoeuvrability (turning circle of 17.2 metres), which, combined with the excellent delivery of the motor torque it makes it suita-ble for hiking on winding mountain roads. •

THE t w o o u t w a r d swinging single

doors give access to the interior corridor at approximately one metre from the ground, confined by the high bases where the 32 seats are anchored (4 more are located at the rear end the under the rear window). The seats are the Evobus CXL narrow model, with reclining backrest and arm-rest on the corridor side.From upholstery to assembly of accessories, CaetanoBus care to details for the interiors is com-pletely in line with Mercedes’ quality standards. The overhe-ad compartments are open with service sets (air vents, speaker, LED reading lights and call but-ton) located on the velvet cove-red bottom. On the ceiling there is an electronically controlled hatch and ceiling lights. Interior climate is controlled by a roof mounted air conditioning unit delivering 22 kW cooling power, by floor convectors and double-glazed side windows.

The equipment can be enriched choosing from a list of numerous optional features, starting with the video system, a water toilet and an onboard kitchen.The driver makes use of an am-

phitheater dashboard with central instrument panels inclusive of di-splay for vehicle status information and panels for route information. To the right, there are the climate control panel and the radio system.

There are also a digital tachograph and two storage spaces on a bul-ging column section.Right in front of the guide seat there are two storage spaces and a 40-litre fridge to the side.

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Seats n. 36+1+1 Internal heigh mm 1,950 Aisle heigh mm 1,050 Comfort Seats Evobus CXR Driver seat Grammer MSG90 A.C. 22 kW Heater convectors Glazing double Roof Hatches 1 electric Refrigerator 40 litres Radio Coach 2000

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