Scania R770 - Expletive Superlatives (It’s Bloody Brilliant!)

In-depth

8 Jan

Written By Graham 'Kermie' Harsant

There’s a Billy Ray Cyrus song, ‘Under the Hood’, which goes like this

‘She might be a cool ride, smooth lines - something custom made out of Hollywood.

But when you get done gazing at the outside, better start checking out the inside

If you wanna love to last, you’d better look real good,

And see what’s under the hood.”

I’ve been married three times (yes, I’m a slow learner) and the first two ‘models’ – well let’s just say we’re not married any more. I’m sure they would throw a few expletives my way as well.

Third time round I found the perfect ‘model’ – good-looking, serene, full of character, an inner strength and able to hold her own against anyone out there. Finally I had found true love. (Add lots more superlatives).

Now if marriage number one had been to the Scania R770, I reckon we’d have still been together 50 years down the track. This truck is so good that I’m sure the ‘R’ stands for (my) Rita. This truck is so, so good that the only way to describe it is to use expletive-superlatives!

I hope you’re getting the picture here. Expletives are those four-letter words we use to describe something we are less than enamoured of. Superlatives on the other hand describe that which we absolutely love!

You’d think that the two would be mutually exclusive, but occasionally they can go together like ham and eggs, and such is the case of the R770. Quite simply, it is an effing awesome truck!

At the heart of my latest love (sorry Rita) lies a thumping 16.4 litre V8 pumping out those 770 horses. These are not show ponies either. Think Clydesdales crossed with Phar Lap. They are backed up by 3,700Nm of torque available from 1000rpm, and together they produce a symphony of rumbling V8 sound – never intrusive but always there. And let’s face it, who wants a great V8 that you can’t hear.

This ripper of a motor is mated to a class leading, Scania built 12 speed auto and together they produce an astounding drive train. They sit atop an air bagged chassis and below an air bagged cab, and together they produce a truck with no scuttle shake at all – unlike the only Scania I’ve owned, which was a convertible Saab. ‘Kimo-Saaby’ as I fondly referred to that mid-life crisis was a lot of fun but would shake, rattle and roll over the slightest road imperfections.

Not the R770. Use all that power and all that torque and she simply gets up and goes. And those gear changes! Quick, smooth and undiscernible. If only every truck (and car) had a gearbox such as this.

That smoothness transfers to the ride of the 770. It is literally Magic Carpet. Lumps, bumps, potholes and the rest of the crap thrown up by Australia’s far from finest blacktop never reach the cab – not through the seat of your pants, nor through the steering wheel.

I reported on the R770 for another publication, and there I wrote that the heart of this truck is not the engine – as mighty as it is – but the steering. Everything that makes this truck excellent emanates from that leather-bound self-centring flat-bottomed steering wheel in front of you. You could have a decent stretch of road with the lane markings a mere foot wider than the truck itself, and you would never set off the Lane Departure warning. It really is that good. I know because that’s what I had to navigate for a couple of kilometres at one point in my drive.

**Superb leather-bound wheel allows a great view of the Kia-like instrument binnacle**

The quality of the steering and drive train extends throughout the cabin as well. The leather upholstered Recaro seats will keep the backside comfortable for your maximum log book drive, and beyond. Flip the flat-bottomed wheel up and forward and easily slide out to the rest of the cab where you may like to pull out the table from the glovebox and have lunch which will be stored in one of the two fridges under the bunk – the second fridge can be used as a freezer. Your 11/2 litre bottle of water fits easily into the door pocket until you return it to the fridge.

**Twin slide-out fridges sit under the bunk**

Slide the seats forward (the passenger’s is also one of those fine Recaro’s) and the well-padded bunk extends forward to give a full metre width of R&R, with reading lamp, cab light switches, et-al. Lay back and admire the fit and finish and subtle red and chrome highlights of the rattle-free cabin.

**Lots of storage, an extendable bunk and reminders that you're in a V-8**

Get back behind the wheel and all instruments are visible, no matter the positioning. The sun on your right? Pull down the blind fitted to the driver’s side window. Start ‘er up, select Drive, put the pedal down and GO – the hill-hold giving you 3 seconds to move the foot from brake to accelerator. No judder, no twist, and no noticeable change of gears: just super smooth progression. And this with 56 tons of ballast on board the B-double I’m in charge of. Wind the window down a little to enjoy the V-8 throb as you move off, knowing that your fuel consumption is less than the previous R730.

Select Eco, Standard or Power mode, set the adaptive cruise control, look to the horizon and wallow in all the R770 has to offer, confident in the knowledge that every conceivable safety feature is standard in this truck. Set the downhill speed limit and that’s what you get – not a Km more or less.

If you need to override the system, there’s an exhaust brake and a multi-stage intarder. A switch on the dash turns the Jake brake on and underneath is another – the AUT, which is the brake pedal control switch. With this on, the first 13% of brake travel is also the retarder. The all-round disc brakes are going to have a good life span between replacements.

Should the unimaginable occur, and you find yourself in an accident, or worse, a roll-over, side curtain airbags compliment the driver’s.

When I write a story on any truck, I look for something negative to say. Every truck has a negative right? Sorry but I couldn’t find one. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Scania had paid me to drive the R770 and write nice things about it (and I could use the money), but no.

Now, I love the big bonneted American variety of truck as much as the rest of you, but if you think that they are the be-all and end-all, I implore you to climb up into the cab of the Scania R770. Just get into this thing and drive it. Seriously! Just give it a go. It’s Bloody Brilliant!

(If Rita ever leaves me I’m going to marry a Scania R770.)

Scania are taking orders for the R770 now, with deliveries due in the second half of 2022.