You might spot them in Finland’s icy winter landscapes, on steep mountain roads in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in Gibraltar’s humid heat, on round trips throughout Europe, undergoing endurance testing in Turkey, or even in a dusty gravel pit… Half a dozen new Setra touring coaches featuring camouflage decals are currently on the road in all of these places. Some of the high-deckers and super-high-deckers boast brightly-coloured paintwork and decals with ficticious names such as Cleo, Leyla, Lima or Zera – the names of the colours selected for their paintwork.
The vehicles undergo tests between minus 40 and plus 40 degrees Celsius, sometimes empty and sometimes loaded with water-filled dummies and sand bags. Tests centre around innovative assistance systems and their interaction, new components, the effects of extreme humidity as well as extreme topography. All of these elements have also long since been simulated virtually and intensively tested on test stands.
However, the Testing department at Daimler Buses always thoroughly verifies the results of these tests in practice. Test engineers call what these Setra touring coaches are being put through an overall test, which is always the case when vehicles involve numerous new products.
In football, we say the truth is revealed on the pitch. For Setra touring coaches, it is revealed on the roads of Europe and beyond. That’s why the next generation of Setra touring coaches will be put through its paces like all previous touring coaches: under the toughest conditions. The simple reason being, that if the vehicles can withstand these extreme conditions, they will also work in everyday touring coach operations.
The next generation of Setra touring coaches – ComfortClass and TopClass 500 – will be introduced during 2022.