MAN Truck & Bus
This is what the jury said about MAN’s TGX
Jury statements
Charleen Clarke, South Africa
The new MAN truck gets lots of things right. But there are three outstanding features for me: the interior, the safety features and the fuel consumption. I really like the fact that the interior feels more upmarket. The new truck’s safety features are very good and fuel savings amount to 8% – which is not to be sniffed at! This is a truck therefore that will delight drivers and transport companies alike.
Florian Engel, Austria
I think that there are three main reasons why MAN’s new TGX is the Truck of the Year 2021. Firstly, the completely new cab with its many comfort and safety features. Secondly, the new human-machine interface, very smooth controls for all functions in the infotainment system and, thirdly, the new TGX holds the absolute record on our 1Truck test track with a fuel consumption of just 23.16 litres.
Aleksander Glus, Poland
I think there are two reasons why the jury awarded the accolade to MAN’s new generation of trucks. Firstly, MAN has in developing this new truck succeeded in creating a balance between modern and future-oriented design and traditional solutions. The second reason: the right behaviour for today’s business environment. We may assume that MAN has renewed its product range at a lower financial level than some of its competitors. We think it’s part of the MAN Group's restructuring processes.
Driver comfort, working and living quality: progressive. Safety and fuel efficiency: forward-looking. Services, operating and display philosophy: innovative. The 24 trade journalists who made up the jury for the International Truck of the Year (ITOY) Award scored top marks for MAN’s TGX on the basis of the many test drives they carried out.
The vehicle’s success was not a coincidence. MAN involved a total of around 300 transport companies and more than 700 drivers in its five-year development process for the new generation of heavy-duty trucks. These people weren’t only asked about what they thought an innovative vehicle should deliver but were also given the opportunity to provide continuous feedback during the development process. The jury of experts definitely thought that this collaborative approach had delivered results.
The cockpit: Developed with drivers for drivers
MAN’s TGX scored points with the ITOY jury for, among other things, the ease with which the fully digital display instruments could be read from the driver’s workplace. The trade journalists also liked the multifunctional steering wheel that makes driving and controlling multimedia functions as easy as possible for drivers and the MAN SmartSelect’s turn-push-set function for minimum distraction while driving.
Rasmus Haargaard, a member of the jury from Denmark, praised one courageous decision by MAN in this regard: “The new driver’s workplace is modern and comfortable. It delivers many innovations – and in some respects is based on some courageous decisions. For example, contrary to the current trend, MAN chose not to deploy touch-screens in order to improve both user-friendliness and safety at the same time.”
Driver-oriented and ergonomic design
The ITOY jurors also rated the quality of living in the new cabin very positively. It now comes with a comfortable bed, generous storage space and a modern infotainment system for rest periods. Juror Aleksander Glus from Poland said: “Without changing the cab’s look too much, MAN has been able to make the driver’s place of work more comfortable. The enhancements have been achieved with, among other things, a wider door opening, better driver positioning and more ergonomic access to the dashboard – with the SmartSelect option to boot.”
Fuel savings of up to 8.2%
MAN’s TGX was also recognised with the ITOY Award 2021 because, in the jury’s view, it delivers impressive operational and cost efficiencies. During many test drives, the members of the jury were able to see for themselves how particularly efficient the Euro 6d power train is. It combines with the cab’s improved aerodynamics and the even more forward-looking MAN EfficientCruise GPS cruise-control system to deliver fuel savings of up to 8.2% compared with the previous version’s consumption.
Specialist journalist Florian Engel from Austria said in this regard: “MAN’s new TGX holds the absolute record on our 1Truck test track with a fuel conversion of just 23.16 litres.”
Martti Peltonen, jury member from Finland, also confirmed that the innovations continue to deliver their benefits even in extreme weather conditions: “Transport companies in Finland benefit considerably from the fact that MAN Truck&Bus has been testing its vehicles in northern Finland and Sweden in winter for decades. That puts the companies in the position of being able to handle transports economically, reliably and safely even under extreme conditions.“
Safety features in abundance
The high safety level that MAN’s TGX boasts also contributed to its being recognised with the ITOY Award. Charleen Clarke, jury member from South Africa, said in praise: “There’s an abundance of safety features.” The systems include a radar-based cornering and lane-changing assistant, a lane-return assistant and assisted driving in heavy traffic.
Connectivity: Setting the course for the future
The jury was of the opinion that the connectivity that MAN’s new generation of trucks features confirmed that it not only delivers answers to meet present needs but that it has also positioned itself well to tackle the challenges of the future. It’s based on an electronic architecture that is unique in the commercial-vehicle sector and the consequently associated range of digital services.
Jury member Snejina Badjeva from Bulgaria summed it up as follows: “Of the many innovations that set MAN’s TGX apart, I would first highlight the new electrical and electronic architecture because it opens up so many possibilities for the future development and improvement of this generation of trucks.”
Jury statements
Martin Schatzmann, Switzerland
MAN’s TGX got my vote because it has something to offer to both drivers and truck owners alike. Besides the new electronic EE architecture, the modular cab structure, the new safety technologies and the new services, I am also very enthusiastic about the new driver dashboard. And what I like best: MAN has chosen not to use touch screens.
Rasmus Haargaard, Denmark
MAN has set the bar higher across all its model ranges with its new generation of trucks: with a fully modern and driver-oriented cockpit and a massive gain in fuel efficiency. The new workplace is modern, lean and comfortable – and that also goes for a number of innovations and sometimes courageous decisions that improve both user-friendliness and driving safety at the same time (such as choosing to go against the general trend and not use touch-screen functionality).
Snejina Badjeva, Bulgaria
MAN’s new TGX really comes with lots of innovations. If I had to choose just two, I’d first go for the new electrical and electronic architecture because it creates many opportunities for further developments and improvements in the future. And, secondly, I really liked the driver’s intuitive and comfortable place of work.
Martti Peltonen, Finland
Transport companies in Finland benefit considerably from the fact that MAN has been testing its vehicles in the north of Finland and Sweden in winter conditions for decades. That puts Nordic companies in the position of being able to handle transports economically, reliably and safely, often in extreme weather conditions. Transport companies in Finland want to reduce costs and CO2 emissions in their operations with the largest vehicle combinations in Europe.
