Digital command bridge: The new multimedia steering wheel communicates with the fully digital central display. © MAN, Oliver Willms

The new workplace is therefore immediately appealing. And there is also a real highlight in the dashboard facing the driver: a central rotary/push dial with two adjustment rings and a central control knob takes control of the journey through the extensive menus. Something like this is new in the truck industry and is only known from luxury cars. MAN calls the easy-to-grip control panel, which is reminiscent of a computer mouse, "SmartSelect" in its own denglish language. In fact, the designers have invested a lot of brainpower in the compact input device. The driver's hand rests on a fold-out hand rest, which is used to move through the menu levels with a gentle twist of the high-quality metal ring. By pressing buttons and using the miniature touchpad surface, you can access further logically structured submenus, which are displayed in clear graphics on the somewhat too compact LCD screen to the right of the steering wheel. You get used to the intuitive operating concept surprisingly quickly. A particular plus: the view from the road does not have to be completely refocused when quickly switching to the slightly too small display. In contrast to touchpads located further to the side, you always have the traffic situation in the corner of your eye. Unfortunately, MAN is once again playing the price card here: the larger 12-inch display and the digitalized displays in the central instrument cost extra. This means that the cabs in the more price-sensitive distribution truck class will probably be launched as leanly equipped variants and the wealth of equipment will be reserved for the heavy TGX.

Navigate effectively
One highlight is included free of charge: For example, you can use your pointed fingers to draw letters for navigation on the compact touch pad surface, which the clever on-board computer also recognizes and implements when you enter the first letters for the navigation search. This in turn saves you having to scroll through complete alphabet displays.
The redesigned dashboard with its numerous shelves, sockets and cup holders has everything you would expect from a modern workplace. Practical details such as the fold-out tray in the glove compartment show that the needs of the driver have been taken into account. This also includes the folding front passenger seat, on which a plate can be swung over to serve as a dining or work table.

With interior features such as the easily accessible refrigerator drawer under the bed, removable waste box, exterior storage compartments that are also easily accessible from the inside and the comfort beds with multi-zone mattresses and slatted frame, the new cab clearly scores points with drivers. An extra feature of the lower berth: it can be set up as a reclining berth for reading or watching TV using the five positioning catches. From the resting or sleeping position, the driver can control the most important functions such as lights, air conditioning, door lock or audio either via a handset with color display or via a dedicated app on the cell phone.

Proven power source: The new MAN uses the Euro 6D engines that were successfully introduced in 2019. © MAN, Oliver Willms

The usual storage space is available in the high-roof cab in sufficient volume in two lid compartments as well as a central container, which does not restrict the standing room under the roof hatch with a practical roller blind. In addition, open storage compartments above the doors and around the lower bed provide plenty of space for small items used on a daily basis. Equipped in this way, the MAN lives up to its image as a driver's buddy. And this is exactly what the developers have geared the vehicle concept towards: Appreciating the drivers, so that they do a good job or, in the age of the current driver shortage, are lured back into the truck cockpit in the first place.

Save on consumption
The digitalization of many applications in apps, which is common practice today, and real-time uptime maintenance control, which makes service manuals obsolete and demand-based maintenance a reality, are more of a compulsory exercise than an optional extra. Consumption savings are also clearly in the specifications for the new TG generation. With the help of the new Euro 6D engines and sophisticated aerodynamics, average consumption is to be cut by up to eight percent compared to the previous engine series, especially in long-distance traffic.
Apart from the changeover to the latest Euro 6D standard, the engines under the new cab will remain in the range. The engines for the TGX range from the entry-level D15 with 330 to 400 hp, through the popular D26 with 430 to 510 hp, to the top-of-the-range D38 engine with up to 640 hp. The TGS for construction and construction supply applications or as a national long-haul truck can also be supplemented with the Hydrodrive front-axle drive, just like the TGX in the non-all-wheel drive variants. For the TGS with the 20 centimeter slimmer, 2.24 meter wide cab, the D26 and the nine-liter D15 are available in the 330 to 510 hp range. A short NN cab for construction or the flat FN cab for car transporters complete the cab selection. The axle formulas range from the classic 4x2 tractor unit to 6 x 2, 6 x 4, 4 x 4, 6 x 6, 8 x 6 and the heavy 8x8 four-axle vehicle. Like the TGX in the non-all-wheel drive versions, the TGS can also be supplemented with the Hydrodrive front axle drive.

For light and medium-duty applications, MAN offers the TGL as a two-axle 7.5 to 12-tonner and the TGM with two or three axles in the 12 to 26-ton range. The TGS is powered by a modern four-cylinder engine with up to 220 hp. A six-cylinder engine with 250 hp is also available as an option, which is also used in the TGM with outputs of up to 320 hp. For the time being, the engine line-up remains the same.

To this end, MAN has upgraded its assistance systems. Lane guidance assistants automatically guide the truck back onto the road, traffic jam assistants make everyday driving easier, a new turning assistant and the latest generation of emergency braking systems ensure safety. The satellite-based cruise control, which increasingly relieves the driver of responsibility for the appropriate use of power and consequently fuel consumption, especially on long journeys, is also impressive in the first driving test.

These modern systems put MAN back on a par with the competition. With the new modular cab concept, the developers can be said to have really succeeded. The somewhat outdated TGX predecessor has once again been transformed into an ultra-modern vehicle that is refreshingly independent and autonomous in its technology from its sister company Scania, and which can certainly give its competitors a run for their money.

About the author:
Expert and specialist journalist Oliver Willms has been writing about the commercial vehicle sector for LT-manager since 2010.