Rover's new Volvo B7R / Sunsudegui (photo by Volvo Bus)
FROM THE VOLVO DELIVERY FILES
Irish operator, Rover Coaches, has just taken delivery of two new Volvos – a 9700 Prestige Plus and a B7R Sunsundegui Sideral 10. Whilst Rover Coaches has been a Volvo customer for a number of years, these coaches are both ‘firsts’ for the Mullingar based operator.
“We’ve admired the 9700 since its launch and were particularly keen on the fact that it is 100% Volvo throughout,” explained John Farrell of Rover Coaches. “We were planning to buy one in any case but when the exchange rate between Euro and Sterling made this kind of luxury such excellent value, we just had to invest.”
Specified with Volvo’s DH12E 12 litre engine – rated at 420hp – coupled to the I-Shift gearbox, the 12.2 metre Volvo 9700 Prestige Plus certainly provides luxury. The vehicle’s theatre-style, gently sloping floor and large tinted windows provide excellent viewing for all 49 passengers. And with full climate control, toilet, servery and Volvo’s Sound and Vision entertainment package – which includes first class monitors and high quality sound system, every comfort for luxury travel is guaranteed.
The vehicle will be used for corporate work throughout Ireland as well as incoming tours on behalf of a number of holiday operators.
In contrast with this full size coach, Rover Coaches’ new B7R Sideral 10 will deliver the same Volvo quality in a midi coach format. At 10.3m, the exclusively Sunsundegui bodied coach has been designed for applications where a full-sized coach is not required.
Specified with Volvo’s 290hp 7 litre engine featuring common rail technology and metered fuel injection coupled to a ZF six speed automatic gearbox, the driveline combination offers excellent fuel economy and driveability.
The restyled Sideral 2000 body boasts full climate control, 43 seats – all with three point belts, a multimedia system, incorporating 15” LCD monitor, GPS navigation system and MP3, RDS radio, CD/DVD player and Bluetooth hands free mobile phone installation, and an ergonomic, comfortable driver’s environment
Rover Coaches will use the vehicle mainly for conference and corporate work, in addition to some touring. John explained, “Because of the amount of corporate work we handle, there is always a place for a midi coach in our fleet, so when we heard about the B7R Sideral 10, we were immediately interested.
“It’s a high specification coach, the build quality is excellent and the rear engine design gives us plenty of luggage capacity. Add to this the fact that we’ve always enjoyed a good relationship with Volvo and excellent service from Irish Commercials, and it means that we have every confidence that both new vehicles will prove valuable additions to our fleet.”
Volvo’s Regional Sales Manager, James Hyde added, “We’re delighted by Rover’s continued loyalty. By providing two very different vehicles, as we have done on this occasion, we have once again demonstrated our ability to listen to a customer’s requirements and provide the solution from our extensive range of high quality products.”
AllAboutBuses 