Scania, VW are Truck and Van of the Year

Scania’s brand-new S-series has been crowned the 2017 International Truck of the Year (IToY) by a jury of 25 commercial-vehicle editors and senior journalists, representing 25 major European trucking magazines.

The announcement was made last night at the 66th IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hannover, Germany. With a winning score of 149 votes, the new Swedish truck range fought off the challenge posed by Iveco’s recently launched Stralis XP-NP long-haul range and Mercedes-Benz’s Actros with the latest generation OM 471 engine.

The IToY jury praised the shorter gear-changing time of the automated Opticruise gearboxes – the result of a new layshaft brake – and the performance of the latest 500 hp, 13-litre, six-cylinder engine that offers enhanced fuel efficiency across a wide range of on-road applications.

The Scania’s new cab was praised for improved driver vision. The top-of-the-range S cab, with its flat floor, offers a truly car-like driving experience, as the IToY journalists noted during a recent field test in Sweden.

Finally, the IToY jury members appreciated the new range’s tailor-made fleet-management and service contracts, based on the experience gained with 200 000 connected trucks in operation in Europe.

“With its new range, Scania has delivered a truck that represents a real ‘state-of-the art’ offering in the heavy-duty segment, capable of satisfying current and future transport needs,” comments IToY chairman Gianenrico Griffini.

Crafter makes it two
At the same time, the new Volkswagen Crafter was awarded the International Van of the Year title by a jury of 24 European commercial-vehicle journalists. The award makes VW one of two manufacturers to win the award over two consecutive years.

With ten new vans launched across Europe in the past year, competition was very strong. The independently developed and produced Crafter garnered 101 points, just 12 points ahead of the PSA Group’s Peugeot Expert/Citroën Dispatch and Toyota Proace, with the latest Iveco Daily (Euro 6) taking the third position on the podium.

Eckhard Scholz, chairman of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, says: “After the T-series last year, we are delighted to now receive this special award for the new Crafter as well. We are very proud of our latest product and of our team, whose hard work has made the Crafter the best large transport van. We will be using this award to spearhead a successful launch.”

Motivations from the jury praised the new Crafter’s overall styling, comfort, smoothness, safety and superb handling and predict that it will be a market success, due to its wide model and configuration offering.

“It was again a very close contest and compliments must also go to the PSA Group on producing an excellent and innovative new product line for the light commercial-vehicle marketplace. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ investment in developing a stand-alone product, and constructing it in a new assembly plant, is noteworthy. We wish the new Crafter every success,” adds Jarlath Sweeney, chairman, International Van of the Year jury.