I went to Istanbul Turkey to Test drive a new Mercedes Bus | Mercedes Tourrider

[@Yellwolf]

M Class for Us! That is all we need to say! Congratulations Mercedes! Congratulations Peoria Bus Man.

[@mafarnz]

Responsive braking that feels the same loaded or empty sounds AWESOME!! They clearly put a lot of thought and research into their product. An entire building dedicated to producing a single product means they are betting on having a good market for them. Looking forward to seeing them on the road over here.

[@sampsonpaintsil9839]

I like how the breaking system worked,great anti lock system,bus did not shift one bit,great Mercedes industry delivery

[@discatcher]

Great videos James...!! Our fleet here at Holiday Coach has been invested in Setra coaches since our inception over 20 years ago. 4 months ago we just added 2 more, they are each 2017's with less than 60K miles on each one. the handling and breaking is just like you talked about in this video, loaded or not they handle incredible, they handle the wind really well too, if you're paying enough attention, the retarder will just about bring you to a smooth and complete stop. Thank you once again for such informative videos. Keep up the great work !!

[@vehiclesonajourney]

That was so cool they let you drive the Mercedes-Benz Tourrider and let you see what went into the process of making the frame of it!

[@austinlawler3739]

The passion and care really show. Even something as simple as moving the frame from one part of the facility to the other, they make sure it is transported in the best way possible. Its little things like that you don't see as much anymore.

[@lilsugies]

Fantastic video! Looking forward to seeing the Tourider here in the states. Having ridden the classic Mercedes O303 through primary school, I've been a life long enthusiast of the brand.

[@TylerNally]

Man! I'm thankful for the test drive. I was hoping the new motorcoach test track would be like a less aggressive F1 track with banked corners and a fully operational pit stop.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Yeah I thought the test track would be like that too but it's all good. I still had fun burning rubber with that bus lol

[@yunuskarayigit]

Hello, it is very nice to be in Turkey. Welcome to our country. I am proud to be your follower. Have you tried our Travego Buses? :)

[@richardlittler1493]

Congratulations James! The two videos are wonderful, lots of information. I’ll be on the lookout for these buses on our North American highways and byways. Cheers Richard

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Always good to read your comments Richard. Happy holidays. Hope you are well.

[@dougwoodie6675]

Another great job. Thank you for sharing this experience. I had the opportunity recently to test drive a Tourrider here in the states and the handling was exactly as you described. I also really liked the wheelchair door location. A few not so favorite things would be the very tall overhead bins inside the coach. I can see students having to stand in the seats to retrieve personal items. Also on the day I am speaking of it was exceptionally hot out side so the HVAC system had to be on high a good bit which results in a very noticeable amount of noise coming from the evaporator fans inside the coach, which are located directly across from one another. I really like how Temsa has staggered their evaporators in their 45' coach. Also I think DEF fill doors (and fuel doors) should be on both sides of the coach. Word on the street is Academy will be picking some of these early ones up and I am confident they will put them through the ringer. They will have Daimler on speed dial. lol

[@matthewb9824]

I’ve driven a lot of different coaches here in Australia - Irizar, Coach Concepts, Custom Bus, Express Coach and also many makes such as Scania, Volvo, Iveco but I’m yet to drive a Mercedes Benz coach. From what I can see here, they look like excellent coaches.

[@GlenBGaming]

Another great video, nice to see the factory where the coaches are made, much prefer the front end on a european tourismo then a US spec Tourrider though.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Many thanks!

[@---l---]

Stainless steel frame sounds awesome.

[@crabbymilton390]

I finally got to watch the first video of your Turkey trip to the MB plant. Amazing and I envy you this James. That sure puts the lunchrooms at my work place to shame. I couldn’t believe that the van you rode in had a stick shift. That’s absolutely unheard of here. I guess we take things like that for granted.

[@brad_Ca]

Such a great video James, that coach looked like it would be a dream job getting to drive one. I would love to drive that bad boy.❤ 😎

[@MotorcoachWorld]

It was a nice ride Brad! Thank you

[@keeping.it.hawaiian]

James, that was awesome, thank you for letting us all live through the lens of your camera/phone during the tour. Can't wait for the next factory visit... Van Hool, maybe? 😀👍

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Thanks for your kind words. It might be MCI or Prevost.

[@keeping.it.hawaiian]

@Motorcoach World Oh much closer for MCI than Prevost. Would you have to travel to Winnipeg or Pembina, ND for actual assembly footage? I know that the company I work for has a bunch of J4500's that were built from both plants, majority of the units from Winnipeg though.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

@@keeping.it.hawaiian Yes I will be going to Canada I believe if this does happen. Its still in the works.

[@keeping.it.hawaiian]

@Motorcoach World Awesome, James... Keep us updated, can't wait for the next factory tour 😀

[@12review96]

I see they had the Illinois road simulator in that course!

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Hahaha 🤣 that's great. I should have used that line.

[@_Jin_Kim_]

Great video James! Thank you for the tour!

[@vinceromano8245]

Fantastic and extremely informative video !!! You do a superb job of cinematography. Recording, narrative, editing and background music is superb. Finally, I would like to commend you for the international recognition that you have received from all of your other videos. That recognition was rewarded with being invited to Turkey to tour this great manufacturing facility. Congratulations James. Whether you are recording any of your narratives or recording your journeys behind the wheel, as always, it is a job well done. Continued success, keep us bus nuts informed and drive safe !!! Vince Romano

[@fitnesswithsteve]

You’re lucky you didn’t have to test drive it on the streets of Istanbul. The drivers are crazy there!

[@MotorcoachWorld]

LoL yes. Someone asked if we would be test driving the bus on the street and someone else responded "no, we actually want you to drive the bus... Not sit in traffic lol. Traffic in Istanbul is crazy

[@megatronproject2376]

I had a chance to get on this bus before it even went to public. I was doing an internship at the factory at that time, it was a very nice and comfortable bus.

[@charlescorey184]

Great video James and looks like a great product. Thanks for posting.

[@yuri_on_youtube]

I've been a passenger on many motorcoaches and I could tell even as someone who doesn't drive buses, that bus handled really well. You were one-hand steering that bus easy, James. The real torture test would be how long it would last as a Greyhound bus because the Seattle - Medford route, I always find myself riding the really beat up Prevosts and MCIs.

[@adamfischer6768]

I think the test track driver was having more fun then you! This one was fun to watch.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

As I was editing this video, watching that grin on his face as he was about to crank that steering, made me smile every time I had to watch the footage.

[@cindywinkler2441]

James this is another outstanding episode! I sincerely hope you are able to purchase a Mercedes Tour Rider!!💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

[@MotorcoachWorld]

I hope so too! Lol 😉

[@flh5959]

16:22 Looks so much like VanHools from here.

[@Skullitor]

Fantastic video, James.

[@travisspiva]

It certainly is a beautiful coach! :-)

[@DJBiv788]

I'm a driver myself. It reminds me of the Setra S models, which Mercedes took over here. I'll be interested to hear what the reliability is like in a few months. I know two popular companies have ordered a bunch of them.

[@robertfinley6288]

Great video I can say I am speechless and in total amazement at the quality of your video. If I didn'nt know you were a one man show I assume you had a production group filming you. Great video. I was impressed with how clean the facility was. The whole process amazed me. The coach will be expensive because of shipping cost being added in. The story reminds me of Eagles being shipped from Belgium. Will ABC be the US. distributor? Thanks James for your work.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Hey Robert! Thank you sir. Means a lot to me. Sometimes I wish I had a production crew lol. It would make my life a lot easier ☺️.

[@poincareconjecture5651]

Wow..dream job

[@sxmolin]

Very nice!!

[@TheTransitCamera]

Excellent video coverage and tour! That's so nice you were able to get that opportunity for a behind the scenes look. I wish them success in the US motorcoach market and it looks like they're certainly giving it a lot of genuine effort to get it right. I agree with your final point though of time will tell. Thanks so much for sharing and all the work that must've gone into filming and editing 🙂

[@berylwhite2983]

Great job

[@thegodblogger3812]

At 12'3" tall that's a monster, a full 13 inches taller than the old Greyhound PD-4501 Scenics.

[@pete904ni]

It's amazing something so low is considered tall in The USA

[@thegodblogger3812]

@@pete904ni Before the Scenics were introduced in 1954 for Greyhound, coaches maxed out at about 10 feet. As stated before, the Scenics were 11'2, and thereafter the Eagles for Trailways were 11'5". In 1968 MCI introduced the MC-6 as another proprietary coach for Greyhound at 12', then considered a monster. Nowadays the Prevosts and Van Hools are typical 12' so it's no big deal anymore. Also the MC-6 ushered in the 102 inch width for motorcoaches that the US regulatory system initially rejected but subsequently allowed in the early 1980s. Up until then the MC-6s were given special permits to operate in a few narrowly defined areas on the east and west coasts.

[@TellurideS13]

It's about the same height as the Prevost H3-45

[@motocrossedful]

GREEAAAAAAAT video. Really interesting. Which bus companies in the USA are going to get this wonderful bus

[@railvlogger1439]

I have driven most makes of coach from the older MCI 8's and 9's, Eagles, etc. Then I moved to the UK from Australia where I have driven most makes of European coaches. Not a Tourider but I guess a sister coach is the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo. I have driven a few of those. If the Tour Rider is anything like the Tourismo I think it will have a good future in North America.

[@rifkyfahrana1141]

Are you saying that the tourrider isn't drive as good as tourismo?

[@railvlogger1439]

@rifkyfahrana1141 No. I am saying if it is as good as a Tourismo it should do well in America. I have never driven one, so I don't know what it is like.

[@BusDriverLife]

Awesome video!

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Thank you! Can't wait to meet you at UMA!

[@BusDriverLife]

@@MotorcoachWorld Yes man!! Looking forward to it!!

[@dankdat620]

What a great video! I really enjoyed every second of it! Keep 'em coming, love from Greece. ❤

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Thank you very much!

[@---l---]

Such a beautiful city

[@douglasengle2704]

It looks like it is going to be competing directly with Prevost H3-45. The both have a stainless steel chassis and a high split floor configuration with large tall luggage bays. If this bus is really designed by Mercedes I'd expect the chassis to be very rigid, responsive and provide top crash protection. The engine section of the chassis has lots of boxed in sections that would likely make it very stiff. The midsection span is hard to look at and make a good decision on how rigid it will be. Longitude flexing looks like it would be very well controlled, but torsional twisting is going to be greatly influenced by how well restrained the side-to-side ribs are kept from rotating by the bus' sides. You drove it. I would think the chassis would let you know very quickly if it feels rigid. I'd be curious if Mercedes will produce a lower center of gravity bus with single lower floor height similar to what Prevost does with their X3-45. Daimler owns Detroit Diesel and the Mercedes over the road heavy duty Diesel is said to use the same block as the Detroit Diesel DD family, but the top end maybe different. I'm not sure if you meant the Mercedes bus had the same Detroit Diesel as an MCI bus or if the engine likely says Mercedes on it, but on the whole its basically a Detroit Diesel. This might allow the high horsepower DD16 Detroit Diesel to be an option making this bus very interesting to touring busses pulling a trailer or bus RV conversion pulling a car. Prevost is having to use the Volvo D13 engine without the option of the Cummins X15 or Detroit Diesel DD series engines which places it at a disadvantage with the Mercedes bus that looks like it has been made specifically to copy what Prevost has done. Prevost is owned by Volvo. At least Volvo could have continue to offer the D16 engine like in Europe, but it's been withdrawn from the USA over the road market. The D16 can offered over 600 HP. The D13 can be 505 horsepower, but it is typically listed at mid 400 horsepower, rather lacking for bus RV conversion pulling a car or touring busses pulling a trailer. The Volvo D13 engine similar to the Paccar MX13 engine has numerous KZbin videos out describing how they only go about two years and 200,000 miles before having continues problems and both are slow to get parts for. The Paccar MX series after 400,000 miles starts having severe issues and at least one KZbin fleet owner said to get rid of them after that and then went into how living with the MX engines with all their side lining reliability issues between 200,000 to 400,000 made his life a nervous reck. The Paccar MX13 along with the Detroit Diesel D15 have a very good reputation for getting top fuel millage. The Volvo D13 does not. The Detroit Diesel DD series has an Achilles heal problem that about 400,000 miles they can starve their main bearings of oil due to O-rings sealing the oil pickup system get hard and no longer maintain suction. Most of the rubber gaskets should be replaced on the engine at 400,000 miles along with the engine oil feed tube O-rings. The oil feed problem has to be fixed or the engine will seize up on its main bearing. Address that problem and it's a reasonable 1,000,000 mile engine. The Cummins X15 doesn't have a top reputation for fuel milage, but it is tops in durability, power, fast parts delivery, largest number of USA service centers by far and is enthusiastic at climbing hills. It is a 1,000,000 mile engine. That is the four main over the road heavy duty Diesels in the USA market X15, DD16, D13 and MX13. Volvo is at the bottom with fuel millage and nearly at the bottom for reliability. If you've got a good supply of parts for the Volvo D13, it might be OK and be a high millage engine. Prevost should offer the Cummins X15 as an option. Volvo could at least offer their D16 for over the road use in the USA again. Volvo does supply the D16 for USA marine use.

[@crabbymilton390]

I wonder when they built the ones that you and Dennis took delivery of. Wouldn’t be something if that was one of them? Never know?

[@davidp2888]

Great video, James!

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Thanks David! Happy holidays sir.

[@RandomTrinidadian]

Cool

[@businjay]

What a Fun video James. As a 100% fan boy of Setra's after the first time driving one and then owning a few after. Love these units. Was always an MCI guy Till I drove for Arrow in Denver and once I did I was Hooked. Im old enough that the 200 series setras were still a thing here and they only started getting 400 series setras when I drove for them. Loved the 200's but Damn this looks Like a nice coach, Cant wait to see them around town, I hope to see them here in Denver, hopefully they wont need the Gene modifications that Arrow had to do on the setras. Hes a smart dude and I think Arrow made setra what it is in the US today. Hopefully they will be running some of these. I dont drive anymore but I still Love buses!!!

[@businjay]

Im not in the Bus biz anymore, Is the Tourider? gonna be the end of Setra in the US? not that they are remarkably similar ROFL. but is Setra going away? Lot of bus companies shunned them back in the day but they made significant inroads. More than Irizar or scania ever managed to make it in the USA. DIna had their bout with MCI but that doesnt really count!!! Whats gonna happen with Setra Now? Maybe a new Video. The 215/217's are definitely not coming back but the 417HDH is a pretty popular coach here. I would take it over a J or PreeVoh, anyday!!! Im not in the bus biz anymore so I dunno. I might have to go get my CDL back so I can drive a Tourider for a day!!!

[@daku911]

Thanks for taking us along James. Is the stethoscope looking thing that you're wearing hearing protection or something else?

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Good question Gillius. That is actually a transmitter for the tour guide. When he spoke into the hand held wireless mic while we walked through the loud Factor, we could hear him through that device.

[@huissens]

I’ll also add my praise on your video, James! I do have a question regarding the brakes: does the Tourrider have a dedicated engine brake? My company has a number of Setra 407s and I can exit a highway and brake from 70 to about 5 mph without touching the brake pedal. Can you do the same with this new coach?

[@adamfischer6768]

I have to ask...if you were offered a sales position with MB busses USA, would you give up your driving position at Peoria Motor Coach?

[@MotorcoachWorld]

I'm actually a co-owner of Peoria charter bus company. If I was just a driver regardless of any company I worked for if the pay was better and the lifestyle didn't require that I'd be gone all the time because I have two little ones and a wife to think of... I would definitely consider it as it would be a promotion. I would also make sure that there was still let me drive a bus from time to time because that's the whole reason I'm in the bus industry. Whatever I end up doing in life I would always make sure that I would have access to a motor coach and be able to hop on and take it for a spin at any given time of the day. But the short answer is no. I'm quite happy where I'm at. I get to play with buses from all different angles of the industry.

[@crash4truck1]

Did they give a cost for the coach? I only had used MCI's.

[@BiBlackCar1]

This was absolutely one of my favorite buses to drive but couldn't drive it much due to the fact of it was played with tons of electrical issues

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Oh I'm curious. Where did you drive the tourrider?

[@BiBlackCar1]

@@MotorcoachWorld I was based out of Washington DC so I pretty much drove the whole East Coast corridors. Much as I used to like driving the Mercedes they would not let me take the Mercedes pass New York because it would never fail it would always break down

[@magesnz]

James, is your company looking to buy some? Who knows you might get a discount?

[@MotorcoachWorld]

We just might lol. Time will tell.

[@football11248]

Do you thing Peoria Charter will buy the Mercedes Tourrider?

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Not sure. I'll definitely vlog it if we do though.

[@EpicThe112]

James your Mercedes Benz Tourrider coach uses either an automated manual transmission or a manual transmission since in Europe an Allison Torque Converter automatic transmission like the ones seen on US & Canada long distance coaches are only used on Garbage Trucks and City Buses. To make them for the US Canada Mexico Market they must be made in those Benz Daimler Group plants that qualify for NAFTA now called USMCA Tax exemption to prevent heavy taxes on them if made in Europe. In the European coach market Benz and Setra do compete with Van Hool which is based in Belgium. For US and Canadian Motorcoach drivers some are used to an automated manual transmission coach assuming the company they work for uses one. Otherwise they need to get used to driving one which is normal for a European Coach driver who uses one everyday

[@flh5959]

So how many are you buying James??

[@kevinanderson5658]

What's the difference between tourrider vs Europe tourismo because look identical

[@zaf7794]

There shouldn't be any squeaking and creaking sound in side the cabin when full braking. It will probably get worst when vehicle is used in long term over years.

[@mfbfreak]

So why do they make the chassis out of stainless steel? Do they predict a 20-30 year life expectancy and therefore rust issues to be important to the customer? My knowledge is limited, but i'd expect the cost of repairs on a stainless steel chassis (in case of minor accidents) would be more expensive than with conventional steel.

[@reserva120]

So it was good bus??

[@MotorcoachWorld]

I really liked the ride quality of it. And it seems that Mercedes is very through about building it. I can't say as far as how well it will perform here. But I can say that I think it will do well based on what I've seen.

[@alainbard1140]

Comparable to MCI VAN HOOL and PREVOST

[@peterswalmen]

l ook at other coach factories, they al use welding robots. they cant compete with this way of working and the wages in turkey will go up.

[@AntonAtan]

I might be wrong but pretty sure MCI frames are still manually welded. Look up a video called Building an MCI J series.

[@brunohache268]

Istanbul, not Constantinople, it's just how they build their buses that waaaaaaaay!

[@MotorcoachWorld]

LoL 🤣