MAn TGS 35.470 8×4: Kraftmeier on the wrong track

In contrast to an SUV, crossover or off-road vehicle for everyday use in a car, the customer of an off-road truck does not opt ​​for a model like the MAN TGS to stand out from the neighbors or simply to attract attention in the city. Anyone who accesses here has more than one solid reason for it and that lies in the tough application area all over the world. Models like a MAN TGS are used around the clock on all kinds of construction sites that are not easy to reach and that have to be supplied with materials or freed from loads weighing tons despite the rough terrain, stones, rubble or sand. If it gets particularly uncomfortable, a colossus like the TGS 35.470 is a natural all-purpose weapon with spectacular features, because what it has on the box for tough everyday use can only be seen at second glance.

The sulfur yellow warning paint on the driver’s cab is a real show effect that looks great on the monster. The rear twin pack is driven by the four axles and is extremely powerful. The eight-cylinder diesels of yesteryear have long been forgotten, because even in this performance class six combustion chambers are enough to evenly divide the 12.5 liter displacement. The powerful in-line six-cylinder diesel produces a mighty 346 kW / 470 hp and an impressive torque of 2,400 Nm, which is constantly available between 930 and 1,350 rpm.

So open the door and climb the three steps into the colossus from MAN. The times when you sat in a spartan driver’s cab are long forgotten, even with such trucks. The driver looks from his spring-loaded comfort chair, variably adjustable and extensively air-conditioned, at animated instruments like in a car. On the center console with all kinds of buttons, it also looks more modern than ever. The 12.3-inch multifunction screen for navigation, sound system and the countless vehicle functions could also come from a luxury SUV. On request, there is even a convenient turn-turn actuator for easy operation. You only have to get used to the steering wheel boxes, which control the truck-specific settings for driving modes, individual axles or hydraulics.

The ignition key, which is still one with a beard and which has to be turned at the end, seems almost aged. A control satellite on the right behind the steering wheel is put into gear and off we go with a muffled roar. The twelve gears select themselves depending on the driving speed and it is only advisable to manually intervene in the gear selection off the beaten track. The giant, which weighs up to 32 tons, has nothing special to say on the paved paths. This is how a normal truck drives with a loading area or body of your choice. But when, after a 180-degree bend, it turns into the unpaved forest path over a small area, it looks different.

Briefly stopped, manually engaged third gear and the off-road program and the bright yellow MAN divides the unpaved forest path as if it were nothing. The Meiller tipper body is only partially filled with sand and rubble. If required, the TGS 35.470 can hold 13.3 cubic meters in the 5.60 meter long Giganto wheelbarrow. Thanks to two powered 13-tonne leaf spring axles at the rear and steerable eight-tonne leaf spring axles at the front, the off-road truck digs its way through the Brandenburg sand, over scree, steep climbs and loose wood, making it seem like you’re sitting in an off-road vehicle. In the driver’s cab with the large handlebars in hand, the whole thing feels like being on a high-tech high seat with which one could also cross the Alps. Any co-driver is hardly less comfortable than the off-road captain on his throne. And when the off-road MAN is once again particularly wildly twisted on the broken paths, in addition to the belt, numerous grab handles ensure that you keep your composure.

The maneuverability is a real show, because despite its generous dimensions and four axles, the MAN TGS almost turns around the curve like a caterpillar. The reason for this lies in the so-called curve brake. Depending on the driving program, the wheels on the inside of the curve are braked variably so that the heavy forest worker literally turns around the curve and thus reduces the radius by around a third. It is hardly noticeable to the power man what kind of weight he is pulling and pushing through the terrain. The spectacular torque covers the load in the back of the driver’s cab as well as the gear changes in automatic mode. The 390 liter tank ensures the necessary range for everyday use. The price range of a model like the MAN TGS 35.470 is surprisingly close to that of a comparable luxury SUV. Hardly anything can be done for less than 130,000 euros. And depending on the structure and equipment, there are hardly any upper limits.