The All-New Marcopolo Paradisio 1350 bus that was officially launched in Nigeria last week Wednesday has been faulted by industry experts who argued that the underneath is too close to the ground.
They argued further that due to the general presence of potholes and failed highways, survival rate of the product will depend on plying smooth highways which are too hard to find across Nigeria.
However, during the launch, Weststar Associates Limited, authorized distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Nigeria collaborating with Auto Alternative Nigeria Limited, the authorized representative of Marcopolo in Nigeria, said the new generation Marcopolo Paradiso 1350 “has been designed to provide the best passenger experience and greater comfort and safety to the driver”.
They revealed that the new bus is coming as an improvement on its predecessors especially in the area of safety, comfort and resilient considering the quantum technological advancements charactering the product.
However, in the views of the Managing Director of Weststar Associates, Mr Mirko Plath, “The introduction of the Marcopolo Paradiso 1350 bus model marks a move in the right direction for bus operators in Nigeria.”
Also speaking, Weststar Key Accounts Manager, Mr Ifeanyi Igbokwe, observed that “The bus operators already have a long-standing relationship with Mercedes-Benz dating far back to the 1950’s”.
“The brand has been a benchmark for their success over the years hence, their trust in the brand and in us.
“In view of this, I am going to briefly talk about the Mercedes-Benz O 500 RSD 2436/30 chassis upon which the G7 bus body is mounted.
“The O 500 RSD bus chassis has been carefully developed for medium and long-distance applications.
”The chassis has all of Mercedes-Benz’s technological advantages. It is a robust and highly durable chassis that is adequate for the most severe working conditions. It also provides high comfort to the passengers due to the integral pneumatic suspension and a Mercedes-Benz gearbox (with 6 synchronized gears). This chassis is built to offer top quality and low operational costs, it is also designed to withstand 24 tons, it offers better ergonomics to the driver’s top auxiliary brake which provides an additional braking power of 30% and a high ground clearance level for bad road conditions”.
Delivery specifications show that Paradiso 1350 bus is built with the ever reliable Mercedes-Benz 0 500 RSD bus chassis developed for middle and long distance travel, it is a robust and highly durable vehicle that is built to carry 24 tonnes and a body length of up to 14 meters long.
The new Marcopolo Paradiso 1350 brings external and internal changes that raise the level of sophistication, comfort, safety and efficiency in comparism to its predecessors. A renewed exterior sees the Paradiso 1350 appear with newly designed mirrors that offer better driver visibility, newly designed bumpers and side windows and a new visual identity in the front; while the rear comes with a larger back cover that improves access to mechanical components and rear windows with a new design.
Another major feature of the exterior is the headlights with new internal design and integrated DRL (Daytime Running Lights), also included in the headlights are LED fog lights and an elongated side wall design giving a modern feel and flow to the light assembly.
The interior of the new Marcopolo Paradiso 1350 is totally transformed from the driver’s cabin with new lighting to the dashboard with soft touch finish and more thermoacoustic comfort. There is also an electric window next to the driver that comes as an optional extra, while the larger access steps come with injected profiles and indirect lighting for ease of entrance; other features include new floor coverings and a new roof design with superior lighting and LED details. The safety and well-being of passengers and the driver is highly prioritized as the space between the driver’s cab and the passengers’ section is partitioned with bulletproof glass and the drivers cab is also partitioned with a protective glass door, among others.
