(29 Jul 2020, 3:21 am)Big O wrote I never liked the idea of the B5 having such a small engine, it’s ridiculous and provides a false economy. What they should have done was to redesign the B9 if anything. The B9 with its Renault engine is such a robust vehicle and despite it being thirsty it pays you in its reliability.
Had Firstbus been successful in their attempt to get Wright to body the N230UD, you would of had a real bus there. It’s a shame because on a route such as the X9 and 10 no manufacturers are going to make a bus near reliable for its needs and I think the Coaches are the way forward.
The thing is though, the B9 wasn't exactly the pinnacle of reliability either, the X9/X10 pretty much killed those as well!
The B5s seem to be fairly rock solid with other operators on less demanding routes, plus GNE's Hybrid B5s seem to have done quite well.