Actually.
The MKIII's shabbiness withstood the test of time.
Simply because its body design was already outdated when it
was introduced.
But what I appreciate about the MKIII was how slowly it
degraded. Still sounds the same, vibrates the same, same whine,
no jet engine imitataion.....less the aircon. But the
aircon is more or less ok these few years. Back in the early and
mid 2000s I thought I was sitting in ovens whenever I took MKIIIs.
And its body is pretty sturdy, the suspension is still the same
(brace position required over humps!).........
I think each bus has its own definitive advantages, and the
MKIII is a good example of quiet reliability.
All the Volvo B10Ms. I love them all. If only the fact that SBST
can't remove the seats.
And the K230UBs aren't that bad also. I like the seats, the good
aircon, its generous legroom and it can be pretty zippy too if the
BC wishes. Truth is, if the bus jerks excessively, vibrates
excessively....half of it can be attributed to the BC. As my
favourite BCs demonstrate, the K230UB hardly jerks when you:
lift your foot off the brakes gradually,
apply power when starting up gradually to prevent jerky
lock-up,
apply more pressure as the bus moves to 3rd gear to reduce
unnecessary vibration at low rpm,
brake with consistent force so that the gearbox can shift
smoothly downwards.
When you look at the list, aren't these the standard things you
were taught before you got your driving license?
2 KUB rides ago, I encountered a terrible E4 KUB with an equally
terrible BC who jerked the bus, kicked-down whenever he could (even
on small roads), stomp on the brakes immediately after hard
accelerations. Small wonder the bus was making all kinds of
sound.
But of cos, the argument could also be that the MKIII suffered
worse treatment but it hasn't taken to all these problems. The
MKIII is probably the last SD to still see BCs opening the door
before the bus stops.