Hi, I come from HK, and glad to see that MAN return to SG
again.
Although this demonstrator looks like those Gemilangs in HK,
none of those in HK are exactly the same with the demonstrator for
SBST.
For the posted the links to HKiTalk, I can explain a little
bit about those in HK.
There is 3 operators have MAN low-floor bus with
Gemilang body.
The first one is the operator of the cross-border
shuttle(Yellow bus). They are NL263/R, that means, a full low
floor, non-step bus, with D2866LUH-23 Euro-3 engine and Voith
gearbox.
The second one is Discovery Bay Transport Service limited(
DBTSL). It has two different kinds. The first bus is a
18.280HOCL-NL(A69), a 280hp version of what SBST got. It is a
semi-low floor, low entry bus, with D0836LOH engine. You can
recognize with the high positioned rear seats, hub-reduction axle
and the near-side radiator. The followers are Euro 3
NL263/R, which is similar to the one for Yellow bus.
The third one is New Lantau Bus(NLB). It is the first operator
of NL273/R in HK. A full low floor, non-step bus, with a Euro4
D2066LUH engine.
The code system of MAN need a little time to get used to. xx.xxx
can be used for any kind of MAN product. Numbers beyond the decimal
is designed GVW in tons, numbers after is the engine output in hp.
Someone pointed out that he discovered 18.240HOCL is a coach,
it is correct. HOCL is a string explain how the chassis is
designed. Because 18.240 HOCL-NL is modified from 18.240 HOCL,
that's why it has same code. They have same design at the rear part
of the bus, which is the platform area after the exit door. It uses
a vertical engine, D0836LOH. D08 means 7L displacement, and LOH
means vertical engine, which is different from LUH, a horizontal
engine. NL means low-entry. Now, we can have a more clear view on
the demonstrator for SBST.
The NL262/R in Citybus are considered as full low floor. There
is no steps on aisle from the front door to the rear emergency exit
originally. (Self-modified Airport version add a tiny step) It
might be not impressive than the aisle of NL263, but it was an
outstandind design in earlt 90's.