The ComfortClass 500 is the benchmark for high-deck touring coaches. Exactly 45 years ago, this was also true for the new 200 series. SetraWorld arranged a get-together of the classic S 215 HD with vehicle I.D. number 001 and its greatgrandson, the S 515 HD.
SetraWorld Magazine
The Setra HD – of course
Four decades of high-deck touring.
The Setra HD – of course.
“The new Setra series is an offering that is based on changing needs and demands, built with a traditional commitment to true craftsmanship, with new insight and understanding and with new materials. It is aligned to the future in terms of styling, comfort and cost-effectiveness.” The wording may well sound somewhat old-fashioned. But the message suits the current Setra ComfortClass 500 perfectly. In fact, it was coined by Otto Kässbohrer at the presentation of the 200 series in 1976.
“For Otto Kässbohrer, “cost-effectiveness” meant that a Setra was an investment.”
25 years after the first Setra, the legendary 200 series was introduced to the market and, with close to 28,000 units sold, it was a success. In the foreground was the twelve-metre-long S 215 HD high-decker. It was referred to as the “two fifteen HD”. And today, connoisseurs now simply call it the "ComfortClass 500”.
Compared to its lanky great-grandson, the senior looks a bit stooped. Its yellow, orange and brown colour scheme is also out of date. Nonetheless, even after 45 years, the classic model from the Setra collection, with its clean lines, still looks amazingly fresh. The ComfortClass 500 has a much more expressive look to it. Its face with its large eyes and blinking strips like eyebrows and horizontal lines bear witness to its ancestry. A Setra is quite simply unmistakable – and aerodynamically designed. Back in those days, with its curved windscreen and today, with its perfect profile, imposing windscreen and flush windows even more so – an HD coach straight out of the wind tunnel.
Behind Otto Kässbohrer’s use of the term “comfort” are indications of the legendary cross-flow ventilation and gentle handling of the 200 series. In 2016, at Setra, the benchmark is fully automatic climate control with two temperature zones, hot water heating, separate heating and cooling circuits, and sensors. Whereas passengers once upon a time turned on their fans using a button, today they are automatically pampered with tempered air and without drafts. Instead of striped velour, the seats are upholstered with elegant woven fabrics or leather – meticulously and elegantly stitched. The seats from yesteryear have evolved into highly functional designer recliners, with a height-adjustable comfort headrest. The view outside the window is unobstructed, and high above the centre aisle with its generous headroom hovers a light and airy covering. Extensive LED lighting enhances the passenger compartment – what was once sober is now filled with warmth and atmosphere. Even the lighting which was cleverly integrated into the HD’s air ducts, which was all the rage at the time, cannot keep up with today’s standard.
One level below, the current Setra’s chassis meets an ideal compromise between soft and firm. The HD masters the road beautifully – skillfully levelling any bumps and irregularities along the way. Whereas the senior with its giant steering wheel still exhibits some unsteadiness, its grandson has long found its balance as it runs smoothly and firmly ahead.
For Otto Kässbohrer, “cost-effectiveness” meant that a Setra was an investment. This remains true today, but it now means so much more. Even then, operators looked closely at costs and expenses, but the term TCO, for example, Total Cost of Ownership, was unknown. Service intervals of 10,000 km were considered standard, whereas today an oil change is only needed every 120,000 km. In the older model, a powerful ten-cylinder, 16-litre engine and 235 kW (320 hp), today 10.7 litres and six cylinders are sufficient to perform at 315 kW (428 hp). With 2,100 Nm, the engine reaches exactly twice the torque of the V10. The difference is even greater in practice. Whereas the senior needed several gear changes to maintain speed, the ComfortClass 500 quietly and smoothly glides forward. Its acceleration is dynamic, the fully automated Mercedes PowerShift 3 transmission finds the right gear and shifts more quickly yet more gently than would be possible manually.
“Just like its great-grandfather, it is the benchmark for all HDs, a high-decker with unrivalled class.”
In spite of double the pulling power, the ComfortClass 500 consumes much less fuel. An S 515 HD travels as far on 480 litres of tank capacity as the 215 HD with its 670 litres. At the same time, the new engine works much more cleanly. Euro VI, emission control with exhaust gas recirculation, oxidising catalytic converter, particulate filter, AdBlue injection and SCR catalyst – these would all have been science fiction in 1976. At the time, smoking wasn’t yet frowned upon – neither on board nor for the exhaust system.
Also, the whole concept of safety was based on markedly different standards. Although the 200 series’ tubular frame was extremely stable, in the 215 HD, two-point safety belts were only found in the front row. Today, buckling up in every seat is a given, and Front Collision Guard protects the driver in the case of frontal impact. And with ABS, ESP®, the Lane Assistant all the way through to Adaptive Cruise Control with Active Brake Assist 3, several assistance systems ensure that he never has to intervene. But some traditions do return. After switching on the ignition – today via electronic key – a touch of the starter button sets the engine in motion.
We leave you now with another statement from Otto Kässbohrer on the 200 series: “It very much looks forward to your kind attention and acceptance.” 45 years later, this is exactly how he would have formulated it for the ComfortClass 500. Just like its great-grandfather, it is the benchmark for all HDs, a high-decker with unrivalled class.
SetraWorld 57 – 01 | 2016
