From the loving revs of the well manufactured Mercedes engine, only amplified by the impeccable and reliable gearbox, to the firm but fair suspension of this, what can only be described as feisty, little mode of transport; this minibus makes for an enjoyable, luxurious and teetering on the edge of sensual experience.
hell no, these are amongst the worst buses I've driven. They constantly feel like they're going to tip over when you turn any corner. Merc engine is also crap, our buses are 18 plate and nothing but problems. Also the horrible dashboard layout with the massive shelf at the front makes it near impossible to navigate tight spaces as you can't see that corner. And the plastic is just cheap quality which scratches just by running your finger nail over it. Most of the steering wheels we have are also replaced with iveco steering wheels, as the original optare wheel has fallen apart... yes, with only 5 years of age the steering wheel wore down so much it starting showing the metal structure. ALSO ALSO, optares are known for not storing air in their tanks for long periods of time, ours will dump their entire tanks after about 30 minutes of engine off. So if you're stopping for a break, you'll need 5 minutes to fill the tanks back up, which apparently is because these aren't fitted with an auto drain system to keep moisture out during cold weather. Should you find one thats kept its tanks pressurized with air, you can guarantee its frozen solid during cold weather, one time I had to wait nearly 10 minutes before I could move due to frozen air pressure lines. Yet I moved a streetlite instantly which had been sat for 3 days. I always call them the Optare solo, because you only need to buy 1 before you realize they're shite
How does this optare fair in hot weather? As a 2004 model driver, as the engine gets hotter, it transfers the heat to the cabin fans, making the bus stupidly hot, regardless of what setting the temp gauge is at.
Optare make a very good product. Their vehicles I believe are partly handcrafted. Made by what was leftover of the company we used to know as British Leyland. They are now situated in Manchester. The Solo is obviously one of the vehicles that they make, one other I believe is the Metro which is a little bit bigger than the Solo.
