As the result of the poll, the Enviro 400 is the featured bus for this post. Nice choice.
DISCLAIMER
As I am a Londoner, my knowledge of buses outside of Greater London and mailnly the South East region is weaker than others, especially those who live outside of London, so not everything is a fact. Please feel free to correct me.
Also, I'm under the assumption that the E400H buses are B9TL chassis, since this chassis is the most popular. This isn't a fact.
ORIGINS
The Enviro 400 was the result of Alexander and Dennis' complete merge in 2004, following their previous joint ownership of TransBus International in 2001.
Taking inspiration from the exported success of the 2002 Enviro 500 in Hong Kong, a two axle replacement was created for use in Britain. One of the first units was given to Stagecoach London (East London- in 2005), a rare 10.8m 2 door iteration (LX55HGC) known as the Spirit of London, after the 7/7 bombings caused the destruction of LX03BUF, an ALX400 on route 30.
Other early examples can be seen with Metroline's fleet, also registrated 55. The E400 expanded outwards to various cities and counties across the UK from 2006.
CHASSIS ITERATIONS
As a successor the popular Plaxton President and ALX400, the E400 retained the title of the best selling double decker in the UK, with serval iterations and variations. Despite having its own chassis, as an integral bus, the body was seen on Volvo B9TL and Scania N230UD chassis. Rarer chassis included the Trident 2 and Volvo B7TL, originally options for the President and ALX400
Enviro 400 Chassis- As far as I know, only offered/sold in 2005.
Metroline (London)
Scania N230UD
Stagecoach West Scotland
Stagecoach Huntingdonshire
Trident 2
Arriva North East
Spirit of London (Stagecoach London) (LX55HGC)- The rear design of 2005 reg E400s differ from the rest. This bus was torched in an arsonist attack in North London in 2012, leaving the top deck severely damaged, but was later repaired, costing £60,000.
Stagecoach Manchester
Stagecoach North East
Volvo B7TL- Only one example of a B7TL E400 exists and it was given to Blue Star in late 2006.
Bluestar (South Hampshire) (SN56AWX)
Volvo B9TL- The most popular chassis, available from 2006 until 2016.
Abellio London
Arriva London
Dublin Bus (Atha Cliath)
East Yorkshire
First Greater Manchester
Go- Ahead London
Stagecoach London
ENGINE ITERATIONS
I don't have much knowledge on the engines, but a noticeable iteration was the E400 Hybrid from 2008-2014. This more economical version is known for its roaring, aggressive engine, most notably heard whilst climbing and braking on hills.
SUCCESS ELSEWHERE
The E400 has an open top version on the streets of New York , despite no such right hand version. There's also a Hong Kong variant, continuing ADL's success overseas.
POLL AND EXTRA NOTES
I've always like the E400, including the Hybrid, as there hasn't been any notable flaws found whilst travelling, so I definitely prefer them to the E200.
How about you?
Vote and feel free to post a comment to further detail your preference, provide an experience or correct me about any mistakes made.
Thanks for reading and I hope the revised layout was worth your while.
DISCLAIMER
As I am a Londoner, my knowledge of buses outside of Greater London and mailnly the South East region is weaker than others, especially those who live outside of London, so not everything is a fact. Please feel free to correct me.
Also, I'm under the assumption that the E400H buses are B9TL chassis, since this chassis is the most popular. This isn't a fact.
ORIGINS
The Enviro 400 was the result of Alexander and Dennis' complete merge in 2004, following their previous joint ownership of TransBus International in 2001.
Taking inspiration from the exported success of the 2002 Enviro 500 in Hong Kong, a two axle replacement was created for use in Britain. One of the first units was given to Stagecoach London (East London- in 2005), a rare 10.8m 2 door iteration (LX55HGC) known as the Spirit of London, after the 7/7 bombings caused the destruction of LX03BUF, an ALX400 on route 30.
Other early examples can be seen with Metroline's fleet, also registrated 55. The E400 expanded outwards to various cities and counties across the UK from 2006.
CHASSIS ITERATIONS
As a successor the popular Plaxton President and ALX400, the E400 retained the title of the best selling double decker in the UK, with serval iterations and variations. Despite having its own chassis, as an integral bus, the body was seen on Volvo B9TL and Scania N230UD chassis. Rarer chassis included the Trident 2 and Volvo B7TL, originally options for the President and ALX400
Enviro 400 Chassis- As far as I know, only offered/sold in 2005.
Metroline (London)
Scania N230UD
Stagecoach West Scotland
Stagecoach Huntingdonshire
Trident 2
Arriva North East
Spirit of London (Stagecoach London) (LX55HGC)- The rear design of 2005 reg E400s differ from the rest. This bus was torched in an arsonist attack in North London in 2012, leaving the top deck severely damaged, but was later repaired, costing £60,000.
Stagecoach Manchester
Stagecoach North East
Volvo B7TL- Only one example of a B7TL E400 exists and it was given to Blue Star in late 2006.
Bluestar (South Hampshire) (SN56AWX)
Volvo B9TL- The most popular chassis, available from 2006 until 2016.
Abellio London
Arriva London
Dublin Bus (Atha Cliath)
East Yorkshire
First Greater Manchester
Go- Ahead London
Stagecoach London
ENGINE ITERATIONS
I don't have much knowledge on the engines, but a noticeable iteration was the E400 Hybrid from 2008-2014. This more economical version is known for its roaring, aggressive engine, most notably heard whilst climbing and braking on hills.
SUCCESS ELSEWHERE
The E400 has an open top version on the streets of New York , despite no such right hand version. There's also a Hong Kong variant, continuing ADL's success overseas.
POLL AND EXTRA NOTES
I've always like the E400, including the Hybrid, as there hasn't been any notable flaws found whilst travelling, so I definitely prefer them to the E200.
How about you?
Vote and feel free to post a comment to further detail your preference, provide an experience or correct me about any mistakes made.
Thanks for reading and I hope the revised layout was worth your while.