xtremesniper
Active Member
I loved the Van Hools and I still prefer them to the Novas. The primary issue is that Van Hool seemed to have made better use of space and didn't bother wasting internal cabin space to accommodate the mechanics below the passengers.
The new Novas seem to just route whatever mechanics they need without considering the cabin space, and then they simply plop the passengers on top of that. What results is a narrow, and awfully ugly mess. Try walking past someone who is standing near the back of one of the Nova artics. The aisle is so narrow, and the passenger seats face toward the aisle, so you basically have to give someone a lap-dance just to get by.
Even the exterior design just reeks of attempting to copy Van Hool but coming up short instead. The smooth glass panels on the Van Hools make the side of the bus look sleek, and the lighting and window layout on the back is clean and refined. On the Novas, the sides look jaggy, and the back looks horrible with all the air vents and random "design" elements. Bah.
Typical North American clunky stuff as far as I'm concerned.
The new Novas seem to just route whatever mechanics they need without considering the cabin space, and then they simply plop the passengers on top of that. What results is a narrow, and awfully ugly mess. Try walking past someone who is standing near the back of one of the Nova artics. The aisle is so narrow, and the passenger seats face toward the aisle, so you basically have to give someone a lap-dance just to get by.
Even the exterior design just reeks of attempting to copy Van Hool but coming up short instead. The smooth glass panels on the Van Hools make the side of the bus look sleek, and the lighting and window layout on the back is clean and refined. On the Novas, the sides look jaggy, and the back looks horrible with all the air vents and random "design" elements. Bah.
Typical North American clunky stuff as far as I'm concerned.