Two new products to the Optare range

[jackh]

Optare have launched to new products to their range at the NEC this week. These are:

The "Rapta" the all new integral double deck to be built at Blackburn. Click here for photos.

And an additional style to the Solo comes in the form of the Solo+.

The Solo+ will be built at Cross Gates. However, the Versa and Tempo are going to be produced at Optare's new production facility in Blackburn when it opens next year and Leeds will only produce Solos.

[Craig]

The links above seem to be null and void, but try s261370817.websitehome.co.uk/

The Rapta certainly impacts visually, although it's always interesting to compare these show versions with the more humbler appearance they usually receive by the time they end up in service. Deceivingly it appears that it wouldn't fit under any known UK bridge. In summary, visually a good modern bus, but it has a terrible name.

The Solo+ is clearly designed in the same mould as the Rapta (god, that's a terrible name) but despite the design similarity, the Rapta (I mean really, who thought of that?) pulls it off but the Solo+ kind of looks like they accidentally moulded the back of the bus on to the front instead. It almost looks like a military armoured vehicle, perhaps partly due to the cold "futuristic" monochrome livery.

[nick]

I think that both Look Ugly, i hate the Mission Impossible Style on both buses and think that the double decker bus looks more like a Coach then a bus. Of course that is the computer Image and not the realy thing as in a Proper Photo.

[Burnside]

The lower dash is awful, but the rest is rather stylish.

[kendall17]

Attractive, yes, cant wait to see them on the streets, hopefully they'll do as good as the original solo and the spectra.

[guyarab]

Rapta - is that an old Lancastrian name? Some toddler must have said that when his nappies needed changing and Daddy thought what a good name for a bus!!!!

Just when we thought we were getting rid of the Lances with those seats, along comes something looking even worse - bring back the wooden slatted seats, they must have been more comfortable. I think the best bit of the bus is the staircase, but perhaps we should await the real thing and then comment.

[A1YBG]

anyone noticed the number plates are the same on both buses the Rapta and the Solo+. See what u mean aboat the name Rapta not very striking one. Its different!!!

[Steve Macz403]

The solo + Isn't bad, the Rapta, just looks wrong at the front, but nice styling for a double deck change the dashboard and this bus will look much better. Another Alternative but cheaper solution is to use their own Olympus bodywork on a MAN chassis

[jackh]

They kind of already do a decker on a MAN chassis but has the MAN styled front rather than the Olympus.

[jackh]

Well here is a photo of the Solo+ in the flesh or metal!
thamesdown.fotopic.net/p54748378.html

It looks as horrible in reality as on paper! It makes the SR look attractive!

[jackh]

And here is a photo of the Rapta: plugsbuspics.fotopic.net/p54736196.html

Hmm, it does look decieving in its height with the very deep windscreen on the front and black pannel below the lower deck windscreen. I'm not convinced on both styles to be honest. We will have to see how they shape up in an operators livery.

I think in general a line has to be drawn on some of the styling that is applied to bus bodies nowadays to try and make them look like cars as much as possible. If a car manufacturer came out with a car similarly styled to the Solo+, it would get rediculed quite alot I would imagine.

Talking about the seats on both new models, they look pretty similar to that of those used on the Wright Streetcars.

[tommyinyork]

Why don't they just rename them Optare Solo 2 and why another new style after the SR has only been launched about a year or less.
The Rapta is too dark looking but does look fairly ok.
Like the new Wright products the Gemini 2 and Eclipse 2.

[LukePA]

They are both ugly and look to much like boxes. wounder what they will look like in arriva livery

[olympian]

Nov 6, 2008 20:01:43 GMT 1 @tommyinyork said:

Why don't they just rename them Optare Solo 2 and why another new style after the SR has only been launched about a year or less.
The Rapta is too dark looking but does look fairly ok.
Like the new Wright products the Gemini 2 and Eclipse 2.

After the 12 years of sucsess and which is still strong i think they are trying a few different designs because i think that they will stuggle to top the sucsess of there original solo, so i dont think that they will get rid of the classic incase they loose buyers and I dont think the SR has taken off as well as they hoped.

[jackh]

The SR is not available in all the lengths and standard/slim line width. Arriva has taken a fair few of the SRs along with Preston Bus and Lothian as well.

However do remember that many Solos enter service through Mistral which sell them out right to small operators or provide finance packages on them.

The Solo+ is available as a hybrid model though and not a normal diesel engine so will only have limited market to sell in.

[Craig]

The Solo+ is being offered as both diesel and electric powered.

[kendall17]

Give the SR a chance, i mean it has been out what 2/3months? bus sales are down and with many companies ordering from 1 manufacturer Optare will struggle in the current climate. The SR is if you ask me an add on to the original solo, a select few will buy this but most would stick with the obviously cheaper original version. But soon, I think the SR looks great and will become standard soon because of the way models are going. The Tempo & Versa both have the front end which the SR has and this will become a recognised selling point for those who mainly buy optare. The solo is still top of its class and i think the SR can follow in its footsteps if the quailty and practibility factors are still there.

If you also compare the front ends of the Rapta & Olympus i think you'll see some similarities. I think Rapta is based on the Olympus

[tommyinyork]

They should just rename the Solo SR the Solo 2 and ditch the other design.

[Davidc]

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the EuroBus Expo and see these vehicles in the flesh. I have to say the Solo+ isn't great. Its slab sided and boxy, its lost all the curves and lines of the previous Solos. The Rapta looks good, the back is a little boxy like the Solo+ but the front really looks good.

Wasn't the Solo SR deigned as a top of the range Solo? Something a little more then the standard Solo. I think the Solo+ is down as a replacement for the current Solo but this will take a while which means Optare will sell all three styles of Solo for a while.

I understand the styling of the Solo+ and the Rapta will be rolled out for the rest of the Optare range. The Tempo and the Versa getting a similar look. Its Optare trying to get a range of vehicles that they can have as there's instead of having the mix of Optare and Darwin designs they have at present.

David.c

[jackh]

So they're going to destroy two perfectly acceptable designs on the Tempo and Versa and replace it with the back end of a bus front like on the Solo+. I can understand them wanting all the models to have a similar style like Wrightbus and Alexander Dennis.