I also like the look of the latest Jonckherre, I think it would look great in BÉ livery. I see that even when they're on a non VDL chassis the bodies are still referred to as VDL Bova, VDL Berkhoff etc, so it wouldn't surprise me to see the Futura replacing the lot of them.

It's been ages since I was last on a Jonckherre but I know they have good bodywork. The Berkhoffs are very old fashioned looking and have their flaws like the awful seating.

I still think the VanHools have to be the finest bodywork available, they remind me of old Merc cars with that massively over engineered feel.

As for the Volvos, according to Volvo's environmental officer, the B13R is 3% more economical than the B12B, which I'm guessing means it is still heavy enough on juice because I remember hearing that the B12s(both Euro 3 and Euro 4) are very poor on fuel economy.

From looking at Volvo's website it says that the B13R is available in 6X2 and 4X2 configurations. I presume this means it is available in a twin axle version, but then again any offical Volvo photos of the chassis clearly show a tri axle version, whereas for the B12s they show a twin axle. On the other hand the photos of the 9700, which is on the B13R chassis, shows a twin axle varient.

I can't see any mention of the B9R being available in a tri axle version, though I would imagine that a larger engine would be needed for these heavier weight versions anyway.

My guess is that they will eventually move to having the B9R as the replacement for the twin axle B12M/B12B and the B13R covering for the tri axle and double deck versions of the B12B and B12M. I note that VDL have gone for a 9 litre chassis as the entry level for twin axle single deck coaches and depending on the model the 13 litre engine is available as an option, while the deckers definitely are only available with the 13 litre chassis.