Mercedes-Benz O405

The Mercedes-Benz O405 was a bus chassis manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s. It was the replacement for the Mercedes-Benz O305 chassis and was widely used in Europe, Australia and Singapore.

Standard floor version
The step-entrance version was known as the O405. An articulated version was also built known as O405G. There were two generations of O405 chassis, designated O405 MkI and O405 MkII.

O405 MkI
The O405 MkI was marketed between mid-1980s and early 1990s. It featured a Mercedes Benz OM447h naturally aspirated engine with outputs of either 157kW (210hp) or 184kW (250hp). Optionally available was a naturally aspirated compressed natural gas engine model M447hG with 150kW (205hp) output. The gearbox coupled to the engine was usually the Mercedes-Benz W3E110/2.2R or Mercedes-Benz W3E112/2.2R (the former being able to handle the more powerful 184kW engine), although there have been other gearboxes such as the ZF 5HP 500 or Allison B300R coupled to the engine.

O405 MkII
The O405 MkII was marketed from the early 1990s to the late 1990s and into the early 2000s in some parts of the world. It featured a Mercedes-Benz OM447hA turbocharged engine with an output of 184kW (250hp), although some examples feature either a naturally aspirated engine (OM447h-II), a turbocharged engine (OM447hA) or a turbocharged, intercooled engine (OM447hLA). The gearbox coupled to the engine was either the ZF 4HP 500 or 5HP 500, or the Voith D864.3.

From 1994, this chassis was available with the M447hG Euro II 175kW (238hp) naturally aspirated compressed natural gas engine.

Low-floor version


The low-floor version of the O405 was known as the O405N (or O405GN for articulated version), later a further developed version was also built, it was known as the O405N²/O405N2 (or O405GN²/O405GN2 for articulated version). The O405(G)N do not have steps at the entrances and exits, but the seats are mounted on "platforms". The GN2 type addressed this problem. These buses are usually fitted with ZF transmissions, but some are fitted with Voith examples.

Low-entry version O405 NH


The low-entry version O405NH was produced by EvoBus for the Australian market. Much of its popularity with government and private operators alike can be attributed to the popularity of the Mercedes-Benz O405 MkII chassis that it replaced.

The chassis was derived from a combination of the rear modules of an O405 MkII chassis and the front modules of an O405N²/O405N^2 chassis. Because of the difference in height between the front and rear modules of the chassis, there are one or more steps leading up from behind the centre door position to a standard O405 floorline. Because the chassis has a horizonally-mounted engine, there's no room for a rear door. This "low-entry" concept has become very popular in Europe - many integral products using this concept have been released such as the Mercedes-Benz Citaro LE.

Bodywork
Apart from the integral, the Mercedes-Benz O405 also came with various bodywork.

Portugal

 * Camo U1001S 1991 a 1993
 * Camo Camus
 * Irmãos Mota 'Atomic UR95 e UR2000 1994 a 1998
 * Mercedes Ag 1986 a 1998
 * Evobus 1997 a 2000
 * Marcopolo Trincana 1992 a 1993

O405

 * Alexander PS (one demonstrator only)
 * Wright Cityranger
 * Optare Prisma

O405G
The solitary UK O405G was bodied by Alexander.

O405N
The first ten UK examples of the integral O405N had their bodies finished by UVG.

Australia
Sydney Buses took delivery of 247 Pressed Metal Corporation bodied O405s between 1987 and October 1990. In January 1997 it received two Ansair bodied O405Ns. It also inherited four Custom Coaches bodied O405s when it purchased North & Western Bus Lines. Between October 1999 and December 2002 it received 300 Custom Coaches bodied CNG O405NHs.

Transperth took delivery of 48 natural gas and 349 diesel O405NHs. Other purchases of O405s included Westbus and Quince's Scenicruisers.

O405

 * Alexander PS
 * Duple Metsec
 * Hispano Carrocera
 * Volgren CR221

O405G

 * Hispano Carrocera Mark I
 * Hispano Carrocera Mark II
 * Hispano Carrocera Habit
 * Volgren CR221

Russia

 * GolAZ (Golitsynskii avtobusnyi zavod) produced model O405 (АКА-5225) and O405G (АКА-6226)

Replacement
The Mercedes-Benz O405 / O405N series was superseded by the Citaro, and the O405NH was superseded by OC500LE.