To add to the list i'd say the Volvo B10BLE / Wright Renown. This was both Volvo and Wrightbus at their peak. It's a shame it was only in production from around 4 years before Euro3 emission regulations meant to had to be replaced by the rather marmite Volvo B7L... At least the B7RLE/Eclipse Urban came along a few years later and somewhat got the Volvo/Wright single decker back on track. However the earlier Wright Eclipse Urbans were not without their issues, Structural issues with the floor layout on earlier examples saw Wright revise the whole floor layout/design in late 2006, while build quality on those same earlier examples is generally hit or miss. The B7RLE was easily at it's best between 2007 and 2010 when it was powered by the D7E engine and ZF Ecomat Gearbox.
Poor engine choice doesn't equate to poor build quality, though.
I never said that though, that particular part of my post was more a generalised overview about the Skyliners.
Driven 17 plate Citaros (with the newer dashboard etc) and 70 plate MCV Evora B8RLEs, the build quality (to my surprise!) is much better than the Citaro. They seem alot more solid and handle rough roads alot better (side note, i've driven both types from brand new... will see how the MCV fares over time in comparison).
Very interesting to hear as build quality on MCVs, even Evoras built as recent as 2018 isn't great. It'll be interesting to see how they are further down the line. At least i doubt anything can be as bad as Lothians 18 plate Geminis, i went on them a few times when brand new and the build quality was horrendous!
The Solo was a piece of marketing genius in that it basically became the face and brand of pretty much every rural bus route, giving passengers something that had "big bus" features replacing the rather naff variety of old breadvans you used to get on such routes before. I think Wright's similar products have largely unseated it now, though, alongside the need for bigger vehicles to accommodate PSVAR requirements.
Arguably the Solo has taken a bigger hit from the Mellor Strata and Enviro200, particularly you'll find lots of independents who maybe had of longer Darts and short Solos in the past now opting for 8.9M and 10.8M E200s for replacements as they help standardise the fleet, also keep in mind the longest variations of the Solo were replaced by the Versa which is basically a Solo with the front axle moved behind the cab, however popularity and opinions of the Versa are hit or miss.
This is a tough one, I guess all the buses I've been on seem to have rattled. I'll say a diesel Optare Solo SR or Versa is put together well, but on the electric models you can hear every little rattle that you wouldn't hear on a diesel.
The Cummins 4cyl Solos rattle and vibrate like mad at lower RPM and on idle. The Solo is a strange one as the build quality is neither amazing nor awful, it flip flops, one minute you'll find a Solo with no rattles, yet you could step on another Solo of similar vintage and it'll rattle and shake like a 90s Dart! That being said the earlier Mercedes powered Solos have proven to be pretty bomb proof and a worthy (unofficial) successor to the 709D.
I've found that Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 1/2 are built like tanks.
The D9B engine used in the B9TL is not that great in terms of reliability, however when they work they're fantastic, the older Gemini bodies are very sturdy built and still feel relatively modern, especially compared to a ALX400 or President. That being said i have found that the shorter 10.3M B9TL/Geminis that First have seem to be too light at the front end and bounce about quite a bit at higher speed.
I think the only low floor decker that can beat the B7/B9 Gemini is the B7TL/ALX400, specifically the ones built post 2001.
Although I have not been on one, was Volvo B10M Alexander PS fairly robust? They certainly had a long life.
Indeed i think most would agree. If it wasn't for PSVAR i suspect many of them would've lasted much longer on service work.