AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

IVECO DAILY 29L11V

23rd August 2001, Page 20
23rd August 2001
Page 20
Page 22
Page 24
Page 20, 23rd August 2001 — IVECO DAILY 29L11V
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

!PRICE AS TESTED: £15,245 ex-VAT (£15170 for basic vehicle, plus full bulkhead, £75). Delivery cost: £473 ex-VAT. ENGINE: 2.8 litres, 105hp (78kW). GVW: 3,200kg. PAYLOAD: 1,220kg. FUEL CONSUMPTION (laden): 281mpg (1011K/100km). AVERAGE SPEED: 62.5km/h.

To win favour—and buyers—in such a highly competitive market, a middleweight van needs to possess some very special attributes. By taking a different approach with the Daily. Iveco has come up with a useful and appealing package. CM goes out on the road to see if the Daily has what it takes. t's easy to fall into the trap of over-familiarity when you're testing a vehicle and, much as we try it's hard to imagine the Iveco Daily as anything other than a heavy-duty van. Stripped down to its rather traditional separate chassis and rear-wheel drive, it looks like a small truck—and Iveco doesn't help matters by referring to it as the "Daily City Truck".

But the Daily is now competing in other areas against mainstream vans that haven't a hint of truck about them. The lightest version of the Daily weighs in at just 3.2 tonnes GVW, and this is the one we are testing here.

Iveco has gone out of its way to provide a real alternative to the MercedesBenz Sprinter, Renault Master, Sevel vans (from, Citroen, Peugeot and Fiat) and, of course, the Ford Transit. You'll have noticed this isn't the Iveco Ford Daily, as the marketing agreement between the two firms strictly divides the sub-3.5-tonne sector.

It's a big market, but an intensely competitive one, so Iveco needs to stand out from the crowd. Surprisingly, it's starting with cost—the Daily 29 Li IV is very competitively priced, with a terrific warranty package and very low servicing costs. But what else can it offer?

PRODUCT PROFILE

Actually, we told a white lie a bit earlier: an even lighter version of the Daily is available on the Continent, grossing just 2.8 tonnes. But there's no call for it in the UK, as we don't have the super-strict speed limits that come into force in Germany for vehicles over 2.8 tonnes. So the "29" nomenclature, in fact, refers to a gross vehicle weight of 3,200kg. The "L" part of the model name comes from the relatively lightweight chassis; 3.5-tonners are known as Daily "S" models, while Iveco's Daily "C" class goes up to 6.5 tonnes GVW.

The 29L "3000" model tested here has the standard "Hi" roof and a wheelbase of 3.00m for a load volume of 7.3m3. A "30001" versior is available with the same wheelbase, but ar extra 400mm of rear overhang, giving a corn mensurate increase in load volume to 8.3m and rather twitchier crosswind manners, \Ai( suspect). Either model is also available witlthe 375mm-higher "Ha" roof, for a load vol ume of 9.0rni (3000) or ro.2m3 (3000L). Go that? There will be a test later.

The final part of the 29L11V's nomencla ture (apart from the letter V. which seems t( stand for, er, "van") is TT, representing th( ioshp charge-cooled turbo-diesel. The 29L9V has the naturally aspirated indirect injection diesel engine rated at 84hp; it cost 1650 less, but its substantially poorer perfor mance and much shorter service interval: make it far less desirable.

Like other Dailys ("Dailys"? "Dailies"? Oh

249L11V 3 all right then "Ivecos") the lightweight "I: class is also available in chassis-cab form, though it's only offered with the 84hp engine. Iveco offers a pretty comprehensive range of factory-fitted options, from the useful (a heated windscreen for £90 plus VAT) to the exotic (a fuel filter heater at iris) and the downright puzzling—delete the spare wheel and tyre, and you'll save L5o. We'd opt for remote central locking (i2I5) and air conditioning, even if it does cost £880.

PRODUCTIVITY

The more powerful Daily 35S13V returned good fuel consumption figures, so we were hoping for a decent result from this version. And it did well, managing 28.Impg fully laden round our Kent test route, and 3t.4rnpg without a load.

A responsible driver should be able to crack the ompg average in mixed running. The figures are comparable with the state-of-the-art, common-rail Mercedes Sprinter 313CDI (running at 3.5 tonnes), though they are unlikely to be a major reason For choosing the Daily. Again, the Daily's average speeds werewell—average, and it won't break any acceleration records.

The "L' model Daily is genuinely lighter in construction than the 3.5-tonne "S" variants. They have front and rear axles rated at 1,650kg and 2,240kg respectively for a load tolerance of 390kg, while the L's much lowerrated axles give it an axle load margin of just zookg—we'd like to see a figure nearer to io% of the gross weight. But the overall kerb weight belies its separate-chassis construction, and a payload of 1,220kg will be enough for many urban operators.

Rear-wheel drive is not the recipe for impressive loadbed height or loadspace volume, and the Daily's 7.3m3 is not the best headline figure. But what it lacks in volume it makes up for in accessibility: the side door aperture is a useful Lroomm wide, while the rear doors open to 270° as standard, and there is a full-width step at the rear of the loadspace.

A half-height steel bulkhead is fitted as standard, with the full-height version costing L75 extra. An additional driver's-side sliding door is available for 145o. There's a fly in the ointment, though: the spare wheel is mounted just behind the nearside rear wheel arch (and not, as the brochure insists, "under the rear overhang"), reducing the available loadspace. Aaah, that's why it's a delete option.

Time and again industry experts tell us that the key to a profitable haulage business is utilisation. It is vital to make the most of your assets (human, financial and mechanical) and keep your fixed costs down. Truck builders are painfully aware of this, and Iveco hasn't forgotten the basics. As well as a terrific warranty package of three years and 120,000 miles, the Daily comes with astonishingly long service intervals: it's 3o,000km (18,500 miles) between each oil-and-filter change, over 20% better than any other van.

The truck-like Modus diagnostic system allows for relatively quick servicing, while a truck-biased dealer is more likely than most to offer niceties like overnight servicing; Iveco is also offering "Daily Quick Service" points, which will perform checks and servicing without an appointment and at a fixed price.

ON THE ROAD

The performance figures for this turbo-diesel are not startling, and certainly not comparable with the grunty 123hp "Unijet" engine offered in other Dailys. However, it has a welldesigned torque curve, peaking at 250Nm and 2,000rpm, but offering almost all of its torque from 1,700rpen to around 3,100rpm. This means that it's easy to stay in the green "economy" band (1,750-3.000rpm) and that gear-changing isn't a constant chore.

When we last tested a Daily we had a bad experience with the gearshift, pronouncing it "vague and grating", but it turned out to be a one-off problem with the six-speed gearbox (a broken detent spring) and the same vehicle came back to us much improved. We're pleased to say that we had no problems with this Daily's five-speed overdrive box, and one tester was particularly full of praise "Gearchanges are done with the utmost o ease, they slot in nicely and you always knov where you are".

The engine feels pretty relaxed on the motorway, as 7o mph corresponds to aroum 2,850rpm in top. But the handling is not quite so serene at speed; the relatively short wheel base and high-geared steering are not a recipe for relaxation, and a Sevel or Renault Maste would feel more composed on a blustery da3 But let's not exaggerate: the Daily is a millior times better on the motorway than the for ward-control Japanese vans of yore.

Like those vans, the Daily L29 is really al urban creature, designed for easy progres through city centres and industrial estates—i has the quick steering and tight turning circl. to prove it. The all-disc brakes are predictabl and performed well on test. And if tha manoeuvrability takes you (or another row user) by surprise, it's nice to know that ther are chunky SMC mouldings along the ful length of the body sides.

CAB COMFORT

In this era of Masters, Transits and Sprinters van's interior has to meet a pretty high star dard. The Daily tries hard, but it's not a perfet solution. The distinctive, deeply-recesse instruments look good (in a 19705 Alf Romeo kind of way), but they are difficult t see from an angle and the pale colouring c the dials makes them nearly impossible t read in a half-light. Nevertheless, th switchgear is well laid out and the quality c the mouldings is nice.

The excellent door mirrors have useft blind-spot sections, and forward vision is ju: as good.

Lighting and ventilation in the cab are fin (and air recirculation is standard) while ther is plenty of storage space in the doors. We di: approve of using one's phone on the move but a mobile-shaped cubby-hole is handil placed by the driver's left hand. The storag netting on the back of the seats is a good ide; but far too difficult to use in practice.

Cab access is easy and the seats are uprigl but comfortable. The centre passenger gets useful grab handle mounted on the ceilinj but just a lap belt—we'd like to see all three': three-point belts as standard.

SUMMARY

It's good to see that Iveco has tackled the tas of producing a middleweight van with sorr intelligence. The Daily 291..11V has acceptah levels of performance, payload and fuel ecoi omy, along with excellent urban road mai ners. But the firm's truck-building badl ground shows in the attention paid to the ye: practical loadspace and to the unseen but vit areas of maintenance, warranty and deab support. Only the urban bias of the van, at its quirky instrument panel, might put potei tial customers off.

So yes, Neu) has surprised us. Not by pr ducing a van that can be compared to the be in its class, but producing one that takes a di ferent and equally useful—approach.

• by Toby Clark

Tags

Organisations: Quick Service

comments powered by Disqus