FREIGHT ROVER has made great strides in improving the driver appeal of the Sherpa cab.
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The new cloth-covered seats are the most comfortable I have experienced in a vehicle of this kind, while their dark grey colour should not make them unduly difficult to keep clean.
The driving position feels relatively low but does not seem to hinder good all-round visibility. The Sherpa's large windscreen, stubby, sloping bonnet and good rear-view mirrors help here.
The new Sherpa's five-speed constant-mesh gearbox has a gearshaft which feels very like that of a Range Rover or Land Rover 110; that is, precise but just a little snaggy. Drivers will find the Sherpa's gearshaft to be very different from the spongier feel of those of many rival marques, especially the front-wheeldrive ones. Once they become accustomed to it, I am sure most drivers will prefer it.
I also like the soft orange illumination of the gauges and switches, including the much improved heater controls.
I have yet to drive a fully laden, wide-bodied Sherpa, but one strong impression left by the part-laden ones I have driven is that there is a lot less body roll than with earlier models.
Prices: It is clear that the dominant market leader, the Ford Transit, is the one from which Freight Rover hopes to win most, conquest sales during the 18 months or so left before the Transit's rumoured replacement is likely to appear. Freight Rover pricing policy has been to pitch Sherpa prices about £500 bel the equivalent Transit mar The basic prices (excluding of the current available w Sherpas is as follows: Delivery van
285 SWB 2.0 petrol f 6,,
310 SWB 2.0 petrol E 6,1 350 SWB 2.0 petrol E 6,1 Luton van 350 LWB 2.0 petrol E 7,1 Minibus 310 18-seat LWB 2.0 petrol 9,1 Chassis cab
285 LWB 2.0 petrol 'E 6,1
310 LWB 2.0 petrol. E 6,
350 LWB 2_0 petrol E 6,,
Dropside pickup 285 LWB 2.0 petrol 6, 310 LWB 2.0 petrol £7, 350 LWB 2.0 petrol £7, Only 140 of Freight Roy 340 dealers in the UK have b. franchised to sell and service wide-bodied Sherpa. "We h only extended the franchisE those dealers who will offer required level of specificai and expertise," is the expl.E tion given by Sandy Mathief. Freight Rover's sales and n keting director. ... "Customei quirements become mi specialised in relation to vehicle weight, and we have out to redress that," he sai