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The good news about the Cargo is not lusl that
Page 30
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it's economical, but that it's easy to drive economically. The engine is as flexible as those torque figures indicate, pulling strongly from less than L000rpm and rarely needing to be taken to the top of the green band. After all, this model has 29% more torque than the old six-cylinder "150" engine, over a much wider rev range.
We needed fewer gearchanges than we might have expected, and the gearing seemed just right for our mixed route, allowing topgear trickling in the suburbs as well as relaxed motorway work—the six-speed option is Di o well spent. However, the gearbox is not completely co-operative, occasionally baulking at shifts between planes and taking a hefty shove to get it into reverse. This is the downside of going for a "proper" truck; by way of contrast, the clutch, brakes and throttle pedal are almost as light as a car's.
On the open road there's little excuse not to use cruise control—a straightforward stalk-operated system—but it is galling that it doesn't come as standard. When Iveco launched the Tector-engined Cargo it hinted that cruise control might become standard, and admitted that the on-cost was minimal
(all the programming is in the ECU; all it takes is a column stalk to use it). Instead, Iveco chooses to charge i-185 for the privilege. Bah! Humbug! If you're thinking of buying a Cargo make sure you get cruise control thrown in.
There's another useful tweak: the standard "speed limiter" button on the dash does just that, limiting the truck's maximum speed to the current speed (though it is not linked to the brakes). This is useful in town and should save a few driving licences.
The butterfly-type exhaust brake is operated by Iveco's customary three-way dashboard switch, giving you the option of activating it using the brake pedal, a floor button or automatically when the accelerator is released. The service brakes are unremarkable—they worked whenever we needed them to—but our brake tester chose to give up the ghost when we tried to test them.
In other respects the Cargo is fine on the road, steering accurately and with all the controls easy to use; only motorway tramlines ruffled its composure a little. Our trip round the Welsh route was one of the most relaxed we can remember.