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AEWOO 7
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IPRICE AS TESTED: £18,300 (ex-VAT). ENGINE: 3.9 litres, 150hp (112kW). GVW: 7,500kg. PAYLOAD: 4,415kg. AVERAGE SPEED: 71.1km/h (44.2mph). AVERAGE FUEL CONSUMPTION: 17.2mpg (16.411t/100km).
Daewoo's D75 looks suspiciously similar to a long line of Asian-derived light trucks that have passed
through CM s hands over the years, complete
with the inevitable forward-control cab, light controls and less truck-like appearance than other 7.5-tonners. But first impressions can be decep tive: under this mild-mannered exterior beats a classic, no-nonsense European driveline • supplied by Cummins and ZF. What other surprises does Daewoo have for us?
t is always fascinating, not to say daunting, to test the first product from a new manufacturer. While you may have no preconceptions about the brand, you want to be careful not to make too many allowances. Daewoo is not a new manufacturer, of course, having been successfully established in its native Korea for decades, and its cars have become known for competent design and build quality (and, in the UK, for unusual marketing).
CV importer Daewoo Truck UK is not offering gimmicky sales pitches: just a conventional dealer network (composed in the main of Seddon Atkinson and Foden outlets) and highly competitive pricing.
This Daewoo isn't even built in Korea. Instead it comes from the long-established manufacturing plant of subsidiary Avia in the Czech Republic, where Daewoos are powered by Avia engines. But the D75 7.5-tonner sold in the UK comes with a familiar Cummins/ZF combo that is closely related to the Daf LF driveline.
Daewoo sees its major competitors as Daf and MAN in the hire sector, and lsuzu in the recovery market. So we are going to make no excuses for the Daewoo: a serious new contender is climbing into the ring in a ferociously competitive weight class.
PRODUCT PROFILE
Daewoo is dipping its toe in the water with a single chassis and cab type, but the D75 is available with four wheelbase options and two power ratings. Other options include metallic paint, alternative final-drive ratios and a Lx400 "Premium" cab package which brings air-con and electric mirrors. Other options are in the pipeline, of which more later.
The engine is Cummins' latest Euro-3 I S Be, a 21st-century update on the classic four-cylinder B-Series with electronically controlled common-rail fuel injection. This is the same engine offered by Daf in the LF, and (as part of the European Engine Alliance) is closely related to the Tector unit fitted to the Iveco Ford Cargo. Two power ratings are offered: a nominal 135hp (tested here) and r5ohp.
The gearbox is a familiar five-speed ZF overdrive unit with the option of a flywheel
PTO; Daewoo plans to offer the six-speed : 6S-36 by next month.
Cruise control is standard, as is a locki differential—a welcome addition for tipr operators. Daewoo is at pains to point out ti the D75 also has a "full-width" cab, unli some forward-control 7.5-tonners. It is wic than the Cargo's cab, if only by a centimet Daewoo prices the t5ohp D75 at an impn sive 118,300, while the 135hp model co: £17,400. This is around 25% less than the I price of most competitors—and the impor is willing to haggle with fleet buyers. Daew Truck is also going to make finance packag available.
PRODUCTIVITY
Daewoo certainly has nothing to fear as far fuel consumption is concerned. It is not class leader (the more powerful Iveco Fo Cargo, with a six-speed box and a more sli pery box body, beat it round our Welsh rou by zmpg) but its 17.2mpg average is a ve respectable figure. It is also another indicat that the Euro-3 emissions regs will not hit fu economy too hard. The D75 was not partic larly fast—at times it struggled to hold 7omi on the motorway—but its A-road times we up with the pack.
Payload has traditionally been an area whe small-cabbed Asian-designed trucks have dot well, but the larger cab of the Daewoo meat that it loses almost 350kg to the Isuzu NQ. for instance. However, compared with ti mainstream models from Iveco and MAN, tl D75's payload potential is fine. The only fly the ointment is the relatively low front axle rE ing of 2,800kg: it proved all too easy to ove load the front end with an evenly distribute load and a couple of CM testers in the ca. Daewoo promises that a beefier (3,200kg) ax will be available very soon.
ON THE ROAD
Asian-designed light trucks are typical' described as "car-like" to drive—not a helpfi description in this case, as the Daewoo is acti ally reassuringly truck-like, particularly in th gearbox department. The box was frustra ingly baulky the first time we drove it, and th shift from first to second gear remained vet tricky. A little fettling from Daewoo improve matters but this is still not the best ZF insta lation we've tried.
The engine noise and vibration at id]
0 (around 750rpm) were another annoying characteristic, and the precursor to a really irritating vibration at 1,500rpm in top. Coming in at just above 40mph this was pretty inconvenient for A-road driving, and it also seemed to coincide with a slight flat spot in the torque delivery. Again, some adjustment alleviated, but did not eradicate, this flaw. Apart from that, power delivery was nicely progressive.
Cruise control is invaluable, and this one has the welcome features of an effective "resume" button and the ability to add a little more power on the accelerator (when overtaking or approaching a hill) without disturbing the settings. But the position of the buttons on the dash is a bit of a stretch; we'd rather see a stalk control.
The exhaust brake is operated from the right-hand stalk, where it becomes second nature to use it even on short descents; a good habit to get into. It's surprisingly effective, though as a straightforward butterfly valvetype it needs a good few revs to get into its stride, The air-over-hydraulic service brakes themselves are unobtrusively effective (praise indeed for any braking system), and it is worth highlighting the exceptionally consistent results we obtained in the full-power stop test on the track, where average retardation figures were all within i%.
Unusually—in fact probably uniquely these days—there is a sticker on the dash instructing the driver to allow the engine to idle for a minute before switching off, following operation under full load. This is good advice (it lets the turbocharger spin down while there's still a good supply of lubricant) but we would be surprised if Cummins demanded it.
CAD COMFORT The latest Daewoo cab certainly looks distinctive from the outside: even the firm's own marketing man reckons the side win
dows look like an alien's eyes. From the inside it is more conventional, with a single air-suspension driver's seat and a bench for two passengers. Manufacturers tend to be inordinately proud of the provision of an Isringhausen seat—but there are Isris and there are Isris, and this is not one of the best. Still, the steering wheel is adjustable for both reach and rake.
Accommodation for the middle passenger is severely compromised by the gear lever; we cannot recommend this position for a long trip. Cubbyholes are in fairly short supply, and there's only one (smallish)" cup-holder. Plus points include the provision of both I2V and 24V sockets and a Blaupunkt radio-cassette as standard. It is not obvious where an electronic tachograph would go; the DIN socket currently occupied by the radio is the only obvi
ous site. The fuse box is pretty accessible the nearside half of the dashboard (though fasteners which look like quick-release itei actually take about a million turns to und It's fair to say that the Daewoo's trim qu ity left something to be desired: the sh above the windscreen, in particular, is o ered in a lightweight fabric that had frayed the edges. The dashboard was rad squeaky, with a flimsy-feeling push-fit pal around the heater controls. The biggi black mark is for the exposed wiring to t front indicators which looks all too visil with the doors open and has to be vulneral to a misplaced foot. The black rubber flic covering and grey and red-trimmed seat cc ers look sensibly hard-wearing.
SUMMARY
Daewoo's sales target for its first year in t UK is a modest 3oo units, and from what' have seen we don't think it will have any trc ble reaching that figure.
The D75 is an economical package whi looks unthreatening and will probably be pc ular for urban and suburban work; however should not be counted out for longer d tances, where the six-speed gearbox opti■ would be welcome.
The specification sheet for the 1375 sa "Daewoo Avia JSC has a policy of contint product improvement" and that's reassuring we have every confidence that the teething trc bles we encountered will be cured. When th are, there should be quite a few European ma ufac-turers looking over their shoulders.
• by Toby Clark