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On the road to improvement
Page 16
Page 17
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• by Colin Barnett It's not often that we see the debut of a completely new truck brand in the UK, and it's fair to say that the arrival of the Czech-built Daewoo Avia marque has got off to a less than explosive start. Some of this is undoubtedly connected to the negative coverage of the troubled car maker with a similar name but no longer any connection. It also hasn't helped that some of the established competition, especially those with outgoing models to clear, has been marketing aggressively in the 7.5-tonne sector.
But Daewoo Truck UK continues doggedly plugging away. Since this time last year, it has developed an acceptable support network comprising 32 dealers and 19 further service points spread from Eastbourne via Aberystwyth to the Isle of Arran, even lf some of them have been called "Dae-Care Centres". It also has a new website at www.dae wootruck.co.uk. The original single 7.5 tonner product range has been expanded to include rigids at 6.2 tonnes, including a dedicated spec-lift version, and 9.0 tonnes, and an 11-tonne GCW tractor unit. Sleeper cabs comprise the Three Star, a pod mounted above the day cab, the extended Four Star, and the latest addition, the Five Star, which combines both to give two-compartment, two-bunk accommodation.
Our full road test of the D75
last year, (CM11-17 April, 2002) criticised the product in a number of ways. To see how, if at all, our criticism has been answered, we've been out on the road in a couple of new examples. First off was a straight day-cabbed D75, which we drove around the vicinity of our Sutton office. Some niggles, such as the exposed wiring in the door frame, the squeaky dash and the lack of a decent capacity front axle, have been fully addressed. Standard offering is now a 3,200kg axle rather than the previous easily overloaded 2,800kg item.
Idle vibes
One of the worst areas was the gearshift, especially from first to second, and this has also been greatly improved. What hasn't changed significantly, though, is the Cummins ISBe engine's vibration at idle speed, but in fairness, this is a bit out of Daewoo's control. Other versions of the European Engine Alliance engine fitted to Oaf and Nem products also suffer from the same problem, albeit to lesser degrees.
The second example was the first 06 Four Star Sleeper, built in the Czech fac tory, and currently running in the demonstration fleet at Daewoo Truck North Fast in Stockton-on-Tees where it has already made an impact with local companies. So much so we found ourselves driving it on a Saturday, the only time it was available.
The Four Star Sleeper cab remains the same height as the day cab (2,440mm) but to cater for the single bunk and storage its length has been extended by 650mm to 2,400mm.
Lengthy cab The cab, which Daewoo claims is one of the longest available in the light truck sector, sits on rubber bushes, with two-point rear cab suspension, and with no rear wall glazing. Operators specifying the sleeper version will suffer a penalty of approximately 130kg, leaving 4,360kg of potential body/payload allowance at 7.5 tonnes.
The bunk measures 2,010x650mm, with a 140mm-thick mattress. Access to it from the driver's seat is hampered by the steering wheel and gear lever, but from the passenger's side it's a pretty easy crawl over the engine cover. Gas struts help to take the weight of the bunk to gain access to the 200 litres of flat storage space for overnignt gear underneath. The cab is very spacious, although the lack of height makes it a little claustrophobic; but it's not often a tall driver can stretch themselves out fully in a 7.5tomer.