Impressions
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Driving opportunities at the launch were limited to a few laps of our regular proving ground in Surrey ERF warned that the vehicles were not in final production specification with more tine tuning still to come, particularly in terms of engine mountings.
We began our driving experience with the baby of the ECS range, a 4x2 18-tonner with the low-mounted sleeper cab. The driveline is Cummins' six-litre BSeries, nominally rated at 235hp, driving through Eaton's FS6109B synchromesh ninespeeder. After the initial doubletake at seeing the ERF logo sitting in the middle of the familiar MAN instrument panel, we set off around the track in the halfladen distribution-spec truck.
The general behaviour of the 18-tonner belies the speed with which ERF says the ECS was developed: it felt like a full production truck in every respect. With its limited load it was impressively lively off the mark, while ride and handling in the artificial environment seemed to bode well for the real world.
Our only reservation was that the cab's four-point air suspension felt a little underdamped, calling for gentle braking to a standstill if a bout of nodding-dog syndrome was to be avoided.
Next up was the ECS rangetopping high-mounted sleeper cab, mounted on a 6x2 mid-lift tractor chassis and powered by the Cummins ISM405E, this time with a 16-speed synchromesh Eaton. Again, the cab was impressively finished, while the suspension of the bigger cab felt much more controlled. The dynamic behaviour revealed no hidden vices. We saved the flagship ECX until last. Running with the same driveline as the ECS tractor, and with the high-roof sleeper cab, the ECX showed more signs of being a hastily finished pre-production example in a couple of areas. Strangely, although the Cummins felt smooth under heavy loads, lighter work such as going up through the gears on the level resulted in more engine noise reaching the cab than you would expect; ERF MD John Bryant freely admitted that further work will be needed on the engine mounts before production begins.
The dashboard was also a pm-production unit with fairly crudely attached mouldings, which should be of a much higher quality on the finished products. The fit and finish of the rest of the cab was impressive, with no evidence of any rattles or creaks from the considerable amount of cab furniture provided.
Support
ERF's renewed assault is not just confined to its truck products. Behind the scenes it is embarking on a programme to give operators high levels of support for their trucks.
• Analysis bureau: To make the most of the Road Relay 4 equipment fitted to the new models, ERF Is offering a remote download and analysis service. It will be free for the first year to all operators of ECS and ECX models acquired through an R&M agreement with ERF Finance. Thereafter the service will attract a "nominar' monthly premium.
If the service is not wanted, It can be turned off remotely, leaving the facility in place for the next operator. The service will provide customised fleet management reports with as much operational data as managers require. Road Relay 4 Itself is due to be upgraded early next year, with even more data available; the current systems will be forwardcompatible.
• Guaranteed uptime: In the
event that any vehicle financed under an ERF contract suffers unplanned downtime for more than 12 hours, the firm will either provide or pay up to 1130 per day for a replacement vehicle (unless the downtime is due to negligence or a collision).
• Freeway: ERF's roadside the ECX, the ECS comes with a high level of standard equipment including heated windscreen, central locking, electric windows and mirrors, and high power "projector" headlamps. Road Relay 4 is an option on the ECS, fitted in the "add-on" DIN-sized housing.
Both new models come with two-year chassis warranty, with third year driveline cover and five-year anticorrosion cover.
assistance service is now operated in-house from a new control centre at Middiewich. It promises to have a technician on the road within 15 minutes of a call. Thanks to a direct link with ERF's AS400 mainframe computer, call handlers will have instant access to a truck's full specification and history, enabling quick and accurate selection of any spare parts needed. The service is available to any operator with a credit account at any ERF outlet; it will cover all other marques in the fleet. ERF also plans to double its Continental service network over the next year, with a second control centre in Madrid.
• ERF's spare parts performance operation now has an extended warranty.