Daily competes in more sectors
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Iveco calls its latest Daily a "City Truck" because it's keen to emphasise the flexibility of the range, which now goes up to 6.5 tonnes GVW. But there are more variants than ever at the lightweight end too, and the Daily will be available at just 2.8 tonnes from next year, bringing it into direct competition with mainstream vans such as the Ford Transit and the Sevel models.
• by Toby Clark
The Daily City Truck range is much wider than ever before, with wheelbases from 3.00m to 4.75m and three engine ratings with two more engines to come. There are chassis-cabs, seven-seater crewcabs and vans in the family, with three roof heights and claimed load volumes from 7.3m' to 17.2m3, A major departure from earlier versions is that the new Daily will be available in both single and twin-rear-wheel versions as both a van and a chassis-cab. Lightweight, single-wheel vans have a "gooseneck" chassis which drops the load floor to just 680min above the ground and reduces kerbweight: Iveco claims a typical payload improvement of 120kg over previous models—a 10m3 van should give a usable payload of 1,485kg at 3.5 tonnes GVW.
Twin-wheel versions have a heavier, more truck-like chassis combined with a loading height of 735mm.
Other developments include disc brakes on all four wheels, an engine immobiliser as standard and large side loading doors, at least 1:10m wide: these are available on both sides.
Other options will include rear air suspension, air conditioning and driver and passenger air bags.
Though the new model does not look substantially different from the previous version, it has a host of detail refinements. Even the rear step on van versions is designed with aerodynamics in mind, to clean up the air flow from underneath the vehicle.
Impressions
Our first drive of the Daily was at the Jerez race circuit in southern Spain, which had played host to the motorcycle Grand Prix just two days before.
Jerez is not the ideal venue for a test drive; it's much too smooth and wide to be a "proper road, but it has real hills, tight corners and high-speed straights.
First we drove the 35011 in boxbodied chassis-cab form: the 109hp engine is willing, but fully laden it struggled in the extreme heat (around 40°C) and the five-speed gearbox is not the most precise we have encountered.
Next was a flatbed-bodied 35C13 chassis-cab. What a difference! The new "Untiet" engine is quiet, torquey and exceptionally smooth: it coped easily with a lap of the circuit in fifth gear alone, pulling out of hairpin bends from just over 1,000rpm without complaint. The six-speed gearbox is more impressive, too: crisp and positive without heavy shift efforts.
The 35013 van was similarly impressive, though a bit noisier: the engine seemed to generate more highpitched sounds, and the exhaust was distinctly audible.
We also drove a right-hand-drive 29511: this short, 3.0m-wheelbase van
Load access Is excellent, with wide doors available on each side and rear load doors that open to 270'.
handled well and turned exceptionally tightly; Iveco claims a steering angle of 47* and a turning circle of 1114m between kerbs.
The ride quality seemed good (at least on the circuit's smooth, gr'ippy tarmac) and the cabin ergonomics are pretty sound, although half of the deepset rev-counter is invisible if you're not sitting at the right height.
Overall, the Daily seems pretty impressive, particularly with the new engine. If it delivers the promised productivity and fuel economy, it will be a real force in the 3.5-tonne class.
• DAILY OR MASCOTT?
The Daily shares a number of impo ai tures with the new Renault Mascott C May): the cab door panels and arm( 1( cab components are the same, and thi VI uses the same Sofim engines and ZF g
as the Daily.
But the Mascot will not get the 1401 is of the common-rail Unijet engine, and a keen to stress the differences bet a marques: the Daily is available in a
of van variants and with single rea while lveco vice-president Jean-Pierta .e commented: "The Mascott was built -1 high chassis, a very heavy chassis—a i I even going to talk about the steering al le
It looks like there will be keen a lp between Neco and RVI.
is BODYBUILDING MADE EASY
It should be easy to build bodies for the Daily: not only will existing bodies be easy to transfer to the new model (chassis dimensions and mounting points are similar) but New is also distributing a CD-ROM of CAD drawings of the new vehicle.
These will allow CAD-equipped designers to build bodies precisely to the right specification.
• THE DRIVELINE
The Daily will initially be available with 84,105 and 123hp variants of the Soflm 2.8-litre diesel engine: the most powerful version is the new common-rail injection turbo-diesel, which Ivaco calls the Unijet. Next year lveco will launch a 140hp variant of the engine, using variable-geometry turbocharging technology like that in the Cursor truck engine. There will also be a 105hp CNC-fuelled version. Gearbox choice is between two 2F synchromesh units, the five-speed 55200 and the sixspeed 0300, fitted as standard to Untlet versions.
• THREE CLASSES OF DAILY
In a departure from Iveco's previous practice, the latest Daily is offered in three product classes for different applications: C, S and L.
C-class Dailys are heavy-duty models (either chassis-cabs or vans) with twin rear wheels and weight ratings from 3.5 to 6.5 tonnes. S-class models are &5tonne vans with single rear wheels. L-class Dailys are lightweight vans, again with single rear wheels, rated at 2.8 or 3.2 tonnes GVW.
Model designations take the form 35C11, 50C13 and so on: the first two digits indicate the GVW (35 represents 3.5 tonnes); the middle letter denotes the class of vehicle and the last digits describe the power output (9 indicates the 841ip engine, lithe 105hp engine and 13 the 123hp diesef).
The initial UK model line-up, available from June, is as follows:
IVECO DAILY C-CLASS
Twin rear wheels.
GVW (rear axle ratings in brackets If known): 3.5t (2.6t), 4.2t (31), 4.6t (3.4t) and 5.2t (3.7t)-6.0t and 6.5t GVW versions will be introduced in the first hair of next year.
Wheelbase options: 3.5t and 4.2t GVW: 3.00 (with extra rear overhang), 3.30, 3.45, 3.75, 3.95 and 410m.
4.6t and 52t GVW: 3.30, 3.45, 3.75, 3.95,4.35 and 4.75m.
Versions available Chassis and crew-cab on 3.45, 315, 4.10 and 4.35m versions; van body on 3.00, 3.30 and 5,95m versions-a 4.75m wheelbase chassis-cab will be introduced next year.
Van volume: 10.2 to 17.2m3. Engine options: 86,105 or 125hp versions on 3.5 and 4.2-tonne versions; 105 or 125hp on all other versions.
S-CLASS
Single rear wheels, 3.5-tonne GVW (2.24t rear axle weight).
Wheelbase options: 3.00, 3.00L, 3.30, 3.45, 3.75 and 3.95m.
Versions available: Chassis and crewcab on 3.45 and 3.75m; van body on all other versions.
Van volume: 9 to 17.2m3.
Engine options: 86,105 or 125hp.
L-CLASS Single rear wheels, 3.2-tonne GVW. Wheelbase options: 3.00 and 3.00L. Versions available: Chassis-cab and van body on 3.00m. Low-roof van body on 3.00 and 3.COL will be introduced in the first half of next year.
Van voluniric 7.8 to 9.0m3.
Englne optient 86 and 105hp.
Options: Electric windows, driver and passenger airbags and seatbet pre-tensioners, integrated air conditioning, remote central locking, heated and suspended drivers seat with lumbar support, rear air suspension and heated windscreen,