EuroStar 470 fills that gap
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lveco's long-awaited EuroStar 470 tractor is clean, green and raring to go for just-in-time long-haul traction.
by Brian Weatherley • When Iveco launched its flagship EuroStar range in 1993 it it admitted there was a gap in its power ratings—and it said it intended to plug it. The latest EuroStar 470, due to arrive in the UK next summer, fills that gap.
Sitting between the 420hp 13.8-litre 400E42 chassis and the fire-breathing vee-eight 17.2litre 400E52, the 470hp 400E47 made its official debut at the Paris Show last September.
For a prospective EuroStar buyer who wants the power and torque in his truck, but without the weight penalty of the big vee-eight, the 400E47 is the answer.
Its peak torque of 2,078Nm (1,5331bft), on tap between 1,100 to 1,500rpm, is only 122Nm (901bft) below that delivered by the vee-eight. More importantly, on a like-for-like comparison, a 13.8-litre 470 tractor shaves some 300kg off the kerbweight of the vee-eight 520 (see roadtest page 30).
Iveco is aiming the 470 at what it calls the "Just-in-Time" long-haul national and international transport market, where high average speeds and driver comfort are a priority.
In reality it's chasing the Scania R143-450 which it sees as the 470's prime rival. While EuroStar 470 right-hookers won't be around much before next summer (assuming they don't suffer the same delays as the 520) Commercial Motor has driven a selection of left-handdrive tractors in Spain.
So how does the 470 perform with 40 tonnes up? Judging from our 209km run from Madrid to Villalba, via Segovia, on a mixture of tough motorway gradients and severe two-lane A. roads it does the job with the minium of fuss—and fast.
The 13.8-litre engine pulls particularly strongly at around 1,200rprn although it will recov
er from below 1,000rpm without breaking into a sweat.
Whether with the Ecosplit or the Twin Splitter, such is the torque backup of the 470 engine that you seldom need to touch the gear lever. The Twin Splitter tractor we drove had a particularly good installation.
Iveco has made a number of detailed changes to the EuroStar since its launch in '93. Perhaps the most noticeable is the reworking of the cab suspension. The first models driven by CM were distinctly "noddy". Hit the right kind of the bump and the four-point air bag cab suspension would start a nodding motion that took a while to settle down.
Two years on the EuroStar's cab suspension has clearly been stiffened up as there was much less of the cab nod even on the high roof Alto cab. The ride is much more controlled overall.
One thing Iveco hasn't had to change is the EuroStar's steering. Its ZF Servocom box is one of the most precise on the market, needing none of the constant adjustment in the straightahead position that still plagues rival models. Wherever you point the EuroStar it goes there—and stays there.
What was already a quiet truck will become even quieter when the 1996 noise regs hit home. While the extra shrouding will clearly have more effect on external noise levels, it should also make things quieter for the driver.
Depending on the gearbox fitted, Iveco offers a Voith or ZF Intarder as an option. Both pro vide excellent auxiliary retardation on steep hills.
Following earlier criticisms, the cruise control panel has been moved from the headlining to the main binnacle. You can now set it without having to take your eyes off the road. However, the main steering column stalk controls are still too close together for our taste.
All the other existing EuroStar benefits such as air conditioning, electric roof vent, central locking, seat-belts and so on are carried over to the 470 model. There's also a new aerodynamic cab kit for fuel conscious operators (CM 2-8 November).
Can the EuroStar 470 break Scania's hold on the 450hp-plus market? Just so long as Iveco can deliver RHD chassis on time. Otherwise the latest Swede, the 4 Series 144-460, may have an unobstructed path into the UK.