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A change as good as the best?

22nd May 2008, Page 54
22nd May 2008
Page 54
Page 55
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Page 54, 22nd May 2008 — A change as good as the best?
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The arrival of the new Eurocargo completes Iveco's recent range renaissance. But is it different enough to keep its rivals at bay in the European middleweight truck market?

Words / Images: Brian Weatherley

They say a change is as good as a rest... but the question in the minds of Iveco's marketing gurus must surely be: "Have we done enough for the Eurocargo to retain its claimed crown as 'the best medium truck in Europe'?" Judging by CM's recent brief acquaintance with the new Eurocargo, the answer is a qualified yes.

While the latest model is hardly revolutionary, the good news is that it remains a safe bet for the hundreds of fleet buyers and the thousands of small hauliers and own-account operators running an 18-tonner, a classic `non-HGV. 7.5-tonner, or anything in between.

Following its time-honoured tradition of roiling product improvement, Iveco has made significant revisions to the Eurocargo's cab while retaining the previous chassis and driveline — including the current range of fourand sixcylinder common-rail Tector SCR diesel engines, albeit in Euro-5 guise, with the most powerful 300hp six-cylinder version sitting just below the 310hp Cursor 8 six-pot, which is used in the Stralis.

By sticking with SCR technology, Iveco insists it can provide up to 5% lower fuel consumption than rival manufacturers using an equivalent EGR engine. Depending on operational conditions, service intervals are 80,000km when using normal mineral oils.

Arguably, the most notable change to the Eurocargo, at least as far as UK buyers are concerned, is that all right-hand-drive chassis will come with a six-speed ZF Eurotronic (nee AS-Tronic) automated gearbox as standard. This places Iveco on a par with MAN by offering an auto box on most, if not all, of its UK truck chassis. Surely it's only a matter of time before those operators which buy Renault, Daf and Mercedes demand the same standard auto spec. Meanwhile, Iveco says the new Eurocargo will carry a price premium of 3-5%, but adds: "The existence of an auto on right-hand-drive models means it will be higher than 5%." Whether or not its UK subsidiary achieves that 5% price hike, especially on major fleet deals, is open to conjecture.

Facelifted front

Although the new model is recognisable as a Eurocargo, the latest cab styling owes much to the design pioneered by the current Iveco Stralis. Its revised front panel and grille provide more room for sign-writing, and there's also a new bumper/bottom valance and light cluster, plus new mirrors and a different moulding on the bottom of the door.

For fleet engineers looking for parts commonality. it's worth noting the new Eurocargo 's basic cab shell is unchanged — as are the doors, floor pan, roof and rear wall. It's interesting that while the previous Eurocargo featured exterior styling by Bertone, Iveco has preferred to do an in-house design job on the new model — and, by and large, it has succeeded.

Revamped interior Inside the office there's a new dash and instrument panel and upgraded trim. The centre console can be fitted with a sat-nay screen, too. Having adopted Eurotronic on all right-bookers, the auto gear selection controls have now migrated to the dash (becoming push buttons), while manual changes can be made via the right-hand column stalk behind the bigger steering wheel.

Despite previous hints to the opposite, the handbrake remains on the engine hump — a missed opportunity in CM's opinion. The new Cargo has gained the same Isri seats as its big brother, the Stralis. The normal layout in the day cab is a driving seat and twin seat for passengers. However, the double passenger seat eats into the available space for storage. Given the choice, we'd opt for a single passenger seat and have a box or tray on the engine hump.

Bigger door pockets and a bin along most of the rear wall go some way to answering our reservations about storage, while the sleeper cab also has new side lockers, which provide up to 260 litres of room. But the bottom line is that the day cab needs mere storage space.

Quick spec check

Chassis CUM: 7.0, 7.5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18.0 tonnes GVW Engines: Tector Euro-5; 3.9-Litre four-cylinder and 5.8-litre six-cylinder dlesets from 160 to 300hp Torque outputs: 535Nm-1,050Nm Gearboxes: Six-speed Eurotronic automated mechanical box as standard on all RHD chassis; six-speed Allison 1000/2000 Series hydrodynamic auto optional on 7.5-16t models; 3000 Series on 12-18t models Cab options: Day; sleeper; 6+1 crew cab

Chassis revisions

As we've said, the existing Eurocargo chassis is carried over to the new model, albeit with a few tweaks. Models up to 10 tonnes GVIA/ gain bigger 330mm-diameter discs and larger pads, which provide up to 25% more friction area. According to Iveco, the changes should help to equalise brake performance front to rear. Other models get the option of ESP and ASR, as well as a Hill Hold brake function. The Eurocargo's manoeuvrability is ensured through a 52degree steering angle and an 11.1m kerb-to-kerb turning circle, prompting the manufacturer to declare: "Eurocargo is the best city truck in the medium duty sector."

A new integrated PTO interface via the CAN-bus is also offered to tipper operators, and there's a factory-fitted tipper control next to the driver's seat. The previous model's all-hut-fiat cab rear wall will no doubt be appreciated by bodybuilders.

And with no less than 11,584 factory combinations, buyers are in no position to say they've not got a decent choice. •

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