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Double badging deal for Bedford's UK-built micro
Page 20
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BEDFORD has strengthened its links with Japanese light vehicle builders and will shortly become the first UK van manufacturer to assemble a micro van in Britain.
Production of the 1.4 tonne GVW Bedford Rascal, based on the lapanese-designed Suzuki SK4I0, begins at Luton next February with initial output scheduled at 10,000 a year.
But in a unique "doublefirstmarketing exercise, a quarter of all the Luton-built micros will be badged as the Suzuki Super Carry and sold by Suzuki's 100 UK dealers.
General Motors, Bedford's parent company, holds a six per cent stake in Suzuki.
Although Bedford already builds the Japanese-deiigned Midi van at Luton (based on the 1suzu WFR) the Super Carry will be the first Japanese-badged light commercial produced in the UK.
Two versions will he offered — a van and a dropside pick-up.
The vans are powered by the four-cylinder Suzuki 970cc petrol engine, which, with its maximum power of 33kW (44hp) delivered at 5,300rpm and peak torque of 75Nm (55 lbit) at 3,200rpm, makes the Rascal/Super Carry the most powerful micro available in the UK.
The four-stroke, liquidcooled engine runs on 91 oc
tane (two star) fuel.
The overhead camhsaft engine is mounted in-line underneath the floor pall, to the nearside.
A four-speed gearbox is fitted as standard, although a five-speed overdrive unit with 0.80:1 top gear sitVailable as an option. final drive ratio on both models is 5.13:1.
The Rascal/Super Carry's forward-control design body provides a useful 2.65m3 load volume. This compares well with the Ilonda Acty's 2m3t and the Daihatsu 850's 2.28m' capacity.
But it is still smaller than the 2.8m' load volume claimed for the recentlylaunched Subaru 700 (CM August 3).
Unlike the 1)aihatsu and Subaru, the Rascal/Super Carry has no high roof moulding, but its interior height of 1,230min is still gre.ater than the Acty's 1,150inni.
Load platform length is 1,895mm on the micro van and 1,940mm on the pick-up.
A maximum payload of 550kg — with a 73kg driver on board — can be carried on the van, while the pick-up can carry 575kg.
Twin sliding side doors are standard, but heated rear window and tailgate wash/wipe are optional.
Both models have MacPherson strut front suspension and a semi-floating hypoid rear axle with twin four-leaf steel springs.
Other standard equipment includes front disc, and rear self-adjusting drum brakes. The rack and pinion steering gives turning circle of 8.2m.