PROMISING START
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Diesel panel van C964GNM has made a good start in its first term with us. It could do better on economy, however, and is sometimes a little noisy in its class.
• Nobody's perfect. No matter how much information we put in our road tests, durability is one subject we can never cover sufficiently for operators. The most fuel-efficient van on the market is not much use if it keeps breaking down.
One answer is a long-term test: take a brand-new vehicle and run it for 32,000km (20,000 miles) to see how it performs in service. That in a nutshell is what we plan to do with a number of vans over the coming months.
It has, of course, been done before. Back in the early Eighties CM ran long
term appraisals on two Ford light commercials — a Transit and an Escort. However, after a gap of four years we decided it was time to start again.
Our first vehicle is a 2.83-tonne GVW CF2/280 diesel panel van from Bedford.
Why a CF2? It certainly is not a new model. Apart from the last series of revisions in mid-1984, which saw the adoption of new engines and gearboxes and an updated trim, the basic CF body has changed little since it was launched.
Furthermore, the recent arrival of new models, including the Bedford Midi, has rather diverted attention away from the CF2. However, with its replacement in the shape of the so-called GM "World Van" still no nearer fruition, it seems likely that the CF2 will be with us for at least the next two years.
Our choice of model is no accident. Since the launch of the forward-control Midi in late 1984, sales of the short wheelbase CF2 have gone through an expected decline. However, this has allowed Bedford to now concentrate its CF2 marketing efforts further up the weight range in the 2.8to 3.5-tonne sector, where the long-wheelbase models are undoubtedly stronger. Hence, our decision to go for the CF2P Since its arrival at CM in Apri C964GNM has covered over 8,000kt (5,000 miles) without any serious prat lems. Its cargo has %raried enormousl from test weights, to furniture, to ste( gates and even promotional gear for th recent CM Truckfest. However, t simulate a typical van operation it usuall runs half laden with test weights.
A careful log of all the diesel put int the van has been kept, as have the corr ments of the many drivers who have sa behind the wheel.
• FINISH On its delivery, the overall condition the van was generally good, with only few minor exceptions. The side-loadin door (specified by us as an option) con! do with more sealant injected betwee the stamped and welded edges of th inner and outer skins. The front offsid
or has not been hung particularly well Ld tends to let in draughts and noise. Whoever fitted the optional front mudtps, should have checked them for clearice, as they fouled both tyres on full ;:k. However, it took only a minute to nd them back out of the way where ey have stayed since.
The van's 2.3-litre GM diesel was also ling a little too fast — a common enough ult on a new vehicle. Slightly more disrbing was an extremely harsh vibration at appeared to shake the van whenever e engine revs were allowed to drop too w — more of that later.
We decided to let our van work out one of the obvious tightness in its driveie, and put it through its first service 500km (4,500 miles) on diesel CF2s fore checking its fuel economy.
I FIRST SERVICE bile our local Bedford dealer (unaware our identity) booked us in quickly and ficiently, its pricing — 231.97 including AT, for what is basically an oil and filter Lange — suggests why many small )erators prefer to do their own servicg.
During C964GNM's brief stay in the !aler's workshop, we were -charged 1.50 for labour, based on an hourly rate 217.50 (typical according to the service
department for that area), and 213 for five litres of 15/40 Gemini engine oil. Add to that the standard GM oil filter price of 26.30, plus VAT at 15% and there you have it.
For those van-owners who are prepared to do-it-themselves, cost savings can certainly be made on labour, if not also on lubricants, by careful shopping around.
Our dealer did correct the fast idle. However, when we asked it to check out the mystery vibration we were told: "They're all like that." We shall see, and report how a different dealer tackles the problem on C964GNM's next service.
• ECONOMY Having properly run-in our CF2/280, we next sent it around our 138km (85-mile) Kent van route fully laden where it returned a rather disappointing 10.79 litilOOlun (26.16mpg).
This is worse than the two other diesel vans tested by CM at a similar weight — the 2.9-tonne, 2.5-litre diesel Talbot Express which managed 10.4 lit/100km (27.1mpg), and the two-litre Nissan diesel-powered Ebro Trade at 2.75 tonnes which gave 10.43 lit/100km (27.07mpg).
Running empty, however, the CF2/280 did slightly better, its average consumption improving to 10.26 lit/100km (27.5mpg). To complete the picture, the fuel consumption of our van since delivery works out to a consistent 10.5 lit/100km (26.85mpg). While these figures are, admittedly, low in the diesel van economy stakes, they are still better than for the comparable petrol-engined models.
The subject of fuel leads us to one of the CF2/280's less endearing habits — that of spitting back diesel fuel when you try to brim the tank — usually over the tester's legs. Fast or slow filling makes no difference. Just when you think the tank is full, there is a pause followed by a wellaimed jet back from the vent pipe. Given the lingering smell of diesel, this will not make the model popular with the driver in a hurry.
• PERFORMANCE At 2.83 tonnes the CF2/280 is a bit of a plodder. The 46kW (61hp) produced by its 2.3-litre diesel may be sufficient for shortwheelbase models, but at higher gross weights it is clearly down on power, particularly when compared with a number of imported diesel vans.
Fully freighted, C964GNM will just pull the overdrive fifth gear at 48km/h (30mph), but it is much more comfortable running around town in fourth.
On A-roads this lack of performance makes it difficult to make real progress in fifth — especially below 80km/h (50mph). Change up too soon on a slight gradient and the speed just falls back again.
To maintain good journey times, the For more extensive work, the whole front end can be unbolted and removed. The battery is under the load platform, and could be difficult to reach if the van is fully laden. The deep engine hump impedes cross-cab movement. engine has to be revved pretty har However, this can be frustrating; althoul at 1121t.m/h (70mph) the van is surprising quiet, at mid-range speeds it is noisy especially when the side air vents a open!
Letting our CF2/280 diesel lug dov too much again sets off the strange vibr tion, which seems to come from undi the floor beneath the seats.
The five-speed ZF gearbox is ev( notchier than the LT77 Land Rover b( used in the Sherpa — and that is sayii something. While it does have a preci action, its selection pattern — with n verse in the top left quadrant, whei many five-speed units have first — h; caught out more than one driver of oi van.
A lock-out collar on the lever, similar I those fitted on Vauxhall cars, would be useful addition.
• CAB COMFORT Access into the driving compartment good, although a grab handle would t preferable to the steering wheel to pi yourself in. The interior finish is simp enough and certainly looks hard-wearin particularly the tweed seat facings. '11 semi-high roof body provides plenty headroom.
One of C964GNM's best assets, hol ever, has to be its excellent Bostro driver's seat fitted as standard. It not on gives plenty of support, but also has variety of adjustments more usually foul on middleweight truck seats.
The dash layout is rather hare with ju
le single main binnacle flanked either de by switches. It is easy to read, allough at night the controls are unlit. There is not much storage space for le driver, except for a door pocket and le long tray, which anyway has to be led up to remove the rather awkward tenor engine cover. With the CF2's mti-forward control design, the intruding igine hump also makes cross-cab moveLent difficult.
The view forward from the driver's at is helped by the wide curving ;reen, although if the seat is adjusted to high the low roof tine can intrude on le driver's vision.
In wet weather the wing mirrors tickly foul up with road dirt, as do the ar windows. The wipers could also be gger for a better sweep.
I HANDLING
t low speeds the CF2 van's steering can ?. heavy, and a fair amount of effort is .eded to go from lock-to-lock when yunting in tight corners. Its well-set-forard front axle does, however, mean that le difference between kerb-to-kerb and all-to-wall turning circles is much smaller ian those of many competitors.
Although overall braking is well up to cratch, more than one driver has iticised the van's high pedal position. Fully laden, the CF21280 has a soft, allost wallowing ride, although it is still yrnfortable. It tends to roll on tight corH-s, however, and over sharp ridges iad shock is transmitted through the :eering column and wheel. Unladen, its de is a lot firmer.
Although the inside of the load compartment is fairly well finished, with flat-topped wheelarches and the rear lights nicely Protected from load damage, there are no proper lashing points. Once opened beyond 90 degrees, the rear doors tend to flap about unrestrained.
• SUMMARY Moving up the weight range from a smaller Midi or short-wheelbase CF2 to the longer wheelbase C•F2/280 van appears to offer advantages in both payload and load volume. However, as our weight table shows, it is only really in body cube that the operator scores. The 2.83-tonne van's higher kerbweight tends to absorb any extra payload — particularly if, like our van, it conies with weighty options such as side-loader and bulkhead. You only really get extra payload at 3.5 tonnes GVW.
C964GNM has already covered a quarter of its test mileage, and over the past three months has proved to be a steady, rather than an outstanding, performer.
Its fuel consumption is not sparkling, but it is at least consistent — even on motorway running. We shall, however, be keeping a constant eye on its economy and will retest it at the end of its trial period. Most important, it has proved reliable with no major problems, although our next job is to isolate the cause of those vibrations at low engine speeds.
As a school report might say. C961IGNIM "has made a good start". Let us hope it stays that way. We will see if it does after the next 8,000km (5,000 miles) and another service. 0 by Brian Weatherley