The trustworthy truc Daf LF45 is a truck with a
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proven record that operators know and trust Daf's LF457.5-tonner boasts astounding Road tested Date: 31 July 2008 Model: Daf LF45.160 7.5-tonne Engine: Euro-5 EEV 4.5-litre MPG: 21.5mpg longevity and success. Its origins can be traced back 30 years to the Leyland Roadrunner of 1984, and it has been the UK's top-selling 7.5-tonner since 2005.
The Roadrunner morphed into the Leyland Daf FA45 in 1991 and although it later became a full-blown Daf the LF45 is still built at Leyland. The current LF45 was really born in 2001, when cab, chassis and engine were all renewed. The new cab came from Renault Trucks; Renault uses its own version on the Midlum. And out went Cummins' Euro-2, six-cylinder, 5.9-litre, ISB engine, replaced by Cummins' all-new Euro-3 four-cylinder 3.9-litre common-rail ISBe engine, with three ratings for 7.5-tonne LF45s; 133hp, 148hp and 165hp. Daf referred to this engine as the Paccar BE. Only the top-rated 7.5-tonne Euro-3 LF45s with 182hp had Cummins' six-cylinder, 5.9-litre ISBe engine (the CE engine in `Daf talk').
The attractive, plush new cab and the weight-saving of a small but gutsy engine were key ingredients in a recipe that took LF45 past Iveco's Eurocargo in 2005 to become the UK's top 7.5-tonner.
The move from Euro-3 to Euro-4 emission limits for trucks registered from October 2006 triggered the next step in LF45 development: the swept volume of the Cummins four-cylinder was taken up from 3.9 to 4.5 litres. Power and torque increased, allowing Daf to offer higher ratings in Euro-4 7.5-tonners: 138hp, 158hp and 182hp. Torque outputs rose to 550Nm, 600Nm and 700Nm respectively. Daf calls this engine the Paccar FR.
The addition of SCR exhaust after-treatment to comply with Euro-4's NOx limit allowed Cummins to focus on cleaner combustion, minimising sooty particulates. That allowed oil sump capacity to be cut from 13 to 11 litres on four-cylinder engines with oil-change intervals extended from a maximum of 40,000km to 65,000km.
Better fuel consumption Cleaner combustion means better fuel consumption too, so Daf claimed Euro-4 LF45s would be around 4% more economical than Euro-3 models, compensating for the cost of AdBlue. Apart from their AdBlue tanks, Euro-4 LF45s are distinguished by new gauges and a different grille.
Daf started to build and fit its own range of curtainsided and boxvan bodies for the LF at the Leyland assembly line in 2007 Euro-5 engines became available in 2007, well ahead of the October 2009 deadline. Euro-5 entailed upping the AdBlue rate to hit the tougher NOx limit, stepping up maximum fuel-injection pressure and new pistons. Power and torque ratings of the Euro-5 four-cylinder engine are the same as at Euro-4, supplemented by a new fourth rating of a 204hp and 760Nm.
Later Euro-5 four-cylinder engines all have such low particulate emissions that they satisfy the EEV (enhanced environmentally friendly vehicle) limit without a diesel particulate filter. Both Euro-4 and -5 versions of the six-cylinder, 6.7-litre Cummins ISBe/Paccar GR engine, with 221hp and 850Nm, have been fitted in 7.5-tonne LF45s. These are rare; the four-cylinder's 160hp nominal rating is by far the most popular.
Daf marked the formal introduction of Euro-5 in 2009 by refreshing the LF's interior with new fabrics and colours and fitting tyre pressure monitoring as standard.
April's launch of the Euro-6 model opened the next chapter in the LF45 success story. • • According to CAP Red Book edition (May 2013) a three-year-old Euro-5 LF45.160, with a day-cab and curtainsided body and with 120,000km on the clock, retails at E18,095 (plus VAT). The only bodywork to raise its value is a fridge or tipper.
Dealer's view "For fleet buyers, the LF45 is solid, dependable, and affordable. It is the leading 7.5-tonner in the UK market, long since supplanting the Iveco Eurocargo, and remains a serious benchmark that competitors struggle to match.
"For drivers, performance and driveability make it a suitable choice.
"LF45 dominate in the open market; more than 115 were listed at time of publication on the CM classified website. It holds a better price on the forecourt than like-for-like models from Isuzu N75 Forward, Iveco Eurocargo and Renault Midlum but is a tad behind values generated by the MAN TGL and Mercedes-Benz Atego." WHERE CAN I GET ONE?
Main dealers with parts and service in brackets Adams Morey (5): Southampton, (Bournemouth, Newport loW, Portsmouth, Salisbury) Barnes Daf (2): Guildford, (Shoreham) Brian Currie (3): Milton Keynes, (Bedford, Northampton) Channel Commercials (4): Ashfield, (Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Strood) Chassis-Cab Truck Centre (2): Ipswich, (Bury St Edmonds) Chatfields (5): Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Stockton, (Birtley) F&G Commercials (2): Huddersfield, (Barnsley) Ford & Slater Commercials (11): Leicester, Norwich, (Corby, Coventry, King's Lynn, Lincoln, Newark, Oldham, Peterborough, Spalding, Wisbech) Greenhous Daf (2): Shrewsbury, Willenhall Harris Daf (2): Grays, (Waltham Cross) HTC (7): Croydon, Reading, Slough, (Belvedere, Luton, Oxford, Park Royal) Imperial Commercials (23): Bristol, Derby, Glasgow, Gloucester, Halesowen, Hull, Stoke-on-Trent, (Bellshill, Birmingham, Cumbernauld, Deeside, Doncaster, Frome, Grimsby, Hereford, Nottingham, Scunthorpe, Sutton-in-Coldfield, Swindon, Warwick, Worcester, Wrexham, York) Lancashire Daf: Preston Lothian Daf: Edinburgh Marshall Motor Group: Cambridge, North West Trucks (2): Liverpool, (Northwich) Norscot Truck &Van (4): Aberdeen, (Dundee, Inverness, Perth) Rabeys Garage (2): Guernsey, (Jersey) Solway Daf (4): Carlisle, (Dumfries, Penrith, Workington) TBF Thompson Daf Trucks (3): Newtownabbey, (Garvagh, Portadown) Watts Truck &Van (3): Cardiff, (Newport, Swansea) Wessex Daf (2): Newton Abbot, (Redruth)