VANS
Page 34
Page 35
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
ON TEST 1 t conjures images of Camberwick Green and Postman Pat. It's the standard postal delivery van in the US: the ugly Grumman LLV (long life vehicle). Whereas we rely on one man and his bike in most urban areas, the Grumman is specially designed for the Land Where Nobody Walks.
Consequently it is right-hand drive so the US mailman can do most collections and deliveries from the driving seat. It also comes with finger-light power steering and three-speed automatic transmission, which makes it an effortless drive. A limited slip differential should help traction in slippery conditions, while a claimed 8.5m turning circle adds to its manoeuvrability.
Light diesels are almost unheard of in the US so there is no diesel option for the Grumman. Power comes from a catalysed 2.5-litre four-cylinder Chevrolet engine, producing 78kW (105hp) at 4,400rpm and 183Nm (135Ibft) of torque at 3,200 rpm.
The entire body is constructed from aluminium and mounted on. a modified Chevrolet S-10 pickup chassis. For use by the US Mail and other government departments it has a required life expectancy of 24 years. UK price would be around £.11,250 on the road.
Productivity
The Grumman's dimensions are quite unfamiliar to European eyes. It's as tall and wide as a panel van and about as long as an Escort van. Payload is in the car-derived van league at 560kg (with 75kg driver). A generous 250kg loading tolerance should guard against axle overloading. Grumman claims a 3.4m load volume, which is a bit more than the car-derived vans but falls some way short of a panel van.
Access to the load area is very good. The rear roller shutter is standard and there is a front sliding door giving access from the cab. The area itself is not so well thought out, however. Land Rover-style full-length wheel boxes intrude into the available space and the floor is too high. The spare wheel also lives in the load space. There are no tiedown eyes but there are racking strips at waist height.
A catalysed petrol engine and automatic transmission are hardly a recipe for good fuel consumption. Around our light vehicle test route, the Grumman managed a poor 15.41it/100km (18.4mpg): that's the kind of result we'd expect from a 7.5-tonner rather than a delivery van. There can't be many light van operators whose budget could stand that sort of thirst!
General Motors has only one authorised dealer for its US products in the UK, Bauer Millett in Manchester, which could make servicing difficult. But the aluminium bodywork will make corrosion less of a problem. Grumman offers a 36month/80,000km warranty, but a busy fleet van would cover that distance in less than three years, making the warranty less attractive than it looks.
The wide sliding cab doors give excellent access for a busy delivery driver on stop/start routes, but it's a pity they don't slide more easily. The door locks were stiff too. Driving the Grumman might be simple but it's not a particularly comfort
able experience. Upright seats have no backrest adjustment, even if they do swivel. The cab itself looks like a prototype, bare metal, wires trailing across the dash and the interior trim is conspicuous by its absence.
The small instrument panel looks a bit of an afterthought, Instruments are clearly presented behind flat reflecting glass but the switchgear is a mess. A single column stalk operates indicators and wipers, while other switches are scattered around the dash. The gear selector is also column mounted, as is the handbrake lever which was rather awkward to use and of questionable effectiveness.
The Grumman is as simple to drive as its specification suggests. Performance is adequate; it's able to roll along happily at motorway speeds, and the silky smooth GM 180-C automatic box makes stop/start driving a simple affair.
The ride and handling are compromised by the soft spring and damper rates, designed for US rather than European conditions.
Potholes tend to set the Grumman bouncing and it rolls noticeably when cornering.
Given the expanses of tinted glass in both doors and screen, we expected the Grumman to have good visibility. It's also equipped with good mirrors, including long-range mirrors on each side.
In practice the mirrors block the view through the front quarter windows, making approaches to junctions and roundabouts unnecessarily awkward. Moving the mirrors back so they are viewed through the doors rather than the quarter-lights would solve the problem.
We didn't think much of the fiddly window winders either. The handles wind one way only and a ratchet lever dictates which way the window can move.
Things like this cause needless distractions for drivers, particularly when operating in residential streets. Grumman is making a serious pitch for postal delivery type use in Europe. The Royal Mail in the UK is experimenting with automatics and left-hookers, so some of the Grumman's ideas are creating interest.
Apart from being the ugliest van we have tested in recent years, we feel its design favours US conditions too much to have any appeal in Europe. Its lack of diesel option and single dealer won't please many potential buyers, while the roly-poly ride and crude interior won't win over many drivers. Its dimensions and payload also leave it out on a limb. Nissan and Toyota's attempts to create a new "compact" van segment with the Vanette/Liteace haven't been a roaring success, so we cannot see that interest in a vehicle like the LLV would be that great.
European thinking has been to modify existing products for specialist jobs rather than design specialist products from scratch. We can't see Grumman's interesting LLV causing a sudden about-face in the market.
by John Kendall El Our thanks to Bauer Millett for lending us the vehicle.