IVECO FORD Eurotech Another cheat, this. ..another twin-bunk high-roof sleeper.
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Not only that, it had air suspension front and rear, giving it some of the best ride results in the group. But what you gain on the swings, you lose on the roundabouts, and the EuroTech turned out to be quite noisy at speed. Details matter in a cab, and quite a few details let the Iveco down. All in all, a large manufacturer should be able to do better.
Sleeper's comments The curtains in the Iveco cab won the ultimate accolade when the test coordinator knocked on the cab door at midnight to check that this tester hadn't sneaked off to a hotel, such was their light proofing. Unfortunately the curtain runners were not so good, being stiff to move and prone to jamming.
Storage facilities included some generously sized shelving and a good-sized oddments bin between the seats; ideal for stowing the contents of trouser pockets. No dedicated provision for hanging clothes was found, so perhaps this isn't the cab for collar-and-tie operators.
The actual bunk had adequate width for CM's widest tester, and was pleasantly firm. Other testers remarked that the bunk lacked support—which just goes to prove that mattresses, more than most things, are a question of personal comfort and taste. Certainly this tester, in the absence of feminine and feline duvet thieves, had his best night's sleep for a long time!
Main lighting comprises three overhead lights; two on the roof above the bunks and one below the screen header. The latter is the easiest to reach and it's close to the radio controls. There's also a useful (slightly too) flexible reading light at rear of the lower bunk; unfortunately this was prone to falling apart.
The heater was effective but its fan was rather noisy, and there was also some smell which seemed to be combustion related. The main cab heater control is conveniently placed within easy reach of the prone occupant, and the all-important morning warm-up was achieved with a minimum of conscious effort.
• Colin Barnett Expert's comments This isn't very nice, is it? It's like a Fiat Panda compared with the Volvo, Scania and MAN. The dash feels pretty low rent, and the "glovebox" is laughable. The poorly finished lid opens to reveal very little space (most is taken up by the fuse box) and two near-useless cupholders—too shallow, too close together and a six-foot stretch away.
The air vents work, but they don't feel especially good, and the ashtrays are small (and are not illuminated, unlike those in the Mercedes).
The slab-like surfaces of the dash are uninspiring, and the symmetrical moulding looks like a cop-out to avoid having to produce separate left and right-handdrive components.
The upholstery is reasonable, there's plenty of headroom and the bunk is the longest one here, but this was not the most appealing of our group.
Ride comments With air suspension on both unit axles and on the trailer too, the EuroTech's ride was noticeably smooth. The evenness was quite impressive, and on the smooth surface the Iveco was the clear winner. However, the cab still registered a high amplitude of movement—almost as much as the Actros.
It did slightly less well over the brokenroad surface, but was in the top half of the results. If Iveco could only make front air suspension affordable it would soon become the norm as far as drivers are concerned. Unfortunately it's an option that's rarely taken up in the UK, where it's generally restricted to the odd car transporter or firms which need to hitch up to trailers with different coupling heights.