IVECO EuroStar 400 E42 TIP
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This year we spent a night out with the
EuroTech's big brother, the EuroStar. It's taller and wider cab (almost 2.5m from wall-to-wall) provides extra headroom and lots more storage space, answering a criticism of the EuroTech we slept in last year.
Our two-axle tractor sported the medium roof; a high roof option is marketed as the Alto. Climbing in is easy enough, though the bottom steps would be easier to find if they stuck out a little further.
The EuroStar's light grey trim may not be ideal for a dirty transport environment but its light and attractive and build quality is better than the old TurboStar.
Cross-cab access is straightforward, once you've threaded your way past the gear lever. With 1.74m of usable headroom we had no problem performing the standard CM "trousers off" manoeuvre although the deep headlining tray, running the full width of the cab sticks out too far (our tester managed to headbutt it). Scalloping a bit out by the passenger area wouldn't have hurt.
The headliner itself is nicely divided and has two small lockers; one is just right for valuables.
The EuroStar has far more underbunk storage space than the EuroTechthe driver's side is taken up with the Eberspacher heater but the centre and nearside sections are uncluttered. At each end of the bottom bunk there are fabric "wardrobes" with zips and Velcro flaps. The zip stitching of one had begun to pull away; Velcro all round might be better.
A neat coolbox/step gets you to the top bunk, where a full-width net allows you to stow kit if you're on your own.
Last year we moaned about the EuroTech's poorly positioned heater outlet. Here it's just right, letting plenty of hot air circulate freely. It certainly kept us warm. The bottom bunk is thinner than the top one, but its comfortable, supportive and gave us an excellent night's sleep.
There are plenty of reading and cabin lights, but why no bunkside master switch for the lights and radio?
One thing we didn't like was the curtains. They pull out easily but the separate sections that blank out the small windows in the doors are an afterthought, attached in a rather Heath Robinson way. We were grateful for the secondary bunk curtain. Stowing the curtains was an irritating chore, entailing a lot of teasing and pushing along the runners before they could be gathered up with a strap.
The ride was very firm, and not so quiet as the MAN's, but the suspension recovered well from potholes and remained controlled. Compared with the EuroTech the 'Star is the true long-distance machine. Our verdict? Barring those curtains it was a grand night out