Going Down A Storm
There’s no doubting the popularity of Iveco’s latest Eurocargo 7.5 tonner and even the remnants of a hurricane blasting in off the Atlantic failed to quell its storming performance on our Scottish test route. Our well weathered road tester, John Henderson reports back on a truck with real atmosphere. THE EVER changing weather of a British summer is stuff of legend and had we run the Iveco Eurocargo road test 24 hours earlier or later on our ‘full Scottish’ test route, conditions would have been warm, sunny and calm. However high demand from the press corps for this Watford based demonstrator, meant I had to stick to the agreed schedule and put up with the leftovers of a Caribbean hurricane which had tracked the Gulf Stream directly across the pond to Scotland. Arriving at Abington Services, the white liveried Eurocargo brightened up an otherwise dreich morning, but I suspected the day’s test results would not perhaps be worth shouting about, what with the wind strength and the amount of surface water lying on the roads. Our Eurocargo for trial was essentially the basic ML75E16S model which is powered by a four cylinder Tector engine producing 160hp. The clutchless EuroTronic transmission is fitted as standard right across this Iveco range and the impressive base specification also includes electrically adjusted mirrors, cruise control, speed limiter and a high spec driver’s seat. Additionally, parabolic suspension, electric windows and a dual bench passenger seat are also fitted at the factory without extra cost. Buyers also get a two year or 200,000km warranty and a back-up network that is arguably second to none. In my travels across the north of England and Scotland I hear consistent praise for Iveco’s dealer network and their working relationships with customers. A run around any of our roads north of the border will prove just how popular the Euro 5, Iveco Eurocargo is, with a wide range of customers such as local authorities, parcel delivery firms and utilities contractors relying on the well regarded truck. From a productivity viewpoint, our day cab model featured a 4,455mm wheelbase which tips the kerbweight scales as a chassis cab at 3,095kgs, offering a potential 4,405kgs for a body and payload. Operating costs seem attractive too, with a list price of £35,320 for this particular chassis and an engine quite capable of exceeding 20mpg in most disciplines. Iveco also offer comprehensive three and five year contract maintenance packages, which are listed in the prices section at the end of this report. AdBlue usage won’t break the bank either and our recorded figure of 1.9 litres (4.38% of total diesel used) was less than expected after a challenging run. Fully loaded with concrete ballast, the box body was fitted with a Hatcher aerodynamic kit. Hinged side skirts offer access to the offside mounted diesel and AdBlue tanks, rear wheels and cab tilt pump on the near side. On my pre-driving walk-round inspection I noted that in addition to being well constructed and designed, the chassis and all its components look easy to access for safety checks and repairs if required. The Iveco 5833/1 I-Beam front axle and Hypoid rear unit are both sprung on parabolic springs assisted by anti roll bars and shock absorbers. The ride quality is superb and offers stable handling. At present the ultimate test for these cushioning components on our route, is the major road works on the A80 between Mollinsburn and the Castlecary arches. The adjoining M73 slip and the various temporary lanes encountered here offer plenty of camber changes which can catch out the unwary. The Eurocargo soaked up everything with ease in this section and had I not previously checked, I could have been convinced we were running on air suspension at the back. With an overall cab width of 2,545mm over the wings, this 7.5 tonner is an easy vehicle to place, particularly during the narrower road sections and the 205/75 R17.5 Michelin X tyres proved good for grip and water dispersal. Previously in the day the steering and handling got a baptism of fire over the high moorland between Abington and Lesmahagow. The attendant gale force winds did not quite have the side swiping effect I anticipated and I wondered if the chassis infilling side skirts played a part in reducing the buffeting. The Iveco’s power assisted steering is well set up and only minimal corrections were required on good even road surfaces. In town or through any junction, direction changing was precise and easy to gauge with the wheel’s turning circle in impressive of 16,500mm. Unusually by today’s standards there’s no controls fitted within the steering wheel centre or spars, but maybe that’s no bad thing. After running through surface water conditions that I’ve never seen the like of for a long time, we reached the Perthshire timed hill climbs: On Cairnie Brae the Eurocargo posted a figure just a second short of the DAF LF and MAN TGL’s recorded times, but a head-on southerly blast cost us some time on the M90’s Balmanno Brae. The meteorological onslaught on this first leg would prove to be the day’s worst and after arriving at Kinross Services I was astounded by the results of my measurements. I felt the drive had been positive inside the cab and a sub two hour journey time, despite a fitted 90km/h speed limiter, together with an average fuel consumption of 21.10mpg had me double checking the figures. The Iveco had performed exceptionally well in the face of probably the wettest ever test sector encountered to date. Iveco’s ‘Tector 4’ engine is a remarkable power plant that’s as smooth as a six cylinder unit when running. The 3.92 litre produces 160hp between 2,100 and 2,700rpm; always feeling perky on acceleration and willing on uphill gradients. These characteristics are courtesy of a fairly wide torque band, as the 530Nm on offer begins at 1,200rpm and goes all the way up to 2,100rpm and, as mentioned earlier, the Euro 5 EEV (OBD2 rating) motor relies on an SCR catalyst with the attendant AdBlue for emissions compliance. Bosch’s common-rail fuel injection is utilised alongside a standard engine immobiliser and an all speed governor. Tilting the cab reveals a compact unit that exudes build quality and logical component fitment. As with the chassis aft, mechanical access is superb and virtually every ancillary is visible and easy to reach. A sizeable choice of four and six cylinder Tector engines is available through the entire Eurocargo range, with outputs available between 160 and 300hp. Our circuit of Fife offered the chance to examine the EuroTronic ZF 6AS700 transmission in more detail. The six speeds are well spaced and programmed and only once during the trip did I feel the urge to upshift before the controlling electronics. First gear carries a 6.02:1 ratio, with fifth having the direct drive of 1:1. Top gear (sixth) is set up as an overdrive at 0.79:1 and this together with the wide torque band offers flexible performance levels at a good range of speeds, crucially without any unnecessary gear changes. Shifting between the cogs was always swift and crisp and the software set up for the box seems well honed. Iveco customers can also specify an alternative range of Allison five speed, fully automatic torque convertor transmissions or ZF five, six or nine speed manual ‘boxes. Depending on the model, the latter units come with a dashboard mounted gear lever and servoshift as a no-cost option. After a 59 minute drive in the Kingdom, our second stop at the Forth Bridge lorry park offered a brief respite from the rain and a chance to turn the spotlight on the Eurocargo’s interior. I’ve raved on about the driver’s seat in the larger Stralis models many a time, so needless to say I was delighted to see the same type fitted in this 7.5 tonner. A full shift ensconced in this fine piece of furniture is a pleasure indeed and afterwards I left the cab without any leg or back ache. Over on the nearside a dual bench passenger seat offers two occupants a good standard of comfort with well designed separation squabs. The overall finish, in light greys and black plastics, looks sturdy and easy to clean. Storage space is more than adequate, but if Iveco’s engineers could incorporate a cup holder close to hand for the driver it would be appreciated by many! Front and offside visibility is excellent and although the nearside has the usual group of obligatory lenses, seeing around them is no great issue. Talking of these lenses, mention must be made of the air ducts on the front cab corners. These well designed spaces work peerlessly at keeping water and dirt off the rear facing glasswork, a fact that adds a lot to safe manoeuvring. The dashboard dials and warning lights are amongst the best around and the layout of the controls is well designed, thus imprinting into your memory pattern quickly. Standard sleeper and high roof versions are available and these add just 100kgs and 160kgs respectively to the relevant kerbweights. The Eurocargo’s primary source of braking comes courtesy of a vertically split air/hydraulic system working all-round 330mm ventilated discs. These anchors got more activations than usual thanks to the wet weather antics of some other road users, who can’t seem to anticipate the potential dangers of wet tarmac. The Knorr Bremse ABS system is a reassuring standard feature and travel of the left hand pedal was always predictable and nicely graduated. The parking brake lever is located down on the floor to the left of the driver’s seat and perhaps it could be relocated to the dash beside the proposed cup holder! Secondary retardation comes from an exhaust brake, controlled by the usual right hand steering column stalk. This unit bites well when used and you certainly could hear it working, as the main engine air intake is just below the driver’s seat base. I used the exhauster frequently and it passed my acid test on the big descent down to the curved, elevated slip road at junction ten on the M90. I was able to reduce my speed to the required 40mph maximum without involving a jab or two on the service brake. The UK market for 7.5 tonners is a particularly important one and for truck manufacturers there’s no room for error when designing a vehicle. These motors must be light, reliable and flexible to carry a host of body types, whilst operating in a wide variety of environments. Whole life costs are crucial here too and Iveco’s planned contract maintenance should give even a new operator entering this sphere a chance to budget properly. It’s often been said in previous years that Iveco’s Stralis, the Eurocargo’s big brother, was a bit of a well kept secret, but there’s no similar vein with this 7.5 tonner, as it has given Iveco a high profile in this weight range since the demise of the Ford Cargo. The many competencies of the Iveco Eurocargo will see it storm through any weather conditions and during the difficulties of the current financial climate.