Stralis Lifts The Spoils
Iveco’s Stralis 450AT tractor unit rewrites the fuel consumption rule book on our Scottish Test route. Fresh from his CPC eco driving training, John Henderson our regular wheelman, puts his theory into practice with this ever competent fleet tractor. THERE’S an old saying that you make your own luck, but I prefer the one which says that luck is when preparation and opportunity meet. The latter phrase certainly applied when I recently had the chance to put Iveco’s Stralis AT440S45 6x2 tractor through its paces on our Transport News Scottish test route. My preparation had occurred less than a week before when I attended the first seven hours of the now compulsory Driver CPC training, at Orion People Solutions’ Hillington facility. A fair chunk of the day was spent examining eco driving techniques and naturally I was keen to put the theory into practice as soon as possible. The weather and traffic conditions provided the opportunity part, as the day dawned fine and settled with no wind or rain forecast. For once, the roads were unusually quiet and even the major works on the A80 between Mollinsburn and Castlecary offered us a clear run through. To ensure continuity in our trials and to let the west of Scotland rush hour die down, I always aim for a 10am departure slot from Abington Services and Iveco’s test supremo, Paul Walker had thoughtfully arrived in good time. After my walk round vehicle check, I had the chance to put the Stralis’ interior under the microscope before hitting the road. Our Active Time (AT) cab had the optional high roof and although it’s primarily aimed at big fleet operators, this ‘office’ would be more than acceptable for a few nights out per week. The central engine cover is flat and lower than the seat bases, so there’s plenty room for a six footer like me to stand up straight on it and whilst doing so I admired the quality of the upper bunk. Although this extra bed is a £320 option, it’s not a flimsy looking thing best suited for luggage storage and I reckoned it would be welcomed and possibly fought over by any two man crew working or living in this Stralis. In the past I’ve waxed lyrical about the Stralis’ driver seat and still reckon this piece of furniture has no peers. Once adjusted and set, any full day at the wheel will be completed without ache or pain. The steering column also adjusts for height and angle and the wheel atop is thankfully not the largest around, but well designed in relation to the instruments behind and adjacent to it. The location of main driving controls and switches is first class, with the Eurotronic drive selector, handbrake and hazard warning button all being fitted adjacent to each other and falling easily to the left hand. The dashboard display is colourful and uncluttered and swift glances to gauge various parameters are easy to execute. The cab trim is soft looking, besides being hard wearing and easy to clean whilst there’s plenty of storage space beneath the one piece bottom mattress, above the windscreen and in various other cubby holes and door bins. Insulation levels are good and with both windows up, the driver should feel ensconced in a safe, comfortable atmosphere. As usual our combination was fully loaded, tipping the scales at 43,880kg. On its own, the Stralis 450AT tractor’s tare weight is 8,220kg with the driver out and previous weighbridge figures supplied showed this unit and trailer offered just over 22.4 tonnes of payload. Immediately after the off, the Cursor 10 engine felt lively and keen, progressing through the roundabouts of junction 13 and then down the ramp to join the M74 north. Our steed for testing had accumulated around 121,000 miles on the clock which was mostly demonstration work, so the six cylinder turbocharged unit was well and truly bedded in. Iveco’s Euro 5, 10.3 litre power plant is a well proven and highly regarded choice with discerning operators these days, as even working at 44 tonnes, it’s carved a bit of a reputation for excellent fuel returns, but more of that later. Producing its maximum 450hp between 1,550 to 2,100rpm and delivering 2,100nm of torque between 1,050 and 1,500rpm, my note headlines for this EEV used words like ‘a very willing performer, whilst being smooth in operation.’ An overhead camshaft works four valves per cylinder and the noise feedback from the variable geometry turbocharger is not at an intrusive level, but it’s enough to let the driver comfortably know of progress in the engine room below. This unit is happy working across the rev range and will lug down to 1,000rpm for short burst climbs if level ground was imminent. With ‘only’ 450hp on tap, the leading statistics for our two measured Perthshire hill climbs were never in danger of being broken and the Stralis recorded times that were right in amongst its power peer group. What did become apparent during the progress of the first sector however, was the slow rate of the fuel flow meter, compared to previous outings. I always insist on a tank to tank physical measurement to back up these measuring devices, but my gut feeling was that this truck was delivering something special in the diesel department and after almost two years we could finally be in with a chance of beating the best overall 8mpg figure set by an MAN TGA440. After a flawless journey of two hours and three minutes we pulled into Kinross Services for the lunchtime halt and after a double check of the figures the Stralis revealed a first sector fuel return of 8.89mpg. Things were looking promising for the rest of the day if luck, however it works, stayed on our side. The undulating roads and series of roundabouts on our circular tour of Fife put the Stralis’ Eurotronic AS 2300 TD gearbox under the spotlight. This 12 speed unit comes courtesy of manufacture ZF and top gear is direct drive (1:1). There’s no clutch pedal to worry about and slow speed manoeuvring is facilitated by an extra push on the relevant drive or reverse button. Clutch engagement when pulling off from a standstill is a little on the safe side and whilst this will indeed protect the service life on the unit, the driver must take the response speed into account. I for one found this easy to predict and implement after a couple of junctions. For almost all of the test I left the gear system in full auto and intervened only occasionally with an early up change via the right hand steering column stalk. If desired, more manual intervention can be the case once you’ve pressed the drive button on the dash and then flick up and down the box’s ratios using the control. To revert back to full auto, you just press the drive switch again. Throughout the day, gear movements were consistently snappy and swift, whilst some ascending changes could be induced by subtle use of the right foot. The Meritor MS13-175 hypoid rear axle incorporates a diff lock as standard and featured a ratio of 2.85:1. With this fitted, in addition to the direct top gearbox, I expected a lot of gear shifting between 11th and 12th on 40mph limited sections, but strangely this was not the case. Iveco has put a great deal of work into its engine and gearbox monitoring software to deliver a clever driving experience. The day of good fortune continued to deliver in the Kingdom and I rolled through every roundabout, junction and obstruction without having to come to a halt. The steady driving progress meant the Stralis recorded a super quick journey time of one hour six minutes, besides delivering an amazing 10.10mpg, the best figure ever achieved for our second sector through Fife. This part of the day also forms a good test of the steering and handling through some undulating sections with frequent camber changes. Positioning the Stralis on narrow roads is easy thanks to the light and easy action of the steering wheel. Bigger radius turns, such as tight corners and roundabouts showed that this tractor with its positively steered second axle has a lock arc ‘way above average. The design of the AT cab’s window lines is also beneficial when traversing single lane carriageways, as from the driver’s seat it’s easy to set up your visual parameters in relation to the vehicle’s perimeters. Fully loaded at 44 tonnes, the Iveco delivered competent handling which inspired driver confidence. As is usual with this type of prime mover, a slight under steer was occasionally detected, but this was never a safety issue. The Stralis had the standard front spring/rear air set up, with parabolic springs up front and electronically controlled air bags middle and rear. Both front and rear axles are equipped with anti-roll bars and shock absorbers whilst the middle wheels lift via pneumatic assistance. I felt the suspension was working well within its limits and was never really troubled by whatever I asked of it. The elation of a record breaking run so far, ended on the Edinburgh City Bypass when I remembered about the temporary, four way traffic lights at the A702’s Damhead junction. These road works had been in place for weeks to facilitate the sinking of the capital’s new main water supply pipe and I’d heard big snarl ups reported on the radio almost every day. My heart sank as the thought of abandoned third sector measurements would wreck all the hard work and good fortune we’d encountered so far. Once again though, the gods were with us and I was convinced it was a dream when I approached the restriction to find a solid green traffic light and no traffic queuing in front of us. Sailing through these works I vowed to buy a lottery ticket that night and had to remind myself to ‘keep the heid’ and concentrate on the last, challenging home straight that is the Biggar road. The sharp downhill turns of this route are as good a trial as any for a vehicle brakes and typically for an Iveco, the left pedal has a slightly longer travel than some, but the stopping power is among the best around. The full air system is electronically operated bringing into life all round, 436mm discs. These anchors got a good share of usage, as I felt the Cursor 10’s engine Turbo-Brake, which works through the variable geometry turbocharger, could only do so much on steep descents. Despite deliberately putting a bit of heat into the brakes on a couple of occasions, they never faltered or showed any signs of stress. Back at Abington more double checking of fuel figures and a refill of the diesel tank showed we set yet another record on the last sector with 7.14mpg accomplishment. That final number brought the overall sector mpg to a new Transport News top figure of 8.71mpg, smashing my previous best by .71mpg. Iveco’s Stralis 450AT has now thrown down the gauntlet for other trucks to equal or surpass. This truck delivered on every front, be it journey times, driver comfort, payload and of course fuel consumption. The days of people needing to see beyond the badge of an Iveco are long gone, it’s now the truck to beat on our 200 mile Scottish test route.