Daily Makes A Play For High Payloads
What’s so special about the newly launched, upgraded Iveco Daily van range? It’s all down to X and Y factors plus DNA, discovers Alistair Vallance. IT’S ONE of the oldest cliches in the CV book: Panel vans are built by car manufacturers, except the Daily which is produced by truck builder Iveco. But it is still a fact, and when you are offering a van grossing 6.5 tonnes with up to a 3.5 tonne payload, it’s reassuring to have a truck-style chassis underneath you. Thinking ‘truck’ when building the Daily van range has paid massive dividends for Iveco. Since 1978 over 1.7 million have been sold worldwide equalling 60% of Iveco‘s unit output and claiming the title of No 1 van in Europe. ‘Every five minutes someone buys a Daily,’ says the Italian manufacturer’s new UK marketing director Andrea Bucci and in the UK market the marque is gaining status in the wide 2.8 to 6.5 GVW market with 6% of the action, translated into 6,511 unit sales last year. Interestingly, that entire van market segment has risen from 60,000 units in 1995 to 144,561 in 2005 – well worth competing for a slice and Iveco reckons that over 3.5 tonnes, Daily has captured third spot with the AGile automated box helping to push sales along. Over 1,200 have been supplied to British buyers. The new Daily, labelled ‘professional DNA’ (Daily Now Available?) must see its strength in a well designed ruggedness powered by a range of Euro 4 diesels where EGR was simply added to the 2.3 and 3.0 litre power units. Also add a steel chassis and the Daily owner is ready to compete with greater payload potential. Iveco’s UK van product manager John Stokes has a complicated formula for confirming Daily’s edge on the oppo. He calls it his ‘X factor’ calculated by dividing vehicle length by turning circle and multiplying this figure by the body’s cubic metre capacity divided by the wheelbase. Easy. And Mr Stokes is emphatic that Daily has the best X factor in the business! Ever mindful of looking at transport problems from diverse and different directions, Transport News also suggested a Y factor to calculate the difference in cost terms between a 6.5 tonne Daily versus a 7.5 tonne EuroCargo. Calculations are still ongoing at Iveco’s Watford HQ, but there can’t be much in it. Payload is probably similar at 3.5 tonnes and on the power side Daily’s 176bhp EGR diesel competes with the EuroCargo 180bhp SCR engine. I understand that a similar calculation was done when Iveco considered launching the Daily at a ‘head to head’ 7.5 tonnes gross, but relative braking efficiency was a concern, even with the recent move to 16in wheels allowing larger disc brakes to arrest what would virtually be a 4.5 tonne payload in panel van, albeit the robust truck-type Daily. For the driver, the new Daily offers a restyled cab with a slick dash mounted gear lever, together with more supportive seats, and additional interior storage space. Also, Daily can be specified with a rear camera and load area lighting systems as well as parking sensors to aid reversing. This all represents the latest in a long line of developments which have seen the introduction of common rail diesel engines, AGile automatic transmissions, compressed natural gas (CNG) powered engines and an increasingly diverse range of models. The full UK product line-up is available in van, semi-window van, chassis cab, chassis crew cab and MPV versions, extending to over 2,500 possible configurations with models available between 3.2 and 6.5 tonnes. It also includes the largest panel van available on the market, offering a load carrying capacity of 17.2cu.m, one of just eight different load space volumes available from 7cu.m. ENGINE LINE-UP One of the most notable changes with the new Daily is a revised line-up of Euro 4 engines between 2.3 and 3.0 litre, offering greater power output, torque and flexibility. The 2.3 litre HPI (High Performance Injection) and 3.0 HPT (High Performance Turbo) were originally launched in 2003 and 2005 respectively. Operators can specify the 2.3 litre engine at 96, 116 or 136hp, or the 3.0 litre engine at 146 or 176hp, with the most powerful engine expected to prove popular for ‘blue light’ applications. Oil and filter changes are only required every 40,000km and the 2.3 litre engines use a long life toothed timing belt which benefits from a 240,000km or five year replacement interval. Larger 3.0 litre engines use a timing belt which is projected to last for the full life of the vehicle and has successfully been tested to 350,000km, say Iveco who launched the Daily Professional DNA in the summer of 2006. Then, our man in Turin enthused, ‘True Italian passion has been brought into the design process to offer real style. Sure, an Iveco Daily van is a workhorse and under the skin lies a strong truck chassis, but why not make it something to be proud of when you’re behind the wheel? With this in mind they sought the expertise of ‘designer of the century’ Giorgetto Giugiaro. The result is a good looking vehicle, retaining the recognisable Iveco identity, but with many improvements. Bumpers are stylish whilst still offering all important protection. There are split mirrors for additional safety, along with more functional positioning of the indicators. But Giugiaro did not stop with just the exterior; improvements to the interior are designed with driver comfort and ease of movement across the cabin in mind. Iveco have made the handbrake shorter, with a lighter action, freeing up space within the cab.’ SAFETY FEATURES Additional safety features have been built into the new Daily, with new, larger ventilated brake discs helping to bring a typical 3.5 tonne S class van from 60 to 0mph in just 42 metres. All of the new Dailys are equipped with ABS and EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution) sensors, and braking systems across the entire range have been improved to enhance both braking efficiency and brake life. Furthermore, as with the previous 3.5 tonne model, all Daily models right up to 6.5 tonnes can be specified with active ESP8, the latest generation Electronic Stability Program which ‘recognises’ the distribution of the vehicle’s payload, thereby adjusting its response during manoeuvres. An integral part of the ESP8 is the hill holder system which assists the driver during hill starts. It is activated when the ESP control unit perceives a variation in the vehicle’s inclination and that the vehicle is in first gear, with the brake and clutch pedal depressed. It then maintains pressure on the front brake callipers for 1.5 seconds after release of the pedal, allowing the driver to set off with ease. During downhill starts in first gear, the hill holder function remains inactive, whereas the opposite is true when in reverse gear and the system is activated during downhill starts and deactivated during uphill starts. A hands free telephone guarantees maximum driving safety under all conditions, with the devise integrated into the dashboard, automatically muting the volume of the stereo when incoming calls are received or outgoing calls made. It also allows users with a Bluetooth mobile phone to make a call if their phone is in the pocket of their jacket or bag, with the call broadcast through the stereo speakers. Additionally the device enables the driver to browse the phone book on the vehicle display… when parked. The complete model line-up extends to three classes (according to gross vehicle weight): L, S and C, each in van or chassis cab versions. These can be specified with a choice of five engines, a selection of different wheelbases and interior heights, lengths, volume capacities, and side and rear door configurations. Prices for the new Daily start from £16,400, that’s 1% up on the previous model, with a comprehensive three year/100,000 mile warranty.