DRIVERS' VERDICTS
Page 40
Page 41
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Mike Walton drives a Daf 2800 for Nelsons Transport, Keighley, Yorkshire. Before he opened the door he commented: "The handle is just where it should be. There's no need to stretch up for it...and the door opening is plenty big enough". From the driving seat he looked up at the radio above his head:"I can see the knobs without looking too far away from the road." He likes accelerators like this one which have to be pressed down rather than pushed forward.
He found it difficult to reach into the overhead shelf and noticed that the night heater control can be reached from either bunk. He wanted to know about the stowage beneath the bunk: "Guys that spend a lot of time out need that space." As we pulled out of the lorry park he said: "Vision on the nearside is a bit poor. It needs a window behind the door. Vision to the right and in front is better. It pulls well and I feel as comfortable as I do in my own car".
Newcastle lad Bill Gelbraith has been driving for 23 years; he handles an ERE El 0 for Kent Connection, which already has had a EuroTech on trial for a couple of weeks. "I'm used to the park brake being up front but everything else seems to be in the right place. Except for that box in the way of the bunk. It only needs to be half that size." Looking down at the levers at the side of the seat he had little trouble in adjusting it" The backrest gives support right up to the shoulders" he told us. But he too had difficulty in reaching into the shelf above the screen.
Owner-driver John Hill, up from Frome, has a three axled Scania and spends a lot of time away from home. "Journey times are going to get longer so anyone looking to change now has to be looking at 400hp plus just to keep the speed up" he told us. "If you hit a bump the lip on the bock edge of this overhead shelf won't stop magazines or papers from flying all over the place but there is plenty of room to stand up". A glance at the bunks was all that he needed to tell that "the mattresses are a bit thin and narrow." Back in the driving seat he thought that headlight adjustment was worthwhile" It stops the dazzle otherwise other trucks keep flashing you". He didn't think he would be able to reach his CB if it was located in the centre overhead console "and where are the plug sockets for the kettle and TV". The voltage dropper is already installed we are told but the sockets are extra. "The outside locker is a bit small. You need somewhere to put ropes and chains. I don't want them inside when they are wet." ADRIAN BAXTER: drives a Leyland Daf 95.330 on international work for Inter Forward.
If there are any criticisms in this area it's the noise levels, which rise with its road speed.
The charge-cooled engine is brisk and the slick Twin Splitter serves it well. Flicking through a 1Hi/2Med/3Lo gearchange sequence makes light of starting on the flat; one ratio down in each gear suffices for gradients.
Between the 40 and 50mph single and dual-carriageway limits it cruises in the green at 1,250-1,300rpm in the top two ratios. Traffic permitting, 60mph can be sustained at 1,50Orpm.
As the hill climb times show, there's no shortage of power for gradients.
We had to wait for dry test tracks to verify its stopping power, but it was worth it. Hard pedal stops blew away any reservations we might have had about using disc brakes at top weights. They pulled us up straight with no locking at all, but over the severe hill section long bouncy descents produced a curious effect. Using first the exhaust brake then the footbrake at critical points caused a rather abrupt loss of air pressure down to 8.0bar.
This was only noticed when a downchange was needed but there was no assistance at the clutch pedal. Thoughts of insufficient reservoir capacity sprang to mind. Not so, said the Iveco engineer; with 8.0bar the clutch should still be light. This remains a mystery.
lveco's test trailer had brand new brake shoes so the road test was part of the bedding-in process which accounted for the cooking out back. The curtainsider also carried a very low steel-ingot test load, giving it a much lower CofG than the average rig. No wonder it handled so well; on test track curves it hugged the line like a much lower slung machine.
• CAB COMFORT
Drivers of earlier Iveco models will be impressed with the new cab.
Wide,well-spaced steps and long hand rails are welcome, while the fully adjustable steering column and seat means that just about anyone can be accommodated.
There are large window areas—those on the doors are reminiscent of the old Cargo and Volvo FL6 cabs—but the Truck of the Year '93 decal obscures some 20% of the otherwise very deep windscreen and really ought to be removed in the interests of safety!
Apart from the the exhaust button much thought has gone into the positioning of the gauges (nicely back-lit in green), controls and switches which are laid out according to frequency of use. There are plenty of blanks for extra switches; even the bowed door window frame doubles as a useful arm rest. On the downside it's impossible to tune the radio from the driving seat.
The entire front bulkhead section seems to have been slimmed down. This combines with the fairly low engine tunnel and the dash panel's shallow centre section to create the impression of a very roomy working and sleeping space. Cab trim is a mix of greys and black with colour provided by the seat covers and curtain material.
There is some storage under the bunks with locker and pocket space around the cab but it won't be enough for drivers hauling to the Continent.
Light and roof-vent switches are well placed but the bunk mattresses leave something to be desired, especially the bottom one.
At 1.88m (6ft 9in) it will accommodate lofties with ease but it is barely 60mm (2.4in) thick and needs more support. There's plenty of headroom over each bunk; it varies between 750 and 790mm with 2.03 (6ft 8in) from footwell on the passenger side to the roof vent.
Full-drop curtains hide the bunks and there are also wrap-around curtains Changing clothes entails standing in the passengers footwell-an area measuring 300x530mm (12x21in)-or on the engine cover. It's a pity that Iveco did not follow Scaniis lead by fitting a passenger seat that slides back and folds away.
• SUMMARY Iveco Ford sees the MP400E34T as its premium fleet model, and it's selling well; 153 EuroTechs were registered in August, mostly 254kW 4x2s.
There are over 130 in the Russell Davies fleet, Parcel Force has taken another 36 and Eddie Stobbart truck spotters will soon have 10 to look for in his colours.
This is more than just another comfy new truck that's easy to drive. It delivers the goods in every sense with excellent fuel economy, more than adequate performance and the promise of a pretty fair payload.
At 50,000kin intervals the EuroTech's 15.4hr service downtime must be music to the gaffer's ears. That compares with 18 hours for the Sarnia R113-360 6x2 and 20.8 hours for Leyland Dais FT85-360. The Cummins L10-engined Foden 4350 needs twice as much downtime. Parts prices are a different story, with Foden bits some 40% cheaper than the EuroTech, 30% less than the 85-Series and half the cost of Scania items.
If published list prices are anything to go on the MP400E34T is a snip at £56,762 (there are rumours of a price rise next month). That's just 150 dearer than the Foden 4350 but £4,300 below the Leyland Dal. At nearly £73,000 the premium Scania is way out on its own in the wrong direction.
The EuroTech range, and this one in particular, looks to have a bright future which could give some of the others a bumpy ride. E by Bryan Jarvis