14 | TEST DRIVE
Iveco X-WAY Tipper – ‘21st Century Bronze Age’
Iveco’s continued development of its ‘WAY’ model line-up has now directed its focus on the grittier end of the transport business. Following on from the well-received and highly praised S-WAY, the Italian manufacturer has now enhanced its construction range with the X- WAY. In line with S- WAY, which many consider the most stylish truck on the road, Iveco’s X- WAY also comes with good looks as standard, and its styling elevates the truck above any preconceived prejudices often aimed at the tipping fraternity. The profile goes well beyond attractive styling and as all good design should, it delivers true functionality in addition to future-proofing the appearance. The truck’s high stance lends it a determined profile that is as essential as it is attractive, and offers an impressive approach and departure angles of 28º and 18º respectively.
‘Iveco’s heritage in the tipper sector stretches back to MagirusDeutz, followed by the Eurotrakker and the Trakker and now with the X-WAY The driver’s door opens to 90 degrees which aids access and egress and while the steps are somewhat small, they are well positioned and well-spaced. One criticism is a fixing bracket mounted halfway along the right-hand grab rail: this means the driver cannot slide their hand up along the bar and must remove it while climbing in and out. After the first couple of times it ceases to be an issue, nevertheless, it is something that could be addressed relatively simply. With a rear window behind and a vision panel in the near-side door, the FLEETTRANSPORT | FEB - MAR 22
‘Active Day’ cab feels light and airy, where often a low roofed day cab with a dark interior trim could feel cramped and oppressive. There is adequate storage for folders, documents, and cup holders, and the X- WAY is fitted with sufficient USB ports as well as 12V and 24V charge points. Iveco has also included the simple things such as coat hooks for jackets and wet gear. The overhead shelves are suitable and though they are not enclosed at the front, are deep enough to hold items without bouncing out. The dash is finished in a modern black trim which manages to be attractive, easy to clean, durable and should prove suitable for the task. From the driver’s seat, the dashboard binnacle is well laid out and easy to read with standard gauges rather than digital readouts. It is worth noting that even with the vision panel, Iveco has managed to fit a fully lowering electric window in the near-side door. Enhanced by this panel, visibility around the truck is first class, although the large infotainment display does impede slightly.
The rearview mirrors provide an accurate image for the driver and while the assembly is relatively large, any possible blind spot is reduced by the arms being set quite far out from the body allowing the driver to see between the A-pillar and the mirror itself. The overall fit and finish of X- WAY is very appealing and more importantly, there is a marked improvement in the build quality. As is the modern trend a myriad of functions can be controlled from the steering wheel and while this may take some getting used to, it is time well spent and worth the effort. In addition, the connectivity afforded with the ‘Iveco On’ telematics programme is superb and allows operators access to valuable real-time information about how their truck and its driver are performing. Once on the road in our X- WAY test vehicle which was powered by Iveco’s Cursor 11 engine, we found it moves well and is noticeably quiet in its operation. The 11.1 litre is matched to the Iveco’s 12-speed Hi-Tronix, based on ZF’s TraXon
