LCV

58 | LCV I New Iveco Daily - “The Transition Starts Today”

The test of time is a measure that can be hard to refute and it’s a test that Iveco’s long serving Daily model has passed to an extent greater than most of its competitors. Since its launch in 1978, the Iveco Daily, in its many iterations, has at some time received every accolade available, while sales figures of over 1.6 million units is testament to its popularity and durability.

The model year 2022 version of Daily sets out to enhance the model’s driveability, further improve the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for the operators, and improve driver comfort. It is not easily achieved in the van sector with the vast differences between the needs of operators and the variety of working environments.

Iveco is confident that it has achieved its aims. An important contributing factor it is keen to highlight is that it is a truck manufacturer that thinks commercially when designing its vehicles. This means it designs from a truck down to a car, unlike some other OEMs who reconfigure a car to create a van. The 2022 Daily is also the stepping stone to the launch of the fully electric Daily due to be revealed in September at the IAA Transportation in Hannover, Germany.

Iveco’s Daily continues to do what it has always done - and do it well. Daily still has the largest carrying capacity at 19.6 cubic metres and up to 7.2 tonnes gross weight. This, Iveco believes, makes Daily a viable competitor to the small 7.5 tonne truck. 70% of all new Dailys sold are in a chassis cab format, and interestingly 60-65% of these are ordered with a manual transmission. Having such large volumes ordered as chassis cab creates opportunities for bodybuilders to work their magic. However, in a new development, Iveco is working with a number of select bodybuilders who will fabricate and fit the required bodywork and this work will then be approved by the Italian manufacturer. Importantly, this approval then carries with it the full 3 year Iveco warranty. The range of body types available is substantial and the level of workmanship and finish on display on demo vehicles at Millbrook Proving Grounds was first class.

This is just one of the enhancements Iveco has brought to the 2022 Daily offering. Other enhancements include an increase in torque of up to 15%, resulting in a possible decrease in fuel consumption of 6%. With a mind to emissions, Iveco has now introduced a double dosing AdBlue system for the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). While it readily accepts this will increase AdBlue consumption, it believes much of the cost increase will be offset by reduced maintenance costs, with for example transmission oil change intervals extended from 150,000 to 350,000 kilometres. Also Iveco now fits Eco A/B rated tyres as standard.

Certainly anything that can reduce operating costs is to be welcomed as are any features to make the driver’s job easier. New memory foam upholstered seats are offered and can be included as part of a series of ‘Packs’ which include Winter, Construction, Delivery Regional and Delivery Urban, not forgetting the Minibus which is a wholly Iveco derived unit.

Iveco’s new Daily in both van and bus configuration keeps one important element of its truck derived lineage - its ladder frame chassis and rear-wheel drive. The reason Iveco views this as important is that as the models begin the transition to full electric, the ladder chassis will allow greater scope for the placement of battery packs and ancillaries, and while Iveco is tight lipped about the finer details of the forthcoming Daily EV, we heard that “it will work with the same DNA”. However, what Iveco did reveal about the Daily EV is that it will be able to tow, operate in more challenging conditions, and provide the option of a PTO.

At the event Paul Kirkby, eLCV Export, EV Esstentials, presented some

interesting asides on the future viability of electric vehicles and the electric van in particular. He feels that now is the time to begin the move towards full electric mode. However, Paul noted that this must be done with the full involvement of the staff and in particular a company’s fleet managers. “It is important to encourage fleets to change, not expect them to change, and fleet managers must now begin to consider new cost models”. He feels it is important to begin to plan for all aspects of the business even extending to the lease or ownership of a company’s premises and how that site is serviced with sub-stations, cabling and power outlets. This raises important aspects as to how long a company may be located anywhere and whether it should invest in infrastructure or move to another site.

At the event there were 8 quite diverse versions of the 2022 Daily to drive. We first chose a drop body manual transmission work utility vehicle, which was then followed by taking out the standard volume-selling panel van, and finishing off with the Daily Minibus. Because the test event was based at the Millbrook vehicle test facility it is possible to replicate all manner of road conditions a vehicle may be subject to during its life. The new Dailys were run on a selection of the tracks from the tight twisting city circuit to the alpine route to the full banked high speed track. The 2022 Daily managed everything thrown at it and one aspect that particularly impressed was the agility of the Minibus and the turning circle of the long wheelbase unit. In addition, due to some seriously bad weather on the day we managed to fully appreciate the benefits of Iveco’s crosswind assist when driving the Minibus on the high-speed track.

Both manual and the 8-speed Hi-Matic transmissions have received upgrades and the improvements are noticeable. There are a number of innovations available on the new Daily, and worthy of note is the Proactive Lane Keeping Assist, Hill Descent, City Brake Pro and Stop Start with Que Assist where the van will move and stop in keeping with slow moving traffic (below 5 km/h).

On the technology front Iveco is keen to promote its ‘Driver PAL’ system, which is linked to Iveco Connected, Iveco On and Iveco Assistance Non Stop. For many van operators whose vans may drive to a site and remain there for the day these systems will hold little attraction. However, for those that are on the road all day delivering, collecting and servicing, and especially those working in remote locations, functions such as Driver PAL and associated systems could prove invaluable. Another introduction to Daily is the AirPro suspension system which can be controlled by the driver from the cab or at the rear of the vehicle. In addition to a memory function, Air Pro has three settings to compensate for load and road conditions and can be lowered or raised to assist with loading and unloading.

It is clear that yet again Iveco’s Daily has delivered more innovation to the vastly diverse van sector, and although not all of these innovations will be of benefit to all operators there is most definitely something here - for everyone in the audience.

Text: Paul White - paul@fleet.ie

SUMMARY OF NEW FEATURES & UPDATES

Driver Pal Air Pro Comfort Seats Increased Torque

Ext Service Intervals Deeper Bulkhead Transmission Update 8-Speed Hi-Matic

Que Assist Hill Descent Proactive LKA Cross Wind Assist

Fiat Professional’s new mid-sized van sees the return of a familiar name, but also heralds the start of an exciting new era for the Italian manufacturer which is now part of the extensive Stellantis Group.

Having previously collaborated with PSA’s Peugeot and Citroën in the production of the original Scudo from 2002 to 2016, Fiat Professional partnered up with Renault for its subsequent 1-tonne light commercial vehicle offering, the Talento. However once the announcement was made that Fiat Professional (along with the other brands in the Fiat Chrysler Group) was to amalgamate with Groupe PSA to form the new Stellantis Group, it was inevitable that the next generation mid-sized offering from Fiat Professional would avail of the existing technology within the wider family.

Thus we have the new Scudo, which bears a rather marked resemblance to the Peugeot Expert and Citroën Dispatch. And the Opel Vivaro and its Vauxhall sibling bearing the same name. And from outside the Stellantis Group, the Toyota Proace….

That’s the nature of LCV production these days, with nearly every manufacturer partnering up with rivals to reduce the cost of designing, engineering and producing vehicles. It might suggest that end-users ultimately have less choice when it comes to selecting their commercial vehicles, but manufacturers are at pains to highlight that even where they ostensibly offer the same product as other brands, there are still plenty of differentiating factors between them to meet specific needs.

Brand loyalty within specific markets is one factor that manufacturers are keenly aware of. It’s one major reason why Peugeot-Citroën was keen to acquire Opel in 2018, to open up the lucrative German market that has traditionally been difficult to crack for French brands. At the launch of the Scudo at Fiat’s headquarters in Turin, Eric Laforge, Head of Stellantis Light Commercial Vehicles was asked about whether the Group needed to produce five versions of the same van. He made the observation that Peugeot and Citroën are French, Opel is German, Vauxhall is British and Fiat is Italian, with each brand performing especially strongly in their respective home markets. Add in Japanese Toyota and a fair proportion of the world’s LCV market can claim this one-tonne offering as their own.

Another strength of the Fiat Professional brand highlighted by Eric and by Richard Chamberlain, Director of Commercial Vehicles for Stellantis UK is its dealer network which is more commercial vehicle oriented than many other brands, notably with respect to aspects such as out of hours servicing.

In Ireland we might not be able to claim home advantage with any of the individual offerings, but nonetheless there exists a great deal of loyalty for individual brands. Having a competitive product to meet the needs of loyal customers is a must, particularly if they can go and buy pretty much the same product from another brand down the road.

As well as now being part of the Stellantis Group, Fiat Professional has also received the boost of new ownership in the Irish market, with the Gowan Group having taken over distri-

FIAT Professional Scudo makes a welcome return

bution rights for the brand. With a new team in place and new products coming down the line, there’s a strong level of optimism that all the necessary building blocks are being put in place to build and expand the brand from the 1.8% market share it recorded in 2020.

NEW SCUDO - DIESEL AND ELECTRIC VERSIONS ON THE WAY

The new generation Scudo comes with two power choices of diesel and electric, and is available in panel van, crew cab, platform cab and Combi M1 variants in short or long wheel base versions. Fiat Professional Ireland has not yet confirmed if all model types will be sold here, with the new vehicle due to arrive this summer.

Visually it’s distinguished from its close relatives from other manufacturers by the prominent ‘FIAT’ lettering on the front grille. That’s the new branding which replaces the previously used Fiat Professional logo on the front, though the logo remains on the back of the van. Inside, apart from the Fiat badged steering wheel, it’s the familiar layout and switchgear as found elsewhere. It’s no bad thing as it’s a well designed and equipped area, though in little details like analogue dials and fairly small infotainment screens, the cabin is starting to show its age relative to more recently launched rivals, not least Fiat Professional’s own freshly updated Ducato.

The all-electric E-Scudo features a 50 kWh or 75 kWh battery which provide power to a 136hp electric motor that powers the front wheels. Respective ranges for the two batteries are up to 230km and 330km. The E-Scudo can accept both AC charging up to 11kW and DC charging at speeds of up to 100kW. At that input it will take around 45 minutes to charge the 75 kWh battery to 80% from empty, or just 32 minutes for the smaller battery. For overnight charging on a 7.4kW wall box, expect to fully recharge the batteries in 7 hours / 11 hours respectively. There is also a choice of 1.5 Multijet diesel engines with 102 and 120 hp outputs, as well as 2.0 litre versions with power figures of 145 and 180hp. The 1.5 diesels are offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox, the 145hp 2.0 litre has a choice of manual or 8-speed torque converter automatic, while the 180hp comes only with the auto gearbox.

Importantly, the E-Scudo comes with the same load volumes and payloads as the diesel version. That means load volume capacities from 5.3 to 6.6 cubic metres in the panel versions, and up to 1.2 tonnes of payload. Towing capacity of 1 tonne is also the same as for the diesels.

Safety is also to the fore, with fourteen Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features including automatic road sign recognition, automatic emergency braking and Lane Departure Warning amongst others.

DRIVINg

An opportunity to drive both electric and diesel versions around the streets of Turin highlighted both the similarities and differences between the two models. Sitting firstly behind the wheel of the E-Scudo with 75kWh battery, the only real clue to the fact it was an electric vehicle was an analogue energy gauge in place of a rev counter. The model tested was a top of the range version fitted with central mounted 7 inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as a heads up display.

Buttons on the centre island select the automatic gears and a choice of Eco, Normal and Power modes. Normal works well most of the time - Eco mode make the vehicle feel relatively lethargic while Power does give an extra surge but at the expense of range. As regards regeneration, there is a ‘B’ mode which provides some retardation over and above the regular ‘D’ setting, but it’s not powerful enough to bring the vehicle to a halt without using the brakes.

As with most electric vehicles, we found the E-Scudo very refined and smooth on the move, encouraging a more gentle driving style than you might be inclined to adopt in a diesel van. The refinement extended to noise reduction, with pleasantly little feedback from behind the bulkhead. Visibility from the driving seat was good, making the E-Scudo easy to operate in urban environments, while a top view camera

provided a clear view when parking or reversing.

In comparison, starting up a diesel Scudo (a 145hp diesel version with auto transmission) felt rather old school initially, but very quickly the same merits noted from driving the E-Scudo became apparent. Certainly 145hp is plenty of power for the van, and it’s hard to see the need to opt for the range topping 180hp version.

While prices and specification levels have yet to be finalised ahead of their arrival this summer, the new Scudo and E-Scudo will be welcome additions to Fiat Professional’s range in Ireland in what is a strongly performing sector of the market.