AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO UTES, VANS, LIGHT TRUCKS & PEOPLE MOVERS
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www.deliverymagazine.com.au ISSUE 42 JUNE/JULY 2012 RRP: $7.95
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THE BEST VANS, UTES & PEOPLE MOVERS
OF 2012
FEATURE
THE BEST
OFBEST
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THE
considering it’s very much the new carmaker on the block. The latest version of the iLoad gains an additional gear in the automatic transmission, plus a few more kW from the engine. There’s nothing new or particularly appealing about Toyota’s HiAce van, currently running in second place in the sales race. But there is every reason to renew an acquaintance with Ford Transit, now boasting a new 2.2-litre diesel engine that’s offers more torque and a better drive with improved fuel economy when compared to the previous ECOnetic version that it replaces. And yet there’s more! Ford is scheduled to replace the Transit range completely next year, so stand by and watch what develops.
The annual Delivery Magazine Awards once again pick the best from the rest nother year and even more competition from the world’s vehicle manufacturers as they vie for the accolade of gaining recognition for developing the best ute, van and people mover available in Australia. Starting at the small van end of the market, there’s increasing activity with Renault reinventing itself with new dealerships and a much improved approach to how it presents its products in Australia.
The market leader of the small van segment is the Volkswagen Caddy, and into this competitive arena Renault is promoting its Kangoo, Peugeot its Partner, Suzuki its APV and Citroen its Berlingo. In the coming months we might also be seeing a replacement for the Holden Combo, now discontinued, and also the introduction by Ford of the Transit Connect. Mercedes-Benz is also about to enter this small van segment with a brand new model called the Citan, due for release towards the end of this year. In the medium van segment there’s already a heap of competition and some new products that again lift the bar in terms of expected performance standards. Hyundai has twice won the Best Van of the Year award with its iLoad, and, in the time it’s been available on our market, it’s managed to achieve market leadership. A great achievement
Citroen has its Dispatch van in this segment, Fiat its Scudo, and against Peugeot’s Expert there’s little enough variation to decide in favour of one or the other. Not so, though, with Renault’s Trafic, a delightful French van that exhibits more design flair than any of the competitors. Last year’s winner, the Mercedes-Benz Vito, remains exceptional in terms of its build quality, incorporated safety levels, drivability and performance. It’s gaining ground on the Volkswagen Transporter, and there are sufficient differences to enable a buyer to make an informed choice if they prefer German technology. Choose rear-wheel-drive and you’ll go for the Vito, choose front-wheel-drive and you’ll go for the Transporter. Anyone thinking of a Mitsubishi Express, with its age well and truly on display, must have rocks in their head. The only thing in favour of the Express is its price.
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THE BEST OF THE BEST There’s a surge of renewed interest in the large van segment as this provides car-like standards of driving and comfort without the need to add a body. Fiat leads the Italian charge with its Ducato as a direct competitor to fellow Italian manufacturer, IVECO, with the Daily. Renault has re-entered the segment this year with a revised version of the Master, and they are all ready now to battle it out with Ford’s Transit, again with a new engine, or the duo again from Germany in the form of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or Volkswagen Crafter. Sprinter can offer CNG as an alternative fuel, while Crafter has a revised engine range coming onto the market. Which van will score the award for the 2012 Van of the Year? Right now, we’ll narrow down the selection to the new Ford Transit, the new Renault Master and the new IVECO Daily, all trying to prove they are offering more this year than our current titleholder the Mercedes-Benz Vito. And to find out the winner you’ll have to wait to the end of this feature. Now, we’ll look at the ute market, and, if you thought there was stiff competition in the van segment, then you’re in for a treat with the ute market. The Mahindra Company of India may not be high on your shopping list, but its Pik-Up ute is actually rather impressive. This year it boasts a new engine, which is not without merit, but has only a two-star crash protection rating, which is in no way meritorious. SsangYong has a new engine for its Actyon ute, and this Korean manufacturer is offering a good overall package for the urban tradie. The Malaysianmade Jumbuck by Proton is now off the market, as the company waits for a new model as its replacement. Toyota’s HiLux recently became the top selling vehicle of the month. Not just the top selling ute, but top seller of any vehicle segment in Australia. The surprising factor with HiLux is that, in the grand scale of things, it’s not the best ute on the market. It benefits, though, from having one of the best dealer groups for support, hence the sales success.
process by not being able to actually present a vehicle for evaluation. Lot’s of talk at motor shows, and sneak previews, but no actual substance, as yet, that can be measured against competitive products. Also suffering from delays of introducing its new range is Isuzu Ute. To be fair to both Holden and Isuzu Ute, the delays preventing them from launching their new models have been caused by weather patterns across Thailand where they are built. Flooding of the areas around their factories cancelled all efforts to introduce these new vehicles at the start of the year as originally planned. Nissan is holding good market share with its Navara range, but the jewel in the crown here is definitely the ute with the 550 Nm Nissan diesel. This Japanese automaker has finally realised just how good this engine is by announcing it will be available in a broader range here in the future. In our book, that’s the model you go for if you want a Nissan badge on the bonnet. Volkswagen last year took the 2011 Ute of the Year crown with its Amarok, but, we have to say, its performance through this year has been rather under expectations. The company has been slow to bring the single cab to market and equally slow to offer a fully automatic transmission, although this is now due for launch over the next couple of months.
If you like contributing to a Communist economy in the hopes of influencing its human rights record, then there’s Great Wall, a Chinese company that manages to bring its 4x2 and 4x4 ute models in at a knock down pricing structure. Foton utes are finding their way onto the Australian scene, and they will be joined shortly by others Chinese manufactured utes, as the Chinese nation looks for new markets for its ever-growing auto industry. Holden is replacing its Colorado range this year, but missed out completely for inclusion in the judging
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AVAILABLE
OPTIONS
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As fuel prices rise, will Australians adopt alternatives such as LPG and, also, Bio Ethanol iquid petroleum gas (LPG) has long been the domain of taxis and hire cars, but, as petrol pricing continues to rise at the bowser, does LPG provide an option that will attract the average motorist?
has also changed is that both these factory-developed LPG alternatives are now dedicated to LPG only, removing the option previously available that enabled a car or ute owner to choose between LPG or petrol in a vehicle designed to operate on both fuels.
This year, both Ford and Holden have launched new electronicallycontrolled fuelling systems that have substantially improved the performance of their engines when running on LPG. Unfortunately, for both manufacturers, much of the expected appeal of these new developments has been diluted by the rising price of LPG at the bowser.
Having an engine that is designed to only operate on one fuel brings the benefit of being able to tune the engine to run at its optimum level. Having to run on two different fuels means there’s always a compromise, and the trade-off comes by way of less efficiency and worse performance.
For the car or ute buyer, the gas option all comes down to whether or not the effort is worth the investment. Sure, it costs on average around $2,500-$3,000 to add a gas conversion to any vehicle, but, until now, part of that additional cost has been rebated to private car buyers through Government grant.
Using the older systems of LPG injection also resulted in a trade-off that amounted to around a ten percent reduction in performance and a worsening of fuel economy by about the same amount. This was, however, offset by the attraction for the user of the ability to fill the fuel tank for around half the comparable cost of using petrol or diesel. The new LPG injection systems released by both Holden and Ford this year have closed the gap between both performance and economy of LPG versus standard unleaded petrol. What
Both carmakers have tackled the development of the latest LPG systems in slightly different ways. Ford chose to develop a new liquid phase injection system, while Holden stayed with the older gas injection technology but improved its efficiency. The Ford liquid phase injection system, developed in conjunction with Orbital engineering, is undoubtedly superior to the Holden system. But both systems provide vehicles that drive well and don’t suffer from the old complaints of poor starting and longer engine cranking cycles. Where Ford left off was in looking at the development of other alternative fuels. This is where Holden picked up the ball and ran with it, producing a separate version of the VE Series II Commodore that would accept another fuel, that of E85 BioEthanol. Ethanol is now part of Australian motoring, with most bowsers including a ten percent mix of Ethanol to 90 percent unleaded fuel. The 85 percent ethanol mix was aimed at showing how a sustainable fuel could be a substitute, in the long term, for fossil fuels. Currently, using E85 is only possible if you run a Holden Commodore VE Series II that conforms to Holden’s ecoline technology. There are benefits and disadvantages of using E85, and these relate to the octane rating, which in turn affects the fuel economy and performance available. When compared to a litre of unleaded fuel, a litre of E85 contains less energy but has a higher octane rating. This means that, although your cruising range will decrease, the performance available from the engine will increase. So, while
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AVAILABLE OPTIONS
your fuel economy will suffer, you will notice an increase in performance. This factor has not been overlooked by the V8 supercar race teams, which all run competitively on ethanol. When fuel economy isn’t the driving factor, the fuel choice all comes down to the maximum gain available in performance.
continue to make an attractive option. For Delivery readers, the choice comes down to whether they want to run LPG versions of either the Falcon or Commodore ute, and just what benefits they might expect in service.
Although, currently, only Holden has offered a car in Australia capable of running on E85, this fuel could well become more common in use in the relatively near future. BioEthanol is a man-made fuel, not a fossil-based fuel, and its use can reduce CO2 emissions by 20-40 percent, compared with a petrol engine. Future production processes could potentially reduce the CO2 emissions levels by up to 90 percent, compared to petrol.
Ford offers its liquid phase LPG injection in the Xl, R6 and XR6 ute variants, in both cab-chassis and Styleside box configurations.
Technology is in development that will allow E85 to be created from everyday materials, including household waste. Currently, it’s made from sorghum and the by-products of the industrial production of wheat (starch) and sugar (molasses).
For EcoLPi, that represents a 27 percent improvement in maximum power and a 10 percent improvement in peak torque compared to the previous generation E-Gas LPG engine, which produced 156 kW and 371 Nm. Despite the significant increases in power and torque, fuel efficiency has also improved, along with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions. Further gains have been achieved by swapping from a four-speed auto to the six-speed ZF automatic.
But, while your engine might be developed to run on E85, the problem within Australia is that of supply. Although fuel supplier, Caltex, has undertaken to supply E85 to a limited number of fuel outlets, there’s no suggestion that it’s either easy to find or, as yet, a practical alternative. Delivery magazine’s sister publication, ECOcar, has been busy evaluating the two different LPG injection systems to determine whether the advantages of running on LPG
The new EcoLPi engine develops 198 kW of power at 5000 rpm and 409 Nm of torque at 3250 rpm, which is identical to the petrol I6 engine when operating on higher octane 95 RON unleaded fuel (versus regular 91 RON unleaded).
Official ADR 81/02 fuel consumption certification testing on EcoLPi has returned combined cycle results of 12.5 l/100 km on Falcon XT and 12.6 l/100 km on XR6 models, which represent improvements of 16.1 percent and 15.4 percent respectively. DELIVERY
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t’s called the Citan, and, for those interested in how names come into being, the official explanation is that it’s derived from mixing the words City and Titan together, at which point you get Citan or Titty. No prizes for guessing which came out on top.
For Mercedes-Benz, the suggestion of entering the small van segment is totally new, bringing in the product range as a step-down from Vito and its larger cousin the Sprinter. For the buyer, it means typical flow-on of technology and safety from the Mercedes-Benz range and a true rival for other entrants in this segment such as the VW Caddy, Renault Kangoo and the other European alternatives such as the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo. The only small Japanese van entry is the Suzuki APV. This small van segment is currently running in the Australian market at an annual registration level of 3,200 units for 2011 (VFacts), but is showing an increase for the first quarter of 2012 of 22 percent with volumes already at 772 units (YTD comparison with 2011). Citan comes into a market where the dominant player is Volkswagen. The Caddy is currently enjoying a market share of 52.7 percent in the Australian market, well ahead of
second placed Suzuki with 16.8 percent market share. The Holden Combo drifts out of our market until a replacement comes on line, leaving Citroen and Peugeot to scratch their heads in wonderment as both makers analyse their abysmal performance in this segment. Whereas the small van segment was still a niche market in the mid-1990s, it has now grown to around 700,000 units in Europe. At that level of sales, it means Mercedes-Benz becomes interested as the viability of the segment justifies the investment in creating an all-new model line-up. Mercedes-Benz already is the undisputed market leader for mid-size and large vans in Western Europe, and, 2011, was the most successful year in the division’s history. In Western Europe, the brand increased its market share to 18 percent in 2011. Market share rose in the US from 4.9 to 7.2 percent and currently amounts to six percent in China. With a corporate forecast that suggests it’s possible for the German car maker to add a further market share of four to five percent in this segment, Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, is convinced that the Citan will be a big success. “We sold over 264,000 vehicles last year, boosting profits by 85 percent and achieving a new record of €835 million,” said Mornhinweg.
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INSIGHT ON CITAN “The return on sales also reached an all-time high. It amounted to 9.1 percent in 2011, enabling us to not only reach our target for 2013, but to exceed it. “Our typical Mercedes-Benz reliability, 24/7 service, and, last but not least, our great brand image are key selling points as far as our commercial customers are concerned. We aim to sell more than 400,000 units worldwide by 2015,” he added. Due to its large number of variants, the new urban delivery van is aimed at a broad range of commercial applications. Not only will the Citan be offered as a panel van, a crewbus, and a mixed-use vehicle, it will also be available in a variety of lengths and weights. The Citan will be launched onto the global market in the third quarter of this year and was unveiled to the general public in the form of a 3D rendition at the RAI Commercial Vehicle Show in Amsterdam prior to its public debut at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover in September. As the first vehicle to be created as a result of the strategic partnership between Daimler and Renault-Nissan, the drive concept encompasses a broad range of low-emission, fuel-efficient diesel and petrol engines and includes a BlueEFFICIENCY package. An electric drive version is also being planned. The power choice comes from three high-torque turbodiesel direct-injection engines, ranging from 55 kW (75 hp) to 81 kW (110 hp), as well as a supercharged petrol engine with 84 kW (114 hp).
All of the diesel engines are equipped with a particulate filter as standard equipment. Power is transmitted to the front wheels by five- and six-speed transmissions, with an easily reachable joystick selection lever in the centre console. A BlueEFFICIENCY package is available as standard equipment for the petrol-powered Citan and as optional equipment for the diesel variants. This package includes the ECO start/stop function, a battery and generator management system, and variant-dependent low rolling-resistance tyres, which help to reduce fuel consumption even further. The basic version is the panel van, which is available in three lengths: 3.94 metres, 4.32 metres, and 4.71 metres. Another model is the Citan Mixto with five seats, which is based on the extra-long version (4.71 m) and has a foldable rear bench seat and two sliding doors. The third basic model is the Citan crewbus, which is mounted on the long wheelbase (4.32 m) and can also be delivered as a five-seater with a foldable rear bench seat and sliding door (optionally available with sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle). Depending on the model selected, the vehicle is available in three weight variants with a GVW up to 2,200 kilograms. As is the case with every Mercedes-Benz vehicle, safety plays a big role. The Electronic Stability Program ADAPTIVE ESP comes as standard, and this system differs from those of some other competitors by taking the vehicle load into consideration. This innovative dynamic handling control
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ustralian van buyers have never had it so good. Ours is one of the few markets where choice is almost unlimited, and the Australian van buyer can determine the importance for their buying preference of price, safety, performance or economy.
It’s no longer possible to presume that a German brand is manufactured by Germans in Germany. Because of globalisation, it could come from almost any location in the world.
Even though the brands of the manufacturers may remain the same, the supply chain used by these well-known names results in vehicles available on the Australian market coming from Western and Eastern Europe, South Africa, Turkey, South America, North America, Japan, Thailand and now China. As China develops its own auto industry, its focus until now has been more towards satisfying its own population than looking to export. Without the history and depth that comes with a long standing experience and familiarisation of decades of vehicle manufacturing, the Chinese nation took the shorter route of forging alliances and joint ventures with existing manufacturers to get its own industry up to speed. It’s been a rapid learning curve, and, with the country now becoming the world’s largest car market, the growth continues unabated. As volumes increase and technology makes a
continuing series of quantum leaps to match what’s available in other countries, there becomes a need to find new markets to feed the insatiable appetite that the Chinese economy needs to feed the beast within its borders. Australian van, ute and light truck buyers can now add China to their list of participating manufacturers, as a new brand, that of Maxus, joins the market in our country courtesy of importers WMC Industries. WMC is no stranger to dealing with Chinese automakers. The company has been importing the Higer bus and coach range into Australia for several years, during which is has become market leader in the non-city bus segment. Off the back of this success comes the introduction from China of smaller passenger vehicles for the people mover, small bus and hotel transfer segment. Making the first move into this new segment comes Maxus, a division of SAIC (Shanghai Auto Industry Company), the largest auto manufacturer in China. The development of Maxus is a clear example of how rapidly corporations in China can move to fill a void in a particular market segment. The origins of the Maxus light commercial range are not actually Chinese, as the brand dates back to South Korean manufacturer, Daewoo, then a subsidiary of General Motors. The Maxus was originally planned as a joint venture between Daewoo and British van maker, Leyland DAF Vehicles (LDV). Daewoo, however, went into receivership in 2000 before the project came to fruition. LDV subsequently acquired the
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MAXUS MAKES ITS MOVE exclusive rights to the van from General Motors, which had taken over Daewoo, and, after purchasing the existing tooling, it shipped it all to Birmingham from the Daewoo plant in Poland, the original location for its assembly. In January 2005, Maxus was launched onto the British market. It was an exciting design aimed at rivaling the market leading Ford Transit and featured an engine range by VM Motori. In July 2006, the Russian conglomerate, GAZ, made a move on LDV in the UK and acquired the van maker from the venture capital group Sun European Partners. It was the GAZ intention to market the Maxus into the rest of Europe and Asia. GAZ proposed to increase production in the LDV plant in England, while also commencing production of the Maxus in a new plant in Russia. Owing to the worldwide recession, production was halted at LDV’s Birmingham factory in December 2008. The following year the assets of the company were sold by administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to China Venture’s firm Eco Concept. Now, it was the turn of China to figure in the Maxus story development, as the van maker subsequently became part of China’s largest automotive maker, SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Company). SAIC also owns the British MG brand along with the rights to Rover passenger car designs, which it has re-branded as Roewe, marketing them in China and some European markets. SAIC also has joint ventures with both GM and VW in China. The future of the Maxus brand is now assured, and, since 2009, SAIC has
invested in further R&D and engineering to ensure it meets the latest European standards. Now, with the product line-up clearly identified, it’s time for the Maxus to break into new export markets with left-hand-drive models for Europe and right-hand-drive versions for countries such as Australia and South Africa. WMC is planning to launch a seven-model range of Maxus V80 vans from the fourth quarter of 2012, with three cargo versions and four passenger models. The line-up will include short wheelbase and long wheelbase cargo vans, both with standard roof height, as well as a high roof version of the long wheelbase model. The range will feature load capacity of between nine and 14 cubic metres and a payload of up to 1.8 tonnes. The four passenger van variants will include the 11-passenger short wheelbase with standard roof, as well as a 15-passenger long wheelbase variant in either standard roof or high roof configuration, and an 11-passenger long wheelbase luxury model. Delivery Magazine headed off to China to visit the home of SAIC and take an in-depth look at the new manufacturing facility established to produce Maxus V80 vans and people movers. The factory is brand new, and the assembly line is as clean and spotless as any European competitor, as it produces vehicles to the quality control accreditation standards of TS16949. Current production levels are running on a one-shift basis with a capacity of 30,000 units per year, but this can be ramped up, as demand increases, to a three-shift system with a peak capability of 75,000 units per annum. The line is currently running at 11 units per hour on an eight-hour shift. According to our Chinese hosts, the components are brought together from a series of suppliers, most of which are divisions of SAIC. The VM Motori engines are manufactured in China by subsidiary, Shanghai Diesel, and, for our market, each of the different models will be powered by the same 2.5-litre, four-cylinder unit. Like so many vehicle introductions in Asian countries, visiting journalists are often expected to evaluate a new vehicle while being driven in it by a company driver. SAIC, however, did allow Delivery Magazine to have a brief selfdrive, albeit within the confines of the road network around the company’s manufacturing complex.
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hen the SsangYong Actyon Sports Dual Cab Ute range was released five years ago, we found a few items that we thought needed rectification. SsangYong listened, and the second-generation Actyon is a serious work-and-play ute-market contender. SsangYong seems to have had more starts than Phar Lap, but the company’s future now is assured, following a late2010 takeover by wealthy Indian auto maker Mahindra. This long-term relationship promises a much better future than the previous failed marriage with Daewoo that was based on shaky financial ground. The injection of Indian capital has enabled SsangYong’s engineers to incorporate some important changes to the Actyon Ute, and our testing of the new machine shows that it deserves to be checked out by anyone looking for a 2WD or 4WD crew-cab ute.
Mechanicals The Actyon heritage goes back to the Musso Sports ute,
which used a Mercedes-Benz-derived powerplant, and the Actyon continues that DNA, but not with the ancient and asthmatic five-cylinder, 2.9-litre diesel. The Actyon engine is a state of the art, third-generation, common-rail-injected four that displaces two litres and is pressurised by a variable-geometry turbocharger. The 2007 diesel four had figures of 104 kW at 4000 rpm, with peak torque of 310 Nm at 1800 rpm, but the 2012 model scores 114 kW, with peak torque of 360 Nm in the 1500-2800 rpm band.
Oil drains are at 15,000 km, which is considerably more generous than most diesel ute service schedules. The upgraded diesel couples to a new six-speed manual transmission, replacing the previous Borg Warner T10-based five-speed. The Drive Train Systems International auto box option also has Borg Warner heritage, and, although it was launched in 2007 as a five-speed, this auto is now a six-speed. On 4WD models, a two-speed (2.48:1 and 1:1) transfer case is standard equipment. The 2012 Actyon retains the same ladder-frame chassis and running gear as its 2007 predecessor, along with most body panels. Suspension is 4WD wagon-style, with double-wishbones and coil springs up front, and coil-sprung, five-link-located live rear axle. In exchange for wagon-like ride and handling, there’s a payload penalty in comparison with leaf-sprung rear end utes: 800+ kg compared with most crew-cab utes’ claimed one-tonne plus. Towing capacity is also comparatively low, at 2300 kg. However, the Actyon Sports is said to meet the Australian Tax Office’s formula for freedom from FBT.
The package The 2012 Actyon Sports Ute retains most of the 2007 model’s bodywork, but where changes have been made, they’re all improvements; with the most noticeable being revised frontal appearance. Gone is the quirky Bruce the Shark nose that was reminiscent of a 1937 Willys or a 1940 Ford: replaced by more conventional split-upper and lower grille styling.
KOREAN KOLLECTION The Actyon Sports comes of age – Allan Whiting looks at the latest ute to join the pack in the tradies paddock
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KOREAN KOLLECTION There’s one body style in the Actyon Sports Ute range, a dual-cab pickup, but there are now three equipment levels from which buyers can choose. Exterior and interior build quality looks first class, with regular panel gaps and quality finish throughout. SsangYong Australia’s ‘blind’ market research, back in 2007, reportedly indicated that most people didn’t believe the Actyon was Korean-made, and acceptance of Korean products has increased markedly since then. The base-model Actyon 2WD six-speed manual retails for $25,282, and 4WD is a reasonable $3000 option (comparable with the price difference between most 2WD and 4WD utes.) The six-speed auto box is an additional $2500. In the ‘base’ Tradie model, the buyer gets: five steel 16-inch wheels; disc/drum brakes; Bluetooth with audio streaming; tilt-adjustable steering column; steering wheel controls for Bluetooth functions and upshift and downshift buttons for the auto box; dual SRS airbags; AM/FM CD audio with MP3 and USB jacks; power widows and heated mirrors; LED instrument lighting; trip computer; manual air conditioning; lumbar adjustable driver’s seat; alarm/immobiliser; front fog lamps; seat belt pretensioners; and three child seat anchorages. A plastic tray liner and front fog lamps are also standard. The SX 2WD and 4WD versions pick up: cruise control on auto models; aluminium 16-inch wheels; four disc brakes; leather-bound steering wheel; four-channel ABS brakes; electronic stability control (ESC) with hill start assist (HAS), traction control, active roll-over program, EBS and BAS. The RRP range is $29,282 to $36,732. The top of the range SPR is 4WD auto only and comes with: 18-inch aluminium wheels; leather seat covers; climate control air conditioning; rear parking sensors; auto headlights and wipers; headlight levelling; auto-dimming rear vision mirror; power-adjustable and heated front seats; and power-folding mirrors. RRP is $39,809.
On and off road Although the photos are of a red SPR model, our road
test vehicle was an SX, in non-photogenic black, so we’ve used handout shots to illustrate the test. We drove it SydneyMelbourne-Sydney three-up, as well as doing metro and bushroad testing. Pre-trip checks are easy enough, and the engine bay is well laid out and finished. Service items are easy to identify. The lined ute tub is high-sided and fitted with tie-down loops. Getting comfortable behind the wheel is easy, thanks to the height-adjustable driver’s seat and steering column – even easier in the SPR with its power-adjustable front seats. The driving position is very good, with all controls in easy reach and excellent forward and rearward vision. The diesel starts quickly and idles without very much diesel ‘crack’. Once under way, it’s indistinguishable from a petrol engine, except that low speed torque is much better. The previous Actyon diesel suffered from lag when the accelerator was floored, but the variable geometry turbo on the latest engine removes that almost entirely. Anyone who drives the Actyon diesel and doesn’t know the engine is a relatively small capacity two-litre won’t feel that performance is inadequate. The six-speed automatic shifts smoothly and has a downshift program when in cruise control, to help control hill descent speed.
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COURSES Fords Ranger can be equally at home on the bitumen without the need for all-wheel-drive
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Before we delve deeper into the model line-up we need to clarify that all the four models so far mentioned are built to a standard ride height. The height of the cab roof from the ground is 1,703 mm and the height of the cargo floor of the Pick-Up is set at 723 mm. If you choose to have your own tray built, the floor height will be slightly higher than with the Pick-Up, but you can access the deck more easily thanks to the drop-side panels.
t might all sound a little like a saga about Noah, but after floods, pestilence and problems with its supply chain, Ford is now bringing its Ranger to market after the rains subsided and the floods receded around the company factory in Thailand. When it comes to using a ute for local deliveries, as with the courier market or for a tradie that doesn’t want a huntin’, shootin’ or fishin’ option at weekends, there’s no reason to head for the hills and order an allwheel-drive version. For starters, the 4x2, with its rearwheel-drive only approach, is going to be cheaper to buy, less expensive to repair and maintain, and, in theory, it’s going to return lower fuel consumption than a 4x4 version.
With less weight and significantly less technological and mechanical complexity, there’s a lot to be said for just buying a work related 4x2 model and picking exactly which version suits the business expectation. Ford is offering four different simple standard Ranger cab-chassis designs built to an XL spec level. First is the XL Single Cab 4x2 with a choice of two drivelines. The engine choice is either a 2.5-litre petrol with a five-speed manual gearbox or a 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, diesel engine, this time with a six-speed manual gearbox. It’s with a cab-chassis version that you choose your own bodywork. Whether you decide on a simple dropside tray, a box body or a design that enables you to be more efficient with your work, it’s your choice. You can add a crane, lockers or a fixed cover or toolbox, but it’s all to your own choice and specification. If you are comfortable with a factory supplied metal tub, the choice continues to a 4x2 XL Single Cab Pick-Up powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine and matched to a six-speed manual gearbox. Also available is an XL Dual Cab Pick-Up where this time the engine and transmission options come in with a 2.5-litre petrol engine, matched to a five-speed manual gearbox. Our choice would always be for a separate tray as it dramatically increases the versatility of the vehicle. You can load things into the tray and, if necessary, shovel things out of the tray without any risk of damaging the sheet metal of a tub body.
The next group of 4x2 Ranger models has the added designation of Hi-Rider. This means the whole ute sits higher off the ground, supposedly looking more purposeful and a closer relation to the go-almost-anywhere appearance of the 4x4 versions. In Hi-Rider format, there are a further six versions. The first three range from an XL Single Cab, an XL Super Cab, or an XL Double Cab, each powered by the 2.2-litre diesel with sixspeed manual or six-speed auto transmissions, for the Single Cab Hi-Rider version, and just a six-speed auto for the Space Cab Hi-Rider and Dual Cab Hi-Rider. These are both cabchassis designs, so again you choose your own bodywork. The final three versions are all Pick-Up based, with an XL Double Cab Pick-Up Hi-Rider powered by the same 2.2-litre diesel matched to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission being the lead-in to this segment. The remaining two are the top of the range selection. In comes the five-cylinder, 3.2-litre diesel available with sixspeed automatic transmission for the XLT Super Cab Pick-Up Hi-Rider, but providing the choice of six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmissions for the XLT Double Cab PickUp Hi-Rider. The Hi-Rider, as its name suggests, sits higher off the ground with an increase of ground clearance. The cargo floor height of the Pick-Up Hi-Rider increases by almost 120 mm, to 840 mm, and the roof height of the cabin rises by almost 110 mm. Right now, we need to ask ourselves why a 4x2 needs a Hi-Rider suspension modification when it’s not designed to go off-road or traverse anything other than a muddy paddock or the bitumen? Without all-wheel-drive, there’s little point in even thinking that you’ve got all-terrain ability as the vehicle will get stuck. Yes, you can choose the XL Hi-Rider Single or Double cab powered by the 2.2-litre diesel and option up with a locking rear differential that’s standard on the XLT models. All well and good, but you should have bought the 4x4 version if your intention is to head off-road. So, back to the original question: why configure a HiRider suspension set-up for a 4x2 vehicle? The answer, unfortunately, comes from the belief of marketing people that a high ground clearance means an added impression of ruggedness. Unfortunately, it also means that it’s harder to access the interior of the tub area for tools and equipment, and, for those that are height disadvantaged, it’s a higher step up to climb into and out of the cabin. DELIVERY
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TESTED he tussle at the top of the van sales statistics has seen Toyota’s HiAce knocked off its top selling pedestal, in favour of Hyundai’s iLoad. The latest VFacts sales figures for the first quarter of this year shows how, in the 2.5-3.5 tonnes GVM segment, Hyundai is hanging on to a slight lead over HiAce with 37.7 percent market share versus 36.2 percent, in turn, representing sales of 2,116 iLoads and 2,036 HiAce vans. Back in third place is the ever-present Ford Transit. But, it’s a fair way behind in the sales race, with a market share of 7.0 percent that represents sales of 395 units. Volkswagen’s Transporter takes out fourth place with 6.5 percent and 366 sales, ahead of Mercedes-Benz’s Vito, which scored 4.7 percent with sales of 266 units. Also worthy of mention in this segment is that the Ford and the VW are both available in cab-chassis format, and these are included in the sales performance statistics, whereas all the other contenders are strictly van-only variants. The European designed vans are increasingly attractive for buyers as they provide vastly improved driver comfort levels when compared to the Japanese-designed alternatives from
Toyota and Mitsubishi. The Hyundai iLoad is placed a little in the middle between the two extremes, as, with a semibonneted design, this Korean built load carrier offers the compact external dimensions with a more comfortable interior that provides a walk-thru, or, in real terms, a slide across benefit for the driver to exit on the kerb side. Both the Ford Transit and Hyundai iLoad have received recent upgrades in both power and torque, with the Ford actually gaining a new engine in the form of the new 2.2-litre TDCi diesel engine. For Hyundai, it’s basically the same engine but revised to offer a boost in both power and performance, and better drivability thanks to a six-speed manual gearbox that replaces the previous five-speed. 62
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MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK! This new 2.2 TDCi Ford turbo-diesel engine is now common throughout the 2012 Transit range in two states of tune: 92 kW/330 Nm for the front-wheel-drive models and 114 kW/385 Nm for those offering rear-wheel-drive configuration. Although the engine capacity has reduced by 200 cc, that’s a boost in output from the 92 kW engine of 7 kW and 30 Nm, and 11 kW and 10 Nm in the 114 kW version, when compared to the previous 2.4-litre engine. The new version of the Ford is called the Transit 280S, and, thanks to its greater efficiency the combined-cycle fuel consumption, improves by 11 percent to 7.2 l/100 km with CO2 emissions level of 189 g/km. The Hyundai iLoad has been enjoying tremendous popularity since its introduction. Its ability to achieve the number one sales spot now on a regular basis comes from offering an excellent overall package in the form of a full van or a crew van with a half-trimmed cabin and a rear bulkhead to separate off the cargo area. From May of this year, all iLoad and iMax diesel variants will feature the upgraded CRDi engine of 2.5 litres. This is a fourcylinder, double overhead
camshaft design with common-rail direct fuel injection, and it drives the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission or five-speed automatic transmission. The new manual gearbox is claimed to reduce fuel consumption by around six percent for the iLoad and five percent for the people carrying iMax. For the van, this means a combined fuel figure of 8.0 l/100 km, with an emissions rating of 212 g/km. Figures for the auto are 8.8 l/100 km combined figure and an emissions level of 232 g/km.
Both four-cylinder diesels are well capable of sustaining consistent maximum cruising speeds on the freeway while under cruise control. For the iLoad, it’s a good transmission match irrespective of whether the buyer chooses manual or automatic transmissions. For Transit buyers, there’s still no availability of an automatic gearbox, a factor that has seriously impacted on its sales performance through the years.
Interior noise levels are low, but both could be lower if the cargo area was fitted with a full-width bulkhead. As both van derivatives came with dual passenger front seats, there was never any question of trying to gain access from the driver’s seat into the cargo area. On that premise, a full-width and height bulkhead achieves two benefits: it can greatly reduce transmitted noise levels and it provides safety benefits from the load shifting or being thrown forwards in a major impact.
Delivery Magazine has spent time in both these latest van versions, running the Transit 280S up the Hume Highway from Melbourne to Sydney and the iLoad over an extensive 800 km sector that took in both freeway driving and local urban roads.
When comparing cargo space, the interior of the iLoad offers dimensions of 2375 mm in length, 1620 mm in width and a height of 1350 mm. The distance between the wheel arches is 1260 mm. The Transit 280S comes in with an interior length of 2582 mm, a width of 1740 mm (1390 between wheel arches), and an interior height of 1430 mm.
The impressive standout feature of both these one-tonne payload contenders is the strength of each diesel engine.
Whereas the iLoad comes as a one-size-fits-all offering, there are seven different variants of the Transit, running from DELIVERY
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Smoot h MOVER U NEW MODEL
p until now, there have been two choices for shifting people around in bulk if you wanted to have a Mercedes-Benz badge on the bonnet. Now, with the introduction of the Valente, there are three. For people moving at Benz you need to use the “V’” word and remember Vito, Viano and now Valente. It’s the final option
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needed by Mercedes-Benz to complete its range of people movers, with a mid-range product called Valente that sits nicely in between the more utilitarian passenger moving versions of Vito and the upper level opulence of the Viano.
Whereas the Vito is more recognisably van-like, but fitted with seats and better interior trim, the Viano with its higher-end list of upper level inclusions and leather seat trim offers a more limousine level of specification. Now, with the Valente slotting in between, the buyer gets a higher trim level, misses out on the high-powered V6 diesel, but gets the advantage of the immensely impressive 220 CDI diesel four-cylinder that features in the E-Class. Dr. Kolja Rebstock, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz, Commercial Vehicles, told Delivery Magazine that the Valente was developed following feedback from the customers and dealers to provide a mid-range people mover variant from the upscale Viano.
SMOOTH MOVER “Based on the highly regarded Vito and Viano platform, and working closely with my colleague Horst von Sanden from Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, we have created a new vehicle with a new name plate called the Mercedes-Benz Valente. “We have repositioned the Vito wagon at the new price of $49,990 including GST (a reduction of $3000.00). With the Valente at $54,490.00 and the Viano at $70,946.00, there are three very distinct price points for the range of people movers,” Dr. Rebstock added. For a one-day drive of the new Valente around the heavily trafficked centre of Melbourne, and then a cruise through to the outer suburbs, I was joined by Diane Tarr, General Manager of the Mercedes-Benz van division. “We are now in the position that we have a people mover that can satisfy the buyer at any level. There is a crossover of buyer that, up until now, has been looking at a large 4WD to move their family, and, of course, the traditional buyer of a large family sedan. With the right choice of engine and transmissions, we can offer vastly superior performance and fuel economy, making the whole of life cost of owning a Mercedes-Benz a tremendous advantage,” said Diane. The 220 CDI diesel engine fitted as standard spec in the Valente is a four-cylinder, common-rail fuel-injected unit that gets its performance from having two-stage turbocharging. At 2.2 litres, its maximum power is 120 kW produced at 3,800 rpm, and its peak torque is rated at 360 Nm all the way through from 1,600 to 2,400 rpm. Having inferred that it’s the same engine as the E 220 CDI, the power and torque calibrations are different, being set slightly lower. It’s this wide torque band that makes driving the Valente so appealing. Admittedly, the V6 diesel fitted in the Viano has got the legs on the 220 CDI, but, for the most part, the Valente driver is going to be more than content with performance that flows through from the five-speed automatic transmission.
Whether you are an avid fan of the twin clutch DSG transmissions now fitted in Volkswagen Transporters or not, the fact remains that the full fluid automatic transmission used by Mercedes-Benz throughout its commercial vehicle range is totally superior in shift quality, smoothness and especially in its ability to provide crawl speed performance in heavy traffic. In the far smoother aerodynamics of the E-Class MercedesBenz sedan, this same engine and transmission match can return amazingly good fuel consumption figures of under the 5.0 l/100 km mark. With the higher and wider frontal area of the Valente, and the heavier tare weight, this consumption level is obviously going to suffer, but, to its credit, the combined fuel consumption figure for Valente comes in at 8.2 l/100 km. Exhaust emissions levels are also impressive at a low 216 g/km of CO2. The big advantage of Valente, over many of its people mover competitors, is the way that it drives and handles on road. With independent suspension all round, using MacPherson struts on the front and coil springs with semitrailing arms at the rear, the Valente drives and feels like a car. No longer the ever-present compromise to ride and handling presented by a leaf spring at the rear, the independent suspension irons out the bumps and behaves in a very car-like fashion. Weighing in at 2,155 kg, the Valente can tow a braked trailer up to a maximum of 2,000 kg, and, being typically MercedesBenz in its approach to vehicle safety, it does so with a full electronic trailer stability included in the vehicle safety package. This system prevents the onset of trailer swing and keeps the correct balance happening to mitigate the risk of the trailer getting out of line and affecting the handling of the towing vehicle. With access into the passenger compartment through sliding side doors on each side, the total number of seats available is eight, including the driver. Thanks to some clever tracking systems used to mount the seats in the floor, it’s possible to move the centre and rear rows forwards and backwards to alter legroom and luggage space accordingly. It’s also possible to reverse the centre row so that passengers face each other. Individual seats can also flop forwards to reduce seat numbers but increase luggage space, or be removed completely.
Mercedes-Benz’s Valente adds the final touch to an impressive line-up for people moving DELIVERY
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A FEATURE
CHINESE
EXPERIENCE A trip to the Beijing Auto Show produces more questions than answers. Chris Mullett reports from China
E
ven if you are a seasoned traveller, a trip to China opens up a whole new world of experiences.
This is a country of 1.3 billion people that collectively make up almost 20 percent of the world’s population, ranking number one in the world today. The USA comes in at third place but can only manage 313 million, while our own Australian population of just short of 23 million makes our world ranking of 52nd position, indicative of our lack of significance in the main scheme of things. 78
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A visit to Chinese manufacturing centres and to trade expos is very different from a tourist trip that includes a visit to the Great Wall or Imperial Palace, neither of which have I managed to see in either of two visits to mainland China. What you do see is countless skyscraper blocks of apartments, housing workers for the factories, manufacturing centres that vary from brand new to positively ancient, and you gain a new respect for the Clean Air Act that exists in Australia. The air quality in some of these manufacturing centres is so thick with pollution that an unclimatised visitor will
A CHINESE EXPERIENCE soon experience sore eyes and a raspy throat, together with the risk that even normal breathing may become impacted by the smog. These are not towns where you head out for a jog before breakfast. This year’s Beijing Auto Show proved to be a “can’t miss” event, providing the opportunity to view results of the fastest growing auto industry in the world. With sales in China last year reaching 18.5 million vehicles, the prognosis for 2012 is further growth of nine percent, tipping the total towards possibly breaking through the 20 million barrier. The show, which is held biannually, this year showcased 1,125 different vehicle exhibits from 36 importers and 84 local manufacturers.
Our reason for being at the show was to take an in-depth look at Shanghai Automotive Industry Company (SAIC), the largest auto manufacturer in China and the producers of the Maxus V80 van and people mover range. Along the way we also got to experience a brief insight into the plethora of other manufacturers, some with open joint venture agreements with European and American companies and others that appear to be pioneering their own designs. Don’t be surprised if you learn of company names for the first time and subsequently find they are larger than all three Australian automakers combined. The domestic industry is
huge, and as we progress through this decade it will continue to grow. Ford China, as just one example, is investing in new Greenfield manufacturing plants plus expanding its existing plants to achieve a production capacity of 1.2 million vehicles per annum within China by 2015. By the time it reaches this production peak, the Australian manufacturing of any Ford product will be simply a memory. The Dongfeng Company is the second largest auto manufacturer in China, and with a range of vehicles from light commercials through to 6x4 prime movers and 8x8 rigid tippers, it’s likely a name that you will be learning, perhaps within a relatively short time frame.
One name that you will be reading about in the Australian market is JAC, and it’s due to launch a range of 4.5-tonne light trucks before the end of this year. Powered by Cummins diesel engines, and with Allison automatic transmissions, full airbrake systems and a solid specification, it’s another product line that will be represented in Australia by importers WMC. As well as producing light, medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, JAC also manufactures its own range of multi-purpose commercial vans, the Sunray and Refine.
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AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO ECO FRIENDLY, FUEL EFFICIENT CARS
AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO UTES, VANS, LIGHT TRUCKS & PEOPLE MOVERS
AUSTRALIA’S LEADING TRUCK & ENGINE MAGAZINE
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