road test
SHOGUN SHAPES UP A While there’s no doubting the domination of Japanese trucks in rigid classes, the prime mover business has been historically a hit and miss affair for Tokyo toilers. There is, however, change in the air as global giants fashion a stronger future based on ‘family’ powertrains and advanced safety systems. But as Fuso’s new Shogun shows, there are limits on how much muscle corporate masters are prepared to give their Japanese comrades. Steve Brooks reports 60 JULY 2020
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S FAR as prime movers go, Japanese trucks generally don’t rate high on the heap. At least, not in this country and certainly not on linehaul routes. Sure, there are exceptions. Some operators swear by their positive experience with a particular brand of Japanese prime mover but with even fewer exceptions, it’s an experience largely limited to metro work or relatively short regional runs. Funny thing though, over the ditch in Kiwi country, Japanese models are a major player in every part of the prime mover market. Horses for courses, I guess, given that distances and conditions in the two countries are as blatantly different as ‘six’ and ‘sux’. Whatever, it’s been many years since a Japanese brand had a notable presence in the ranks of Australian prime movers. Decades in fact, way back to the days when basic workhorses like UD’s singledrive CK40 and later, the tandem-drive CWA45, demonstrated Japan’s ability to offset modest muscle with trucks at least built to endure considerable hardship. Nonetheless, it’s generally a lonely story for Japanese prime movers in our neck of the woods for the simple reason that unlike their American and European counterparts, truck and trailer
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1/7/20 12:24 pm
