Transport & Trucking Issue 124

www.truckandbus.net.au Issue 124 2019

$8.95 incl. GST

GALLOPING GRAPES

KEWGS BENZ ACTROS FLEET HARVESTING THE VINEYARDS

ISSN 2206-1495

9 772206 149012 >

24

KENWORTH’S NEW T410 AND T360 VOLVO’S DUAL CLUTCH ISHIFT FUSO’S BRAND NEW HEAVY – BORAL’S IVECO ROAD SEALER – MITSUBISHI TRITON

ISUZU F SERIES

The tailored truck.

With our F Series Trucks you get a choice of four or six cylinder engines, and different transmissions, suspension types and wheelbase options. So instead of getting an almost-right truck, you can build a truck that suits your business down to the ground.

Find out more at isuzu.com.au or from your nearest Isuzu Truck Dealer.

FSA/ISZ12278

CONTENTS CONTACT DETAILS

FEATURES

PO Box 7046 Warringah Mall NSW 2100

14 MORE T

www.truckandbus.net.au admin@truckandbus.net.au Enquiries 02 9938 6408 Follow us on Twitter #truckandbusnews Follow us on Facebook at Truck and Bus Australia

Publisher Jon Thomson admin@truckandbus.net.au Editor in Chief Jon Thomson Art Director Fiona Meadows fiona@kududesign.com.au Advertising Sales Jon Thomson Mobile 0418 641 959 admin@truckandbus.net.au Editorial Contributors Barry Flanagan, Mark Bean, Glenn Torrens, Peter Barnwell

Two and a bit years after Kenworth launched the exceptional T610 the next wave of its new product strategy has hit our roads and after a day being briefed and driving the new models at the Anglesea proving ground near Geelong we reckon the heavy duty market leader has given itself the weaponry to keep the opposition at bay.

20 BRAND NEW HEAVY

Daimler Trucks is in the middle of another new product test program ahead of the launch of a new Fuso heavy duty range which is due to land in Australian dealerships. around the final quarter of this year. T&TA had the chance to have a sneak peek drive of the new Fuso heavy on a 250 km test run on the Hume Hwy, sampling what will be the first large scale overhaul of the Fuso flagship in almost nine years.

26 DOUBLE SHUFFLE

Until now dual clutch transmissions have been mostly the province of carmakers but Volvo has seized the opportunity and applied the technology to trucks with some stunning results. we had the chance to sample the new I-Shift dual clutch in a tough little test lout of Brisbane recently and came way mightily impressed.

32 RIGID FLEXIBILITY

Supply issues held Scania sales back in 2018 but the company is pushing on strongly releasing more variants of its acclaimed New Truck Generation models and. T&TA jumped at the chance to have a steer of the P360 model rigid recently, coming away impressed with this slick Scandi machine.

38 HOLY TRUCK BATMAN!

Sydney transport operator Fred Sassine a spectacular wrap paying homage to the Gotham City and its famous hero Batman was not only a great branding exercise but also a way to make the truck stand out from the crowd and to satisfy the Superhero worship of his young sons. we take a look at Fred’s business and his spectacular Isuzu tribute to Batman.

44 FORWARD THINKING

The truck world is full of clever people who are not averse to a bit of innovation and smart engineering to evolve better trucks often for specific tasks. so it is that Boral got together with Iveco to come up with a truck designed for spreading road aggregate in a safer and more efficient manner, we dropped into take a look at what is a very forward thinking idea, we take a look at this innovative time and life saver.

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It doesn’t take a genius to realise Australia has become a nation of wine drinkers and the old image of beer swillers has faded lately. We head to Mildura one of the major centres of wine grape production in Australia to catch up with a company that has made the transport and harvesting of grapes its core business and see how its fleet of Benz Actros are helping harvest this increasingly valuable cargo

56 CLASH OF THE TRITONS

Mitsubishi’s Triton is often seen as the minor player in the Japanese one tonne ute line up in Australia but excellent spec, pricing and a strong reputation has made the Triton one of the shining lights in the pick up market and in Mitushishi’s giant killing product range. We take a drive in a couple of the new Tritons.

60 AGENT 86 TO THE MAX

Toyota’s little 86 sports coupe has been a strong performer in the sales charts for the Japanese auto giant thanks to a combination of great looks, strong performance, terrific handling and fantastic pricing. we climbed aboard an 86 for a week and as Maxwell Smart Agent 86 himself would say, ‘its the third time I’ve fallen for that this week’.

DEPARTMENTS 04 BACK TRACKS

Musings from the Editor

06 HIGHWAY 1

News and info from all over

64 MONEY

Paul’s latest advice on finances

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THE SHOW MUST GO ON

I

t was the truck industry’s worst kept secret industry but after years of back room manoeuvring the Truck Industry Council finally threw down the gauntlet and announced it was going to stage a truck show to rival the well established Brisbane Truck Show that has ruled the landscape for nigh on half a century.

The question we have is why would anyone in their right mind challenge an institution that has been built up over 50 years and seen off other challengers on many occasions?

There is an old saying ‘stick to your knitting!’ Like many old sayings there is a lot of truth and solid logic in it, which is why they become old sayings.

The Truck Industry Council, TIC, which is based in the National Capital, inside the beltway, to borrow that over used Washington DC comparison and operating in the Canberra bubble, has been the industry’s peak body, since it was established in the 1990s. It is the voice of the truck manufacturers and OEMs, representing them, lobbying for the industry and being the tally clerk, issuing the monthly sales stats.

Now it’s likely that we will probably offend a few people with this editorial but so be it. Our belief is that TIC may be walking a dangerous path and we base that on a number of factors.

Firstly as students of history we would point to what happened with the Australian Motor Show when the car industry peak body took over the running from local state based automotive chambers in Sydney and Melbourne.

The Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC) in Victoria and the NSW Chamber of Automotive Industries successfully ran the Melbourne and Sydney motor shows respectively since the mid 1920s.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the organisation spawned TIC, decided in the early 2000s that it was time that it took control, manufacturers wanted to run their own show and so they did, in a manner. You

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see the FCAI was not geared for running a motor show, that requires expertise in exhibition management, dividing up floor space, ensuring lighting and power are right, managing ticket and floor space sales and a myriad of other challenges.

Of course running the motor shows had become the major task of the VACC and NSW CAI each year over 75 years, so they had built a lot of knowledge and expertise.

The FCAI farmed out the running of the show to an exhibition company and far from having control, the costs grew and in 2009 the last significant Australian Motor Show was staged and there has not been another in the past decade. As we said there is something to be said for ‘sticking to your knitting’.

The parallels are clear; the Heavy Vehicle Industry Association, which runs the Brisbane Show, was formerly called the Commercial Vehicle Industry Association of Queensland or CVIAQ. Sound a familiar scenario? A state based industry chamber, which established and ran a major trade show for many decades and the National body wants to take over.

TIC has every right to want to stage its own show and it obviously has the backing of all of the truck makers because all of the company CEOs sit around the TIC table every month and have steered the organisation down this road. The truck makers are the stars, of course without the OEMS there would be no Brisbane Truck Show, so they have that up their sleeve.

However as the car makers and the FCAI found when they took over the Show the costs don’t come down, it is still a sizeable investment to exhibit each time and takes up an awful lot of time, even when you have another company running it for you, it all costs.

It all costs in some way or other and the time and distraction is an area that could be even more costly than money alone. Arguably TIC has never had a more significant responsibility as the industry advocate and lobbyist than it does now.

Our second point is, as we have pointed out here before, we still have an amazing truck manufacturing industry here, which

has grown and thrived with virtually no government subsidy or backing while the car industry has died. Keeping that truck industry here is going to take proactivity and vigilance, a task, which naturally falls to TIC. We have an aged truck fleet with a huge number of trucks that belch dirty emissions and lack the active safety features and technology of new trucks and yet other countries have incentivised the scrapping of older trucks and the purchase of newer ones. Leaving it to operators and the free market alone will never see the situation change. Only a well thought out and constructed scheme to give operators a reason to scrap the old and buy newer trucks will achieve any real change.

It is something that will benefit the truck makers, let’s face it they will sell more new trucks. The community will benefit because we will have less emissions being pumped into our atmosphere and we will have safer trucks on our roads.

Look TIC may well start its new Australian Truck Exhibition and Technology Symposium in 2021 and it may well be a success but we think they may be biting off more than they can chew at a time when there are more important issues to prosecute in Canberra than the question of who will run the truck show every two years. If we are wrong we will stand corrected.

As we stay, stick to your knitting.

Anyway in this issue of Transport & Trucking we take a look at the new Kenworth T360 and T410 vocational range after a launch at Anglesea recently, we test drive Volvo’s new dual clutch I-Shift transmission as well as having a sneak peak at Fuso’s new Heavy Duty model due on our roads later this year. There is a story on Boral’s innovative Iveco road spreader, which is saving time and lives in the road building business and we visit a Mercedes fleet in Sunraysia that is helping turn the regions grapes into the wine we drink, cheers to that.

Hope you enjoy the read and tune in next month for our full coverage of the Brisbane Show.

JON THOMSON

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ALL THE LATEST NEWS AN

D VIEWS FROM ACROSS TH

Hino goes HEavy in US

A/Kenny’s new big sl

ALTHOUGH ITS BEEN almost half a century since a truck maker has successfully entered the North American Class 8 or heavy duty market Hino thinks it can do it.

While Hino USA’s director of marketing and dealer operations, Dominik Beckman still views the company as an emerging player but he told US media in Columbus, Indiana, that opportunity exists in the heavier Class 7 and Class 8 and Hino is looking to prove that it can be a player in the heavier sectors.

Hino has been selling trucks in the

E GLOBE

eeper /Market soften

U.S. for 30 years and has a 15 per cent overall market share in the medium-duty segments, selling 14,492 trucks in 2018.

Hino’s captured a 17 per cent market share in class 4 and 31 per cent in the Class 5 cabover diesel sector and registered a 10 per cent increase in Class 6, where major truck rental companies Penske, Ryder and Enterprise purchase 38 per cent of all vehicles.

Beckman said that growth in the light and medium segments is being driven by last-mile.

s/New Peugeot vans

The company is of course no stranger to heavy duty trucks selling heavy duty models here in Australia as well as in its native Japan and in Africa.

Hino however is set to launch its first Class 8 vehicles in America later this year and starts to take orders in May. The Hino XL Series will be offered as the XL7 (Class 7) rigid or the XL8 (Class 8) prime mover. Both will be powered by Hino’s A09 turbo diesel, 8.9 litre inline 6-cylinder engine.

The trucks will be come in various configurations, ranging from a GVM of 14.9tonnes to 27 tonnes and a

GCM up to 29 tonnes.

The truck will be built at Hino’s new 19.3hectare Mineral Springs factory in West Virginia which is opening later this year.

Beckman also said that Hino will add extended cab and crew cab configurations of the XL series as well as a heavier front axle option in the coming year. Those updates will be formally announced at the North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta in October. The company will also give its Class 4-5 cabovers a makeover for the 2021 model year.

HINO IS SET TO LAUNCH ITS FIRST CLASS 8 VEHICLES IN AMERICA LATER THIS YEAR AND STARTS TO TAKE ORDERS IN MAY.

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THATS NOT A SLEEPER CABTHIS IS A SLEEPER CAB! KING OF THE HEAVY DUTY markets in Australia, Kenworth, has unveiled a new ‘king of cabs with its ‘giant’ 1400mm aero roof sleeper for its T610 model, completing the T610 sleeper cab line up.

Kenworth has progressively released application-engineered T610 cab configurations since the introduction of the T610 and T610SAR in early 2017, including the day cab, 860mm aero, 760mm mid-roof, and most recently the 600mm aero sleeper which offers room for both a sleeper and a bullbar in combination with full-length 34 pallet trailer sets within the 26m B-double envelope.

According to Kenworth the new T610 1400 mm sleeper means the T610 range now provides Australian operators the broadest choice of purpose-built cabs and sleepers for their needs. The company says the T610 1400mm sleeper option is suitable for a range of applications from single trailers to road trains and has been designed and engineered here for Australia’s unique regulations and conditions.

The new sleeper comes with even more interior space and in-cab standing room than its 50” predecessor offering enhanced driver

comfort, space and flexibility in fitout, the most spacious sleeper in the Kenworth range.

The 1400mm sleeper comes with a superior 790mm inner spring mattress as standard and the option of a King single, which is 300mm wider than the standard at 1090mm.

The upper bunk option, if selected is 100mm wider than in the 50” cab.

There are many different fit-out combinations and options to tailor to your needs, depending upon your selected bunk size. With the King single there is rear wall hanging space and shelving. The standard bunk comes with multiple storage tower and hanging space options.

Both configurations feature separate clean and wet storage under the bunk, provision for a stand up fridge and shelf cavity for appliances such as a microwave, over-door storage, optional 240v electric sockets and sleeper power distribution modules, and the option of a slave air conditioning unit.

Designed from the inside out in a decade-long development process, the T610 cabin is centred entirely on the needs of the driver. Touted as Kenworth’s ‘Best Truck Yet’, the design incorporates greater

foot space, more storage, wider walkthrough access between the seats and more expansive door and windscreen glass, providing space, visibility and ergonomics never before seen in Kenworth’s suite of Australian-made trucks.

“The core of the T610 project was about building a bigger cab to create the ultimate driver environment, which leads to better all-round driving performance, safety, efficiency and productivity” said Brad May, PACCAR Australia’s director sales and marketing.

“The 1400mm sleeper cab option allows maximum living space for our customers whose applications allow it. The Aero roof allows freedom of movement with full height standing room between the seats – and a fantastic bunk as standard that allows a quality well-earned sleep for drivers.”

Fuel efficiency is critical, so Kenworth spent significant time optimising the shape and surfaces over the sleeper cab roof to improve the aerodynamics while delivering an impressive looking truck for the most discerning of buyers. An optional roof fairing completes the picture for when backed up to maximum height

trailers. The result of more than 100,000 Australian design hours and more than ten million kilometres of testing and validation, the T610 has been the single largest investment in product development the company has made in Australia. From idea to reality, this significant investment in new technologies and design is specifically for the Australian road transport market.

The T610 and T610SAR represent everything a Kenworth should be in terms of durability, reliability and safety. Yet the really noticeable product improvements are the superior space, ergonomics and driver comfort and control – the drumbeat behind Kenworth’s ‘Best Truck Yet.’ The T610 builds on a proven approach honed over many years, starting in 1975 with the first Australian designed and manufactured Kenworth, the W900SAR and later the development and evolution of other iconic models such as the aerodynamic T600, and the K series range.

It is the culmination of more than 40 years of Australian design and application engineering experience, integrating with a parallel development program drawing on the global resources of PACCAR.

www.truckandbus.net.au 007

ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND

Hino goes HEavy in USA

/Kenny’s new big sleepe

THE TRUCK INDUSTRY recorded a strong result in March with total sales for the month of 3297 just 150 units shy of the same month in the record breaking 2018 results. But there is some reason for optimism and positivity.

Significantly heavy duty sales were up on the result of March last year with 1185 trucks sold in the sector last month against 1175 in March last year.

While the market tempered a little in January and February the March result shows that most makers have strong order books and while we may not have another record year sales will still be buoyant in the industry

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VIEWS FROM ACROSS THE

r /Market softens/New

GLOBE

Peugeot vans

through most of the year ahead.

CEO of the Truck Industry Council, Tony McMullan, said March sales were consistent with the trends seen in all heavy vehicle segments yearto-date, while medium and light duty and light van segments are tracking around six to seven per cent down on 2018 results.

“The surprise continues to be the heavy-duty sector which is in-line, or slightly ahead of the record sales that we saw for this segment last year,” said McMullan.

“It should be noted that even with the mid and bottom end of the market softening, truck sales to the end of March are the second best on

record. Given the potential financial market volatility that is typically associated with a federal election, the current heavy vehicle market’s strength and resilience will no doubt be tested over the course of the next few months.” McMullan concluded.

The heavy duty segment was in positive territory for the quarter with 2,915 Heavy sales year-to-date, which is a meagre 0.4 per cent (12 trucks) increase on the first quarter in 2018 and it was a new record for heavy duty sales for a first quarter.

Medium duty posted reasonable sales in March with 664 trucks sold which is down 10.5 per cent or 78 units, on March last year.

The medium duty tally for the first quarter was 1,651 trucks which was down by 6.6 per cent or 117 trucks on the 2018 first quarter.

In light duty saw sales slide 5.3 percent or 53 trucks in March compared to March last year with 941 trucks delivered for the month, while for the quarter, light duty sales were down 6.6 percent, or 169 trucks on the first three months of 2018.

Van sales in March totalled 506 units, down 5.8 per cent, or 31 vans, on March 2018 while the first quarter tally of 1,346 vans is down 5.8 per cent or 83 vans on the first quarter 2018.

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ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND

Hino goes HEavy in USA

/Kenny’s new big sleepe

r /Market softens/New

PEUGEOT IS BACK in the light commercial vehicle game in Australia with the announcement that it is relaunching the Expert mid size van range and its Partner small van and Boxer big van ranges in the third quarter.

The announcement was made recently by Peugeot Citroen Australia’s new managing director Ben Farlow at a ‘Peugeot Citroen gala’ in Sydney aimed at selling a reborn and revitalised Peugeot Citroen operation to the media, dealers and staff.

Farlow who comes to the auto industry after being a global sales and marketing executive with both Diageo and Bacardi Martini in the liquor industry strode the stage at the launch with a confident pitch, which at times bordered on religious fervour.

If Peugeot’s latest rebirth in Australia doesn’t come off this time it won’t be through a lack of enthusiasm from its new Australian MD. The Expert will be the first of the new Peugeot LCVs to arrive hitting showrooms on 1 May with a starting price of $36,490 plus on roads for the short wheel base 85kW variant.

The Australian Expert line-up will see

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VIEWS FROM ACROSS THE

GLOBE

Peugeot vans

three engine options along with two lengths and the choice of either a manual or for the first time a proper torque converter auto. Passenger versions of the Expert and the bigger Boxer are under consideration for Australia, which could spice up the mini bus market for bus operators.

Peugeot will aim the Expert up against the likes of VW’s Transporter, Renault’s Trafic, Hyundai’s iLoad, Ford’s Transit and market leader the Toyota HiAce ( which is about to be updated for the first time in 15 years). Partner will be up against VW’s Caddy and Boxer will face off against VW Crafter, Benz Sprinter, Renault Master and Iveco Daily.

Although Peugeot has not sold the Expert here for a few years now this new generation model has been on sale in Europe for about three years.

Peugeot’s local distribution has seen it change from Syme Derby to Inchcape with a couple of different management regimes as well and its fair to say the chopping and changing and varying plans have not helped the famous French brand’s sales fortunes here in recent times and as a result there is a fair bit if sales inertia to overcome.

The new MD, Ben Farlow is promising a new approach and says the company now has more commitment from Peugeot in France, which has also see a massive turnaround from near collapse only five years ago.

The PSA turnaround came under the stewardship of Carlos Tavares.

At PSA, Tavares did what many in the industry thought was impossible: turning around PSA, then repeating the trick by making the perennial money-loser Opel/Vauxhall profitable just a year after its acquisition from GM in 2017.

The executive pushed Opel’s unions to accept job losses and slashed costs on everything from printers to company phones -- a method he had already used when PSA was near bankruptcy. R&D expenses at Opel were slashed by piggybacking new models onto existing platforms of the parent’s Peugeot and Citroen brands.

Tavares is doggedly pursuing global growth for the French maker on the back of a revitalised product line up that may see its latest push in Australia succeed. Ask anyone involved in Peugeot it years past and they will say PSA’s lack of

commitment here has been the biggest hurdle and its clear Peugeot and Citroen would be eyeing the Australian sales growth success of its French rival Renault with some envy.

A brief driver in and around Sydney last week revealed the new Expert is a great machine but its success in the market is dependent on a lot of other factors outside just its great design, engineering and performance.

Peugeot has finally realised that without an auto in the Aussie van market it is a struggle and the new Expert has the option of an Aisin six-speed torque converter auto on both the 110kW and 130kW engine variants.

The auto and also the six speed manual is mated to a two-litre four-cylinder with 85kW/300Nm, 110kW/370Nm or 130kW/400Nm power options.

Peugeot is claiming the Expert can deliver fuel economy of as much as 5.2L/100km in the entry level 85kW manual with equally impressive emissions figures of just 137g/km CO2. The 85kW and 130kW are both Euro 6 spec while the 110 is at Euro 5 level.

The 85kW engine is only available in the short wheelbase model while the 130kW engine is only available in the long version while the 110kW is available in both.

The short wheelbase delivers a load length of 2.5 metres while the long variant boasts four metres of load length, which can be extended in both versions with what Peugeot calls the ‘Moduwork’ system, a removable trapdoor on the passenger side which combines with a fold up passenger seat to allow an extra 1.1 metres of load length through the steel bulkhead separating the cockpit from the load area.

In terms of cubic capacity the shorter wheelbase delivers 5.3 cubic metres of load space with the longer model boasting 6.6 cubic metres while payloads vary from 1000kg to 1300kg depending on the model. When it comes to towing the Expert has a capacity of between 750kg and 2200kg. he Expert offers 5.3 cubic metres of load space.

The drive revealed that indeed the Expert does have car like handling and performance. Peugeot has based it on its EMP2 platform, which also underpins the 308, 3008, 5008, 508 and Citroen C5 Aircross, passenger cars so it is not surprising that the

platform delivers arguably the best handling available in the van market.

Along with great dynamics the Expert gets a whole raft of safety equipment as standard including city adaptive cruise control, Automated Emergency Braking, lane departure warning four airbags, auto headlights and wipers, auto high beam, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, front and rear daytime running lights.

It also comes with a very good 7.0-inch multimedia system which includes both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and is very tastefully laid out inside.

Peugeot will be selling Expert with

a five year/200,000km warranty with roadside assist throughout the warranty period.

Peugeot’s pricing for the Expert looks competitive ranging as it does from $36,990 for the 85kW manual, through $39,990 for the110kW manual, $42,990 for the 110kW Auto, $44,190 for the 110kW LWB auto and $45,890 for the top of the line 132kW LWB Auto.

As we said both the smaller Partner and the larger Boxer vans are set to arrive later this year and we wait to see if this latest Peugeot foray into the LCV market in Australia success, it could if the commitment is as strong as the launch .promised

www.truckandbus.net.au 011

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New Model

K

enworth has long been the King of Heavy Duty on Australian roads. It is a brand that carries legendary status.

The big chrome grilles, the even bigger bonnets, the strutting stance, bullet proof reliability and durability as well as the fact that they have been built here for nigh on 50 years all of which has enabled the Paccar brand to stay ahead of the heavy opposition for a very long time.

Paccar and Kenworth didn’t get to the top, and stay there by accident. It is a an organisation full of clever engineers and people who know what the market wants and demands and how to give it to them.

For a long time, despite increasingly more comfortable, ergonomic, efficient, safe and quiet product from European

014 www.truckandbus.net.au

rivals like Volvo, Scania, Benz and the like, Kenworth has always been number one in heavy duty and held better than 20 per cent of the market.

As we said the Paccar people aren’t silly and they knew all too well that they would need to really lift standards to stay ahead of the game. The T610 launched in December 2016 did just that giving Kenny fans a highway truck that matched the steering, ergonomics, road manners, quietness, vision and refinement of its Euro opponents. It was a long way from the Kenworths of old and it achieved modernity without compromising the legendary presence and aura the brand has always had.

It seems incredible that the T610 arrived almost two and a half years ago ( it seems

like just a few months) and it has been a huge success story for Paccar in Australia, presently accounting for around 30 per cent of its sales.

That acceptance of the modern cab and better ergonomics signalled to management that spreading the concept beyond the line haul sector to the more vocational and intrastate sector, currently occupied by the T359 and T409 would not be a risk, something most realised anyway but the T610 success just validated things.

So it was that the trade press were invited to the Australian Automotive Research Centre at Anglesea near Geelong for the media launch and a preview drive of the new T360 and T410, the trucks that will directly replace the T359 and T409.

Paccar Australia’s director of sales and

TWO AND A BIT YEARS AFTER KENWORTH LAUNCHED THE EXCEPTIONAL T610 THE NEXT WAVE OF ITS NEW PRODUCT STRATEGY HAS HIT OUR ROADS AND AFTER A DAY BEING BRIEFED AND DRIVING THE NEW MODELS AT THE ANGLESEA PROVING GROUND NEAR GEELONG WE RECKON THE HEAVY DUTY MARKET LEADER HAS GIVEN ITSELF THE WEAPONRY TO KEEP THE OPPOSITION AT BAY.

marketing, Brad May briefed the media on the new trucks and revealed the tag line “The Best in the Business“ underlining the vocational nature of the T360 and T410.

The essence of the new 360 and 410 is the use of the same basic cab and frame as the T610, and the development of the new trucks started virtually straight after the launch of the 610. Utilising the 610’s 2.1 metre cab, Kenworth engineers further developed the platform refining and enhancing key elements using its own R&D as well as feedback from its customer base.

“We always had the intention of taking that 2.1 cab from the 610 and rolling that into our other products and that is why we are here today, “ said Brad May. “It gave us the opportunity to hit the

reset button on our products and tailor them to the exact needs of our customers and that is what we do at Bayswater, we design and build trucks for what the Australian market requires,” May added.

The enhancements include shorter BBC length ( bumper to back of cab) resulting in greater flexibility with application configuration, better visibility, as well as performance and driveability, improved safety and available options,.

Of course, as we said, the new 360 and 410 are variations on the 610 theme when it comes to both exterior and interior styling and all the benefits that come with that.

As we said when the 610 was launched it is a giant step forward in terms of quietness, refinement and ergonomics

and that carries over to the new models.

The flat floor makes the cab of the Kenworths enormously easy to move about, whether that’s in a day cab or any of the sleeper or bunk options.

It wasn’t just a matter of adapting the new cab.There have been a range of improvements and changes from taking 100kg out of the front frame, improving the turning circle by two metres and in the case of the 360, a 100mm improvement in the BBC dimension delivering better weight distribution and flexibility. The 360’s set forward cab and a steeply sloping bonnet also deliver much improved visibility. A redesigned aluminium core radiator is part of the reason for that weight saving along with some other strategies as well.

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Under that bonnet in the T360 is a Cummins ISLe5 9-litre available in a range from 280hp to 400hp, which can be mated to either of Allison’s 3000 or 4000 series full autos or Eaton RoadRanger manual and UltraShift AMT depending on the application.

The 360 is available in 6x4, 8x4 and 10x4 configurations making it suited for a wide range of applications from the obvious Concrete agitator to tipper dogs and urban distribution work with a single trailer or in rigid form and is really aimed at fleets.

The 360’s big brother the 410 steps up to the next level and interestingly only comes equipped with Paccar’s MX13 litre . It was well noted last year when we attended the Mid America Truck Show in Louisville, Kentucky, that every truck on the Paccar stand there featured a full Paccar driveline. Only MX engines and Paccar badged transmissions were featured ( although those Paccar branded gearboxes

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were actually in reality Eaton boxes). Point is this is clearly a Paccar global strategy to align its drivelines in a similar way to opposition makers who have headed down the same path. It is also is a symptom of the shrinking engine market that once saw Caterpillar and Detroit options available alongside Cummins. However with Caterpillar no longer in the on highway business and Detroit now a Daimler brand, Cummins is the only other maker available.

For what ever reason no Cummins option will be available on the 410.

The 13 litre MX will be available in either 460hp or 510hp spec and while the announcement that 410 will be an MX only platform provoked some consternation from some of our press colleagues, we believe a major part of the rationale behind the move, apart from aligning Paccar’s driveline aspirations, was to deliver 12 volt electrical architecture.

This enables Paccar to offer the excellent

Bendix Fusion Wingman suite of vehicle dynamics enhancements, which are now available on both the 360 and 410 and help the company meet the growing demand for crash mitigation and vehicle dynamic control systems from major fleets.

The Paccar transmission, or PacEaton as some wags christened it at the launch, is a 12-speed twin countershaft AMT and is housed in an aluminium case ensuring light weight. It is an Eaton box in every way and does the job extremely well offering a torque capacity of up to 1850lb/ ft and is rated up to 50 tonnes GCM. Above this Kenworth is offering Eaton boxes that actually have Eaton name plates on them, either the venerable RoadRanger or its automated sibling the UltraShift.

Kenworth is pitching the T410 to vocational, intrastate and interstate distribution work either in a rigid, single or multi trailer configuration. The truck boasts a set-back front axle and an optimal

THE DASH IS WELL LAID OUT AND EASY TO REACH AND IT CAN BE TAILORED TO SUIT CUSTOMER NEEDS BBC dimension of 2,845mm and can be rated up to 70 tonnes (GCM) ensuring it can be configured for PBS and tipper and dog operations.

There is a choice of three sleeper cab options on the 410 with a 600mm aero, 760mm mid-roof or a 860mm aero sleeper cab.

To improve engine and transmission serviceability, a larger dog box and transmission access hatch have been added to the cab. Engine bay access to the engine, radiator and firewall areas has been upgraded through improvement to the hood tilt angle. The transmission hatch allows for safe and convenient access to the area around the top of the transmission. Convenient location of service points and use of a transparent header tank on the radiator simplifies servicing and reduces the time off the road required to perform routine servicing.

Inside the cab the AMT is operated by a

stalk on the right of the steering column, which also has the control for the exhaust and engine brake. Kenworth says that moving the transmission control away from the left hand side of the dash has freed up space for even easier movement around the cabin and that is quite obvious.

The dash architecture comes directly from the 610 and while it has been adapted and tailored to the needs of the market for 360 and 410 it has the same look and feel with everything well laid out and easy to reach and it can be tailored to suit customer needs with options like a 7inch audio and nav system display.

On both trucks key info such as the speedo and tacho along with other main gauges are well positioned directly in front of the driver, while toggle switches to the left provide full control of systems such as engine brakes, engine fan, driver-controlled differential locks and suspension dump valves. There is also the option of

virtual gauges, providing detail on key temperatures, pressures and voltages.

The dash can be had with a standard ‘work trim’ with a plain, classy looking satin finish in dark grey or with the faux wood grain of the so called premium finish. Its very subjective but our view is the work finish looks and feels classier and nicer, but as we say this is personal taste.

Cruise control and audio controls are now on the steering wheel making for easy control while steering down the road.

Of course with the Bendix Wingman Fusion system on both trucks they can now deliver collision avoidance and mitigation technology including active cruise control with braking as well as lane departure warning all working seamlessly with the truck in motion.

For the launch. Kenworth had a number of trucks available for test including a T360A, the A standing for the agitator spec, with an Allison auto and concrete

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agitator bowl fitted, a T360 rigid with tipper body, a T410 day cab prime mover hauling a tanker trailer and a T410 prime mover with a mid size sleeper cab and using an Eaton 18 speed manual.

It is always difficult to get a handle on a truck’s character and true nature on a few laps of a high speed test track and a couple of runs up the Anglesea gradient loop track but after driving a full cross section of the models available there were a number of things that stood out.

Firstly the cab entry and egress has been vasty improved as it was with the 610 before. The steps are wider and more easily navigated into and out of the cab and the doors open wide to just make it easier to use overall.

Secondly the cabs are quiet, well laid out and extremely comfortable. We feel certain that a full day at he wheel of one

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of these would be far less fatigue inducing than earlier models.

Another aspect is the excellent vision from the cab with the bonnet sloping away steeply to deliver better vision in front of the driver as well as to the sides with the streamlined body mounted mirrors and the low cut door lines that leave fewer blindspots Once underway and driving, the big plus is the steering feel and directness.

Again, like on the T610, Paccar engineers have utilised a more direct and straighter steering shaft and this delivers big time when it comes to ease of operation and safer, more precise steering. Along with that is a big improvement in ride quality.

A stand out was the T360 with tipper body and air bag suspension which was unladen. Normally an unladen tipper bounces about like a pogo stick but this one was exceptional, and with a load it

would only be even better. Quite frankly the trucks felt car like in their ergonomics.

In the T410 the MX engine works extremely well and as someone proffered at the launch, if you want more horsepower, then order the T610. While some may worry about the lack of a Cummins option the MX is a really nice engine and it delivers on every criteria, including economy.

The MX is flexible and torquey and is perfectly matched and works particularly well with the 12-speed AMT. The shifts are smooth and quick, manual can be selected easily and the harmony with the engine/exhaust braking and downshifting is very good indeed.

T&TA will have road tests of the T360 and T410 models in coming issues but if first impressions are anything to go by then Kenworth’s new models fit the bill.

To a T.

MAXIMISE YOUR PAYLOAD WITH THE T610 600MM SLEEPER.

THE T610 continues to break new ground with the release of the 600mm Aero Roof Sleeper. The most compact sleeper in the T610 range offers you an outstanding driver’s experience with in-cab comfort, combined with aerodynamic lines to support enhanced fuel efficiency.

Designed to fit within the 26m B-double envelope, the new sleeper allows for full length 34 pallet trailer sets with the inclusion of a bullbar for optimal durability.

Kenworth’s most innovative and durable truck yet, continuing to redefine productivity.

For more information contact your local Kenworth dealer.

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New Product

DAIMLER TRUCKS IS IN THE MIDDLE OF ANOTHER PRODUCT TEST PROGRAM AHEAD OF THE LAUNCH OF A NEW FUSO HEAVY DUTY RANGE WHICH IS DUE TO LAND IN AUSTRALIAN DEALERSHIPS AROUND THE FINAL QUARTER OF THIS YEAR. T&TA HAD THE CHANCE TO HAVE A SNEAK PEEK DRIVE OF THE NEW FUSO HEAVY ON A 250 KM TEST RUN ON THE HUME HWY, SAMPLING WHAT IS A TRUCK THAT WILL BE THE FIRST LARGE SCALE OVERHAUL OF THE FUSO FLAGSHIP IN ALMOST NINE YEARS.

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he test truck we sampled on a loop up the Hume Hwy. from Albury to Tarcutta and back was powered by a new Fuso 10.7 litre straight six turbo diesel mated to Fuso’s version of Daimler’s D12 12 speed automated transmission and using steel suspension with a 4.66 final drive. The 6x4 truck was coupled to a tri axle single trailer loaded with concrete blocks to a GVM of 38 tonnes.

Inside there has been an overhaul of the dash and interior design matching up with Daimler’s move to unify the electrical ad electronic architecture of all its truck and bus models. Subtle reminders of this include similar switchgear to Daimler and

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Freightliner models and while the gear selection for the 12 speed automated box is on the left hand side of the column it is the same selector you will see in its sibling Benz Actros models and across the Freightliner range.

We saddled up and headed out on the Hume north from Albury with Daimler’s senior manager product and engineering for Fuso, Romesh Rodrigo in the passenger seat to point out some of the changes that will come when the truck is launched later in the year. The first and most obvious thing that strikes you in driving the Fuso test mule is the very low noise levels inside the cabin.

The truck we were in complies to the

Japanese Post New Long Term (PNLT) rules although the produciton trucks will be Euro 6 compliant. Either standard means the need to lower both exterior and interior noise levels and that alone should be something drivers and other road users should be cheering for. It just makes things a while lot easier and also reduces fatigue over a day at the wheel. Conversation in the cab was easy and even on the biggest hauls up hills and on take off the noise levels were incredibly low.

The second thing that hits is the performance of the smaller 10.7 little engine which will replace the 12 litre in current Fuso Heavies. It puts out a surprising 460hp and 2200Nm. The engine

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felt really flexible and was able to hang on to some of the bigger hills on the Hume including Aeroplane, cresting that in 10th and barely out of breath. Admittedly the truck had a slow speed diff with a 4.66 ratio which is well suited to urban and lower level intra-state regional distribution work but the reality is the truck still hauled its 38 tonnes of burden up these hills with a great deal of strength from a lower capacity and with pretty strong economy. We were able to see 2.1 km/litre on the 250km run which from a truck with barely 2500km on the clock was a pretty good result.

Romesh Rodrigo points out that the new Fuso flagship will be lighter than the truck it replaces and while the truck we tested was fitted with steel suspension the range will include air bag suspension and of course rigid models as well as prime mover spec. The Fuso engineer says that for some operators in rural areas steel suspensions is a strong option over airbags which seem to have become the industry standard. From our perspective the steel suspension ride was excellent and while not as comfortable as airbags was still very good and more than acceptable.

Fuso currently has three trucks out in the field completing testing duties with its engineers and with operators including Australia Post, (which has a large fleet of Fuso rigids) and final spec is currently being decided based on the results of the tests and feedback from operators ahead of the new truck’s launch later this year.

An interesting fact bowled up by Romesh Rodrigo on the drive was that Fuso actually sold more over 400 hp heavy duty trucks than any of the Japanese makers in Australia last year shifting around 300 units. The key here is ‘over 400hp’ for while Isuzu

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sold more Heavies than its rivals many of them came with 360 hp engines. Certainly if the production trucks of this new model perform the way the test mule did Fuso is likely to have a winner on its hands.

Fuso is yet to reveal the Australian market name for its brand new heavy which in Japan goes by the startling moniker, ‘Super Great’ . Wisely Daimler Trucks Australia have passed up the chance to use that name lest they be the target of derision and snickers. Instead we understand it will have a name that befits its Japanese warrior status.

While Fuso says the first of the new heavies won’t be delivered in Australia until the third quarter it is understood Fuso will launch the new truck at the Brisbane Show in mid May. The new truck will replace Fuso’s current range FP, FV and FS heavies and will offer the new model in 4x2, 6x4 and 8x4 in rigid and prime-mover spec while there will be two cabs the standard cab, we tested and a high roof model for extra room.

Although it is targeting the intrastate, urban and regional distribution market and see the new heavy as mostly operating in single trailer configuration, Fuso says the new truck will have a B-Double rating with a 63 tonne GCM. Romesh sees the truck finding favour in single-trailer, tipperand-dog and in rigid applications in short to medium routes which is borne out by the fact that it has a compact bunk and a smaller 400 litre fuel tank.

Although a brief drive we were impressed with the Fuso and we look forward to driving the final production spec when it is launched. We will keep you posted on the progress of the new Fuso models over the coming months.

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New Product

DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSIONS HAVE UNTIL NOW BEEN MOSTLY THE PROVINCE OF CARMAKERS BUT VOLVO HAS SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY AND APPLIED THE TECHNOLOGY TO TRUCKS WITH SOME STUNNING RESULTS. WE HAD THE CHANCE TO SAMPLE THE NEW I-SHIFT DUAL CLUTCH IN A TOUGH LITTLE TEST OUT OF BRISBANE RECENTLY AND CAME WAY MIGHTILY IMPRESSED. 026 www.truckandbus.net.au

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he truck industry has plenty of challenges not the least being finding enough drivers and finding enough drivers with skill and talent to drive trucks safely and effectively. There are of course other challenges, including extracting the most fuel efficiency and performance as well as minimising operating costs.

Ask any operator and they will tell you that the hardest part is extracting those extra bits of efficiency. So when a manufacturer introduces some new technology that ticks several of those boxes then you would imagine people will be clamouring to give it a go.

Volvo’s new Dual Clutch I-Shift transmission has been much anticipated and here at T&TA we have been itching to have a drive of it, so when the opportunity to travel to Brissie to have a steer of a

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Volvo FH540 with the Dual Clutch I-Shift we grabbed it with both hands.

There is a lot of intrigue and misnomer around the concept of dual clutch transmissions. They have been de rigueur in the car industry for decade or so but have not had a huge amount of exposure in the truck industry.

Basically a dual clutch consists of two input shafts with dual clutches. One shaft runs inside the other, with one clutch mated to the inner shaft and one to the outer shaft. This means that two gears can be selected at the same time, but it is the clutch that determines which of the gears is active. One shaft and clutch controls gears 1-3-5-7-9 and 11 and one shaft and clutch controls gears 2-4-6-8-10 and 12 Volvo has been careful not to reinvent the wheel, or the geared wheel in this instance. The fact is the I-Shift Dual

Clutch is very much based on the conventional I-Shift, however the front half of the gearbox has been redesigned with entirely new components.

The design of he I-Shift Duel Clutch in basic terms allows pretty much seamless shifts particularly when the torque is being transferred from one clutch to the other.

This means when changes are being made between consecutive gears the changes are absolutely seamless and amazingly smooth. The exception is when the electronic management system chooses a skip shift say between gears 2 and 4 or 4 and 6 where the box is changing between gears that are on the same shaft and using the same clutch. In this case the shift is at normal speed and just like a change in a non-dual clutch box.

Similarly when the box changes from the lower half of the box to the top in a range-

change shift from gear 6 to 7 the shift is also at the slower speed.

On this basis some may question the worth. But in reality when you drive the dual clutch the benefits and performance advantages become immediately obvious.

Drilling to the essence of it the dual clutch system allows gear changes without interruption in power delivery, while torque is maintained without the vehicle losing speed in gear changes. For the driver, the result is more comfortable and efficient operation on the road, while for the operator they can potentially spec a lower horsepower, less costly engine and use less fuel.

Volvo is offering the Dual Clutch in both the FH and FM models with either 500 or 540 hp Euro 5 13litre engines.

One hurdle for Volvo Australia engineers has been adapting the dual clutch for Euro

5 engines because it was largely designed around Euro 6 power plants.

In normal circumstances FH and FM models with 13 litre engines have directdrive transmissions, however when you fit the dual clutch you effectively have an overdrive box delivering lower engine speed at cruise with fuel efficiency benefits as a result.

The trick with the dual clutch is that when a downshift is required the change is much faster without loss of road speed or interruption of torque. That means you can get away with a lower horsepower engine than a truck equipped with a conventional box, where changes would be slower and produce a drop in road speed that would then demand more torque to drive the truck.

So in essence you have a truck that uses direct-drive in hilly territory and an

overdrive box with the resulting economy benefits when running on flat roads.

Volvo says that the Dual Clutch is particularly beneficial in applications such as liquid tanker freight or in stock crate applications where the seamless smooth changes mean less jerkiness and movement of the cargo. The company also claims power-shifting means there is less risk of becoming stuck in slippery or uneven road conditions, typically encountered when hauling timber in the forest.

The company also claims better longevity and lower wear in the powertrain, on tyres and the rest of the truck, while also saving on fuel as the engine disengages when going downhill.

Volvo says that the Dual Clutch also makes a major difference to driveability and the heavier the transport and the tougher the conditions the more will be

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gained from it. The power-shifting changes also mean it is easier to keep up with traffic especially on tricky stretches of road resulting in more relaxed and safe driving.

That’s the theory, but how does it work out in the real world?

Early on the first day of March we meet with Volvo fuel efficiency manager, Matt Wood at the company’s Brisbane East dealership. Matt would be sitting in the co driver’s seat when we head out to tackle a challenging test route including the toughest climb in Australia and one of the most difficult descents in the country.

The truck we would be driving was an FH540 prime mover hauling a B-Double rig with a GCM of 55 tonnes.

The FH540 had a 3.4:1 final drive and a 0.78:1 overdrive gear.

The route would take us across the Gateway Bridge and then west on the Logan Motorway to Ipswich and on to ward Toowoomba and that killer climb up the Toowoomba Range. From there it was south on the New England before turning back to Brisbane and the challenge of Cunninghams Gap. The test had a bit of everything, city traffic, undulating freeway running, a massive climb, two lane country road, that massive descent and then more undulating running back to the new

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Volvo HQ at Wacol.

The first indication that we had a very different gearbox underneath was heading out on the Gateway and Logan when those quick, almost imperceptible changes were happening, snapping up the box with such efficiency and smoothness and no loss of road speed.

It was really more of the same till we hit the Range. With cruise control selected under the advice of Matt Wood the 55 tonne B Double hit the hill with reasonable road speed, sliding back through the box easily and without fuss and then down into the bottom half. Here Matt suggested we select manual to hold sixth so that when the truck hit the saddle part way up it wouldn’t shift back into the top part of the box.

It was a little counter-intuitive but we trust Matt, he knows his stuff and he knew the Dual Clutch.

The changes had been smooth and fast and it had really suited the engine, enabling it to stay in the optimum rev range and grind away at the hill.

The truck marched up the hill with no fuss, catching an older single trailer rig in front, cresting the top of the Range barely having raised a sweat. From a driver’s perspective it was very easy and lacking any drama.

Negotiating the crowded suburban roads of Toowoomba only served to highlight the benefits of the Dual Clutch.

After the run across the Downs it was time for the next big test, the descent of Cunninghams.

Going down the Gap was relatively easy, ensuring we crested the top at around 30 km/h in the bottom half of the box in sixth gear, everything was in control.

Exhaust brakes and retarder enabled us to hold the speed without the need to use the service brakes. All very easy and simple.

From that point it was a relatively simple and straight forward run to Wacol and for all intents and purposes the test was complete. The Dual Clutch had proved its worth. Easy shifting strong performance from a 540hp 13 litre hauling 55 tonnes without huge effort and all the efficiency benefits that brings.

Certainly we were won over by the Dual Clutch. It is a major step forward in the evolution of heavy vehicle transmissions delivering easy operation, efficiency and safety, not to mention less wear and tear on the driveline, and less trauma for the cargo, whether animate or inanimate.

We reckon Volvo’s I-Shift Dual Clutch will win plenty of fans and will keep Volvo ahead of the game in transmission and efficiency terms.

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Road Test

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SUPPLY ISSUES HELD SCANIA SALES BACK IN 2018 BUT THE COMPANY IS PUSHING ON STRONGLY RELEASING MORE VARIANTS OF ITS ACCLAIMED NEW TRUCK GENERATION MODELS AND. T&TA JUMPED AT THE CHANCE TO HAVE A STEER OF THE P MODEL RIGID RECENTLY, COMING AWAY IMPRESSED WITH THIS SLICK SCANDI MACHINE.

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THIS IS A BLOODY GOOD AND VERY IMPRESSIVE TRUCK THAT DOES EVERYTHING ASKED OF IT AND IT’S UNDERSTANDABLE THAT DEMAND IS SO STRONG.

S

cania Australia executives probably spent Christmas pondering what might have been given the company’s 2018 battles with supply, including manufacturing issues with its V8 diesel in Europe and the overstated, but none-the-less real problems with shipments affected by stink bug. We say pondering because if it could have landed the trucks it needed Scania would probably have delivered 1250 trucks in 2018 instead of the 950 odd that it did sell, they say they certainly had orders for the higher number.

It would have been a bumper year had those issues not raised their ugly heads and having driven a couple of different version of Scania’s New Truck Generation (NTG) we can understand the annoyance and heartburn the execs probably suffered over Chrissie as a result of the issues. This is a bloody good and very impressive truck that does everything asked of it and it’s understandable that demand is so strong.

When the offer of a test of another version of the Scania NTG, this time an 8x2 P360 rigid was made we jumped at the chance.

This truck is aimed firmly at the

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distribution market, a market that is very much dominated by the Japanese but the added efficiency, safety and performance of Euro trucks like this NTG Scania has appeal to some fleets particularly those wanting to impress with added green and safety cred.

This particular P360 features a lower entry cab. Designed to make it easier for drivers to enter and exit the cab when they are doing a lot of stops and drop-offs Inside the cab was like a luxury car with leather seats featuring multiple adjustment and air suspension and a steering wheel that could be adjusted up and down and forward and back independently.

Under the smart gun metal grey coloured cab of the Scania P is one of its modular diesel engines, in this instance a 360 hp nine-litre five-cylinder with max torque of 1700Nm produced at just 1050rpm.

It was naturally coupled to Scania’s own 12-speed Opticruise AMT ‘box.

In the back of the truck behind the smart looking taut liner was a 4.7 tonne payload, not a huge amount, but for a truck like this it is often about volume and not always about weight.

The truck in this spec has a GVM of 32.8 tonnes but the tare weight of the truck is relatively low at just 11.427 tonnes. With the payload of 4.7 tonnes the truck tipped the scales at 16.16 tonnes, so it was capable of hauling another 16 .6 tonnes while remaining legal. In addition its GCM of 42 tonnes offers added load capability with trailer potential, however in this spec at full load capacity it may not offer quite the performance that we achieved on this test The relatively light load was a doddle for the 360 hp five cylinder and it enabled the truck to gallop up hills with ease. In fact our test route took in the venerable Razorback Mountain south west of Sydney, always a stern test for any truck.

However with the relatively light burden on board, the smooth, seamless and always perfectly timed shifts from the Opticruise and the flexible and torquey power delivery from the nine-litre, Razorback seemed more like a mole hill than a mountain. If some of those truckies who blockaded the Hume at Razorback 40 years ago in April this year had trucks like the Scania they may not have felt the

need or urge to start the protest.

The Opticruise is a terrific transmission and we have never had a bad experience with it. It is very easy to use and while it is available and easy to use the manual override was not necessary during our tests.

The Scania also offers three power selections with Power, Economy or Standard modes, however without a big load on board we could not discern too much difference between the three. Most likely with a heavier load on it would make a difference but it was not noticeable to us during the test. The Scania people tell us the selectable modes use a blend of engine ‘mapping’ and altering gearbox shift points.

In Economy the engine will prompt shifts automatically as early as possible, allowing the engine to lug along as low as around 950 rpm, using all the torque and locking out manual shifting by the driver.

In Normal mode you get the smoothest possible gear shift quality and the ability to change up or down via the manual paddles while in Performance mode, the engine changes up later and can be manually activated as well, prioritising a

quick shift over smoothness of shift.

We picked the Scania up from the company’s factory owned dealership at Prestons near Liverpool in Sydney’s south west and headed out on the crowded M7 motorway south to the junction with the M2 and the start of the Hume Freeway.

From there we struck south down the Hume to the southern Highlands before turning back up the old Hume through Picton and over the aforementioned Razorback, stopping to pay homage to the famed truckies blockade at the top of the hill. From there it was back down the northern side of the mountain to Camden and through the increasingly busy and traffic-laden areas between there and Liverpool on Camden Valley Way, which many decades ago was the old Hume Hwy. The run back into Prestons was busy with lots of traffic lights and heavy traffic.

For all of that this ‘distribution’ truck handled the stop start with ease and was a joy to drive.

Something that really stood out was the superb Scania R3500 hydraulic retarder, which is fitted as an option and is in addition to the standard exhaust brake.

The light payload meant the retarder was not really necessary but using it meant we hardly touched the service brakes and slowed the truck very efficiently particularly coming down the old Razorback curves.

The exhaust brake and the hydraulic retarder are controlled on the convenient right hand stalk on the steering column and was extremely easy to use and operate.

Inside the cab either at highway speed or when accelerating away from stopped, the noise levels were incredibly low, in fact not only did inside the cab look like a car interior, the noise levels were car like as well. One can imagine that a day at the wheel of this truck would be a lot less fatiguing than the noisy environs of older model trucks.

The steering too was beautifully weighted and well assisted with lots of good feedback and positivity with the duel steer 8x2 setup. Again it was really car like in its quality.

Another area where Scania has reduced driver stress is with its hill hold assist which makes hill starts a breeze, not that they are difficult with the A/MT but it is

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just so seamless and again just relieves pressure on the driver making work so much easier and safer.

This particular truck was fitted with airbag suspension with load transfer and produced absolutely superb ride quality. Even though the load was light, the ride was still smooth and comfortable and we kept on having to remind ourselves that this was a truck not a car. In that regard we had our phone linked with the excellent and intuitive Bluetooth system and had at various times Spotify and the ABC Listen app running through the audio system. As an audiophile and music enthusiasts we can honestly say this was the best sound system we have ever heard, not just in a vehicle, but anywhere. It was probably helped and aided by the size and shape of the big Scania cabin but it produces truly superb sound quality.

External vision from the truck was really very impressive with an excellent combination of mirrors covering every area around the truck and with a huge front screen area it presents a panoramic vista that leaves no blind spots.

The cruise control is adaptive and can sense other traffic by a combination of radar and sensors and can be set to varying thresholds to slow the cruise automatically and avoid collision with other vehicles ahead. It also boasted eco-roll that puts the truck into neutral when coming off hills to dramatically reduce fuel consumption.

Another fuel saving device fitted to the test Scania is automatic engine shutdown while idling to prevent trucks sitting for long periods of time burning fuel unnecessarily.

This is a really, really good distribution truck and we could imagine would find favour with operators handling sensitive freight and loads that require a bit of TLC. In terms of ease of operation, comfort, performance and almost sheer luxury any operator running a Scania at this spec will have drivers clamouring to get behind the wheel and quite frankly we don’t blame them.

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SCANIA P 360 8X2

SPECIFICATIONS :

Engine:

Nine-litre common-rail five-cylinder turbo-diesel

Horsepower:

360hp (265kW)

Torque:

1700Nm at 1050-1900rpm

Transmission:

12-speed AMT + two crawler gears, with R3500 retarder and hill holder

Fuel capacity:

450l

Emissions:

Euro 6 – SCR, EGR and DPF

AdBlue capacity:

47lt

GVM:

32,800kg

GCM:

45,000kg

Cab:

Sleeper cab

Suspension:

Eight leaf/air springs with rear load transfer function

Axle ratio:

3.08:1 with diff lock

Brakes:

Eight discs with ABS/EBS

Headlamps:

Halogen H7 headlamps and LED tail, DRLs and position lamps

Safety:

Advanced emergency brakes, stability control, traction control, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control

Seat:

Air suspension

Warranty:

12 months unlimited kilometres and powertrain warranty for 800,000km

just so seamless and again just relieves pressure on the driver making work so much easier and safer.

This particular truck was fitted with airbag suspension with load transfer and produced absolutely superb ride quality. Even though the load was light, the ride was still smooth and comfortable and we kept on having to remind ourselves that this was a truck not a car. In that regard we had our phone linked with the excellent and intuitive Bluetooth system and had at various times Spotify and the ABC Listen app running through the audio system. As an audiophile and music enthusiasts we can honestly say this was the best sound system we have ever heard, not just in a vehicle, but anywhere. It was probably helped and aided by the size and shape of the big Scania cabin but it produces truly superb sound quality.

External vision from the truck was really very impressive with an excellent combination of mirrors covering every area around the truck and with a huge front screen area it presents a panoramic vista that leaves no blind spots.

The cruise control is adaptive and can sense other traffic by a combination of radar and sensors and can be set to varying thresholds to slow the cruise automatically and avoid collision with other vehicles ahead. It also boasted eco-roll that puts the truck into neutral when coming off hills to dramatically reduce fuel consumption.

Another fuel saving device fitted to the test Scania is automatic engine shutdown while idling to prevent trucks sitting for long periods of time burning fuel unnecessarily.

This is a really, really good distribution truck and we could imagine would find favour with operators handling sensitive freight and loads that require a bit of TLC. In terms of ease of operation, comfort, performance and almost sheer luxury any operator running a Scania at this spec will have drivers clamouring to get behind the wheel and quite frankly we don’t blame them.

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SCANIA P 360 8X2

SPECIFICATIONS :

Engine:

Nine-litre common-rail five-cylinder turbo-diesel

Horsepower:

360hp (265kW)

Torque:

1700Nm at 1050-1900rpm

Transmission:

12-speed AMT + two crawler gears, with R3500 retarder and hill holder

Fuel capacity:

450l

Emissions:

Euro 6 – SCR, EGR and DPF

AdBlue capacity:

47lt

GVM:

32,800kg

GCM:

45,000kg

Cab:

Sleeper cab

Suspension:

Eight leaf/air springs with rear load transfer function

Axle ratio:

3.08:1 with diff lock

Brakes:

Eight discs with ABS/EBS

Headlamps:

Halogen H7 headlamps and LED tail, DRLs and position lamps

Safety:

Advanced emergency brakes, stability control, traction control, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control

Seat:

Air suspension

Warranty:

12 months unlimited kilometres and powertrain warranty for 800,000km

Operator

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HERE IN GOTHAM CITY, THE HEAVING MASS OF HUMANITY AND MACHINERY, IT IS A TOUGH ENVIRONMENT FOR MAN AND HIS LABOUR SAVING DEVICES AND FOR SYDNEY TRANSPORT OPERATOR FRED SASSINE A SPECTACULAR WRAP PAYING HOMAGE TO THE FAMED METROPOLIS AND ITS SUPERHERO WAS NOT ONLY A GREAT BRANDING EXERCISE BUT ALSO A WAY TO MAKE THE TRUCK STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD AND TO SATISFY THE SUPERHERO WORSHIP OF HIS YOUNG SONS. WE TAKE A LOOK AT FRED’S BUSINESS AND HIS SPECTACULAR ISUZU TRIBUTE TO BATMAN.

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otham was of course the mythical city in the Batman comic strips and in the various incarnations of TV shows and movies and it is also the image Sydney transport operator Fred Sassine has given his latest Isuzu which he runs under the FS Transport name.

Of course that famous caped crusader was once asked, “Why do we fall? So, we can learn to pick ourselves back up” and while he’s not quite Batman, this was a trial that, Fred Sassine, experienced first hand.

“To be honest with you, we nearly went under in the first six months. Now eight years later, we are the leader in natural product distribution on the east coast of Australia.”

Established in 2010, FS Transport has risen to prominence through sheer hard work, determination and having the right equipment to service the unique needs of transporting materials such as granite, marble and engineered stone slabs.

Having worked in the building industry prior to establishing FS Transport, Fred’s

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“ OUR SERVICE, OUR HONESTY AND OUR RELIABILITY HELP US TO BUILD CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS THAT PROVIDE CONFIDENCE”

experience with transporting bespoke building materials gave him the edge he needed to deliver a tailored and diverse range of transport solutions.

“Our service, our honesty and our reliability help us to build customer relationships that provide confidence.

We just try to tick all the boxes for our customers, so whatever they are after and wherever they are, we can deliver.”

With FS Transport trucks covering upwards of 200 kms a day and operating at full capacity, it’s imperative that their vehicles have the reliability and adaptability to perform in a range of environments and over vast distances.

Which is where Isuzu’s heavy-duty FY Series comes in.

“We purchased the FYX platform and had it fully customised by adding an additional axle for weight distribution and a 6-tonne capacity crane. We also had the entire truck wrapped in a Batman and Gotham city decal, as we intend to take the truck to charity events”.

While the new FYX 2500 10x4 has been suitably customised for FS Transport’s unique line of work, the trucks credentials are pretty impressive straight out of the box – boasting a GVM of 35,000 kg, 257 kW of power produced at 2,000 rpm and torque of 1,422 Nm at 1,400 rpm.

In addition, the truck features Isuzu’s load-sharing front suspension, Hendrickson HLM-2 tag axle rear suspension and a six-speed Allison 4430 series automatic transmission – all combining to deliver unmatched access on work sites and in loading bays.

“We chose the Allison automatics because so many younger and new generation drivers can’t handle the RoadRanger manuals so the auto is the best choice,” said Fred.

“Apart from that they are so much easier to use in city traffic which is getting heavier and heavier so having the Allison automatic is less stressful, more comfortable and a lot safer,” Fred added.

On the safety front, the FYX has all the boxes ticked with driver side airbag, an ADR 42 compliant sleeper with mattress, an ECE-R93 compliant Front Underun Protection Device (FUPD)and Anti-lock Braking System (ABS).

With driver safety taken care of, the transport of such niche and often one-off building supplies also required a certain level of versatility and adaptability, hence the FYX has been positioned as a bit of a ‘swiss army knife’ by Fred and his team.

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FS Transport are regularly required to hoist, position then transport extremely heavy, unconventional items, so just like a super hero’s utility belt, having every transport contingency covered provides a massive advantage on other configurations.

“We don’t just specialise in heavy freight. We can also relocate factories and warehousing, crane hire, crane lifts, unpacking, storage and general freight.

We don’t place our eggs in one basket, so a highly specialised vehicle was a necessity.

“Isuzu has always been a very reliable brand, you get in, start it and go,” he said.

“They are easy to operate and are not as complicated to drive like other brands.

They are pretty much unbreakable trucks.

That’s why I have kept my fleet exclusively Isuzu, because after all, reliability is king in my line of work”.

In fact, the dynamic duo of FS Transport and Isuzu goes back a long way with the origin story of Fred’s love affair with Isuzu Trucks beginning some time ago.

“The Isuzu FVZ was the first truck I started with about nine years ago. It’s probably my favorite one. She’s done over 750,000 km and I had the whole truck refurbished because I didn’t want to get rid of it,” laughed Fred.

After a decade in the trucking business Fred now has a fleet of five trucks including three Isuzus, a Volvo and a Kenworth.

While FS is a bespoke building product specialist, Fred says that they will handle all sorts of work as long as it pays the bills.

“Wherever and whenever the wheels turn and it makes us money we will do the work although we do now have a reputation and a name for ourselves as specialist building product transporters and we are tending to be flat out doing that these days,” Now with the imposing figure of the new FYX, with its slick black and yellow livery and ‘monster’ crane, Fred and his staff may just have a new favorite on their hands.

Its little wonder Isuzu’s FY Series has been a huge success since its introduction in 2012, finding a home in a multitude of industries and applications across Australia.

“Yeah, the boys fight over who gets to drive it - they love it. Everybody wants to be Batman!

“I have driven many other brands over the years, but I wouldn’t go back. Isuzu is definitely my preference.”

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Innovation

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THE TRUCK WORLD IS FULL OF CLEVER PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT AVERSE TO A BIT OF INNOVATION AND SMART ENGINEERING TO EVOLVE BETTER TRUCKS OFTEN FOR SPECIFIC TASKS. SO IT IS THAT BORAL GOT TOGETHER WITH IVECO TO COME UP WITH A TRUCK DESIGNED FOR SPREADING ROAD AGGREGATE IN A SAFER AND MORE EFFICIENT MANNER, WE DROPPED INTO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IS A VERY FORWARD THINKING IDEA.

ts fair to say Boral is a company that is not frightened of innovation.

The Australian building and construction products giant has been featured in T&TA before because of its innovative and advanced thinking when it comes to its truck fleet, most recently with its low centre of gravity and lighter concrete agitators which it developed in collaboration with agitator makers and Mack. Before that it was its data driven approach to switching its Tipper Dog fleet to Allison automatics.

All of that serves to underline an attitude that says near enough is not good enough for Boral.

The company, which started as Bituminous Oil Refineries of Australia Limited (BORAL) has worked with Iveco to invent a better ‘mousetrap’ for the job of road surfacing. This is a task that presents plenty of challenges , particularly when it comes to worker safety, reducing costs and increased efficiency.

The quite different looking road resurfacing truck they have developed has created an entirely revolutionary surfacing truck designed to make it safer for workers, increase product quality, reduce infrastructure costs and further Boral’s innovation credentials.

Its been christened the Forward Moving Aggregate Spreader or FMAS and has revolutionised the widely used method of spray seal road construction in Australia.

Until now, the process involved road crews working with reversing trucks that applied the aggregate through an elevated tipper body, increasing the safety risks to workers.

To improve safety and maximise visibility, the Boral FMAS disperses aggregate from the front of the truck via a conveyor belt and spreader box.

Boral says its FMAS design brings value to its customers and to communities through quicker completion of works and a significant reduction in any potential infrastructure or overhead damage such as contacting power lines, trees and bridges, which is a major risk for road surfacing crews.

The FMAS is based on Iveco’s Stralis AD 8x4 and the company worked closely with Boral throughout the development and build phase of the FMAS. The AD 8x4 is powered by Iveco’s own Cursor 450 hp SCR 13 litre and is mated to Iveco’s ZF sourced Eurotronic 12 speed A/MT with cruise control.

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The Boral Iveco FMAS runs at a maximum operating weight of 27.5 tonne on road and unlike its tipper bodied aggregate spreading rivals has a maximum height of just 3.4 metres to the top of the hopper body’s tarpaulin.

The truck is fitted with an alloy hopper body with a v shaped interior which allows aggregate loaded into it to be funnelled into the screw type conveyor fitted along the floor of the alloy body.

This then feeds the aggregate via conveyor along the passenger side of the truck into the spreader body which is fitted across the front of the cab of the Iveco Stralis.

While the spreader body sits squarely in the frontal shadow of the body while driving normally on roads, the driver can

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position the spreader to the left or right of the body while resurfacing work is occurring to ensure absolute coverage and efficiency.

The driver can control the entire unit from his cockpit with a series of cameras and monitors, joystick controls and switches.

Once the aggregate hopper is filled the driver can arrive at the site where the road sealing job is being done and fall in a little way behind the bitumen spray tanker. Once underway the FMAS simple follows the spray tanker spreading its load of aggregate evenly and smoothly on the freshly sprayed bitumen. All the while the driver is looking ahead and driving forward in relative safety and ease.

While it is doing its job of spreading aggregate on the fresh bitumen, the truck has a working speed of between 0 and 7 km/h while its hopper has a capacity of 9.3 cubic metres. The truck has a working width of between the standard 2.5m and 3.6m when the aggregate spreader unit is deployed at the extremities of its travel, while the entire unit has an overall length of 10.9 metres. The spreader unit can handle 4, 7, 10 and 14mm aggregates Importantly the FMAS can be operated by a single driver with no need for a spotter as was required when operating a reversing tipper. In addition the reversing tipper could not deliver the same even cover of aggregate as the FMAS does making for even better efficiency.

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Stuart Partridge, Boral’s National Asset Manager for Asphalt, said the company designed and developed the Forward Moving Aggregate Spreader following a call to industry by VicRoads, the Victorian government roads authority, which followed a serious accident involving a VicRoads worker some years ago.

“Surfacing roads has remained one of the most potentially challenging tasks faced by construction crews because of the nature of the material being used and the way that material is applied,” said Stuart Partridge.

“Rollover accidents, blind spots and high reversing tippers that can be at risk of interfering with power lines or overhanging trees are just some of the problems associated with the current range of spreaders,” he said.

“So, the task here was to come up with a solution to improve safety for road crews, including drivers, while at the same time making the process quicker, more efficient with higher quality.

“This invention allows locally manufactured and approved trucks to be substantially modified whilst still

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meeting regulatory standards, which is why VicRoads has mandated that forward moving aggregate spreaders should be in use on all its projects by 2022 – a move we hope will be followed by other state road authorities nationally.”

Boral Australia chief executive, Joe Goss said the new Boral FMAS was a demonstration of the company’s commitment to zero harm, placing the safety of all employees and the community in general, at the very centre of the company’s mission.

“This invention speaks to the importance Boral places on keeping our workers safe and our commitment to innovation across all of our products and activities,” he said.

“I want to congratulate Stuart and his team for coming up with such an important invention – and one that will be embraced by the industry nationally and in our view, internationally also. It not only delivers a major improvement in safety standards but will also help to lower the cost of road surfacing because it supports a more efficient and productive process.”

Iveco Australia managing director, Bruce

Healy, said the company was excited at being involved in the development of the FMAS. “Boral has shown innovation and forethought in researching and ultimately developing this vehicle in line with the new industry safety standards in Australia,” Mr Healy said.

Clearly Iveco has had a long association with Boral over many years being a major supplier of concrete agitators and the like for Boral and the industry, so naturally Healey and Iveco were very pleased to participate in this project.

“As a local manufacturer with an extensive engineering centre in Melbourne, we were able to advise Boral on the best Iveco platform on which to build their vehicle – “I’m confident that the new FMAS model will be well-received by the market.”

The FMAS is already put doing service on Victorian roads and is set to be a more familiar sight on Australian roads as Boral has more built to add to its fleet. Here’s to innovation.

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Operator

IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS TO REALISE AUSTRALIA HAS BECOME A NATION OF WINE DRINKERS AND THE OLD IMAGE OF BEER SWILLERS HAS FADED IN RECENT YEARS. WE HEAD TO MILDURA, ONE OF THE MAJOR CENTRES OF WINE GRAPE PRODUCTION IN AUSTRALIA TO CATCH UP WITH A COMPANY THAT HAS MADE THE TRANSPORT AND HARVESTING OF GRAPES ITS CORE BUSINESS. 050 www.truckandbus.net.au

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t’s 3am and the air is hot and thick near Mildura in northern Victoria.

The town is dark and dead quiet, but it is all business in many of the hundreds of vineyards that produce around 20 per cent of Australia’s wine.

This is where Transport and Trucking finds the team at KEWGS working hard to supply a nearby winery facility with the grapes it needs.

KEWGS stands for K. Englefield Wine and Grape Services and the K belongs to Kevin Englefield, who is showing us around and checking up on his operation.

KEWGS is, on one level, a transport business, specialising in cartage of grapes, other fresh fruit such as oranges, mandarins, lemon and avocado, as well as dried fruit, grain and fertiliser. But it also takes care of the harvesting requirements

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of some of Kevin’s customers, operating four massive Gregoire grape harvesters.

The company also has its own 20-acre vineyard surrounding its depot, with Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc variety grapes growing within metres of the office.

This family business started back in 1972 when Kevin’s father John, who was running a farm with wife Joy, started carting grapes for his brother Leo Englefield. It expanded slowly through the 1990s and Kevin moved into the management side of the business. John passed away in 2003.

Kevin and his wife, Lyn, worked extremely hard to grow the business from 2004 as KEWGS. “We harvested 45,000 tonnes (of grapes) in our first vintage and capacity has tripled since then,” he says as we head out to a nearby vineyard.

Kevin’s sons Daniel and Adam now head up the operations side of the business and his son-in-law Simon manages the administration, while Kevin and Lyn have moved to a higher-level overview position in the business. They take pride in the fact that the hard-working trio will continue the company’s customer-first business model into the future.

In addition to the harvesters, KEWGS has 1500 wine grape bins, up from 350, and a fleet of 12 company trucks, which are assisted by forty plus sub-contractors.

The KEWGS fleet delivers grapes to wineries in the Riverina, Barossa Valley, the Coonawarra, Griffith and Geelong, in addition to its work in the North-West Victoria and Murray Darling regions.

It used to be made up of older Western Star models and Kevin was adamant that

“EVERY LITRE OF FUEL GETS US 250M FURTHER IN THE BENZ THAN IT DID IN THE OLD TRUCKS”

he wouldn’t buy a new truck, but that all changed recently when he returned from a six-week holiday.

“I came back from an overseas holiday cruise to an enormous parts bill and that was that,” he says.

“Our business had grown at such a rate that we could not properly facilitate the old trucks due to an increase in kilometres travelled each year.”

Kevin pulls is into a vineyard and kills the engine in his Ford Ranger. Several tractors can be seen scurrying around under large floodlights busily dropping off bins full of grapes in neat rows.

Minutes later a 16-litre Mercedes-Benz 2658 pulls up with an empty trailer. In a matter of minutes, the bins are loaded onto the back and, after making sure the load is secure, the driver starts heading for a nearby winery.

It is one of eight Mercedes-Benz trucks that Kevin has introduced in the last 12 months.

Kevin says he was initially attracted by the Daimler 16-litre engine and the idea of reliable new trucks with reduced servicing requirements.

He knew the fuel economy would be good, but was still taken aback by the realworld results.

“Every litre of fuel gets us 250m further in the Benz than it did in the old trucks,” he says.

“We did some rough stats that we should save $18,000 and $19,000 per unit over 160,000km each year. Couple that with the long 80,000km service intervals and its goes a long way to pay for the truck in savings.”

A few hours later, we pull up next to one of Kevin’s harvesters. They are a complex

array of belts and pulleys but the concept is pretty simple; they cleverly shake the grapes off the vine and onto a conveyor belt and then into the bin that is being towed by a tractor.

There has been some kind of minor issues that the team quickly sort out and the harvester is soon making its way up and down the rows of grapes.

Grape season runs from mid January through to early April, a period that sees a long string of 40 degree plus days in the region. It is especially hot this season; and dry. An electrical storm is flashing away in thick clouds on the horizon, but never arrives and the temperature does not dip below 27 degrees at any point.

Still, that is a long way down from the daytime temperatures. Harvesting at night is beneficial for the grapes, which are very

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sensitive to atmospheric conditions, but also the workers.

The well-being of employees was another factor in the decision to go with the Mercedes-Benz trucks, which feature advanced cabs and features such as active emergency brake, lane departure warning, fatigue warning and adaptive cruise control, in addition to an automated transmission (AMT) and a comfortable ride.

“I did a few weeks driving one of the old trucks and then did a week in the Benz carting hay,” Kevin says as we head out to another vineyard.

“When I got in the Benz, I thought “bloody hell,” my rotator cuff has stopped hurting and my eyes stopped wobbling around in my head.”

Kevin says drivers ‘hanging on’ in the old trucks created fatigue and notes that they all recover a lot quicker in the new trucks.

That said, there were a couple of drivers who didn’t want anything to do with a European truck and insisted on driving something with a bonnet.

“When they are told there are no shifts available in a bonneted truck, that this is it, they get in,” Kevin explains. “Then we need the ‘jaws of life’ to get them out of the truck they love them that much.”

Some people have questioned whether the Mercedes-Benz

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trucks will last for 20 years, but Kevin says that is a mute point: “We don’t want trucks that are that old, our business model is that we run these for four or five years and we change them over.”

He says they have had no issues with the trucks so far, apart from some kangaroo damage (there are more roos around due to the dry spell), a broken windscreen and an issue with a jake brake governor. “They fixed that quickly and the driver couldn’t believe the level of service, the reaction speed and follow up calls to see if everything was ok.”

We tag along as our driver drops off a load at the Lindeman’s winery, which produces some of Australia’s best-known wines, and watch as the trucks line up to drop off more grapes. An overhead pulley with a hook lifts up each bin and tips out the contents, which then run up a conveyor belt and into the facility.

The grapes will be crushed, fermented, processed and stored before being appreciated across Australia and around the world.

It’s an eye-opening experience to witness how much work goes into making our world-class wine and we’ll certainly take the opportunity to raise a glass to all those who make it happen.

Cheers.

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LCV

MITSUBISHI’S TRITON IS OFTEN SEEN AS THE MINOR PLAYER IN THE JAPANESE ONE TONNE UTE LINE UP BUT EXCELLENT SPEC, PRICING AND A STRONG REPUTATION HAS MADE THE TRITON ONE OF THE SHINING LIGHTS IN THE PICK UP MARKET AND IN MITSUBISHI’S GIANT KILLING PRODUCT RANGE. WE TAKE A DRIVE IN A COUPLE OF THE NEW TRITONS.

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lot of people looking at the VFacts vehicle sales stats in the last few months were a little bit surprise to see Mitsubishi up there at number two in the sales volume rankings.

They probably shouldn’t be too surprised, the three diamonds has slowly put together a model line, mostly with a range of well priced SUVs, that proves the old ‘sum of the parts’ theory. One of the Mitsubishi products that has been shining is the Triton ute and thanks to a recent facelift it is continuing to find fans and bolster that Mitsubishi sales result each month.

A combination of really strong pricing, good specifications and Mitsubishi’s wide spread of dealers has given the Triton some of its appeal as has its reputation for reliability and durability. It might not be a glamorous star of the ute market like rock star rivals from Toyota and Ford but it plays a solid third in the market and regularly captures close to 16 per cent of the pickup sales in Australia.

The thing about the Triton is it goes about its business without fuss and bother and in fact can be thousands cheaper than some of its rival models from Toyota and in many areas performs as well if not better than its rivals.

We had the chance to sample two Tritons over a fortnight with both the cheapest and the top of the line filling our car port back to back.

We started in the top of the line GLS Premium dual cab, turbo 2.4litre diesel auto and swapped that for the stripped out, entry level, $22,490 tray-back GLX

with a five-speed manual and a 2.4-litre petrol engine under the bonnet.

The top-end Triton GLS Premium auto models have a tag of $51,990 drive-away which is in fact about $5000 less than the HiLux SR5 auto with premium interior and about $3200 less than the premium interior Ford Ranger XLT auto. Now at that end of the market, $3000 to $5000 is not a lot when it comes down to monthly lease payments and may not sway everyone, but anyway you cut it, it is still a significant saving that is not reflected in any massive difference in quality, performance or handling compared to the more expensive rivals.

The GLS Premium boasts leather trimmed and heated front seats and a nicely equipped cabin with plenty of luxury extras for comfort and convenience.

It has a multi-function steering wheel boasting paddle shift for the six speed automatic which we found quite handy for downshifting, particularly while towing a big trailer. The addition of paddle shift is a bonus for Triton that is not matched by the rivals while it also gets an electric adjustable driver’s seat, climate control air conditioning and a good and easy to use audio system.

It boasts a plethora of USB points, four in fact, along with a 12-volt outlet as well as a HDMI slot connecting to a 7-inch touchscreen multi media system with both Apple CarPlay and Android.

It doesn’t have sat nav which we don’t have a problem with because frankly the mapping/nav apps on your phone are

better and less clunky than most car nav systems. In fact with Siri or Google Assist you don’t have to worry about trying to punch in a destination letter by letter while trying to keep the machine on the road, its much safer and easier.

One thing that stood out for us was the improved sound insulation Mitsubishi has built in to the Triton, which is now much quieter and very pleasant, and that was only underlined when we climbed aboard the GLX trayback in week two, which was a fair bit noisier.

One gripe we have with Triton, and a couple of other one tonne pick ups, including the Navara and the Benz X Class, is the low roof line and high mounted seats which makes entering and alighting a lot more difficult. VW’s Amarok and Ford’s Ranger don’t have this issue and it can be designed out if the engineers put their minds to it.

However we have to say there is plenty of room once inside the Triton, both in the front and back, its just getting in and out that is an issue.

Driving the top spec Triton is a good experience. The 2.4 litre turbo diesel works really well delivering smooth and unfussed power and good torque and it is matched nicely to the six speed auto.

Strangely, six speeds sound a little light on these days, given the ten speed now in the Ford Ranger and the eight speed in the Volksy and Benz, but it works fine, shifts nicely and does the job.

You can easily select four wheel drive at speeds below 100km/h with a practical and smart rotary knob that

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shifts from rear-wheel-drive to fourwheel-drive or back again with ease while some of its rivals have to be stopped to make the shift.

There is also a multi-terrain system which applies an electronic traction profile to Triton’s driveline to get the best out of the vehicle while traversing rocks, mud, sand and tarmac while there is also a hill descent control function and a rear diff lock.

The Mitsubishi engineers have done a good job on the suspension and ride quality with this model, and both on road and off road it performed very nicely thank you very much.

The Triton has terrific steering and feels lighter to drive than some of its rivals which feel more like small trucks by comparison. In fact the Triton is 230 kg lighter than the Ranger which is an advantage that goes directly to the GVM of the Triton, making it just a bit more practical.

The Triton has a 3.1 tonne tow capacity and it tows well, as we proved in hauling a large car club trailer to an event while we were in the GLS. So after an enjoyable seven days in the range topper it was time to get aboard the GLX trayback petrol, manual.

The vinyl ‘hose-me-out’ interior floor is the first thing you notice and while it is the entry level, the interior is reasonably well appointed if a little less lavish and a bit more stark than its more costly, up market sibling.

At a price tag of $22,490 the GLX is at the bottom of the Triton’s 20 model

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variant tree.

Under the bonnet is a 2.4 litre petrol engine that lacks the oomph and torque of the turbo diesel but it works fine and will, we are sure, find a ready market as a yard ute, rental ute or company runabout that will almost inevitably love a hard life at the hands of the apprentices or the roundabout of drivers that these runabouts get to deal with. Of course it comes only in 2WD and the petrol engine is only mated to five-speed manual shift. It underlines.

Mitsubishi’s pragmatic approach to the ute pricing strategy, giving buyers. The opportunity to choose as much or as little as they need to do the job.

If you want the diesel engine instead of the petrol you can have that for an extra $3500, add the six-speed auto and you will pay another $2500. Want 4WD and that will cost you $7000. Of course there is also the choice of single, club and dual cab body variants, with the club cab setting you back an added $3300 over the single, while the dual cab adds another $750. It is a handy a la carte menu that allows you to get exactly what you want.

So while the bargain basement version appeared on paper to be a pretty utilitarian and bare version, we did enjoy our time in it, save for the truck like ride characteristics. The suspension is quite harsh at times but it gets better with a load.

The petrol engine has to be really pushed along by comparison to the turbo diesels we have become used to. It seems a bit asthmatic and lacking in torque at times offering up just 94kW of power and a

meagre 194Nm of torque. A half decent load means the ‘stripper’ model has to work pretty hard and is really tested.

However in normal round town work with a light load onboard it works fine and is surprisingly economical, even if the engine noise reminded us of an old Mitsubishi Sigma we owned in our youth.

While the basic Triton petrol can be a bit breathless it is mated to a very smoothshifting five-speed, with the same direct and well weighted steering and has a solid and capable feel.

Sure it has a basic stereo and a spartan cabin but after a week at the wheel of this machine, it garnered a bit of affection for its honesty and practical attributes.

The Triton’s rivals may offer some better numbers in power, or load or towing capacity with some delivering stump pulling torque and big power from V6 diesels but Triton just does the job and when you look at the price tag it brings a smile to the face thinking about the fact that you can master 98 per cent of the tasks the others do, but will save thousands of dollars.

You can see that Mitsubishi has pitched the Triton at pragmatists and for those who believe in value for money and that is finding some appeal in the market.

We believe the Triton is a good thing with excellent safety features, outstanding value, arguably good but certainly individual looks and an attractive sevenyear warranty. We reckon buying a Triton is not a silly idea and a decision that will not be followed by regret.

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AGENT 86 TO THE MAX

Y

TOYOTA’S LITTLE 86 SPORTS COUPE HAS BEEN A STRONG PERFORMER IN THE SALES CHARTS FOR THE JAPANESE AUTO GIANT THANKS TO A COMBINATION OF GREAT LOOKS, STRONG PERFORMANCE, TERRIFIC HANDLING AND FANTASTIC PRICING. WE CLIMBED ABOARD AN 86 FOR A WEEK AND AS MAXWELL SMART AGENT 86 HIMSELF WOULD SAY, ‘ITS THE THIRD TIME I’VE FALLEN FOR THAT THIS WEEK’.

ou’ve got to take your hat off to Toyota, it is an organisation that can sniff out a successful and profitable automotive niche and make the absolute most of it.

Mostly that happens with little SUVs or hybrids but in an era when everyone thought the sports car was dead Toyota trotted out the 86 and it has been an enormous hit since it lobbed in 2012.

We had the chance to get behind the wheel of the Toyota 86 GTS in recent times after a long time without having driven the little Toyota sports coupe and we have to say we had a week of sheer driving bliss.

The optional Dynamic Performance Pack, adds $2200 to the price, and with the neat and purposeful rear spoiler that comes with it, as well as the appearance tidy up that happened when Toyota updated 86 in 2016 has made it look as fresh and appealing as it did when it was first launched.

The update gave it a revised front bumper as well as standard LED headlights with LED daytime running lights.

The performance kit also boasts great looking and distinctive 17 inch wheels with Michelin Primacy HP tyres and with the distinctive and slightly boastful red Brembo callipers visible through the spokes of the alloys it set the whole package off nicely particularly with the unusual and striking blue colour of the test car.

While the 86 is classed as a 2+2 coupe the rear seat is really impractical for carting humans anything bigger than an eight year old, yes it is more practical than a two-seater, and you can put bits and bobs on the back seat but don’t bank on taking another couple to dinner in the back seat of your 86.

The interior is really nicely crafted with Toyotas latest ‘corporate’ look dash which is squared off and very retro sporty in my view. There is a 6.1-inch media screen, and the system offers Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, and sat nav but most importantly of all there is a volume and tuning knob, the lack of which is a real bugbear as far as we are concerned.

Designers have to understand that adjusting volume and tuning on a touch screen while doing 100km/h is virtually impossible to do safely. Designers take note.

As we mentioned the car we drove had the $2200 Dynamic Performance pack fitted to the GTS spec car so on top of this level’s standard gear which includes the 17 inch alloys, Alcantara trim on the dash and seats which also get black leather-

accents, climate control air, push-button start and keyless entry, audio controls on the steering wheel and upgraded front and rear ventilated discs.

The ‘Dynamic Performance Pack’ also adds Sachs suspension and Brembo brakes and it makes all the difference in terms of driver engagement and the fun you can have behind the wheel.

Powering all this and at the heart of the 86 is the Subaru two-litre boxer engine and that is constant across all variants which pumps out a meagre 152kW of power at 7000rpm and similarly modest torque of just 212 Nm which is mostly available at the top end which sees it at max between 6400 and 6800 rpm.

The engine revs beautifully and while the power is modest you can row it along through the six-speed manual gearbox and because of the 86’s lithe and light build its performance can be quite exhilarating. The rear drive chassis and the torque sensing (Torsen) limited slip diff in the back means it is a joy to power out of corners putting its power to the road with perfection ensuring it delivers power to the wheel with the most grip. The six-speed auto version does not get the Torsen diff or LSD but this is a car that cries out for a manual and the delightful short shift and quick nicks between the gears make it all worthwhile.

You may get tired in city traffic but a sports car is a compromise and really a manual is the way to go with an 86.

The joy of driving an 86 came to me when I took the little Toyota coupe on an errand to a nearby suburb, which happened to be adjacent to a semi rural road through a twisty, hilly piece of countryside. A blast up the said road and back at legal speeds was enough to convince me of the exhilaration that comes from the 86 in fairly mundane and benign conditions. The Sachs suspension worked really well and the control and predictability built confidence and an assured feeling in the driver.

The other thing about the 86 is the fairly frugal fuel drinking habit it has. Toyota claims an average 8.4 litres /100km and our experience with the car proved pretty close to that with our best figure of 8.6l/100km, a terrific figure for a spirited sports coupe equating to better than 30mpg in imperial language The GTS we tested lists at $36,640 for the manual while the auto adds $2300. That to our way of thinking is excellent value for an accomplished, fun and exhilarating sports coupe like the 86. Chief I think this calls for the cone of silence!

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MONEY MATTERS PAUL CLITHROE INVESTMENTS SHOULD PASS THE PUB TEST AND WATCHING YOUR SUPER

A

n investment doesn’t have to be complex to be good, and if you’re about to tip money into something, make sure it passes the pub test.

Following an investigation by investment watchdog ASIC, Citigroup recently agreed to refund over $3 million to customers who’d copped losses on a type of investment called “structured products” between 2013 and 2017.

If you’re not familiar with them, structured products are a complex market-linked investment. The return is generally based on the performance of a particular group of shares, or share index, and in some cases, the investor’s capital is at risk.

If this sounds complicated, that’s because it is. Structured products have been likening to punting rather than investing, and a colleague of mine who has experience with these products, says they can be very convoluted, often making it challenging for ordinary investors to fully grasp how they work.

ASIC’s issue is that these products were sold to customers without proper advice. For the record, Citibank stopped selling structured products in early 2018, and it has pledged to contact customers who still have money tied up in these products, and give them a chance to bail out early without cost.

The main point however, is that when it comes to investing, the simple things are often the best.

There are plenty of guidelines we can – and should – follow as investors, like don’t try to time the market, and spread your money across different investments.

But the simplest, and arguably most important, rule of thumb is to only put money into something you understand.

If you can’t easily explain to your partner or a mate how you could make – or lose – money on an investment, then you don’t understand it, and you’d have to be a mug to tip cash into it.

Unless you regard yourself as an experienced investor, you could be better off sticking with mainstream investments – cash, property and shares, or managed funds that invest in these, rather than something a little more exotic.

That’s not to say these three investment classes assets are failsafe, far from it. It’s just that they are generally a more proven way of generating wealth. And there is plenty of information available so you can compare returns over a period of time and make a reasonable investment decision.

There’s nothing flashy about the approach of “If you don’t understand it, don’t buy it” but it’s not a bad rule of thumb to follow.

NOW TO THE SUBJECT OF SUPER. It can be frustrating to have money sitting in super, only to find it gets eaten away by fees and charges over time. It happens all too often. But that’s about to change.

From 1 July 2019, the new Protecting Your Super Package (PYSP) will kick in.

As the name suggests, these reforms are designed to protect our super savings from the impact of inappropriate fees and unnecessary insurance premiums.

A key aspect of PYSP is that you’ll pay no exit fee when you switch your super from one fund to another. Exit fees on super have typically been small – averaging less than $70. But it can be a deterrent to switching if you have a small balance.

Also from 1 July, fees on super accounts

with balances below $6,000 will be capped at 3% annually. This should help prevent smaller balances being gobbled up by high fees.

Super balances under $6,000 that are inactive (received no contributions for at least 16 months), will be handed over to the Tax Office. That’s not a bad thing.

The Tax Office can use your tax file number to merge any dormant accounts with your main super fund helping to reduce the $17.5 billion pool of lost and unclaimed super.

Possibly the most dramatic change of PYSP is the ‘opt in’ arrangements for life insurance.

If you have an inactive account, your super fund should be in touch to let you know that any life cover you have through the fund is about to end.

It’s a step in the right direction because you could be paying for default life insurance without even realising it. Yet the premiums can steadily whittle away your super savings especially if there are no contributions coming in.

You can opt to keep life cover in place though young people could be paying for a product they may not need or want.

If you have a family or high personal debts, life cover through super makes sense. However, if you’re in your early 20s or 30s, single and without any major financial commitments, you probably don’t need life insurance at this point.

Our investment watchdog – ASIC, is warning super funds not to encourage members to hang onto inactive funds or maintain insurance in funds that aren’t their main account.

Yes, it’s another fine-tweaking of our super system but these reforms should help a greater number of Australians retire with more in the future.

Paul Clitheroe is a founding director of financial planning firm ipac, chairman of the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board and chief commentator for Money magazine.

Visit: paulsmoney.com.au for more information.

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