IVECO has introduced a ‘few changes’ to its Daily routine – if you could call the Daily van range ‘routine,’ given the awesome selection of shapes and sizes bearing the Daily name.
OK, transparency time: I’ve been a big fan of the Daily van from the first time I drove one of the more recent models – before this incarnation anyway – back in 2007 – and the latest generation has just re-affirmed how brilliant this van is.
There were some interesting elements of the previous vehicle which have changed dramatically, proving that IVECO is not afraid of introducing new technologies.
The biggest one is found in the IVECO Daily’s name. Right on the end there, it says “E6” which means the emissions from this generation of van are in accordance with the European 6 pollutant restrictions. Cool, but so what?
‘So what’ is that there are only seven European emissions standards, with the seventh being the introduction of non-fossil fuel related emissions, and that means the engines in this range of IVECO Dailys are going to be as clean as you can get next to the introduction of electric/hydrogen/fuel-cell or magical pixie dust-powered commercial vehicles.
IVECO has incorporated AdBlue as part of its ‘clean up the air’ contribution. Daily vans have a 20 litre AdBlue tank which requires topping up every seven or so refuels of diesel. By our calculations that should be every six thousand-odd kms.
The AdBlue administers itself into the exhaust stream and chemically neutralises NoX emissions (those are the real nasties with diesels).
AdBlue is not expensive, and you should probably discuss the finer points with your IVECO dealership or service centre, of which there are 12 in the North Island and nine in the South.
IVECO has developed three engines for the Daily:
• The 2.3-litre with e-VGT puts out 100kW and 350Nm of torque.
• The 3-litre with VGT puts out 132kW and 430Nm of torque.
• The 3-litre with e-VGT puts out 156kW and 470Nm of torque.
The big difference here is the electronic variable geometry turbo which is better than a pneumatic VGT in terms of torque potential realisation, faster response time, and better fuel efficiency.
As a demonstration of IVECO’s customisation in the Daily vans, all E6 van and cab chassis variants can be specified with the top end engines.
Now all that power and torque from the engine has to get to the wheels somehow and IVECO’s E6 range gives operators the flexibility of a six-speed manual or the convenience and sophistication of the award winning Hi-Matic eight-speed torque converting automatic.
This efficient and ultra-smooth transmission means drivers of regular automatic transmissions could get their head around driving the van, which reinforced IVECO’s selling point of having a van with a 5000kg GVM – and therefore, greater payload potential – which anyone with a class one (car driver’s licence) could operate.
And that leads neatly into the cabin, which is likewise, familiar ground to car drivers, with easy to read, identify and use switches, a sporty D-shaped, multifunction steering wheel with easy access to driving data, including the incredibly useful tyre pressure monitoring system (which should be standard on all commercial vehicles) infotainment and cruise control.
You can even specify a car-like electronic park brake if the idea of a lever hand brake doesn’t appeal.
The Dailys have also seen a significant safety upgrade to the range. The previous generation introduced us to ESP9 which embodies ABS brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution, electronic stability program, drag torque control, adaptive load control, trailer sway mitigation, roll movement intervention and roll over mitigation, hill hold control. hydraulic rear wheel boost and fading compensation.
To all of this, the E6 Dailys add lane departure warning, hill descent control, city brake, queue assist and traction plus as well as adaptive cruise control and crosswind assist to counter wind shear.
The touch or remote operated infotainment system is sophisticated and multi-functional. While we appreciated the inbuilt TomTom navigation system and how easy it was to pair phones for BlueTooth/Apple CarPlay and Android Auto use as well as having the convenience of the rear vision camera, we felt the camera itself could have been better.
It did give a distorted image (erring on the side of caution admittedly) of what was behind, prompting judicious use of the excellent mirrors as the primary reversing guides. Something to be mindful of, especially given the truck-like dimensions of the van.
On that, there are some truck-ish features in cabin which – given IVECO’s success as a truck producer, should come as no surprise – and which are a favourite for NZ Company Vehicle: suspension seats.
While you can specify individual driver and two-person crew bench seat, our test vehicle had the individual seats for driver and single crew, both of which were fully suspended and heated. These ‘bouncy’ seats are much more than a novelty.
Being ‘fatigue fighters’ they really do make you feel you’re in a van built by people who build damn good trucks.
Oh, and the suspension seats now have heaters in them too, as well as sporting a very comfortable padded headrest.
We’d love to be able to tell you how the Iveco can haul huge quantities and weights with what is arguably class leading cargo carrying capabilities – oh, wait. We just did.
But perhaps we should be more specific: Dailys range from 3.5 to 7.2 tonne GVMs, which means an up to 4 tonne payload. Cargo volumes range from 7.3m3 to 19.6m3.
Want to go big and safe? Go Daily.
Specifications:
BODY TYPE
5 door van
DRIVE
6-spd manual or 8-speed auto
ENGINE TYPE
4-cylinder, turbo diesel with selective catalytic reduction
ENGINE CAPACITY
2998cc
MAX POWER
156kW
MAX TORQUE
470Nm
L/100KM (COMBINED)
8.6
TOWING
3500kg
GVM
3500,3800,5200,7000kg
LOAD CAPACITY
12, 16,18,19.6m3
PAYLOAD
1359 to 1635kg
1752 to 1942kg
3924 to 3977kg
PRICE
Model dependent
