EUROCARGO – as good as it gets!

In-depth

21 Oct

Let’s be honest here. When it comes to Euro trucks much of the Australian trucking fraternity look down their nose at them – at least many of those I tend to socialise with.

This might be because most of my socialising is done at truck shows around the country, and those shows are dominated by a certain American brand. Even those who possess a cab over version of said brand look down on the Euros. I’m guessing that they’ve never experienced one.

Ask just about anyone who sits in a Euro on a daily basis though, and the praise is high indeed. From fit and finish to the ride to safety features and, most importantly, ease of driving, those who live behind the Euro wheel usually love them.

I’ve been fortunate over the past couple of decades to have driven nearly every Euro product to arrive on these shores, as well as those manufactured here, and can say that I’ve yet to come across one that I didn’t like.

Included amongst them have been a variety of product from Iveco. If there is a pecking order with American product then there is also with the Euros and I’d suggest that Iveco is some way down the list.

I constantly ask myself why?

Since the introduction of the S-Way back in 2023, I’ve been behind the wheel of most of the products in the Iveco stable and without fail I’ve been mightily impressed with what I’ve driven.

The S-Way’s with their 9, 11 and 13 litre Cursor diesels punched way above their weight in terms of power and torque and how they interacted on the road. With the 13 litre (550Hp/2500Nm) matched with its Hi-Tronix 16 speed AMT as an example, where I hauled a loaded B-double, I was gobsmacked by its performance.

When told that I ‘only’ had a 13 litre donk under me I didn’t believe it at first. I’d have sworn that it was 16 litres. A 580HP/2800Nm variant is now available overseas and hopefully the company will bring that here.

My experience has been the same with the staple of the Iveco range – the ubiquitous Daily. I’ve had the pleasure of driving various models – electric, as well as diesel on numerous occasions. I’ve hurled them around race tracks and had them for long term tests. In every case I’ve loved them!

The 3 litre, 4-pot turbo-diesel putting out up to 155kW (210Hp)/470Nm and matched with the excellent 8 speed Hi-Matic auto is an absolute ripper. The fit and finish is top notch, the safety features match or exceed anything on the market, the driving features such as Semi-autonomous Steering, Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise work superbly and the interior ambience makes you look forward to climbing in it each day. At the end of each article I’ve said that, “I want one!” I still do.

THE EUROCARGO

So now I come to the title of this article – the Eurocargo. If you don’t wish to read any further I’ll summarise by saying that what I’ve written above all applies to this Iveco model so if you’re in the market for a brilliant, in this case 12 pallet rigid, (all sorts of bodies are available including crew cab versions) do yourself a huge favour, get down to your Iveco dealer and drive one. You can thank me later. For the rest of you let’s continue….

THE SPECS

The Eurocargo is a 4x2 or 4x4 rigid available with a wheelbase of from 4185mm to 5670mm. It is powered by the Iveco Tector 7, 6-pot putting out – in my test vehicle – 320Hp (239Kw) and 1100Nm at 1250rpm. Other lower Hp versions are available.

The gearbox is a ZF8AP 8 speed and is sublime in its shift patterns, making the most of the power and torque available anywhere in the rev band. (An Allison 6 speed is optional).

Front suspension is parabolic springs with dual action hydraulic shocks – although you’d be forgiven for thinking it was air, as is the rear end.

You can throw 280 litres of diesel into the tank which will get you around all day and is aided and abetted with a 30 litre AdBlue tank.

Every safety feature known to man is in the truck. As well as the above mentioned we have as standard:

‍ ‍Advanced Emergency Braking (AEBS)

Driver Drowsiness & Alertness Warning (DDAW) (Thankfully it doesn’t scream at you.)

Emergency Stop Signal (ESS)

Blind Spot Information System (BBIS) – Much more than the lights on car mirrors.

Moving Off Information System – (MOIS)

Reversing System (REV) including Camera

Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

Hill Holder

Service intervals are 80,000km/18 months for long range transport, down to 60,000km for short to medium range and down again to 40,000km/12 months for urban use.

Warranty is 5 Years/300,000km – whichever comes first.

THE EXTERIOR

This is an extremely good looking ‘tough’ truck that won’t be mistaken for anything else. The bumper contains the halogen headlights which throw a good beam, with driving lights and indicators below. It also has two steps to make washing the windscreen a breeze.

**Note the steps built into the bumper. All the daily checks are easy to access.**

The grill, rising at the flanks, gives the front of the truck a strong masculine stance. Above the screen is a tinted sunshade which is very effective on a sunny day whilst still allowing upward vision – handy for low branches or bridges. Above the grill sits Iveco’s new logo.

The side mirrors have the convex on top of the main, which I personally much prefer. The housing thins out in between allowing for better vision around them. It’s the little things. The doors open wide (90º) with three steps up into the cab aided by 3-point grab rails.

THE INTERIOR

My drive was the high roof, integrated bunk model 160E32 4x2 (with curtains that fully enclose the bunk area). The 6” thick mattress (1900 x 605mm) was of medium firmness, very comfortable and, although fairly narrow, you’d kip on this like a well-sated baby. There’s a reading light on a bendable stalk and controls by your head for various functions, such as central door locking and the ability to open/close the overhead skylight to save you from having to go to the dashboard.

**Good sized fridge, thick comfy mattress.**

Underneath the bunk is a slide out fridge, big enough to stow food for multiple days. Cleverly, it can be pulled part-way out with the split lid opening forwards to grab that bottle of chilled water, or all the way to reach your next meal.

**Under bunk offers both shallow and deep storage.**

**Sunroof, more storage, curtains for sleeping. The Eurocargo has it all.**

Storage abounds with overhead consoles to stow your gear above the windscreen and at each end of the bunk. There’s a massive shelf above the bed with a restraining mesh curtain and the bunk lifts up to reveal shallow storage shelves which can be removed to access even deeper ones each side of the fridge. The door pockets are also big. Others take note!

Seating is by Isri and this truck had two perches, although three are available. As is usual with Isri, my seat is supportive and comfortable over long driving stretches.

Controls are well laid out with the gearshift on a column stalk, USB-A, USB-C and 24 volt outlets on the dash and the infotainment screen sitting proud, top dead centre. It has Bluetooth connectivity and is compatible with both Android Auto and Apple Car Play.

The Instrumentation is a 10 inch digital cluster and is amongst the clearest and easiest to read that I’ve come across. The stop/start button is on the steering wheel, perhaps reminiscing past association with Ferrari. There are a plethora of other buttons on it as well but what looks daunting at first glance is in fact a breeze to get used to.

Air con is via easy dials on the dash and the vents can cook or freeze you at your desire – I prefer the middle ground. I’m trying to say here that they work well.

Cup holders sit by the driver’s seat within easy reach. All in all the cab in the Eurocargo is a nice place to be – as I’ve found with all the Iveco product I’ve driven.

THE DRIVE.

This truck is a pre-production (for Australia) 160E32 with a 16 ton GVM: 14 and 18 ton variants are available. With a whopping 112 kilometres on the clock the paint hasn’t even dried yet. I climb in via the ‘stepped’ steps (they splay out) and notice that the phone holder and other areas have rubber matting to stop stuff sliding about.

The key slots into a hole on the dash but you don’t turn it. Instead you press the start button on the steering wheel and the truck springs to life. Lift the brake lever on the floor to my left, push it forward, twist the gear shift into drive and I’m ready to rock and roll.

Accelerate away and I’m in a delightfully quiet environment with just a faint muted sound of the diesel in the distance. Likewise, with the windows up, I’m cossetted from the rest of the world.

The truck picks up speed, changes up a gear and once again I’m in love with the ZF ‘box. I know other manufacturers make their own gearboxes but really, if I was making a truck, I'd just go to ZF and say, "Give me a gearbox to suit this particular model,” because they are just superb. The way they change up, the way they change down, they are quick, they are super smooth. Just a fantastic gearbox.

Likewise with the engine. I’m loaded and the truck just pulls and pulls up the steepest of inclines that I come across. As with the S-Way which I didn’t believe was a 13 litre, I’m similarly amazed how this truck hauls with just 6.7 litres under the cab.

Iveco have been at Euro 6 since 2017 and this iteration is 6A (or B or C). Whatever it is, it’s two steps ahead of the pack. All I know is that it is quiet, smooth at idle and speed and works in beautifully with the ZF.

I pull up to take some pics and try out the passenger seat which is also very comfortable, although missing the fold down armrest of the driver’s. Back behind the wheel, into Drive and the truck starts sending me warnings but I don’t know what for. Something on the left? Passenger door not closed?

I get out and yep, it’s not closed properly – although it looked like it was. This tells me that the cab is nice and airtight. You've got to give the doors quite a good thunk to close them.

The view from the cab is great in all directions with the side mirrors well placed to see around at intersections. Downhill progress is well taken care of with a two stage exhaust brake to slow things up when needed.

I stop at a set of lights and the dashboard tells me I’m doing a great job of driving and gives me points. This becomes a great game with the truck as I drive along and has the benefit of improving fuel consumption, saving brakes, etc. Try it and you’ll get addicted - and probably be a better driver.

I travel across a variety of roads and surfaces and the truck handles them all with – as Jaguar used to say – ‘Grace and Pace’. The ride is as smooth as butter, giving lie to the parabolic springs beneath me. It is surefooted in all conditions, the steering is nicely weighted and the wheel itself is the best in the business for size and feel.

There is a clear and concise reversing camera which came in handy as I back into a tight parking area so I can grab a coffee break with my sister/blister. Refuelled (me that is), I continue to explore the limits or otherwise of the truck throughout the afternoon before returning it to Iveco.

I came away mightily impressed with this Italian. The Eurocargo is one of Europe’s best selling trucks in its segment and yet barely scratches the sales surface here in Australia. And that makes me scratch my head as to why. I said somewhat jokingly to the company on a past occasion that maybe it’s the name, Iveco and that it conjures up some past dissatisfaction with the brand. “How about using International,” I said at the time.

Iveco certainly won’t be doing that and neither should they because they can be justifiably proud of the product they have on the market today. This – as with the S-Way and the Daily – is a fantastic product. I implore you to try it before dismissing the brand. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of their next offering!