Iveco has announced it has introduced a raft of changes for its latest Daily van and cab chassis line-up, which it says are designed to provide prospective owners with additional comfort, safety and functionality.
The Daily has become the main staple of Iveco’s operations in Australia wth the rapidly dwindling sales volumes for Iveco’s medium and heavy duty models.
Iveco said that the new Daily will build on its predecessor’s long list of operator benefits, and is part of an evolutionary approach to its line-up, saying that it further increases the model’s credentials in the large van segment while strengthening its standing as the best-selling European light truck cab chassis in Australia
The company said that larger drivers should appreciate the new Daily’s revised seating which it says offers additional bolstering and introduces memory foam, which it claims makes it the the first vehicle in the commercial space to offer this feature. A taller head rest has also been introduced, while cabin ingress and egress is now even easier thanks to an improved seat ‘get-off’ angle.
According to Iveco other changes to the cabin include longer seatbelts to accommodate Aussie and Kiwi bodies and lengthened seat rails to allow greater adjustability. It has also given the Daily a slightly deeper bulkhead for van models, which it says also assists in providing a more comfortable driving environment for taller drivers.
Iveco says that a shift from hydraulic to electric power steering on the new models delivers several benefits for operators, with the change now enables both tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment for improved ergonomics compared to earlier models’ telescopic only adjustment.
The company says that in slow speed driving situations or when negotiating tight loading zones or carparks, drivers can actuate the new ‘City Mode’ button on the dash, this function reduces steering effort by up to 70 percent helping to reduce fatigue.
Iveco says that the new steering allows the introduction of Proactive Lane Keep Assist* which it says complements the already present Lane Departure Warning feature.
The company says the Proactive Lane Keep Assist uses a windscreen-mounted camera that recognises road markings and sounds an alarm if the vehicle strays from its lane without the driver first signalling.
From a maintenance and functionality perspective, electric power steering means there’s no additional energy absorption from the engine reducing fuel consumption, while lowering vehicle weight and eliminating the chance of oil leaks said Iveco.
In the load space, Iveco has changed the black grab handles to yellow for added visibility and safety, while it says that positioning and maneuvering the latest Daily range is also now easier thanks to a new high-resolution reversing camera for all van models.
Iveco says the new camera features dynamic lines for extra guidance and provides feedback of the distance to objects at the rear of the vehicles at low speeds (0 to 30km/h). This camera is also offered as an option on cab chassis models in conjunction with standard reversing sensors, which the company says are the are a first for the light truck cab chassis segment and integrate with the instrument cluster, providing visual distance and acoustic indication.
The new Daily models get a revised streamlined grill design with more prominent horizontal louvres, which is finished in black for manual models and in black and with chrome highlights for automatics, while there is a new shorter ‘shark fin’ style antenna, along with new rear tail lights for cab chassis, and revised number plate lights to provide a further visual lift.
Inside the cab there is harmonised white back lighting for dashboard panels, switches and instrument cluster, while a transition to a uniform dark dashboard colour palette with matt chrome finish, provides a more premium car-like appearance .
Iveco says that the new Daily introduces a revised six-speed manual transmission with better precision and reduced free play, along with an optimised synchronisation system that delivers a passenger car shift feel the company claims.
It says that the transmission also reduces servicing costs by more than doubling oil change intervals from 150,000km to 350,000km, while also delivering a 0.5 per cent reduction in fuel use over its predecessor.
Iveco says the updated Daily van range is available in 35S, 50C and 70C variants with single and dual wheel options and volume capacities of 7.3 , nine , 12, 16, 18 and a van class-leading 19.6 cubic metres. There are also four GVM options starting from 3.8 tonne and 4.49 tonne through to a light truck licence 5,2 tonne and market-leading seven tonne.
The cab chassis line-up consists of 50C and 70C models in both single and dual cab guise. GVM options start at 4,49 tonne and extend to 5,2 tonne, seven tonne and 7,2tonne. There are also multiple wheelbase options.
Cab chassis models are available with an expansion module and Power Take-Off, while braked towing capacity for both van and cab chassis models is 3,5 tonne, with selected models available with rear airbag suspension and diff lock options.
There is now a choice of three Euro6 turbodiesel engines beginning with a 2.3l 100kW (136hp) 350Nm variant, a three-litre 132kW (180hp) 430Nm, option, and a 155kW (210hp) 470Nm version of the three litre.
As well as the upgraded six-speed manual the latest Daily is available with the ZF eight-speed full automatic.
Along with the introduction of optional new Proactive Lane Keep Assist, new Daily models get a wide range of active and passive safety features. In addition to front and rear disc brakes with ABS and driver, passenger and curtain airbags, the range includes an Advanced Emergency braking System (AEBS), Adaptive Cruise Control and ESP9, IVECO’s suite of nine electronic stability technologies. Further safety such as Queue Assist*, City Brake* and Lane Departure Warning System can also be optioned at additional cost.
Queue Assist is ideal for slow moving start and stop traffic and allows the vehicle to automatically accelerate and brake to a complete stop, helping to safeguard against driver distraction and reducing driver fatigue. City Brake is designed for similar conditions and prefills the braking system for faster response if it detects an imminent collision. It also provides visual and audio warnings to the driver and if no action is taken, will apply the brakes automatically.
The latest Daily features a high resolution TFT instrument cluster with seven dedicated screen menus and over 100 points of information. It’s also equipped with the Hi-Connect multimedia system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Bluetooth; additionally, the system can be optioned with GPS Navigation by TomTom as part of pack contents .
Other benefits include a dash-mounted electronic park brake that provides additional space and makes it easier to move around the cabin, with the added functionality of automatically engaging at key off, and disengaging once the driver’s seatbelt is fastened, the key is on and ‘drive’ selected, or when the park brake senses that the vehicle is trying to move off in the case of manual transmission models.
Also aiding convenience is optional cordless inductive charging for mobile phones and other devices, while innovative storage solutions throughout the cabin provide plenty of room to stow PPE along with other equipment and documents.
A heated and suspended fully adjustable driver’s seat is standard across the range (standard for front passengers on Dual Cab Chassis and optional for front passengers of other models).
