Driver Appraisal Off-Roading In An Iveco Eurocargo

The subject for this issue’s drive appraisal is something a little bit different, as TSN goes off-road in Iveco’s 4x4 variant of its popular EuroCargo range. While many truck drivers may never get behind the wheel of this kind of vehicle, they serve a useful niche especially in the utilities and county council sectors.

- Pip Dunn

To really put the truck through its paces – and, boy, did I, then I needed to go off-road, and by off-road that meant I headed to the Millbrook proving centre near Bedford which has more different types of terrain than you are ever realistically going to tackle if using one of these trucks commercially.

Technical

The truck was the ML150E28WS EVI-C rigid had the 3,915mm wheelbase and the 280hp version of the Tector 7 engine which has a 6.7-litre displacement. That delivers 1,000Nm of torque. You can specify engines of 220 or 250 with torque ratings of 800 or 850Nm respectively. The bigger 320hp version of the engine is not an option in the 4x4, although unless you were towing trailers to and from sites, then I can’t see there being any need to offer this output. The 220 and 250hp engines are available in the 110E version and the 250 and 280hp in the 150E variant.

The cab was the basic day version, with three seats. You can get sleeper cab versions – which is most likely to be specified more for the additional room it offers than for drivers doing nights out. You can even specify the high roof sleeper, though again we can’t see any real reason why you would need it.

The truck had a six-speed manual gearbox, but a 5-speed automatic again is an option. There are four wheelbase options - starting at 3,240 then up to 3,690 and 3,915 with the longest available being 4,150mm.