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First Drive: Iveco Daily Himatic Euro6

Date: Friday, July 1, 2016   |   Author: James Dallas

Iveco’s Euro6 versions of its 3.5t Daily van will be available with a choice of 2.3 and 3.0-litre diesel powertrains with outputs ranging from 120hp to 210hp when they arrive in showrooms in June before the latest emissions regulation becomes mandatory in September.

Unusually, the manufacturer has opted to offer a combination of EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) and SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technologies to comply with the standard and reduce emissions by up to 10% compared to Euro5 models.

Most other manufacturers have plumped exclusively for SCR, which requires periodic topping up with urea-based Ad Blue solution.

Until January 2017 the 2.3-litre engine will come with LP-EGR (low pressure exhaust gas recirculation) technology that does not require the addition of Ad- blue. From the new year however, Iveco will also offer the 2.3-litre engine with SCR technology. It claims to have compensated for the necessity to add an Ad Blue tank by reducing the weight of the re-engineered engine by 6%.

According to Iveco, the EGR engine has 8% lower fuel consumption than the Euro5 unit while the SCR version is a further 2% more frugal.

The 3.0-litre drivetrain is exclusively offered with SCR technology.

This larger engine has outputs of 150, 180 and 210hp while the 2.3–litre goes from 120 to 140 to 160hp.

Customers can chose between six-speed manual or the eight-speed automatic Himatic transmission although the 3.0 150hp is only manual while the most powerful 3.0-litre 210 unit is exclusively Himatic.

We tested the Euro6 Daily with the 3.0 180hp engine, which serves up maximum torque of 430Nm at 1500rpm, with the Himatic gearbox.

The consummately smooth auto system is also available on the Euro5 model and is one of the main reasons why the Daily retained What Van’s Large Van of the Year Award for 2016.

It is very hard to imagine that customers, once they have experienced the Himatic, would want to return to a van with manual transmission.

If working on multi-drop delivery work the driver does not get tired out by the constant gear-changing a manual ‘box demands and which also serves to wear out the clutch – a fact noted by Iveco’s supermarket cliants, Asda and Tesco, which specify Himatic transmissions for their fleets of Daily vans. Iveco claims the Himatic can deliver repair and maintenance savings of up to 10% compared to manual models.

Our van came with the Himatic ‘International’ specification that Iveco says is ideal for long distance assignments due to its extended gear ratios. The Himatic also comes in a ‘Regional’ version, which Iveco claims offers maximum flexibility with Eco and Power modes and with the ‘Urban’ tag that the brand says offers a self-adapting shifting adjustment suited to city driving.

Developed with ZF, the Himatic transmission is the first eight speed automatic to be offered with a large van and its only obvious rival is the is the RWD Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with seven-speed 7G-Tronic transmission.

We drove the Daily Himatic on a mountainous route full of winding roads packed with hairpin bends and found it impossible to knock the system out of its comfort zone – it shifted seamlessly from one cog to the next whether ascending or descending and worked reassuringly well in combination with precise steering. With half the van’s 1420kg payload utilised the ride was sure-footed with no stomach-turning roll during the frequent cornering on our route.

The 10.8m³ load bay is accessed by twin rear doors that can swing through 270 degrees to sit against the van’s sides, or by a nearside sliding door.

Both entrances are aided by steps and grab handles and 10 tie-down points are fitted to secure loads. A full height bulkhead protects the cab from the load area.

By way of comparison the Sprinter 313 CDI provides 10.5m³ load volume with a payload of 1302kg.

Iveco has not confirmed UK prices and specifications for the Euro6 Daily but the van we tested came with a spruced-up cabin featuring a new leather steering wheel, classy and businesslike blue and black plastics on the dashboard and blue seat upholstery. There are 18 storage compartments, according to Iveco, and the middle seat back pulls down to create a desk. Noise levels inside the cab have been improved by what Iveco claims to be a four decibel reduction in the Euro6 model – a problem the manufacturer has rectified from the occasionally intrusive levels in the Euro5 version.

Iveco does not tend to offer strictly defined trim levels but rather option packs on top of a base specification.

The International pack we got included cruise control, fog lights, automatic air-conditioning, rear parking sensor, steering wheel-mounted controls, a suspended driver seat with lumbar adjustment, heated windscreen and mirrors and lane departure warning.

Perhaps the biggest innovation is the Daily Business Up app that can be downloaded to tablets and smart phones. Developed with telematics firm Sygic, the app establishes Bluetooth connection with the vehicle through the digital DAB radio. It offers driving style evaluation to encourage safer and more economical driving, sat-nav, a dealer and workshop locator, vehicle information via an interactive user handbook and drivers’ work and route schedules.

 

Iveco Daily Himatic Euro6

Price (ex VAT ) £24,400 est

Price range (ex VAT) £21,250-£37,380

Insurance group 14 est

Warranty 3yrs/unltd mls

Service intervals 25,000mls

Load length 3130mm

Load width (min/max) 1317mm/1800mm

Load bay height 1900mm

Gross payload 1420kg

Load volume 10.8m3

Engine size/power 3000cc/180hp

On sale June

Combined fuel economy 38.8mpg est

CO2 182g/km est

Verdict The Euro6 Daily Himatic offers important improvements to an already impressive package.

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