The What Van? Road Test: Isuzu Grafter

Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Umpteen builders, landscape gardeners and fencing contractors were left bereft when Nissan decided to drop the Cabstar a few years’ back. While even its best friends wouldn’t describe it as sophisticated, it had the reputation of being a dependable workhorse, and users liked its forward-control layout.

Forward-control is where the driver is positioned above the engine rather than behind it.

While this can lead to a feeling of vulnerability because there appears to be so little separating whoever is at the wheel from whatever he or she might run into, sitting right at the front gives you excellent left/right vision at T-junctions as well as forward vision. It also permits a longer load bed within a given overall length than can be achieved with a bonneted vehicle.

Precious few light commercials use this configuration these days, so Cabstar fans have had to search long and hard for a replacement for their trusty steed. Isuzu Truck UK (ITUK) is one supplier that can render assistance thanks to the availability of its forward-control rear-wheel-drive Grafter 3.5-tonner.

Sold solely as a chassis cab with two different wheelbases – 2,500mm or 3,360mm – and with the choice of either single or twin rear-wheels, Grafter can be ordered with either a manual or fully-automatic transmission. They are both six-speeders, and the auto box can be used as a manual by pushing the lever to ‘M’ and flicking a switch on the side to go up and down the box.

Note that the automatic box cannot accommodate a power take-off should you need one.

Note too that automatic Grafters are restricted to hauling a trailer grossing at 2.5t. Manual models are permitted to pull a 3.5t trailer.

Use the maximum towing capacity in either case and you should enquire about having a tachograph installed because you are likely to be subject to the heavy truck Drivers Hours rules.

There is only one choice of engine; a 120hp 1.9l diesel.

As well as promoting a bare chassis cab, ITUK lists a variety of ready-bodied models, including a dropside, a tipper and what ITUK refers to as a Utilititruck; a tipper with a pod that can be used to stow tools.

We decided to get to grips with a 2,500mm-wheelbase single-rear-wheel Grafter automatic equipped with a Meshmaster cage-tipper body made by Bristol’s TGS. So how did we fare?

What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide