TEST DRIVE IVECO S-WAY
28 TRUCKING August 2019 http://www.truckingmag.co.ukThe cabs feel a
lot less plasticy than
earlier models.
Engine stop-start
button above keyW
e were able to drive the
new trucks, but sadly
only for a couple of
laps of the Jarama
ex-F1 racetrack, which
was barely representative of a real road.
Nevertheless, it did offer an early insight
into the trucks and we got to have a go in
a diesel and a gas version. Trucking
drove a gas-powered S-WAY 460NP first,
followed by two laps in the S-WAY 480
diesel truck.
Climbing into each vehicle was via
three steps. We found the steering wheel
adjustment a bit awkward; it uses a foot
button on the floor, but as it’s covered by
a mat, it took ages to find where it was.
The actual arc of the steering wheel’s
positions is not huge; it’s better than a
DAF, but not a patch on a Scania or Volvo.
The seat was very comfortable,
although we felt it could have benefitted
from being able to rake back a little
more. (Or maybe you just need to lay off
the doughnuts? –ed)One big criticism of Ivecos over the
years has been rattles and poor build
quality. The new truck had none of the
former, but there are still questions over
the latter. On one of the demo models
opened for inspection at the gala dinner,
one fuse box cover had already been
ripped off its bolts and was loose!
Maybe it was a one-off, but if it’s not, it’s
something Iveco simply has to address.
But on the road, there were no rattles
at all and the cabs feel a lot less plasticy
than earlier models. However (and this
has been a regular criticism from us), on
show were the top-of-the-range
interiors, and it would be nice if more
manufacturers gave their press and
demo fleets sufficient ‘typical’ modelswithout the fanciest interiors so we get
to drive the trucks people are most likely
to buy.
We also thought the engines were a
tad noisy in the two trucks, especially
from the diesel. But other drivers we
spoke too didn’t seem to think it was anyI V E C O S-WAY
ON TEST
Our test drive was
sadly very brief