AROUND-OZ MOTORHOMES

Iveco Daily Chassis

The demise of Mazda in Australia, as they will not be complying with the Euro 3 emmission compliance rules, has put all Australian motorhome manufacturers into a bit of a scurry to find a replacement. Initially Mitsubishi were used, but it seems that they too will not be importing Euro 3 vehicles either. This has left Mercedes with ideal vehicles in the 413cdi and the 616cdi however these are both considerably dearer than the Mazda's and Iveco by at least $5,000.00. Winnebago are using the Iveco Daily cab chassis in a big way with 50 on order indicating their faith in the model.

The cabin layout is not as inviting as the Mercedes and the gear lever gets in the way when moving from the cab to the motorhome - important for those with mobility problems. However it wins hands down on extra features and gizmos! It is very car like in that you get electric windows, cruise control and central locking etc Like Mercedes, climate control airconditioning comes as standard. At present there isn't an automatic version available only a six speed manual.

The Daily adopts two turbo diesel engines, both belonging to the “Unijet” family, common-rail direct injection and boosting with aftercooler, for a total of four engine power levels. These engines are a result of the technology of Iveco, one of the world leaders in the production of diesel engines, and they are characterized by a “flat” torque curve, to benefit driveability and low consumption, and by exhaust emissions in line with the stringent Euro 3 regulations. This is due to the common-rail direct injection with electronic management, which also allows pre-injection and reduces noise levels by up to 40%.

The IVECO 50C15 HPT being used by Winnebago has a slightly higher output than the Mercedes - 107kw @ 3600rpm, and torque 320nm @ 1500 rpm (146 HP). The displacement is 2798 cc as against 2150 cc for Mercedes. No info is available on fuel consumption but the Mercedes is a much higher tech engine with variable valve timing. Fuel capacity is 110 litres and the alternator pumps out a massive 120 amps. One huge advantage over the Mercedes is the provision of an exhaust brake as standard. Four wheel disc brakes are standard on Iveco and Mercedes. As with the Mercedes items such as ABS, traction control etc. are all "extras". We found the Iveco internet site lacking in mechanical detail as common rail injection is just not explained. Iveco do however have a two page brochure that does give more technical information. Email Iveco Trucks Australia for a copy - daily@iveco.com.au. The Australian site doesn't seem to come up in Google - www.iveco.com.au. There actually is more technical info on the Winnebago site (scroll down the page) and even more on Queensland RV. More info from Iveco by clicking here. As soon as Winnebago get one on the road we will do a detailed review.