2018 UD Quester: Quickspin

Models like UD's Quon and Condor may be fairly common sights on Australian roads, but the Japanese manufacturer also produces a number of different models exclusively for sale in developing nations, such as the heavy-duty Quester, medium-duty Croner, and light-duty Kazet and Kuzer.

While visiting UD Trucks headquarters in Tokyo recently for a demonstration of its first 'Level 4' autonomous Quon, Trucksales recently jumped behind the wheel of a Quester CDE 330 for a couple flying laps of the firm's banked test track.

While the drive was only brief and the Quester isn't available in Australia, it did provide an interesting window on UD's wider global operations, and gave an insight into the very different needs of truck markets around the world.

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In very simple terms, the Quester is essentially the heavy-duty, developing-nation alternative to the new Quon. In developed markets the latter received a next-generation update in 2017, when it was first revealed locally at the Brisbane Truck Show in May of that year and then previewed by journalists and operators in December.

But the Quester, which was launched in 2014, is not just a down-spec Quon – it's very much a separate model with a different chassis and engine, built with the needs of emerging markets (or 'growth markets', as UD terms it) in mind.

Needless to say, the topic of emissions isn't prominently placed in Quester brochures, and while the new Quon meets Japan's latest pPNLT standards, meeting and in some areas even exceeding Euro 6, the Quester meets either Euro 3 or 4 standard, depending on engine choice.

That's because increasingly strict emissions constraints require increasingly sophisticated emissions control systems, and that all adds extra expense. In many super-price-sensitive corners of the world, where for many even putting food on the table isn't a certainty, governments simply can't yet mandate the level of emissions control found in places like Europe or Japan.

That price sensitivity also means the Quester's cab is a far more utilitarian affair than the Quon's, while the Quester also lacks much of the Quon's sophisticated electronics – don't go looking for collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, airbags or blind-spot monitoring.

Having said that, the Quester still gets front under-run protection (when fitted with an on-road bumper), basic cruise control, and optional ABS brakes.

It also has a heavier chassis and therefore is a heavier truck, meaning it can withstand the punishment dished out by rough roads in places like southern Africa, Latin America, China and South East Asia, where conditions can be harsher and payload limits not as stringent as in many developed nations.

Available across eight different formats, spanning prime movers in 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4 and rigids in 4x2, 6x2, 6x4, 8x2 and 8x4, Trucksales sampled a rigid 6x2 Quester CDE 330 pantech in Tokyo, with UD's GH8 engine – an eight-litre, six-cylinder turbo-diesel good for a claimed 330hp (206kW) at 2200rpm and 1200Nm between 1200-1650rpm.

The GH8 is also available in 220, 250 and 280hp ratings, while the more powerful 11-litre GH11 engine is available in 370, 390 and 420hp ratings.

Our test truck was fitted with UD's nine-speed synchro manual transmission (a six-speed manual is also available), along with the lower of the two available cabs with a single bunk.

This particular model has a GVM of 30 tonnes, and a GCM of 36 tonnes.

It's a three-step climb into the Quester's cab – one more than the Quon – as there are fewer restrictions on dimensions in many of the markets in which the Quester is sold and so the Quester's is a little more spacious.

The cabin of course immediately feels dated in comparison to the new Quon, with its horizontal dashboard (as opposed to the Quon's wraparound, cockpit-style equivalent), basic instruments, and hard-touch plastics. It's all about durability and robustness, and it's based on the older Condor cab – there's no need here for the Quon's silver cabin accents or integrated steering wheel controls…

The basic steering wheel is however adjustable for tilt and reach and the standard driver's seat can be optioned up to an air or mechanically suspended unit.

There's an AM/FM radio unit and there's a USB port for an MP3 player, while the only non-analogue display is a large central LCD readout between the speedo and tacho, that shows oil/air pressure and a trip meter, among others. The instruments are all easy to read, and all the controls are right where you'd want them.

The Quester seemed comfortable enough over our short sprint around the banked test track, although the smooth concrete circuit concealed no challenges for the rugged chassis and suspension package: roll-formed high-tensile steel for the former and front parabolic springs/rear nine-leaf rear springs.

The front springs are rated for 7.5 to 8.0 tonnes and the rear leaf springs for 23 tonnes. If there was any load in the back of the truck its exact weight wasn't made clear, but the Quester certainly accelerated and handled in a manner which suggested it was far from pushing its limits.

The eight-litre engine was fairly raucous under load but it got the truck up to our imposed 60km/h limit quickly enough, with plenty of grunt kicking in from love engine speeds.

The nine-speed synchro was fairly stiff to operate but the clutch was light, although it's a world away from the new Quon's ESCOT-VI fully automated transmission.

The air drum brakes, meanwhile, pulled the Quester up with confidence; an exhaust brake is available as an option with the GH11 engine, but not on the GH8.

While the lack of what are now fairly common safety and driver assistance features made our quick jaunt in the Quester CDE 330 feel like a bit of a time warp, it's easy to see this truck's appeal for the markets in which it's offered.

As Kenneth Hagas – Vice President, Head of UD Global Brand & Marketing – succinctly put it in Tokyo, specifying a truck for any given market is a balancing act.

"It's a feature/cost balance – you have to hit the sweet spot for each market, each segment and each customer," he said.

"You excel on the things that are most important for the customer's profit. To reach the right balance you cannot put every feature in there; to find the right balance, that is the trick.

"That is why we have these two different models [Quester and Quon] that are made from scratch for different segments. We [UD Trucks] were the first ones to decide [to produce] a model especially for outside of Japan, rather than design something for Japan and then down-spec it.

"If you compare the oil-change intervals for example on some of our competitors' models in growth markets and in Japan, you find a big difference, but for us you don't find a big difference. So we didn't want to compromise, which is why we did these two different line-ups."