2020 IVECO Daily 4x4: Quick spin

The imposing IVECO Daily 4x4 has tapped into a market of its own creation.

There are plenty of Australian buyers who want more payload than a 4WD ute offers, but who don't want a forward-control truck, such as a Fuso Canter, Hino 817 4x4, or Isuzu NLS or NPS 4x4.

The alternative until 2013 was limited to the semi-bonneted Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4WD van and cab/chassis, but the Sprinter's basic 4WD system lacks proper low-range gearing. No diff locks and limited ground clearance also make it marginal for serious off-road work.

The Iveco Daily 4x4 was released in 2013 and was an overnight success, but it wasn't the first off-road derivative of the 4x2 Daily.

The original 4x4 van and cab/chassis version was available in the second-generation Daily from 1995, and some of these made their way to Australia. This model was produced by specialist off-road vehicle company SCAM Srl, located in Varese, Italy, using the 4x2 Daily as a base.

The SCAM conversion employed independent front suspension, with torsion bar springs.

IVECO rethought the Daily 4x4 over time and came up with a new concept in 2011 that used a live front axle on leaf springs. This design meant a much higher chassis height than the first Daily 4x4, although clearance under the front and rear axles was about the same.

Launched in Australia in 2013 and based on the award-winning Daily 4x2 light truck range, the 4x4 version had a remote-mounted, three-speed transfer box and live axles fitted with across-axle diff locks, using the Daily 4x2's cab, turbo-diesel engine, six-speed transmission and ladder-frame chassis.

For 2017 the Daily 4x4 configuration was unchanged, but the new model was more civilised. The cab exterior and interior were noticeably different.

Power came from a 3.0-litre diesel four with two turbochargers operating in series and helping the engine punch out 125kW (170hp) at 3000-35000rpm, with peak torque of 400Nm in the most-used 1250-3000rpm band.

The post-2017 engine variants were Euro 6 complaint, although there's no legal need in Australia for that level of emissions control. The Daily engine had a 25-litre AdBlue tank for its selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emissions control system.

No matter how much testing truck makers do, there are inevitable issues that develop with first-generation products in the Australian environment. The IVECO Daily 4x4 was no exception.

Several owners had braking issues, quoting situations where the front discs became red hot while the rear drums remained cool. The culprit was invariably a poorly set-up load proportioning valve on the rear axle. That was eliminated from the 2017 model, IVECO said, by the fitment of an ESP9 braking system.

Another common complaint from Daily owners who travelled on corrugated roads was mangled transfer case mounting bushes. IVECO reckoned the latest-generation bushes solved that problem and they can be retro-fitted to post-2013 models.

Related reading:
2019 IVECO Daily 4x4: Review
2017 IVECO Daily 4x4: Review
2016 IVECO Daily 4x4: Launch review
2015 IVECO Daily 4x4: Review

The 2019 IVECO Daily 4x4 was released at the 2018 IAA Show in Hanover, Germany, and this will be released as the 2020 model-year range in Australia. The cab design and layout is substantially unchanged.

However, unlike its predecessors the new model is being built in an IVECO plant in Turin, not by SCAM in Varese.

The outgoing Daily 4x4 is a military-style, high-mobility vehicle with live axles front and rear, high ground clearance and three-speed transfer case. That's fine for those who need to conquer extreme terrain, but the configuration has some limitations for those who want a less ambitious vehicle.

Put a tall body on this truck and it develops a high centre of gravity that's not desirable in side-slope conditions. Also, ride quality is quite truck-like and the only transmission is a manual.

Enter the additional 2020 variants that are built around a dual-wishbone, independent front suspension and a chassis that's much closer to the ground. The 2020 front end looks very like the original 1995 SCAM arrangement, with long torsion bars running down the chassis rails, from connectors on the top wishbones.

In place of the three-speed transfer case with an ultra-low-speed bottom ratio is a more conventional two-speed transfer case that bolts directly to the rear of the main transmission and is the same unit used in the more powerful Eurocargo 4x4.

Standard is a six-speed manual and there's an eight-speed Hi-Matic automated manual transmission option.

Billed as the most comprehensive lineup in its class, the 2020 Daily 4x4 range includes cab/chassis, van, chassis/cowl and crew-cab versions, with a choice of single wheels all around or duals at the rear.

Also, there are GVMs up to 7.0 tonnes, with a 4.3-tonne payload, and axle limits of 2700kg up front and 5000kg at the rear.

All variants are powered by the current 180hp, 3.0-litre engine and come with much larger four-wheel disc brakes, with ABS and Electronic Stability Program (ESP).

The Daily 4x4 vans are 5.5- and 7.0-tonnes GVM models, with a choice of manual or auto boxes. Cargo volumes are nine to 18 cubic metres for the single-wheel off-road models and from 16 to 18 cubic metres for the dual-rear-wheel, all-road models.

In May 2019 IVECO displayed an Australian-spec 2020 Daily 4x4 cab/chassis at the Brisbane Truck Show. Noticeably, it sported a larger 110-litre fuel tank.

As with its predecessor, the new Daily retains full-time four-wheel drive and front, centre and rear differential locks as standard: equipment that positions the model at the top of its class.

Safety in the new model has also been upgraded with the addition of front and rear ventilated disc brakes, replacing the front solid disc and rear drum combination. The braking system has ABS plus IVECO's ESP 9 program, which includes Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Electronic Stability Program and Anti Slip Regulation (traction control).

GVM options range from a passenger-car-licence 4495kg to light-truck 7000kg, compared with the previous 5500kg maximum, increasing the appeal of the Daily 4x4 to emergency fleets that need water tank capacity and also to motorhome builders.

This test unit had already undergone serious bush trials before being detailed for the Brisbane event. Obvious was the greatly reduced chassis height, compared with the height of the outgoing model's frame, but minimum ground clearance didn't seem much different.

We spoke at length with one of the test engineers, who reported absolutely no issues with the new truck during its local evaluation. It had completed the same rough-terrain courses as its predecessor, with no compromise in ability.

We managed to obtain a short on-road drive in one of the first 2020 IVECO Daily 4x4s. This cab/chassis was being readied for bodywork fitment by Earthcruiser, the most prominent motorhome builder adopting the IVECO Daily 4x4 chassis, but we managed to interrupt the busy build schedule for some early drive impressions.

Firstly, getting in and out was much easier, thanks to lower cab step height. However, ground clearance underneath the Daily's front end was substantially unchanged.

The new model's transfer case is a two-speed unit, straight from the much heavier-GVM Eurocargo 4x4, so durability should be no issue.

The Earthcruiser truck was a top-spec automated-shift model with a 7.0-tonne GVM. That meant no major chassis mods were necessary for motorhome fitment, but several air tanks were being relocated for easier access and the fuel tank was being replaced by a larger-capacity unit.

In unladen cab/chassis configuration and with highway tyre pressures the Daily 4x4 rode firmly, but immediately noticeable was much kinder front suspension feedback into the chassis. Independent, torsion-bar front suspension also gave flatter cornering than the original high-set leaf-spring arrangement.

The automated transmission shifted sweetly and we reckon it will be the preferred choice of recreational IVECO Daily 4x4 buyers.

We're anxiously awaiting an official test drive in some loaded Dailys, and will bring you a full road/off-road review once we have.