Five trucks we’re looking forward to driving in 2024

We first saw the DAF XG+ 660hp at the Brisbane Truck Show and we were knocked out by the stylish interior, high-tech safety and all-round finish of this exciting truck.

It’s due for release in May of 2024, and we can’t wait to get out hands on one for a full test. The XG+ will be powered by 15-litre Cummins putting out 660hp, so it will be a natural competitor for the likes of Volvo, Scania and Mercedes-Benz.

Thanks to PACCAR’s Bayswater engineering team working in partnership with PACCAR centres of excellence around the world, the DAF XG+ 660 is the biggest design project in DAF Trucks Australia’s history.

It’s also widely tipped to be the basis for the replacement of the venerable K220

Keep and eye on this one in 2024 for sure.

The much-loved (well, by our readers anyway) IVECO Daily 4x4 has been out of the mainstream market in this country for about three or four years.

Some examples of the Daily 4x4 have been made available for use by mining companies and for other off-road uses but not for the general public. However, all that is about to change. As we understand, the Daily 4x4 will become available in the first-half of next year.

Much loved for its off-road ability which is enhanced by front, rear and centre diff locks and an amazingly low reduction in first-low, the Daily 4x4 has found favour with serious off-roaders and as a basis for adventure touring vehicles.

IVECO has been teasing us about the launch of the latest incarnation of the Daily 4x4 which sports independent front suspension for a better ride, as well as the option of IVECO’s eight-speed fully automatic transmission, in addition to the vehicle’s standard six-speed manual.

IVECO says a raft of tweaks have also been made to the Daily 4x4’s interior, further improving ergonomics and connectivity.

We’ll be bringing you our first-hand accounts of its on-road as well as off-road ability as soon as it’s launched.

The first of Isuzu’s new offerings in the new year and beyond will be the new F Series which we will see in the second half of 2024.

The announcement of the new F Series was made at the Japan Mobility Show in October.

Speaking at a press conference in Japan, Isuzu Chief Operating Officer and Director, Andrew Harbison said: “For our Australian owners and operators, we’re excited to be able to confirm that we’ll see the first of this impressive new product from the second half of next year, in the form of the four-cylinder medium-duty F Series models.

“The launch and release of an entirely new product line-up, from our car-licence N Series models all the way through to our FY heavy-duty trucks represents a significant undertaking, and so staging the various range releases in Australia made best sense.”

“Our new four-cylinder F Series models cover the key 9000 to 12,000kg GVM sub-segment of the medium-duty market, a category where we’ve been fortunate to enjoy over 50 per cent market share year to date,” said Medium and Heavy-Duty Product Manager, Simon Humphries.

“These all-new models deliver on the design premise, with best-in-class safety features, new cab design and improved ergonomics, the latest exhaust emissions treatment and new cabin and engine combinations.

We saw the Fuso eCanter Gen II when we travelled to the IAA Show in Hanover in 2022 and noted that the biggest change is the adoption of an eAxle final drive unit that replaces the previous mid-mounted electric motor, prop shaft and conventional rear axle, housing a mechanical differential.

Rather than having the electric motor on the front of a conventional diff nose on a rigid rear-drive axle, the 2023 eCanter has a chassis-mounted, electric power unit, with open half-shafts connected to the rear wheel ends. Its conventional leaf spring packs are bolted to a U-shaped cross beam that sits behind the power unit.

This compact arrangement, without a prop shaft, means that the space between the chassis rails can be devoted almost entirely to battery packs. The chassis can house one, two or three battery modules, depending on the wheelbase choice, from 2500mm up to 4750mm, in four increments.

The three different battery packs are designated S, M and L and all have lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell technology that provides long service life and more usable energy. LFP batteries aren’t quite as energy-dense as some other lithium battery types, but aren’t fire-prone like lithium-cobalt batteries.

We got a sneak peek at the new eCanter during testing this yeara and can’t wait to get a full drive of the new electric truck in 2024.

Australia got its first look at the Mercedes-Benz eActros at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show. The eActros was presented alongside the eEconic which is destined for the refuse industry.

The electric eActros is focused on heavy-duty short radius distribution and development trucks have been working away in fleets in Europe since 2018.

“The local debut of the eActros and eEconic represent the start of a new chapter for sustainable road transport in our region and the excitement around both of these vehicles is unprecedented,” said Mercedes-Benz Trucks Australia Pacific Director, Andrew Assimo at the Truck Show.

“The innovative eActros and eEconic will help our customers reduce transport carbon emissions in a practical way. We know the drivers will also welcome them because anyone who has had a taste of these incredible trucks comes away with a smile on their face,” Mr Assimo added.

We haven’t been told when the local launch of the eActros will be but you can bet that we’ll be trying to get a drive of one of the units that are currently on test right here in Australia.