Fuso 815 Tipper 2022 Review

Looking back through all our stories on the Fuso range of trucks, it became apparent that we haven’t reviewed one of the Fuso 'Built Ready' range of light-duty trucks for quite some time.

And with all the fuss over the launch and roll-out of the new eCanter battery-electric truck, it’s no wonder that the regular Built Ready trucks have gone somewhat under the radar.

The Built Ready range includes pantechs, trays in various forms, and the tippers like the one you see here.

Admittedly all the Japanese light-truck manufacturers have a range of trucks ready for the road, and it makes sense as there is no waiting for body builders, and you know that you’re getting the correct, engineering-approved fitment to the chassis, with tested wiring routing. This process avoids nasty surprises when a new truck goes into service.

Another advantage is that a customer can view a bodied truck, making sure it’s exactly suited to the intended transport task, and you’re getting factory warranty on the truck and the body as one unit.

The idea of a factory tipper is nothing new. Cast your mind back a few decades and you’ll recall the mighty and ubiquitous Daihatsu Delta tippers that were running around our cities, many with the hungry boards in and carrying probably twice the payloads they should have been.

But things have moved on and now you can get a factory tipper that is suited to your intended purpose and with GCMs and payloads to match.

The Built Ready range includes two Canter tippers: a six-tonne-GVM 615 City Cab model with a standard cab and a 7.5-tonne-GVM 815 Wide Cab, both of which can be derated to 4450kg so they can be driven on a standard car licence.

There’s also a factory-built Fighter Tipper that has a GVM of 11 tonnes.

However, the focus of our story is on the 815 Tipper with its 7.5-tonne GVM and 11-tonne GCM.

Power comes from the trusty 3.0 litre turbo-diesel with quoted outputs of 110kW of power from 2840 to 3500rpm and 370Nm of torque from 1350 to 2840rpm.

Transmission options are a five-speed manual or a six-speed Duonic auto. The auto is certainly the pick here, which we’ll touch on later.

Fuso was the first of the ‘big three’ Japanese truck manufacturers to get the full safety treatment, and the 815 gets the little red S on the front to denote the standard safety package.

Safety kit includes driver and passenger airbags, AEB, lane departure warning, ESP, anti-slip regulator, cruise control (auto only) and electronic brakeforce distribution.

Inside it’s roomy, this model being the Wide Cab, and there’s plenty of storage all around the cab.

You don’t you get any buttons on the steering wheel for your audio, phone or cruise control, but apart from that it’s a very functional and pretty comfortable cab.

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The Tipper body is a true ‘factory’ job as it’s built in Japan and the trucks are imported with the tipper bodies on them. Recently, the tipping body was upgraded to include a two-way tailgate with a side-hinged swing-away feature as well as the standard top-hinge. The sides can also be folded although it doesn’t have a side-tip function.

Like all Japanese small trucks, the ride is a bit choppy when unladen but we took a trip to the local garden supplies yard and dropped a couple tonnes of sand in the tray, which settled it down perfectly. With the load in, the tipper was far more well-mannered and sat quite nicely on the road.

As mentioned, the six-speed Duonic auto is the gearbox of choice. It’s a dual-clutch automated manual which has shifts that are slick and smooth. It’s immediately apparent that the Duonic is a modern transmission with changes that are really car-like, all helping maintain momentum on the road.

The transmission is well matched to the output of the four-cylinder diesel and it can be driven as a manual if you want. I found that dragging it down a gear or two on the longer downhills helped with braking as the exhaust brake, although there, doesn’t pull the truck up as much as a Jake or a retarder.

Manoeuvrability is a high point with Fuso quoting a turning circle of 10.4 metres, which is better than most utes on the market today. I found when we stopped for a coffee that I could do a U-turn in a suburban street with no trouble at all – and this is the Wide Cab version!

This would make it really handy on tight building sites or in the little lanes and streets in the city. Also handy is the standard reversing camera with infra red and audio pickup, so not only can you see the guys behind you, you can hear them yelling at you as well.

In the auto you get a fairly short diff ratio at 5.714, but to compensate you get a pretty long-legged overdrive sixth gear at 0.701 with fifth being direct at 1.000. This all translates to a cruising speed on the highway of 100km/h seeing a smidge over 2800rpm on the tacho, which is right on max torque.

I found the Canter 815 to be a remarkably easy truck to drive. It’s spritely, hauls a load well and is great in tight spaces. It’s comfortable in the cab, has top-shelf safety features and offers a five-year/200,000km warranty on the whole truck.

If you’re in the market for a little tipper, it’s got to be on your shopping list. And don’t derate it, go and get your truck licence and take full advantage of the four-tonne-plus payload, which is the best in its class.

Engine: Fuso 4P10-T4 diesel
Configuration: In-line four-cylinder, DOHC, four-valve
Type: Variable-geometry turbo charger, air to air intercooled
Displacement: 2998cc
Bore: 95.8mm
Stroke: 104mm
Power (DIN): 110kW at 2840-3500rpm
Torque (DIN): 370Nm at 1350-2840rpm
Maximum engine speed: 4100rpm
Compression ratio: 17.5:1
Transmission: Fuso Duonic M038S6
Type: Six-speed dual clutch with Auto and Manual modes

Safety
Dual air bags and seat belt pre-tensioners (driver and far-side passenger)
Active safety features: ABS plus Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD), Advanced Emergency Braking (AEBS), Anti-Slip Regulator (ASR), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS)

Weights
GVM: 7500kg
Tare: 3280kg
Payload: 4220kg
GCM: 11,000kg
Fuel: 100 litres