Iveco Eurocargo 180-280: Review

Iveco recently released its latest update of the Eurocargo medium duty range, with a few surprises, including the move to Euro6 as standard.

Following on from the launch event where we drove several different variants in a single day, we thought it would be good to spend a full day behind the wheel of the same truck, and get to know the new Eurocargo a little better.

While many of these new Ivecos will find their home in inner-city or urban roles, the new Eurocargo range also has a lot to offer for those who cover longer distances with light-weight freight, such as furniture removalists.

While the cab upgrade is largely cosmetic, the comfort and space on offer will be welcomed by those who spend the odd night away from home. While it’s not at the levels you would find in its big brother, the Stralis, it is very user friendly for a ‘little truck’.

The Eurocargo ML 180
The Eurocargo range offers three basic models at this stage – the ML 120, ML 160 and ML 180. As you may have guessed, the numbers relate to the vehicles GVM, with the different models offering 12t, 16t and 18t GVM ratings respectively.

Various cab options are also available, including a day cab, sleeper cab and high-roof sleeper cab. For our day out, we were aboard the top-of-the-range ML 180 with the high-roof sleeper cab.

The ML 180 is powered by the new Iveco Tector 7 engine, which delivers 280hp (206kW) and 1000Nm (738lb/ft) of torque. The Tector 7 uses Iveco’s patented Hi-SCR system to achieve Euro6 without the use of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR).

The Hi-SCR system utilises AdBlue and a self-cleaning diesel particulate filter (DPF) to reduce harmful emissions, without any operator intervention or manual burn-offs needed. By eliminating the EGR, Iveco has found that the exhaust gasses passing through the DPF are hotter, and capable of removing any build-up without the need to inject diesel and perform a burn off.

While this system does use more Ad-blue, it provides many benefits over the previous emission control method. Not only does it save on fuel by not injecting it into the muffler, but removing the EGR also increases fuel economy through a cleaner burn in the engine. No EGR also means less soot going through the engine, increasing oil change intervals and overall engine longevity.

Power from the Tector 7 is fed to either a nine speed ZF manual transmission or optional five speed Allison automatic. In the case of our test vehicle, it was the standard nine speed, full synchromesh, manual gearbox that was used to convert the engine revs to road speed through a 4.1:1 ratio Meritor drive axle.

On the road
Entering the cab is a simple affair, with only three steps up to floor height, and good solid grab handles to help maintain three points of contact.

Once in the seat, it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position thanks to the adjustable steering column and Isri seat. The seat offers plenty of adjustment, including lumbar support, and drops to the floor automatically when the ignition is turned off, to allow easy entry and exit for the driver. Seating options for passengers include a bench seat for two passengers, a single fixed passenger seat or, as was fitted on this unit, a second air-suspended Isri seat.

The dash layout is very driver friendly, with controls that are easy to identify and operate, and all within easy reach. Steering-wheel mounted buttons can be used to operate the trip computer, audio and Bluetooth hands-free functions, and are very easy to get used to. This means that not only will your hands remain on the steering wheel, but your eyes remain on the road. For the record, connecting a phone to the Bluetooth system was a simple affair, and only took a couple of minutes to complete.

To keep things honest, the ML 180 was loaded to 13.7t – a little short of its maximum GVM, but enough to give a good indication of its performance around town.

Given the fact that Iveco has labelled the Eurocargo ‘The Truck The City Loves’, a route was chosen to reflect the role of a local runabout. This included a little freeway work and plenty of time weaving around the industrial areas of Dandenong. It’s also worth pointing out at this stage that traffic lights and roundabouts were targeted, not avoided, to get a good feel for the available power and the shift quality of the transmission.

Once out on the road, it became obvious that the ML 180 was a truck designed for around-town work. There was ample power on tap, allowing for second gear take offs and skip shifting  from second to fourth, then fourth to sixth most of the time. A shift from fourth to fifth was needed when moving off on an incline, or if there was a need to gather pace quickly. Gear selection was easy, with good movement between the gates and a simple double H shift pattern. 

Changing from low range to high range (or vice-versa) was easy, with a flick of the shifter mounted switch, similar to the splitter switch on a Road Ranger transmission. A warning buzzer is also fitted to alert the driver of inappropriate range selection, to prevent damage to the driveline.

While the acceleration provided by the Tector 7 was more than sufficient, the same can’t be said for the engine braking. At 13.7t gross, the exhaust brake was barely enough to hold the truck back on slight descents, with the brake pedal getting a good workout on the longer downhill runs. Even with the tacho well above the green band, the effectiveness of the exhaust brake was minimal.

The service brakes are another area that rate a mention, with the pedal seeming very spongy in the early stages of the drive. After a while, though, even though the pedal remained soft, it was clear that the braking was both predictable and reliable. Some things just take a little getting used to, and while it was disconcerting in the early part of the drive, there was no shortage of confidence in the braking by the end of the day.

With disc brakes all around, the stopping power of the Eurocargo was really quite surprising, and greatly welcomed when another driver decided to pull a quick lane change and left turn manoeuvre right in front of the truck.

The verdict
The new Eurocargo is a very well thought out bit of kit. It offers a great combination of comfort and performance, along with the flexibility to travel a little further from home, and spend the odd night in the sleeper. It also seems to offer good fuel economy, with our very stop-start drive route returning over 3km/l. While ad-blue use wasn’t measured, the word from Iveco is that it will increase slightly over previous models, but suffice to say the gauge didn’t move too far over our 115km trip.

In terms of running the ML 180 up the highway, in relation to removalists and the like, perhaps a ratio change in the rear would provide better economy over the long trips. Around town it worked beautifully, but seemed to working hard to maintain 100km/h on the freeway at just under 2000rpm. With the power available, and the ability to skip shift under acceleration, a taller diff ratio should improve highway economy without creating any issues with driveability around town.