IVECO S-Way 2023 Launch Review

The long-awaited media launch of the 2023 IVECO S-Way was held at the Australian Automotive Research Centre near Anglesea in regional Victoria.

There, we got our first look at the S-Way, the arrival of which IVECO has been looking forward to for some time. The S-Way was launched in Europe in 2019 and has picked up several awards for its efficiency, safety features and comfort levels. Needless to say, we were keen to get a look at the new truck and get a drive, albeit on a track rather than a real-world road.

The S-Way is offering potential customers a wide range of variants including rigid trucks in 6x2, 6x4 and 8x4 and prime movers in 4x2 and 6x4 configurations.

There are also three cab options: Active Day, Active Time and the largest Active Space. These are again available in three heights across the range. There are also various wheelbase choices – four for the prime movers and 10 for the rigid trucks – so it’s safe to say that IVECO is throwing a lot of weight behind this launch.

Three engines are available, the Cursor 9, Cursor 11 and Cursor 13, with a choice of five outputs from 360hp to 550hp and torque from 1650Nm to 2500Nm.

The engines are coupled to IVECO’s 12- and 16-speed Hi-Tronix automated manual transmissions similar to the current Stralis X-Way.

The new S-Way has increased levels of standard active safety equipment including AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, electronic stability control, anti slip regulator, hill holder function and Driver Attention Support and Drive Style Evaluation (DAS and DSE). However, we did notice an absence of a driver air bag.

On the general safety side, the S-Way also has new LED headlights that include daytime running lights and a cornering function. The cab has been strengthened to ECE-R29 certification and has front underrun protection.

Unlike some of the other European cabover trucks on the market, not all the S-Way models have the same dash layout. There are subtle but noticeable differences between the models, like the position of the park brake for instance, or slight differences in the switch gear.

One similarity across the range is the steering wheel, which now comes with multiple buttons for various functions like cruise control, phone or menu navigation.

The larger S-Ways feature a flat floor with ample standing head room (2.1 metres) in the high-roof versions, and IVECO says that overall the interior has 0.7 cubic metres more room than its predecessor.

The IVECO S-Way also introduces a seven-inch LCD infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity and smartphone mirroring. There’s also a truck-friendly satnav powered by Tom Tom, multiple USB inputs and charging ports, 12V power socket and voice recognition.

The system is also camera compatible and integrates with IVECO Driver Pal (powered by Amazon Alexa), which is available as an option on some models. This technology allows drivers to operate in-cabin controls through voice commands.

For fleet managers, additional analytics and vehicle performance can be tracked through ‘MYIVECO’ telematics. All vehicles are equipped with telematics hardware which becomes functional upon subscription to IVECO’s telematics services.

There’s plenty of storage in the S-Way including overhead lockers. The lower console can comfortably house thick A4 folders, while the new open glove compartments include space for bottles as large as 1.5L. A wide selection of refrigerators with capacities up to 100L are also available, and some also include a freezer.

Additionally, there are outer storage compartments with combined storage capacity of up to 380L. AT and AS models are equipped with an ADR 42-compliant sleeper berth with upper bunk that can be used for additional storage or as a passenger bed.

In the lower bunk, a rotary switch controls light selection and diming, while a central bedside module also handles heating, radio and door locks – these features can also be controlled via the MYIVECO Easy Way app. A further two USB points located on the upper pockets of each wall provide additional charging for phones and the like.

Seating is provided by Isri with a great perch for both the driver and passenger. Both seats are suspension seats with heaps of adjustment and built-in seatbelts.

Driving the S-Way is simplicity itself. Like most modern trucks, the job is made so much easier these days with auto everything and helpful systems like the radar cruise and beautiful, direct steering.

Start-up is now handled with a pushbutton after you’ve put the fob into its allotted slot in the dash. Transmission is also via pushbuttons on the dash, as well as a sequential shifter on the right-hand column stalk for manual shifting.

Our B-Double example on the launch day was loaded to around 60 tonnes and although we could feel the weight, the driving task was as simple as point-and-shoot. The big 13-litre engine with its 2500Nm of torque, and the smooth and intuitive 16-speed auto box made the job a breeze.

The 16-speed Hi-Tronix transmission shifts smoothly and offers a good spread of gears as far as we could ascertain on the track. It has its top gear as a 1.00:1 direct ratio with a standard diff ratio of 3.09:1 giving an engine speed of 1617rpm at 100km/h. An alternate diff ratio of 3.4:1 is available as an option.

Maximum torque in the high-output Cursor 13 is at a low 1000rpm and looking at the torque curve, it is flat all the way to 1500rpm, where it starts to drop away. However, even at 1700rpm you’ve still got over 2000Nm. Similarly, max power is made at 1500rpm and hangs in until 1800rpm, which shows it is a flexible engine designed to work hard through the early and mid ranges.

There is a great view from the driver’s seat. The slim A-pillars and repositioned mirror give great front and peripheral vision, and the mirrors are excellent.

And it was quiet. I could chat with the co-driver at levels no louder than you would in your lounge room at home.

The ride is smooth. The front parabolic and rear air suspension work well together and even when we had to take an excursion off road due to some maintenance on the track, the S-Way handled it with ease.

There is no doubt, the IVECO S-Way is a good truck. It’s well built, has a great engine and trannie and will happily haul a load. All IVECO Australia has to do is let people know it’s out there.

Bums on seats is the name of the game here, and as the company transitions from being an importer/manufacturer to solely an importer, it’s going to be imperative that it markets itself to compete on level ground with the other European importers.

IVECO Australia is offering a wide range of trucks suitable for a wide range of applications; let’s just hope that the market takes to the S-Way as well as the European market has.

IVECO is backing the S-Way 6x4 prime mover with a three-year/750,000km warranty which is extendable to five years/1,000,000km (whichever comes first), which shows the company certainly has faith in its product.

IVECO S-Way 6x4 Prime Mover AS
Engine: Cursor 13
Displacement: 12.9 litres
Max Power: 550hp at 1600rpm
Max Torque: 2500Nm at 1000rpm
Transmission: Hi-Tronix 16 TX 2640 TD, 16-speed AMT
Axle ratio: 3.09:1 (opt 3.4:1)
Front suspension: Parabolic with hydraulic dampers
Rear suspension: Eight-bellow air suspension
Kerb weight: 8701kg
GVM: 27,600kg
GCM: 70,000kg
Fuel: 1010L (630 RHS, 380 LHS)
AdBlue: 80L
Safety: Electronic stability control, ABS, anti-slip regulator, advanced emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, daytime running lights, fog lights with cornering and bending, LED lights front/rear.