UD CW25 360 2022 Lap of the Map Review

Back in early November, we reported that UD Trucks was embarking on A Lap of the Map, a 15,000km journey around the country showcasing a UD CW25 360.

At the end of that story, we said we might just bring you a story from the road. Well, we got the opportunity and took it with both hands, ending up on the west coast for a trip up from Perth to Karratha in the Pilbara.

In terms of the whole Lap of the Map, it’s not much but it was enough to give us a really good idea of the UD CW25 360 and how it was handling the trip, which started from UD Trucks headquarters in Wacol, Brisbane.

By the time we climbed aboard, the UD had travelled down through NSW, Gippsland in Victoria, South Australia, across the Nullarbor to Albany in south-west WA and up to Perth.

The Lap of the Map truck was a Quon CW25 360, which means it is at the smaller end of the large UD range. It’s an 8-litre, or more concisely 7698cc six-cylinder turbo-diesel, with outputs of 360hp (253kW) and 1428Nm (1055lb/ft) of torque.

This drives through the ESCOT-VI 12-speed automated manual transmission. GVM is 25 tonnes with a GCM of 38 tonnes. Our truck was loaded to 22 tonnes with a 14-pallet curtainsider body.

The ESCOT 12-speed gives a direct drive in 12th gear and the final drive ratio is 3.36, giving us a fairly high-revving cruise of 1900rpm at 100km/h. But the 12-speed auto is well matched to the 8-litre engine and it makes for a no-fuss driving experience and the truck gets up to speed efficiently and holds onto top gear nicely on the hills – although there were precious few of them on our run up the coast.

The Quon is fitted with a four-position engine brake which gives a bit of retardation in the lower levels, but really starts to work in the fourth position where it gives a kick-down and maximum engine braking. The service bakes are discs all round and provide plenty of stopping power.

It’s a couple of big steps up into the cab with plenty of hand holds. Once inside you’re greeted with an Isri suspension seat with inbuilt seatbelt and adjustable arm rest on the left. The co-pilot gets a fixed seat and you can have a foldable third seat in the middle.

There is a small sleeper which, if you opt for the third seat, can be extended outward by folding the second and third seats forward.

The steering column offers tilt and telescopic adjustment so it’s easy to get a comfortable position behind the wheel.

The dash wraps around so everything is easy to get to and there is a screen in front of the driver that is operated by buttons on the wheel.

Customisable live information includes on-board fuel coaching with economy tips, fuel and AdBlue usage, instant fuel consumption, digital speedo, and a trip computer including time, distance, and distance to empty. There's also an hour meter, coolant temp, engine oil temp, transmission oil temp, and volt meter.

The cab also features an eight-inch high-definition touchscreen with tilting function, which integrates AM/FM radio, digital radio and internet radio (requiring phone data), USB and auxiliary ports, standard digital reverse camera with microphone and infra-red function (we also had blind-spot cameras on each side), four additional camera inputs with split-screen functionality, plus Wi-Fi with phone tethering and Bluetooth hands-free operation.

In addition you’ve got android connectivity, Apple CarPlay and truck-specific satellite navigation. Options available include a cordless phone charging pocket which we had and tyre pressure monitoring.

Overall, it’s a pretty complete package with a lot of ‘big truck’ features and systems. We also had a host of safety features including AEB, radar cruise control, hill-start assist, driver’s steering-wheel airbag, lane departure warning, stability control and more.

We were up with the sparrows on the first leg of our part of the trip north and after a quick cuppa we were on our way to the fuel stop then out of Perth to Carnarvon via Geraldton.

It’s a great run up the coast and the roads are pretty good too. It’s about 900 kilometres from Perth up to Carnarvon – nearly the same as a Sydney to Melbourne run but with less traffic. We stopped off along the way for a rest and bite to eat, but it was a fairly uneventful drive.

The UD Quon sat well on the road and handled everything with ease. We had a few overtaking adventures with the big quads over there, but the Quon holds on to top gear remarkably well and kicks down smoothly when it’s needed – even with its load on. A couple of times we had to hang back and wait for a bit more space before overtaking but most of the time, we could cruise past the guys doing 90.

Why wouldn’t you get the 11-litre? Well, to be honest, I probably would. However, if you’re doing a lot of around-town work combined with some intrastate jobs like we were doing, then the eight-litre makes sense as you’d be getting better economy in the city, and it can certainly hold its own on the highway.

Related reading:
UD to embark on a Lap of the Map
UD Quon boosts NSW chemical manufacturer
Safety, power and economy updates for UD Quon

We had the on-board telematics cranked up on our tour and it told us that on the first day’s run from Perth to Carnarvon we got 2.63 km/litre. On the second day from Carnarvon to Karratha we did better, at 2.91 km/litre, which is pretty good considering we were near maximum load.

In terms of comfort for the longer trip, the Quon is great. The Isri seat is a ripper, the ergonomics are fine and really, you can simply hit the radar cruise and send it. I found the steering to okay without being spectacular. There is a lot being done with electric steering systems lately and they really are the benchmark, but steering in the UD is good for a regular hydraulic system.

All too soon, and after dropping off some merchandise and other goodies to a dealership here and there, my trip on the Lap of the Map was coming to a close. Karratha was the end for me and it really did feel a little too soon. I would have happily kept going up to Port Hedland, Broome, Kununurra and then on through the Territory, but that will have to wait for another day…

What I did find out on my part of the Lap is that the UD CW25 360 is a comfortable and efficient truck, more than capable of doing the task of lapping the map with a near-full load, and more.

It’s a versatile truck that could be put to many tasks like refrigerated transport, livestock, intrastate deliveries, construction and more. If the opportunity arises to take another run in a UD, I’ll take it.

Specifications:

UD CW25 360
Engine: GH8F six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Capacity: 7698cc
Power: 357hp at 2200rpm
Torque: 1428Nm at 1200rpm
Transmission: ESCOT-VI 12-speed automated manual
Suspension: Airbag
GVM: 25 tonnes
GCM: 38 tonnes
Wheelbase: 3700mm
Fuel: 400 litres
AdBlue: 50 litres