Road Tests: DAF FA LF55 220

Santa Claus is well used to getting begging letters from the CM editorial team. A season ticket to West Bromwich Wanderers for the editor, and a new bicycle or a firefighter for the youngsters on the news desk, maybe, while the younger members of our operations desk would be satisfied by some alien sounds masquerading as music. The operations editor would be happy with a spare turkey – just in case. So it was no surprise when Santa called in the debt and asked for our advice. His letter says: “After what seems like an eternity, I’m hoping to be able to get out of my rip-off contract with Lapp-Lease before next Christmas. I tell you, I’ll be glad to see the back of that damn sledge – the emissions are dreadful. As its replacement, I’d like something good around town, but not out of its depth on inter-urban trips. I spend hours behind the wheel, so a bit of car-like comfort would be nice, and with operating costs what they are, it needs to be economical and haul a decent payload. What would you suggest?”

Well Santa, read on and we may have the answer. If nothing else, the colour scheme matches your outfit. Daf is unusual in effectively having two separate models at 18 tonnes GVW. The CF65 has Daf’s own cab, while the LF55’s is a bought-=in item used on the Renault Midlum. Under the skin, the two models are more closely related, sharing the same basic six-cylinder engine, Paccar’s version of the European Engine Alliance unit – effectively an updated Cummins B-Series, built at Darlington. The only difference is in rated power outputs – the LF55 normally gets 180 and 220hp versions, while the CF65 comes in 220 and 250 versions. Eight wheelbase options range from 3,450mm to 6,250mm. The version tested here is an FA LF55 220, riding on a 5,850mm wheelbase. Bodywork is a straight-forward 7.5m Boalloy box, with a full set of side skirts.

There’s not a lot of bad news here. Payback time for the small LF cab comes at the scales – the basic product tested here drives off the Leyland production line, with a full 200-litre tank and a 75kg driver, at 5,085kg. The air seats, aero kit, ECAS, Eaton box and bigger tank ad 236kg, 90kg of which is clawed back by the alloys. The end result is a highly attractive body/payload allowance of 12,770kg. So, there’s plenty of payload for Santa, but what about economy? Don’t worry, the news gets better. Quite simply, the Daf’s overall economy of 14mph is the best yet for an 18-tonner – in fact, it’s not far off the figures for some of the lesser but admittedly faster 7.5-tonners around the same route. The previous best in class was another Daf, a Euro-2 65CF240, but we’ve even improved on that by 0.8mpg. The situation was helped by an amazingly kind day in the first week in December, with barely any wind – just a healthy dose of cool, damp air.