Road Tests: Iveco Daily 29L11V

It’s easy to fall into the trap of over-familiarity when you’re testing a vehicle and, much as we try, it’s hard to imagine the Iveco Daily as anything other than a heavy-duty van. Stripped down to its rather traditional separate chassis and rear wheel drive, it looks like a small truck – and Iveco doesn’t help matters by referring to it as the “Daily City Truck”. But the Daily is now competing in other areas against mainstream vans that haven’t a hint of truck about them. The lightest version of the Daily weighs in at just 3.2 tonnes GVW, and this is the one we’re testing here. Iveco has gone out of its way to provide a real alternative to the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Renault master, Sevel vans (from, Citroën, Peugeot and Fiat) and, of course, the Ford Transit. You’ll have noticed that this isn’t the Iveco Ford Daily, as the marketing agreement between the two firms strictly divides the sub-3.5-tonne sector. It’s a big market, but an intensely competitive one, so Iveco needs to stand out from the crowd. Surprisingly, it’s starting with cost – the Daily 29L11V is very competitively priced, with a terrific warranty package and very low servicing costs. But what else can it offer?

Actually, we told a white lie a bit earlier: an even lighter version of the Daily is available on the Continent, grossing just 2.8 tonnes. But there’s no call for it in the UK, as we don’t have the super-strict speed limits that come into force in Germany for vehicles over 2.8 tonnes. So the “29” nomenclature, in fact, refers to a gross vehicle weight of 3,200kg. The “l” part of the model name comes from the relatively lightweight chassis; 3.5-tonners are known as Daily “S” models, while Iveco’s Daily “C” class goes up to 6.5 tonnes GVW. The 29L “3000” model tested here has the standard “H1” roof and a wheelbase of 3.00m, for a load volume of 7.3m3. A “3000L£ version is available with the same wheelbase, but an extra 400mm of rear overhang, giving a commensurate increase in load volume to 8.3m3 (and rather twitchier crosswind manners, we suspect). Either model is also available with the 375mm-higher “h2” roof, for a load volume of 9.0m3 (3000) or 10.2m3 (3000L). Got that? There will be a test later. The final part of the 29L11V’s nomenclature (apart from the letter V, which seems to stand for, err, “van”) is 11, representing the 105hp charge-cooled turbo-diesel. The 29L9V has the naturally aspirated indirect-injection diesel engine rated at 84hp; it costs £650 less, but its substantially poorer performance and much shorter service intervals make it far less desirable. Like other Dailys (“Dailys”? “Dallies?” Oh, alright then, “Ivecos”) the lightweight class is also available in chassis-cab form, though it’s only offered with the 84hp engine. Iveco offers a pretty comprehensive range of factory-fitted options, from the useful (a heated windscreen for £90 plus VAT) to the exotic (a fuel filter heater at £115) and the downright puzzling – delete the spare wheel and tyre, and you’ll save £50. We’d opt for the remote central locking (£215) and air conditioning, even if it does cost £880.

The more powerful Daily 35S13V returned good fuel consumption figures, so we were hoping for a decent result from this version. And it did well, managing 28.1mpg fully laden around our Kent test route, and 31.4mpg unladen. A responsible driver should be able to crack the 30mph average in mixed running. The figures are comparable with the state-of-the-art, common-rail Mercedes Sprinter 313 CDI (running at 3.5 tonnes), though they are unlikely to be a major reason for choosing the Daily. Again, the Daily’s average speeds were – well – average, and it won’t break any acceleration records. The “L” model Daily is genuinely lighter in construction than the 3.5-tonne “S” variants. They have front and rear axles rated at 1,650kg and 2,240kg respectively for a load tolerance of 390kg, while the L’s much lower rated axles give it an axle load margin of just 200kg – we’d like to see a figure nearer to 10% of the gross weight. But the overall kerb weight belies its separate-chassis construction, and a payload of 1,220kg will be enough for many urban operators. Rear-wheel drive is not the recipe for impressive loadspace volume, and the Daily’s 7.3m3 is not the best headline figure. But what it lacks in volume it makes up for in accessibility: the side door aperture is a useful 1,100mm wide, while the rear doors open to 270o as standard, and there is a full-width step at the rear of the loadspace. A half-height steel bulkhead is fitted as standard, with the full-height version costing £75 extra. An additional driver’s-side sliding door is available for £450. There’s a fly in the ointment, though: the spare wheel is mounted just behind the nearside rear wheel arch (and not, as the brochure insists, “under the rear overhang”), reducing the available loadspace. Aaah, that’s why it’s a delete option. Time and again industry experts tell us that the key to a profitable haulage business is utilisation. It is vital to make the most of your assets (human, financial and mechanical) and keep your fixed costs down. Truck builders are painfully aware of this, and Iveco hasn’t forgotten the basics. As well as a terrific warranty package of three years and 120,000 miles, the Daily comes with astonishingly long service intervals it’s 30,000km (18,500 miles) between each oil-and-filter change, over 20% better than any other van. The truck-like Modus diagnostic system allows for relatively quick servicing, while a truck-biased dealer is more likely than most to offer niceties like overnight servicing; Iveco is also offering “Daily Quick Service” points, which will perform checks and servicing without an appointment and at a fixed price.