Road Tests: DAF FAD CF85

There was a time when the official Commercial Motor tipper portfolio had nothing but dust for the team to refer to for facts and figures about the leading tippers of our age. Today our folder is positively bulging with completed tipper tests – CM has gone from nothing in four years, to four full road tests in just 14 months. It goes to show that just about anything will come back into fashion, and with so few multi-axle rigids on the second-hand market buying is the only alternative. Our latest addition to the test portfolio is the Daf FAD CF85 380, which offers proven durability, comfort and productivity.

Daf’s CF85 series is a tried and tested product which is among the company’s biggest sellers. And the basis for that success is undoubtedly the 12.6-litre six-pot motor. It’s big, powerful and with strength in depth. This is a significant jump from the nine-litre Volvo FM9 we tested in December 2003; it’s almost 1.5 litres bigger than the Renault Kerax tested in December 2004, and 1.8 litres bigger than the Foden Alpha we tested last month. There’s always a weight penalty for packing a larger piece, and it doesn’t offer any more horses than the French of Swede competition, or its Paccar stablemate from dear old Blighty. On the plus side the extra cube of Daf’s XE280C unit-injection diesel should offer benefits in areas like overall performance and driveability. It drives via a single-reduction double-axle driveline. Back in 2001 when the CF was relaunched Daf’s designers decided to extend the day cab. This helped ease the cramped environment that was the traditional lot of so many tipper drivers, and other manufacturers have since followed suit. Daf supplied our test vehicle equipped with a relatively light aggregates body rather than an off-road deep-quarry muckaway load carrier.

Now that we have four recent tests under our collective belt our database is contemporary, so we don’t have to rely on tests completed five years ago. The fuel figures have become more important – though with an important caveat. On the one hand the figure is in print and can be as useful a guide as any in choosing a truck. But, on the flipside, the figure only represents that truck on that particular day. Wise operators pick their vehicles according to the result of the marathon rather than a one-off sprint and the Daf’s overall result is a good middle-of-the-table outcome. Renault achieved a score that will be hard to beat but this CF scores well on the motorways and on A-roads, making it a viable option. The Foden performed better on the M1 and M69 but not as well as the Daf on the bread-and-butter A-road section. Load capacity is something that we can measure with greater certainty. Daf offers a body/payload weight of 22,693kg. It won’t get you inside the 21 tonnes payload but it’s a decent fighting weight to make a decent living. The chassis-cab put up for test is lighter than Volvo’s and Renault’s, but here the Foden steals the honours. The fine print will tell you where the tangible weight differences are to be found; invariably the difference is down to optional extras like steel or alloy wheels, as well as engine and cab size. And remember that various manufacturers take different approaches to registering their official kerbweights. Depreciation figures and residuals continue to play a major part in choosing a truck. If you’re looking at off-loading your tipper down the line then the residuals throw up some interesting numbers. Foden and Volvo lead the way with three-year residuals comfortably over £28,000 while Daf’s CF85 is in contention just £500 off the pace. If you choose a five-year disposal plan Volvo offers the best price while Daf and Foden are just £100 apart. Renault lags behind in both cases.