Now what bright spark has gone and left this Iveco Stralis in Biglorryblog's drive? But hang on a minute... This isn't just any old Iveco Stralis (cue M&S music) it's a an 'Engage' Stralis - yes the Italian truck maker's concept vehuicle that was so special I completely missed it at last year's Hanover Show (D'oh!) According to the official blurbthe Stralis Engage concept truck "is inspired by the value-based partnership between Iveco and the New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, combining, [as you do] an aggressive look with a series of innovative comfort and safety-related technological solutions that place it at the top of the range." Errr right. Well anyway it's certainly got a very nice interior as you can see below...
In fact there's enough leather inside to keep all you animal hide festish freaks happy for a month of Sundays! Now click through here for more...
After tweaking a few of the outside panels for starters Iveco boffins have really gone to town inside, not least by replacing the Stralis's normal central control console with its mechanical controls with an innovative black gloss touch sensitive panel controlling all the previous functions, while with the control buttons are replaced by a membrane keypad with 'bubble keys'. When the engine is off the panel is completely black. But fire up the Cursor 13 and it all lights up. What's more the silhouettes of the ideograms are traced out by a thin line of lights under the glossy surface and when the functions are touch-activated the colour of the selected function changes.
Well all that high-techie stuiff is all well and good but this is a concept tractor... Where's the bling?! Well I'm glad you asked as the cab rear panel bears an illuminated Iveco All Blacks logo - now you're talking! Meanwhile the press guff (sorry, 'incisive accompanying commentary") continues: "The innovative fixed-hub steering wheel is designed so that the control switches do not turn with the wheel". So when you turn a corner they stay exactly where you want them... Neat eh? And talking of neat, "...the radio/CD system uses sophisticated electrostatic acoustic panels with customised sound diffusion characteristics [eh?] making it possible to have extremely high quality sound in the whole cab with excellent audio reproduction, not only from the driver position but also from the passenger seats and bunks." Ahhh... Now I get it.
Meanwhile, as it's a concept truck you've naturally got to load it up with safety kit and 'Engage' is no exception having radar-based Autonomous Cruise Control, Active Lane Departure warning with frontal cameras that detect the lane markings and keep the vehicle in its lane. If the vehicle gets too near to either of the lines a correcting torque is applied to the steering column to warn the driver. Add to that Turn Assitance which uses ultra-sonic sensors to detect objects in the classic nearside blindspot, and ESP.
On second thoughts... Leave it where it is in the drive. I'll find a use for it.
Good to see your have an Italian-All Black in your very English driveway!
You could take Mrs BLB out to local Indian for a night out?
...combining and aggressive look.....
And to think that Daimler Benz went to great lengths in the 1970's to ensure their new cabs were NOT "aggressive" looking. They were trying to soft-pedal the JUGGERNAUT EFFECT so as not to scare little old ladies in the High Street.
Go back and compare the Mercs with the other big ones of the time and I'm sure you'll agree: they got it right. Or perhaps you prefer your motor to be "red in tooth and claw?
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