The new generation eCanter comes with an active safety package, here we see the full Daimler safety suite included in one of the smaller members of the company’s wide ranges of trucks.
Here is all of the fruit which is becoming common currency at the top end of truck ranges, but now available here on a truck you can drive with a car license.
There are cameras and radar enabling the automatic emergency braking with which truck owners are now becoming familiar. Out on the highway, the adaptive cruise control, which also relies on this system makes life easier for the driver to let the automated system navigate the stop-go traffic of suburban Melbourne.
The eCanter does also include, for the first time on any Canter, side guard assist, which is offered higher up in the weight range by Fuso and displays a tell-tale red triangle on the A pillar on the passenger side, if there is a vehicle in the blind spot. The system will actively intervene and actually stop the truck, if it detects a major problem. It goes through iterations of warning before braking.
Again, the fact that the driver doesn’t have to concentrate hard on the stopping and going from traffic to traffic light, adds to the serenity induced by the relative silence in cab.
The combination of low noise levels from the driveline, smooth acceleration and deceleration modulated by automatic systems, and the smooth ride from the IFS, makes running on these bustling road a much more relaxing and comfortable experience than it is for many drivers fighting with a manual gearbox and a diesel engine while travelling these same routes.
This next generation of the eCanter and new Canters includes an improved interior feature like Apple CarPlay, which is accessible on the central display.
The overall experience from behind the wheel is a relaxed one. The peaceful nature of the driving style needed, along with the effectiveness of the new systems, is added to by the smart way the different aspect of the driving experience are integrated.
The calm way the truck goes about its work, while, at the same time getting the job gets done quickly, safely and efficiently adds to this impression. The various instruments and screens tell the driver what is going on and the quietness of the cab also means the instructions from Google maps don’t get lost in a gear change.
All of the controls become second nature once the driver works out how each of them functions. The only one which could be improved is the lever for activating and setting the regenerative braking levels. It is currently a repurposed gearstick on the dash, it would work much better as a button under the driver’s thumb on the steering wheel.
Outside of that minor criticism there is little to fault in the truck. We have seen the Canter develop over time to a solid performer. This eCanter simply carries on that tradition, with more sophistication and less carbon emissions, at the same time as being a pleasant and relatively peaceful drive.
This is the first entrant from a major truck manufacturer into the light duty zero emission market in Australia and it will set the benchmark which others will have to at least match going forward. It will come at a premium price, but we can be sure that this price differential will reduce in the coming years.
