As the official heir to Magirus Deutz’ legendary MK range, Iveco’s Eurocargo model can look back at a long and proud history in European road transport – but it has also won over a sizable international followership.
Revamped in 2015, it almost instantly won the coveted International Truck of the Year trophy and has since not only caused a stir in Europe, but also in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Australia. Here, it has become a familiar sight in the metropolitan distribution market as well as in agriculture and more specialised lines of work, for example in horse transport.
As such, Prime Mover is putting the Italian middleweight champion to the test in a very unusual application – as a race truck. In collaboration with Honda Australia, we take a highly customised ML140 Crew Cab model from Melbourne to a motocross race held near Shepparton in central Victoria – the ideal setting to assess just how well the European award winner can handle the tough Australian road network.
Our Eurocargo is hauling a specially built fifth wheel trailer, making for a Gross Combination Weight (GCW) of 14.5 tonnes. With the fifth wheel connection mounted just forward of the rear axle on the 5,175mm wheelbase ‘prime mover’, the overall length of the high-octane combination is just short of 19m.
The layout is not much of a challenge for the Iveco ‘Tector’ engine. Boasting four valves in each of the six cylinders, it displaces 5.9 litres and produces a very responsive 250hp and 850Nm, which are delivered through a torque convertor to a five-speed Allison S3000 automatic transmission. The 4.30:1 Meritor rear axle is a good match for the Allison and works well across the engine’s broad torque band between 1,100rpm and 2,100rpm.
The full story has appeared in the September edition of Prime Mover. To get your copy, click here.
