By Richard Robertson
In the motorhome world, Iveco’s Daily has built a solid reputation as the cab-chassis of choice in the medium-to-heavy end of the market. Iveco primarily manufactures ‘serious’ trucks, but while the Daily is its entry level model it has serious-truck in its DNA. Unlike smaller siblings the Fiat Ducato, or the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the Daily is essentially a big truck engineered-down rather than a light truck engineered-up.
The new Daily E6 (Euro 6) looks much the same as the current model – it does get a new grille and headlights – and the model designations carry through too. The cab-chassis range still comprises the Daily 50C, with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 4495 kg (5200 kg optional), and the Daily 70C, with a standard 7000 GVM (7200 kg optional). Those are serious figures and it remains the heavyweight champion of the mainstream motorhome world.
Iveco also offers the Daily as a van – 35S, 50C and 70C – but it has never cracked the motorhome conversion market. That’s despite GVMs from 3800 kg to 7000 kg, lengths from just under 5.5 m to almost 7.7 m, and the availability of electronically-controlled rear airbag suspension and a rear differential lock on certain models.
All Dailys are rear-wheel drive and most have a maximum braked towing capacity of 3500 kg (3200 kg on 35S van), making them a special favourite with RVers needing to tow boats, trailers or vehicles on an A-frame.
Daily Developments
From a motorhome conversion perspective, the single biggest improvement is the electronic handbrake on the dash in place of the lever on the floor. That means for the first time, a Daily’s driver's seat will easily be swivelled! True, manufacturers like Latitude Motorhomes have offered it as an in-house solution, but now it’s a factory fitting.
Power-wise, the 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel remains standard on the cab-chassis, but has been modified to comply with Euro 6 emissions requirements and now requires AdBlue (in a 20-litre tank in addition to the Daily’s 100-litre diesel tank). Kilowatt output is up slightly although torque remains the same, but fuel efficiency is claimed to improve by up to 10 percent. In standard form the revised engine puts out 132 kW (up from 125) and 430 Nm
Interestingly, the optional 150 kW/470 Nm version in the superseded model now produces 155 kW/470 Nm, but does so using a single, electronically-controlled variable geometry turbo (eVGT) in place of twin turbos. The excellent Hi-Matic 8-speed ZF fully-automatic transmission remains an option over the standard 6-speed manual, but it’s unlikely any motorhome will be built without it.
Speaking of options, the electronically-controlled self-levelling rear airbag suspension is still on the cab-chassis menu, as is the differential lock. Combined, these would provide not only the best level of ride comfort in-class, but also a high degree of all-road and even light off-road ability, enhanced by the Daily's substantial ground clearance.
Safety Plus
While the previous Daily range already included features like four-wheel discs with anti-lock braking and electronic stability control, four airbags and the availability of lane departure warning, the new E6 model takes safety to a new level.
Standard across the range is an advanced emergency braking system, adaptive cruise control, crosswind assist and an enhanced ‘ESP9’ suite of stability control technologies. ESP9 comprises anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, electronic stability control, anti-slip regulator, drag torque control, hill hold control, enhanced under-steering control, adaptive load control, trailer sway mitigation, hydraulic rear-wheel boost, hydraulic fading compensation, rollover movement intervention and rollover mitigation. Other active safety features available either as standalone options or as part of a pack include lane departure warning, LED headlights, hill descent control, city brake, queue assist and traction plus.
There are three packs on offer and it's likely all will be included on most Daily motorhomes. These comprise:
- Hi-Business: Hi-Connect multimedia system with GPS, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, wireless phone charging and USB charging, front fog lights and reversing camera (van only)
- Hi-Comfort: Automatic climate control, leather steering wheel, tyre pressure monitoring system with digital readout, automatic wipers and headlights
- Hi Technology: Queue assist (auto only), lane departure warning, city brake, traction plus, hill descent and automatic high beam control.
Technologically, the safety systems most likely to be welcomed by motorhomers are:
- Adaptive cruise control: Slows you to match the speed of the vehicle in front and maintains a preset distance, then reaccelerates if you change lanes or overtake
- Queue assist: In bumper-to-bumper traffic it automatically brakes to a complete stop and reaccelerates, while maintaining distance from the vehicle in front
- Crosswind assist: Uses the electronic stability control program to help stabilise the vehicle if hit by a sudden gust of wind, including turbulence from a passing truck
- Hill descent control: Works like cruise control for low speed downhill driving, particularly in wet and slippery conditions
- Traction plus: Operates up to 30 km/h and helps maintain traction on slippery surfaces by automatically applying the brakes to the drive wheel losing grip and transferring power to the wheel with most traction
Inside Story
While the interior remains largely unchanged, there is a new instrument cluster that’s clearer and comes with a new central 3.5-inch hi-res display screen for trip computer read outs, etc. The optional leather steering wheel looks like a beauty and is truly multifunction; it should also mean the cruise control will have digital speed settings rather than ‘press and guess’.
The Daily retains all the usual conveniences of remote central locking, air conditioning, electric windows and (heated) mirrors, plus the previous model’s individually heated suspension seat for the driver (and usually, the passenger in motorhomes). While part of the Daily E6’s big news is the new optional multimedia system, there is no word nor pictures of the standard unit, but the thinking is it will be a carryover from the current model.
Thoughts
There's no doubt these upgrades and improvements propel the Iveco Daily E6 to the front of the motorhome cab-chassis pack. Effectively, they fill-in the missing pieces of the puzzle needed to make the outgoing model class-leading and its success therefore appears assured.