Tag Archives: vans

New Fiat Ducato Launched with Euro 5 Engines

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New Fiat Ducato panel vanFiat has launched the latest version of its Ducato large van, complete with an all-new range of Euro 5 engines. As with the recent Volkswagen Crafter and Iveco Daily launches, the engines are the big news and buyers should expect:

  • Euro 5 compliance on all models;
  • Improved fuel consumption;
  • Reduced emissions;
  • Improved power and torque;
  • Improved performance and refinement.

Initial reviews of the Ducato have been very positive, especially with in terms of the performance, handling and comfort of the new van.

Engines & Transmission

The new UK model range is built around two engines – a 2.3l diesel and a 3.0l diesel. The 2.3l engine will come in three power outputs for the UK – 110bhp, 130bhp and 150bhp. Each will have a six-speed manual gearbox and Fiat says that the entry level 110bhp model will offer a 10% improvement in fuel consumption, 11% reduction in emissions and a 20% increase in torque when compared with the 100bhp 2.2l model it replaces.

The range-topping 3l engine offers 177bhp and a stonking 400Nm of torque from just 1,400rpm – an improvement on the old engine’s 1,700rpm figure for the same torque.

Dashboard of new Fiat Ducato, showing optional TomTom Blue&Me setup

The dashboard of the new Ducato, showing the optional TomTom Blue&Me system

Service intervals on all of the new Ducato engines have been extended from 25,000 to 30,000 miles and all engines have a timing chain designed to last the lifetime of the engine – so no cambelt changes will ever be required.

Fiat’s Comfort-Matic automated manual transmission is available as an option with the 3-litre engine. This is a traditional manual transmission except there is no clutch pedal and the manual linkage to the gearbox is replaced by actuators controlled by a Transmission Control Unit. The shift is either performed automatically or the driver can use the gear lever to prompt changes by pulling backwards or pushing forwards.

The 2.3-litre engines (110, 130 and 150) are available with Fiat’s Start&Stop system. This automatically stops the engine when the van comes to a halt and is put in neutral. Releasing the brake or pushing the clutch re-starts the engine automatically. It’s estimated this can reduce fuel consumption by 15 per cent around town.

Sizes & Conversion Options

New Fiat Ducato minibusThe new Ducato panel van is available in a range of sizes and shapes:

  • Three wheelbases
  • Four lengths
  • Three heights
  • Gross vehicle weight of 3,000kg – 4,000kg
  • Payloads from 1,000kg to 2,000kg

A range of conversion options will also be available, including a minibus and single and twin cab chassis cab models.

Interior

New Fiat Ducato interior showing upgraded cab seats with red fabricThe interior of the Ducato has been upgraded for this new model. The new cab features improved materials, upgraded seats, better sound proofing and more storage, as well as an adjustable steering wheel.

It is also possible to specify a TomTom ‘my port’ when ordering the van. This can then be used with a TomTom Blue&Me system to gather date for Fiat’s eco:Drive fleet management software, which allows drivers and fleet managers to monitor fuel consumption and driving habits in order to reduce running costs.

Final Thoughts

The Ducato has never been massively successful in the UK panel van sector, with neither courier firms nor tradesmen embracing the model very widely. Despite this, there are a lot on the road and it does have a strong presence in the conversion market, where its low, wide, front-wheel drive chassis cab platform has been hugely successful. The Ducato dominates the motorhome market throughout Europe and has sold more than 2.2m units in total in the 30 years it has been in production.

This new Ducato may look similar to its predecessor, but under the skin there are a raft of worthwhile improvements – not least the new engine range, which should provide improved performance with lower fuel consumption and emissions. It remains to be seen whether the Ducato will gain a stronger foothold in the UK van rental market – but initial impressions are good.

Winter Tyres For Vans – They Aren’t Just For Cars!

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Winter tyre on snow

Winter tyres aren't big knobbly things, you know! They are just like summer tyres except with a different rubber compound and modified tread that stays soft and grippy at low temperatures.

This year has seen unprecedented levels of winter tyre marketing, most of which has been aimed at car drivers. Despite this, winter tyres are just as relevant for vans and most of the main tyre companies offer winter versions of their van tyres.

Examples include Continental’s VancoWinter 2, the Goodyear Cargo UltraGrip 2 and the Michelin Agilis Alpin.

Mercedes-Benz is now offering a main dealer winter tyre / wheel service for Mercedes vans. It isn’t the cheapest way to get winter tyres on your van but it should be hassle free, especially if your vans are serviced at a Merc dealer.

Remember, winter tyres outperform summer tyres when the ground temperature falls below 7 degrees C – and ground temperature is usually lower in winter than air temperature, which is what the weather forecasts talk about.

I recently attended a winter tyre demonstration by Goodyear and got to drive with winter tyres on an ice simulation surface. The difference between summer and winter tyres was massive. Trying to stop on ice with the summer tyres was scary – the ABS didn’t work and I was just a passenger as the car slid endlessly along. With winter tyres, I stopped in about half the distance and had much more steering control during braking. Although the differences are less pronounced on dry and wet surfaces when the temperature is above freezing, the difference on snow and ice is awesome.

In case you are not convinced, here is some footage from a winter tyre demo Goodyear put on at the Tamworth Snowdome earlier this year. Two cars try to drive up the ski slope, one with summer tyres and one with winter tyres:

Iveco Prepares To Launch New Daily Van

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Iveco will launch the latest version of its Daily van in September 2011. The model is one of a long line of Dailys, 2 million of which have been sold to date. Dailys have always been reasonably popular at the large end of the van rental market, so regular hire van users are likely to end up driving one sooner or later.

Iveco Daily new 2011 model

Engines

As usual at present, most of the new features in the van relate to engines, emissions and safety.

Two diesel engines will be available with the new Daily – a updated version of the current 2.3l Multijet model, which now generates 320Nm of torque, and a new 3 litre model with twin turbochargers, 205bhp and a massive 470Nm of torque. Between them, the engines offer something appropriate for every use and weight – the Daily has long been the heaviest of vans, with maximum weights from 2.8t to 7.0t.

Both engines meet Euro 5 standards and heavy duty models meet the higher EEV (Enhanced Environmentally-Friendly Vehicle) standard, currently the most stringent of the European emissions standards (it is basically a halfway house to Euro 6, which is coming soon).

Iveco have managed to avoid introducing the unpopular AdBlue-based SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system and is using an updated EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system combined with a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) to manage exhaust emissions.

Safety

Built on a seperate chassis, Daily vans are essentially small lorries that have been engineered down to a van, rather than a light van that’s been beefed up, as is the case with some smaller van models on the market. It’s heavy duty, rear-wheel drive nature suits it to a variety of uses, including heavy towing and other demanding work. Some of its new safety features reflect this and are aimed squarely at maximum weight and towing usage scenarios.

The new Daily will come with a bewilderingly large array of safety features, each of which has its own acronym. I quote from Iveco’s press release:

Standard equipment also features the new ESP 9 safety system with active sensors and comprises ABS (ant-lock brakes), EBD (electronic brake force distribution), ASR (traction control), MSR (engine speed management to control engine over-run braking), ESP (stability control), HBA (hydraulic brake assist to ensure emergency braking is as effective as possible), Hill holder, LAC (load adaptive braking control), TSM (trailer sway mitigation), HRB (hydraulic rear wheel brake boost), HFC (hydraulic brake fade compensation), RMI (roll movement intervention) and ROM (roll over mitigation).

Cab Comforts

The cab has been updated in the new Daily and the van’s standard specification now includes an adjustable steering column and an increased range of adjustment for both driver and passenger seating.

Iveco new Daily - cab interior

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Iveco is part of the Fiat Industrial company and is the brand used for Fiat’s vans, lorries and coaches.

Volkswagen Launches New Crafter Van

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Volkswagen Crafter vanVolkswagen has just launched the new version of its Crafter van. The Crafter is VW’s largest van and has never been as popular in the UK as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, despite the two vans being built in the same factory and being very nearly identical, except for having different engines.

The engine appears to be the biggest difference again – VW has replaced the 2.5TDi engine that was previously used in the Crafter with the same 2.0l, 4-cylinder engine that is used in the VW Transporter.

VW says that the engine has been retuned for use in the Crafter so that it provides more torque at lower engine speeds, reducing wear and tear and improving the driving experience. The new engine will be available with approximately the same power levels as the 2.5l unit it replaces – 109PS, 136PS, 143PS and 163PS.

Despite this, the engine will meet not just Euro V emissions standards but the EEV (Enhanced Environmentall Friendly Vehicles) standard, which is something of a halfway house between Euro V and Euro VI. VW says that in Bluemotion trim, the Crafter’s CO2 emissions will start from just 199g/km, very impressive for a large van.

Fleet News was impressed with the new Crafter when they drove it recently and it will be interesting to see if it makes any further headway against the Sprinter, especially in the van rental market.

VW’s official fuel consumption figures look impressive; the 109PS engine is expected to be the most popular and should provide an 11% improvement in fuel consumption on the outgoing model, according to VW’s figures for the combined cycle. Whether it will gain market share against the Sprinter and Iveco Daily is another question.

Volkswagen Crafter cab interior

The new Crafter's cab - a very nice place to spend time

Mercedes has a powerful brand advantage – the Sprinter’s reputation is legendary, as is the mileage some Sprinter engines reach. One concrete advantage the Sprinter has always had has been its low maintenance chain cam engine.

VW has always favoured a cambelt-driven engines meaning that the belt requires periodic replacement, as with most car engines. However, maintenance intervals keep getting longer on all vehicles and VW says that owners can opt to run the new Crafter on LongLife oil – meaning service intervals of up to 25,000 miles or 24 months, depending on how the van is used.

Update: In what is perhaps a deliberate move to try and break into the 3.5t fleet market currently dominated by the Sprinter, VW has announced that it will be making 80 Crafters available to large fleet customers for an extended six-month ‘try before you buy’ demo period. These vehicles will be in addition to VW dealer’s regular demo vans. Full details on Fleet News.

New Gadget Makes Empty Vans Slow Down & Saves 10% On Fuel

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Modern diesel engines are pretty good to drive and offer massive amounts of torque and outright power. One of the consequences of this is that many modern vans, when empty, are pretty fast.

The problem is that vans need to have a reasonable level of performance when loaded, which can almost double the total weight of the vehicle. Providing this performance means that they are unnecessarily fast when empty. We’ve all seen vans keeping pace with BMWs in the outside lane of motorways – an empty van is a fairly swift vehicle. However, much as van drivers might enjoy this aspect of their vehicles, it is not such fun for the person who pays the fuel bills.

High performance comes at a cost and it is possible to save significant amounts of fuel by applying a lighter right foot when driving empty. This is not something that all van drivers will do voluntarily – so, unsurprisingly, someone has come up with an electronic gadget that will force them to…

The Zeta ExcelArate has just been launched as a £500 option on new Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. It monitors the vehicle’s weight and allows just enough fuel to be used to provide a moderate level of performance – and no more. According to Fleet News, it has been trialled with companies including Parcelforce, Sainsbury, Waitrose and Ocado and the results have been good, with fuel savings averaging around 10% – a massive reduction in a fleet’s annual fuel bill.

The ExcelArate can also be programmed to provide a speed limiter that can be varied by a fleet manager – for example, vans that do not do motorway work can have their top speed limited to 60mph.

I do not expect that this is device is likely to appear on rental vans, where customers pay for their own fuel, but it does provide fleet managers with a solution to a problem that has been growing for some time – even though drivers may not be quite so keen on it…

Source: Fleet News

High-Mileage Vans Prompt Review of MOT Testing System

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Changes to the current MOT testing requirements for vans could be introduced over the next few years, following the announcement by the government of a review of all vehicle testing requirements.

One of the government’s main concerns is that low-mileage, well-maintained cars are tested too often, while high-mileage vans are tested too little, relative to the mileage they cover.

The current rules require all Class 4 and Class 7 (vans between 3t and 3.5t) vehicles to be tested annually after they reach three years old. However, high-mileage vans can have annual mileages in excess of 50,000 miles; such a van will have covered more than 150,000 miles by the time its first MOT test comes round. Until that time, there are no rules in place to ensure that such vehicles are monitored for safety issues.

I don’t believe there are inherent safety risks in high mileage vans, as long as they are properly maintained. However, it’s clear that many vans are not being properly maintained – unpublished DVLA figures obtained by Fleet News show that the first-time MOT failure rate for Class 7 vans (vans with a gross weight of between 3,000kg and 3,500kg)  reached 50% in the 2009/10 financial year*. This does seem to suggest that some van operators are not taking enough care with maintenance.

The obvious solution to this problem would be to introduce annual MOT testing from new for Class 7 vehicles. This would be in line with the regulations for lorries, buses and coaches. Whether this would help reduce accident numbers – the ultimate goal of MOT testing – is another question.

*Source – Fleet News

Company Van Drivers Paying 4 Times More Tax For Private Use

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Drivers who use their company vans for personal use are paying four times as much tax as they were two years ago, according to new figures unearthed by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young. In 2006/7, the HMRC only collected £10m in tax payments for drivers who used company vans for private mileage. In 2008/9, that figure was £40m, thanks to a change in the rules that came into effect in 2007.

What Changed?

In 2007, the rules on private use of company vans changed. Previously, private use of vans was given a benefit-in-kind value of £500 (£350 for vans over four years old). This meant that van drivers using their company vans for personal use only had to pay tax on £500 – for people on the standard 22% rate of income tax, this meant a charge of £110 per year.

In 2007, the benefit-in-kind value for private use of a company van was increased sixfold, rising from £500 to £3,000 (plus a further £500 if fuel is also provided). This meant that standard rate tax payers who used company vans for private mileage now had to pay an additional £660 per year – or £770 if their employer also paid for fuel for private use.

That Seems Unfair, Doesn’t It?

Such a big hike in tax over one year may seem unfair, but I think it’s pretty reasonable, really. Here’s why:

  1. £770 a year is still a lot cheaper than having to buy and run another car. You are getting the benefit of using someone else’s van for personal use, after all. You aren’t paying maintenance, road tax or insurance charges for it (unless you are self-employed…).
  2. Under the new system, van drivers pay a similar amount to company car drivers for the private use of their vehicles. Previously, van drivers paid much less than drivers of company cars, as a general rule.

Have you been hit by the increase in tax? Do you think it’s reasonable? Let me know in the comments below…

4×4 Vans – Can You Rent One?

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Four wheel drive vans aren’t common – mostly because hardly anyone needs one (although I know that doesn’t stop people buying 4×4 cars…)

There are a number of 4×4 vans on the market, all of which are sold in limited numbers, mostly to businesses that need their vans to be able to get safely off road from time to time without getting stuck or sacrificing carrying ability. The armed forces are also regular customers, as are emergency services in some rural areas.

Here are a few examples of four-wheel drive vans that are currently on the market:

  • Mercedes Sprinter 4×4
  • Ford Transit AWD
  • Volkswagen Transporter 4Motion (older 4×4 models were called Syncro)
  • Iveco Daily 4×4

There have been a few others over the years, but I think that these are the only mainstream medium/large van models offering a four-wheel drive option at the moment.

The main downside of any four-wheel drive system, of course, is cost. It costs more to buy, there is more to go wrong and it uses more fuel.

Since van operators are conscious of costs in a way that private car owners are not, businesses will never buy 4×4 vans unless they have a genuine requirement for them. That means that the number of 4×4 vans available from daily rental companies in the UK is somewhere close to zero.

I’m sure there might be a few – but you won’t get them from mainstream van rental companies.

Buying A New Van? Consider A Euro 5 Model To Reduce VED

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If you are considering buying a new van this year, you might want to look for a Euro 5 model. New 2010/11 rates of road tax for vans mean that new vans that aren’t Euro 5 compliant will cost nearly twice as much to tax as Euro 5 models.

Euro 5-compliant vans will cost £125 to tax for a year in 2010/11, against a standard rate of £200 for other new vans. Although it’s not a huge amount when set against the cost of a new van, the lower rate is guaranted for the lifetime of the van and non-Euro 5 vans may be penalised further in years to come.

Owners of Euro 4 vans registered between 01/03/2003 and 31/12/2006 will also benefit from the £125 rate in 2010/11 – although owners of Euro 4 vans registered since this period have to pay the standard £200 rate of tax.

Owners of most other vans will pay around £200 for a year’s road tax if their van was registered after 01/03/2001 and £205 if it was registered before this date and has an engine larger than 1549cc.

For full details of current rates, click here for the 2010/11 DVLA fact sheet.

What Euro 5 Vans Are Available?

The bad news is that the range of Euro 5 vans available is limited at present. As far as I know, these are the only current models available with Euro 5 engines at present (remember that not all versions of each model may be Euro 5):

  • Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  • Volkswagen Crafter
  • Volkswagen Caddy & Caddy Maxi
  • Volkswagen Transporter
  • Ford Transit ECOnetic
  • New Fiat Doblo Cargo
  • New Renault Master
  • New Vauxhall Movano
  • Iveco Daily

What this list shows is that several major manufacturers have launched new versions of their largest vans recently, and that these larger models have been the first to get Euro 5 engines – although their heavier HGV cousins have had Euro 5 models available for some time now.

The choice of smaller vans with Euro 5 engines is pretty limited and Ford’s Transit currently seems to be lagging behind in the larger van category, too, with only the ECOnetic available in Euro 5 spec. The ECOnetic only comes in FWD/SWB/low roof spec so is not suitable for all Transit owners. The popular Renault Trafic/Vauxhall Vivaro is only available with Euro 4 engines at present, too – although I suspect this will be remedied fairly soon, given Renault’s excellent reputation for modern diesels.

Ferry Crossings With Vans – What To Remember

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If you’re planning on booking a ferry crossing to take a van across the Channel to France (or Spain, Ireland or even Denmark) then you’ll need to remember certain things when booking it.

  1. Size does matter. You’ll need to specify the length and height of your van when booking a ferry and may be charged an additional cost per metre (length) if you are found to have understated the length of your van.
  2. Don’t forget to include the dimensions of any towbar, roof rack, bicycle rack or other attachment in the total length and height of your van.
  3. The cheapest ferry crossings are normally on the shortest routes – in other words, Dover-Calais.
  4. Ferry prices vary enormously – you will find that changing the day and the time will affect the price. Travelling in the early hours of the morning can work out cheaper, but don’t go without sleep to do it.
  5. Larger vans may have to be booked as freight vehicles – different ferry companies have different policies on this. If you are transporting goods for money then you should do this anyway. If you are simply moving house (for example) then you may be able to book at normal rates.

To get the latest ferry prices from all the major ferry operators, visit our Ferry Booking page now.