Isuzu NLR VS Iveco Daily
Isuzu NLR
Likes
- GVM/GCM ratings
- Compact dimensions
- Ready-to-work design
Dislikes
- Limited cabin storage
- Automated shift durations
- No Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
Iveco Daily
Likes
- Fuel economy/turning circle
- Cabin comfort/storage
- GVM/GCM ratings
Dislikes
- No driver's left footrest
- Short warranty
- Trans can override manual mode when engine braking
Summary
Isuzu NLR
For many tradies and mobile service providers, a single cab one-tonne ute in cab-chassis form is a versatile platform that can be equipped to suit virtually any task, from off-the-shelf drop-side trays to complete custom-made canopies and service bodies.
However, utes of this size typically have payload ratings of 1.0 to 1.3 tonnes and a sizeable chunk of that can be eaten up by the combined weight of a tray/service body and essential accessories like ladder racks, tow-bars etc. And that can leave you with a much smaller payload than you need for your tools of trade and materials.
Isuzu offers a convenient ‘turn key’ alternative with its compact N-Series range. This well-designed package comes with its sleeves rolled up ready for work, equipped with a versatile service body and big GVM and GCM ratings that leave one-tonne utes in the shade. And it can be driven using a normal car licence. We recently put one to the test.
Read more about
| Safety rating | — |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 3.0L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Diesel |
| Fuel Efficiency | —L/100km |
| Seating | 3 seats |
Iveco Daily
For many tradies a one tonne cab-chassis ute will do the job. However, if you need much greater load space and much higher GVM and GCM ratings, the obvious solution is to upgrade to a cab-chassis that competes in the Light Duty (3501-8000kg GVM) segment of the Heavy Commercial vehicle market.
One of many competitors in that space is Italian truck manufacturer Iveco with its Daily E6 range. We recently put one of its latest cab-chassis models to the test, which with a 4495kg GVM rating can conveniently be driven with a normal car licence.
| Safety rating | — |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 3.0L |
| Fuel Type | Diesel |
| Fuel Efficiency | 10.9L/100km |
| Seating | 3 seats |
Verdict
Isuzu NLR8/10
Work out the weight of all the tools, equipment, materials, crew and (if applicable) trailer that you need to haul around each day and measure it against this truck’s formidable GVM and GCM ratings. When combined with its compact dimensions, robust design and build quality, solid warranty and ready-to-work pricing, you may find it’s hard to beat if you’re prepared to think outside the square on what a single cab-chassis ute can look like.
Iveco Daily8/10
This workhorse combines good cabin comfort and storage with an expansive tray (or other service body if you prefer) and GVM/GCM ratings large enough to cater for a multitude of heavy work requirements. It would be worthy of consideration if you have a car licence and need more than a one-tonne ute or full-size US pickup to get the job done.
Design
Isuzu NLR
This vehicle looks compact in comparison to a one-tonne ute - and the tape measure confirms it. Compared to a Ranger 4x4 dual cab ute for example, its 5020mm overall length is a surprising 339mm shorter, its 2490mm wheelbase is 730mm less and its 1855mm width is line-ball.
The Isuzu’s 2172mm height is 357mm taller, which could present a challenge if access to underground or multi-storey carparks is required. However, its remarkably small 8.7-metre turning circle is a whole 4.0 metres tighter than the Ranger, so it's highly maneuverable.
Built on a heavy-duty steel ladder-frame chassis, it has independent wishbone/coil spring front suspension, a leaf-spring live rear axle, power-assisted rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes. It also runs a 24-volt electrical system with twin batteries.
The single cab provides fabric-trimmed seating for up to three (driver bucket, passenger bench) but our test vehicle was fitted with seat covers from the Isuzu accessories range. With torsion bar assistance, the cab can be easily tilted forward to rest at a 45-degree angle and provide full access to the engine.
The service body, which is a blend of lightweight aluminium and steel, has a tough powder-coated finish. It comprises a large main storage compartment with big gull-wing doors on each side, plus a compact rear tray with checker-plate floor, drop-sides and load anchorage points. There are also rear underbody storage boxes on each side, plus sturdy body-mounted roof racks, safety yellow non-slip steps and sturdy grab handles front and rear.
Iveco Daily
The latest Daily E6 range features a revised and more streamlined grille design with more prominent horizontal louvres.
It has also switched from hydraulic to electric power-steering, bringing numerous benefits including steering wheel height/reach adjustment and the new ‘City Mode'.
The latter allows the driver to reduce low-speed steering effort by up to 70 per cent when negotiating tight worksites or loading zones. A welcome feature that allows turning with one or two fingers.
Iveco claims catering for big Aussies was of primary importance when refining its driver seating comfort which includes a taller headrest, longer seatbelts and seat-rails for greater adjustability, plus what it claims to be the first use of memory foam in commercial vehicles.
The only thing missing for RHD markets like Australia is a driver's left footrest, even though LHD markets get them as evidenced by the one residing in the passenger footwell, which is of course the driver's footwell in LHD models.
Passenger seating is often overlooked in single-cab designs but our test vehicle is unusually comfortable, particularly in the central position where even tall people can sit with sufficient knee clearance from the dash and with ample room for large boots on a flat floor.
The steel ladder-frame chassis rides on torsion-bar independent front suspension and a live rear axle, located by substantial double-stacked leaf-spring packs.
Braking is by four-wheel discs and it has a compact 13.5-metre turning circle, which certainly takes the stress out of U-turns, particularly at busy intersections.
The front bumper and lower sections of the doors, where most bumps and scrapes occur, have a low maintenance dark grey finish.
The bumper is now made in three pieces to minimise repair costs, as each section can be replaced independently if damaged rather than having to replace the entire unit.
Practicality
Isuzu NLR
With a hefty 2825kg tare weight and 4500kg GVM, the Isuzu has a big 1675kg payload rating. It’s also rated to tow up to 4000kg of braked trailer and with its sizeable 8000kg GCM, it can legally tow that weight with a 500kg reduction in payload. Or you can cap the towing weight at 3500kg and keep the full payload. Either way, these are substantial GVM and GCM ratings for any number of working roles.
In terms of cabin storage, there’s no glove box but both doors have narrow storage bins and there are overhead shelves with restraint netting to keep loose items in check. There’s also a pop-out dual bottle/cup holder in the centre dash along with two small storage nooks, but more places to store things would be welcome in this space.
Iveco Daily
With its 2135kg tare weight and 4495kg GVM, our test vehicle offers a substantial 2360kg payload rating, which is about double that of the sturdiest one-tonne cab-chassis models.
Even after you deduct the 304kg weight of its aftermarket aluminium tray from that figure, you're still left with 2056kg or more than two tonnes of payload capacity.
It's also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer and with its 7995kg GCM that means it can legally tow its maximum trailer weight while carrying its maximum GVM.
In other words, this jigger can legally haul just under 8.0 tonnes of combined payload and trailer, which opens the door to many working tasks requiring big load capacities.
The aluminium tray has a sturdy bulkhead with rear window protection and pivoting load retainers up top to ‘book-end' long lengths of pipe or timber.
It also has side-steps up front plus external rope-rails and internal load-anchorage points along each side.
There are two drop-sides along each flank separated by short and sturdy pillars to boost strength and rigidity.
According to our tape measure, this tray's internal work surface is 4070mm long and 2055mm wide with a drop-side depth of 330mm.
There are plenty of places to store things in the cabin starting with three tiers of storage in each door, with the largest equipped with small and large bottle-holders. There's also a full-width shelf at roof height.
The top of the dash has two large bins with clamshell lids, plus a central bin with two USB ports. There's also cup/small-bottle holders on each side of the dash and an open shelf and small glove box on the passenger side.
In the central dash there's a pop-out cupholder, shallow drawer for small items and a larger swing-open bin below them.
The centre seat's backrest folds forward and flat to provide a small work desk complete with a spring-loaded document clamp.
This desk can be raised to reveal a padded compartment below that's ideal for storing pens and slender electronic devices (phones, iPads etc).
Both base cushions in the passenger seat can also be tilted forward to access a large hidden area beneath, so there's good use of limited cabin space to maximise storage.
Price and features
Isuzu NLR
Our test vehicle, to use its full model name, is the NLR 45-150 SWB AMT Servicepack X. It’s the most compact model in the N-Series range and as a result is similar (and in some cases much smaller) in key dimensions to a one-tonne ute. It only comes in one specification with 3.0-litre turbo-diesel, six-speed automated manual transmission (we’ll get to that) and dual-rear wheels, for a list price of $87,789.
In addition to its service body, this hard-worker comes standard with half a dozen 16-inch steel wheels, 195/75R16C Michelin tyres and a full-size spare. The single cab is well-equipped with useful features like keyless entry with central locking of cab and service body, big door mirrors with power adjustment, heating and lower wide-angle view, driver’s bucket seat with mechanical suspension and weight adjustment up to 130kg, two-way adjustable steering column, cruise control and bright LED interior lighting. Also standard is a 4000kg-rated tow-bar, reversing camera, loud reversing alarm and door-mounted cornering lamps.
There’s also an infotainment system with smallish 6.2-inch control screen and DAB+ radio. Even though there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, it has multiple connectivity including internet radio via smartphone, external camera inputs, navigation, reversing sensors and tyre pressure monitoring. The driver also gets a multi-information display and there’s plenty of the latest safety tech headlined by AEB.
Iveco Daily
Our test vehicle is the 50C single cab-chassis equipped with the standard 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, optional eight-speed automatic transmission and 3750mm wheelbase (one of five wheelbases to choose from) for a list price of $70,639, plus on-road costs.
Our example is equipped with the 'Hi-Business Pack' (one of four optional upgrade packs) which consists of the 'Hi-Connect' multimedia system with GPS navigation, wireless and USB phone-charging, fog lights and full LED headlights. So, drive-away price (not including tray) is $73,364.
For that money you get a workhorse that's well equipped for hard yakka, starting with its six rugged steel wheels (duals at the rear) with 195/75 R16 truck tyres and a full-size spare.
The single-cab has a suspended, heated and fully adjustable driver's seat with fold-down inboard armrest plus a two-passenger bench seat, adaptive cruise control, heated and power-adjustable door mirrors with direction indicators, electronic parking brake, daytime running lights, 3.5-inch driver's info display and four-speaker multimedia with multiple connectivity including Apple and Android devices.
There's also plenty of cabin storage and connections are provided to facilitate the installation of service bodies.
Under the bonnet
Isuzu NLR
Isuzu’s 4JJ1-TCS 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel is closely related to the 4JJ3-TCX in the current D-Max ute and MU-X wagon. Tuned for hard work and long life, it produces 110kW at 2800rpm and 375Nm across a 1200rpm-wide torque band between 1600-2800rpm. It’s also equipped with a vacuum-controlled exhaust brake which can be switched on or off.
Isuzu’s MYY-6E is a six-speed fully-automated manual transmission, which may sound like a contradiction in terms, However, like the engine, it's designed for a long service life under continuous heavy loads. It uses an electro/hydraulically controlled wet clutch and lock-up torque converter to provide either fully automatic or clutch-less manual shifting. There’s also slow/fast gear engagement control, first gear start (for heavy loads) and normal or economy drive modes.
A handy power take-off (PTO) facility can drive numerous on-site implements, with drive coming from a counter gear on the left-hand side of the transmission case.
Iveco Daily
Iveco's 180EVID F1C is a heavy-duty 3.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel with variable geometry turbine technology and tough Euro 6 emissions compliance using AdBlue.
It produces 132kW at 3500rpm and 430Nm of torque at 1500rpm.
The optional ZF eight-speed torque converter automatic sends drive to the rear wheels and offers a choice of 'Eco' (Economy) and 'Power' drive modes plus the option of sequential manual-shifting, all using the stumpy dash-mounted shifter.
It also has overdrive on its seventh and eight ratios to optimise fuel economy, particularly at highway speeds.
Efficiency
Isuzu NLR
Average combined fuel consumption figures are not required for commercial vehicles in this weight division. Even so, the dash display was claiming 13.2L/100km at the end of our 295km test which included about one third of that distance hauling a heavy payload. So, based on those figures you could expect a real-world driving range of around 570km from its 75-litre tank.
Iveco Daily
When we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 303km test, the dash display was claiming average consumption of 11.3L/100km, of which about one third of that distance was hauling a heavy payload on a mix of city and suburban roads plus some highway travel.
Our own number, crunched from fuel bowser and trip meter readings, came in slightly lower at 10.9, which is excellent economy for a vehicle weighing more than 2.4 tonnes unladen and almost 4.0 tonnes for part of our test.
So, based on our figures, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 900km from its 100-litre tank.
Driving
Isuzu NLR
The doors open 90 degrees for easy access and there are decent boot-sized steps plus big handles on the windscreen pillars to help you climb aboard.
It’s a different driving position to a ute, as you sit high above the engine with your feet ahead of the front wheels and hands on a bus-style flat steering wheel. There’s also a big left footrest with lots of open floor around it, so there’s ample space to rest your foot given there’s no clutch pedal.
The suspension seat can be easily adjusted to suit a driver’s weight and works well in providing a more comfortable ride. The seat’s base cushion has no rake adjustment but there is some movement available in the backrest. Large glass areas deliver a commanding view ahead and to the sides while the big door mirrors provide excellent coverage of what’s behind.Â
Its harsh ride quality when unladen is to be expected as it’s designed to carry permanent payloads between 1.0 and 1.5 tonnes. You do get thrown around, particularly on poor road surfaces with large bumps and dips. However, it’s no worse than the rodeo ride we’ve experienced in some unladen single-cab chassis utes which don’t have the luxury of a suspension seat.
The cab’s insulation ensures low engine and tyre noise, particularly during highway use where the turbo-diesel requires 2200rpm to maintain 100km/h and 2500rpm at 110km/h. The most noticeable noise at these speeds comes from wind buffeting around the mirrors, roof racks etc but it’s far from intolerable, as conversations can still take place at normal volumes.
Braking (particularly when using the exhaust brake) and steering response are good but the automated manual transmission takes some getting used to, as it shifts gears at about the same leisurely speed you would do manually.
These long pauses between cogs can be frustrating when climbing hills, as you naturally want to downshift quicker to avoid losing momentum, but you can’t do it in either automated or manual modes. Isuzu claims that the duration of these automated shifts can be shortened, but after consulting the owner’s manual to make this adjustment, we didn’t notice much if any difference (or perhaps we just didn’t do it correctly).
The engine has good flexibility and does not respond well to aggressive treatment. A more relaxed approach is best, using low rpm to optimise torque.
Iveco Daily
It's easy to find a comfortable driving position given the memory foam bucket seat has adjustments for lumbar support, base-cushion rake and driver weight for its inbuilt suspension.
The fold-down inboard armrest, in partnership with the door's armrest, ensures balanced elbow support to reduce neck and shoulder strain.
There are good eyelines to the big door mirrors, with the bottom thirds of each offering wide-angle views. However, with the seat in its most rearward position, the slim column that separates the fixed and sliding glass in the driver's door slightly obscures the outside edge of the driver's door mirror, which suggests the single-cab has more rearward seat travel than the van version we've previously tested.
The electric power-steering is nicely weighted (particularly the new ‘city mode' in tight spots) and the four-wheel disc brakes have good stopping power.
It's a no-brainer the ride quality is harsh over bumps when unladen, given it's designed to cope with 8.0-tonne GCMs.
Fact is, in a working role, this vehicle would rarely if ever be driven without a substantial load to engage its big rear springs, which we did when forklifting 1.3 tonnes onto the tray. With driver this payload totalled 1.4 tonnes, which was still more than 600kg below its peak rating (with tray).
Even so, it was enough to make the ride much smoother, which is most relevant in this context. The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel maintained good performance hauling this load in city and suburban driving, displaying useful flexibility either side of its 1500rpm torque peak in Eco mode.
We did sample the Power mode, but found the engine was more than capable of handling this task in its economy setting, with the eight-speed auto doing its best work if left alone without the need to manual shift.
The engine only requires 2000rpm to maintain highway speeds, so engine (and tyre) noise is low at 110km/h. The most cabin noise comes from wind-buffeting around the mirrors, bulkhead frame and payload hanging in the breeze.
In Eco mode it performed well on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, comfortably hauling this load to the summit in third gear without the need to select Power mode.
Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, pegged the road speed at 50km/h without the brakes needing to being applied for most of the descent, until it overrode our manual gear selection and shifted up to third when the engine was approaching its 4500rpm redline on overrun.
In our experience, these engine-protecting protocols are common in European commercial vehicles. However, it can spring a surprise if you're leaning on the engine to help restrain a big payload on a steep descent and it suddenly changes up a gear.
Even so, the engine-braking performance was good given its sizeable payload.
Safety
Isuzu NLR
There’s no ANCAP rating required for vehicles in this weight class. Even so, it does have numerous passive and active safety features including driver and passenger airbags plus advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) including AEB, forward collision warning, distance warning, lane departure warning, traffic movement warning, cab-tilt warning and more. There’s also a reversing camera, reversing alarm (the loud beep-beep type) and door-mounted cornering lamps.
Iveco Daily
Heavy commercial vehicles are not eligible for ANCAP ratings but the 50C cab-chassis is equipped with numerous standard passive and active safety features including driver, passenger and curtain airbags, AEB, adaptive cruise control, a suite of nine electronic stability programs and more.
Ownership
Isuzu NLR
There's a reassuring standard warranty of six years or 250,000km (unlimited operating hours) whichever occurs first. Includes three years/unlimited km coverage for body equipment, plus six years of 24/7 roadside assistance with unlimited km. Scheduled servicing every 15,000km/12 months whichever occurs first. Choice of servicing packages available.
Iveco Daily
Standard warranty is three years/200,000km (three years is short) but the option of up to five years/300,000km is available at extra cost.
Scheduled servicing is every 50,000km/12 months whichever occurs first.
Iveco offers a range of maintenance agreements to help owners manage maintenance costs.