Iveco prime movers, heavy rigids and vans had electrical issues after a couple of years is my experience in 2001-2008. Haven't touched them since. So not sure if they have improved on that front. I would be doing as much research as I could before laying any cash down on one. I agree with Cookie about Isuzu's. Hino are pretty good too.
Something a bit different
- Thread starter Albynsw
- Start date
callmejoe
Well-Known Member
@cookie64
Been in the trucking world for some time, and the word IVECO in the real world is a swear word. I know people personally that where put to the wall for owning 1. (single owner operators)
I really like what the 4*4 daily offer but if you dig around you'll find alot more horror stories then good 1's. Even some of the workshops I deal or dealt with "advised" you could do better.
Dealing with IVECO in the heavy segment was also a huge nightmare, No back up, no parts, and No care. Have a look around and you won't see many past a city limit these days, and thats for a reason.
In the small/medium range ISUZU is definitely my pick.
Joe
Been in the trucking world for some time, and the word IVECO in the real world is a swear word. I know people personally that where put to the wall for owning 1. (single owner operators)
I really like what the 4*4 daily offer but if you dig around you'll find alot more horror stories then good 1's. Even some of the workshops I deal or dealt with "advised" you could do better.
Dealing with IVECO in the heavy segment was also a huge nightmare, No back up, no parts, and No care. Have a look around and you won't see many past a city limit these days, and thats for a reason.
In the small/medium range ISUZU is definitely my pick.
Joe
CTL
Well-Known Member
Simon still drives one. Starts filming today in the Kooralbyn Valley.
Iveco issues are all fixable, at a cost, but like most Italian manufactured vehicles, the faults should have been addressed on the production line. Not sure what the new model is like as I stopped following discussions when we abandoned the travel truck idea.
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
The Iveco is a much more domesticated and better appointed than the others , it also has its motor in front so is quieter and you get a walk through cab whereas the others are crawl through due to motor location
On face value they are the best but reliability is a real concern
They have halted sales on the current release model as it had a driveline vibration, don’t know if they have sorted it yet but there was a lot of them sitting around waiting for a solution. That doesn’t give you a lot of confidence in their product
The Fuso and Isuzu seem to be the pick for reliability. The Fuso is part of Daimler trucks so have a very good dealer support network I am told
On face value they are the best but reliability is a real concern
They have halted sales on the current release model as it had a driveline vibration, don’t know if they have sorted it yet but there was a lot of them sitting around waiting for a solution. That doesn’t give you a lot of confidence in their product
The Fuso and Isuzu seem to be the pick for reliability. The Fuso is part of Daimler trucks so have a very good dealer support network I am told
How about picking up an ex defence unimog with winch. Build a cabin on the back and fit balloon tyres. Very capable off road. I would increase fuel capacity to 400 litres. 4.5 T load capacity. Fit a modern turbo to improve torque output slightly.
Height and width would exclude some of the harder tracks. I remember taking one to jimjim falls in the late 80's during the dry season. Great times.
Height and width would exclude some of the harder tracks. I remember taking one to jimjim falls in the late 80's during the dry season. Great times.
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
Size puts me off a bit for a MOG, the beauty of the Fuso etc is they are basically the same size as a Landcruiser except for height so there are very few tracks that are a problem
CaptainBanana
Well-Known Member
I've looked into mogs, ex adf especially are slow, thirsty, noisy, hot etc. They can be cheap to buy but expensive to right and maintain. I'm looking at canters and other options too.
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
That was the case but I think Iveco are doing it all now
Bomber2012
Well-Known Member
Looks like a modern day Sandman to me , will be heaps of fun .
LurchWA
Active Member
I agree though in my experience their transmissions that aren't that great, their manual and AMT (auto-manual) are as soft as butter and dont last
Noel Preston
Well-Known Member
I have owned 3 Iveco prime movers from 1998 to 2009, all Powerstars, first was Cummins Signature powered set at 580 horsepower, Iveco was good Cummins pretty unreliable and was rebuilt by Cummins under warranty and warranty extended to 6 years. Then the dealer drove it under a low bridge and made it into a convertible. Second was again Cummins powered and rated at 630 horsepower and again with a 6 year warranty, good truck. Third was another Powerstar this time with 560 horsepower Iveco engine and 16 speed auto shift gearbox. First of the AdBlue trucks, no end of problems for 2 years and then I dispensed with the AdBlue and all good. Oil changes every 150,000kms. Never any electrical issues. I suspect you may be talking about cab overs? Iveco wouldn't sell me a cab over due to where I used to travel, Tanami desert for one.
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
Went to Sydney to pick it up yesterday morning and we are camped an hour out of Port Augusta tonight
It isn’t too bad, cabin noise is worse than my 79 which is a bit of a surprise
but it is very easy simple option
The vehicle is a Mercedes something, haven’t looked but a 4 cylinder auto of some sort
I can run at 110 no problem but it doesn’t hold that up hills
Averaging mid to high 14’s per 100’k which isn’t too bad I thought given the size of it. It is a lot bigger than I was expecting
Anyway so far so good, have been avoiding caravan parks abs just free camping to make it feel more like how we usually travel
Good to be on the road regardless of vehicle type
It isn’t too bad, cabin noise is worse than my 79 which is a bit of a surprise
but it is very easy simple option
The vehicle is a Mercedes something, haven’t looked but a 4 cylinder auto of some sort
I can run at 110 no problem but it doesn’t hold that up hills
Averaging mid to high 14’s per 100’k which isn’t too bad I thought given the size of it. It is a lot bigger than I was expecting
Anyway so far so good, have been avoiding caravan parks abs just free camping to make it feel more like how we usually travel
Good to be on the road regardless of vehicle type
red hilux
Well-Known Member
Oil changes every 150k.????
I’m no truck driver, but isn’t that a long time between changes?
We're an hour short of Port Augusta right now as well...Went to Sydney to pick it up yesterday morning and we are camped an hour out of Port Augusta tonight
It isn’t too bad, cabin noise is worse than my 79 which is a bit of a surprise
but it is very easy simple option
The vehicle is a Mercedes something, haven’t looked but a 4 cylinder auto of some sort
I can run at 110 no problem but it doesn’t hold that up hills
Averaging mid to high 14’s per 100’k which isn’t too bad I thought given the size of it. It is a lot bigger than I was expecting
View attachment 71522
Anyway so far so good, have been avoiding caravan parks abs just free camping to make it feel more like how we usually travel
Good to be on the road regardless of vehicle type
Small world. But we're on our way to Googs Track. Have a great trip.
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
So we did about 4300k to Darwin, fuel economy around 80 to 90 is in the low to mid 12 litres per 100k and it is a bit quieter in the cabin as well at that speed
Overall we enjoyed the trip but really don’t like being restricted to the blacktop and after a few days got over the convenience of having a bed, kitchen and bathroom in the back and started missing being outside in the elements in a camping style environment.
Handed the Venga Bus back at Darwin and booked a hotel for a few nights to spend some time in town. I really like Darwin, it is such a casual place, is very clean and tidy and not overcrowded.
Decided we needed to do some proper camping so hired this from Brit’s for 6 days
So nice to be back in a familiar vehicle, she was new with only 3k on the clock. Spend 3 days in Litchfield and it is our first day in Kakadu today.
The experience has really shown us that we are campers and caravan life is not for us. Will spend another two days in Kakadu and see what happens then
Overall we enjoyed the trip but really don’t like being restricted to the blacktop and after a few days got over the convenience of having a bed, kitchen and bathroom in the back and started missing being outside in the elements in a camping style environment.
Handed the Venga Bus back at Darwin and booked a hotel for a few nights to spend some time in town. I really like Darwin, it is such a casual place, is very clean and tidy and not overcrowded.
Decided we needed to do some proper camping so hired this from Brit’s for 6 days
So nice to be back in a familiar vehicle, she was new with only 3k on the clock. Spend 3 days in Litchfield and it is our first day in Kakadu today.
The experience has really shown us that we are campers and caravan life is not for us. Will spend another two days in Kakadu and see what happens then
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
Righto, come to the Atherton Tablelands to catch up with our son who lives there and are now driving a new Wildtrak
It is one of the twin turbo 2 litre, 10 speed auto jobbies with all the bells and too many whistles. Nicely finished and drives well on the blacktop, there was always enough power to do what you wanted but didn’t feel like it had more than needed so don’t know how well they would tow.... maybe they do it fine??
I have done about 1800k with it over the last 5 days and has averaged 9.1l / 100k which is pretty good, it is a very low revving setup and always hunting the gears to keep you in the powerband but that seemed to be ok
I took it for a run up to Cooktown and camped at the Lions Den for the night. Came back through the Daintree on the Bloomfield track and have to say it was ordinary off-road, the ride is very harsh and could not imagine you could drive at speed on corrugated tracks outback in its current form. The other thing on steep country there is no engine breaking , even in manual mode in 1st it just runs away from you so you are always on the brakes which I don’t like much
The other bad point is the headlights , they are atrocious and dangerous. On low beam there is plenty of light for 10 metres directly in front of you but it is a sharp focused light that leaves it totally jet black outside of that and you can’t see the road in front of you, high beam is the standard of light you get on low beam in every other vehicle I have been in. Don’t know what they are thinking but a dolphin torch out the window would be an improvement on the light output.
Driving up the mountain range from Cairns I had to tailgate the car in front so that I stayed on the road
The other annoying feature which I assume you can turn off is all the warning bells and alarms of watch out when reversing, it tells you to stop and have a coffee break every now and then, when you turn off the ignition it tells you to check and remember to take your kids from the back seat etc etc , no biggy but annoying just the same
Anyone know how this model compares to the 3.2 litre 6 speed option?
It is one of the twin turbo 2 litre, 10 speed auto jobbies with all the bells and too many whistles. Nicely finished and drives well on the blacktop, there was always enough power to do what you wanted but didn’t feel like it had more than needed so don’t know how well they would tow.... maybe they do it fine??
I have done about 1800k with it over the last 5 days and has averaged 9.1l / 100k which is pretty good, it is a very low revving setup and always hunting the gears to keep you in the powerband but that seemed to be ok
I took it for a run up to Cooktown and camped at the Lions Den for the night. Came back through the Daintree on the Bloomfield track and have to say it was ordinary off-road, the ride is very harsh and could not imagine you could drive at speed on corrugated tracks outback in its current form. The other thing on steep country there is no engine breaking , even in manual mode in 1st it just runs away from you so you are always on the brakes which I don’t like much
The other bad point is the headlights , they are atrocious and dangerous. On low beam there is plenty of light for 10 metres directly in front of you but it is a sharp focused light that leaves it totally jet black outside of that and you can’t see the road in front of you, high beam is the standard of light you get on low beam in every other vehicle I have been in. Don’t know what they are thinking but a dolphin torch out the window would be an improvement on the light output.
Driving up the mountain range from Cairns I had to tailgate the car in front so that I stayed on the road
The other annoying feature which I assume you can turn off is all the warning bells and alarms of watch out when reversing, it tells you to stop and have a coffee break every now and then, when you turn off the ignition it tells you to check and remember to take your kids from the back seat etc etc , no biggy but annoying just the same
Anyone know how this model compares to the 3.2 litre 6 speed option?
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shanegtr
Well-Known Member
Trucks for one have fairly large capacity sumps, so that helps. Chances are theres been filter changes between oil change and likely to have oil samples analysed. I know of some trucks that had an auto oil refresh system - basically took some oil ot of the sump and burned it through the engine and refreshed the sump with fresh oil to replace it.
A few on here have said the suspension is crap on stock Rangers. Probably ok on sealed roads. But not for what most of us like to do. Bit surprised there wasn't some sort of torque converter lock up in low range to improve the ability to control road speed going down hill though. Maybe there is something in the vehicle handbook.
Rusty Panels
Well-Known Member
My Everest is the 3.2 with the 6 speed auto. It's not a powerhouse but goes okay for it's weight and bulk I guess. Although I would like to upgrade the standard suspension at some stage I must say that having coils all round makes it behave nicely on corrugated roads. I suppose that gives them 1 up on the Rangers although you do lose points with towing loads due to the softer rear.
The bells and whistles etc are a part of life now and it will only get worse. I have turned off the rest reminder and active cruise control which I find to be a pain. What I don't like about the active cruise is that you have to change lanes very early if you come up behind a slower vehicle in dual lanes otherwise it will slow down to match their speed. It's fine on single carriageways where you don't get the chance to overtake but I find it useless on a freeway. All in all after 3 years of ownership I'm reasonably happy with it despite it lacking the Toyota badges that I swore I'd never leave.
The bells and whistles etc are a part of life now and it will only get worse. I have turned off the rest reminder and active cruise control which I find to be a pain. What I don't like about the active cruise is that you have to change lanes very early if you come up behind a slower vehicle in dual lanes otherwise it will slow down to match their speed. It's fine on single carriageways where you don't get the chance to overtake but I find it useless on a freeway. All in all after 3 years of ownership I'm reasonably happy with it despite it lacking the Toyota badges that I swore I'd never leave.