Apart from the driveline, which is a known quantity, Iveco have added to and created active space in the cabin of the S-Way, turning it into something which is much better than before. It’s going to work well and it’s a useful tool. Iveco haven’t done anything with the dimensions. It’s the same size box as it was originally, but they’ve done a better job with this space than they have done before in the past.
The truck tested in a run from Brisbane down to Sydney with a fully loaded B-double set, is the S-Way with AS cab and the 550hp 13 litre Cursor engine, putting out 2500Nm of torque at 1000rpm.
It’s not that it’s such a radical change in design, it’s just the design elements have been done better. Essentially, this is the cabin Iveco sell in Europe and it has been tweaked a bit for Australian purposes.
When it comes to the mirrors (no camera mirrors yet), there is a gap between the A-pillar and the mirror. When the truck came to a roundabout, the, quite big, driver’s side mirror was almost perfectly in place so that you couldn’t see any of the traffic coming around the roundabout from the right. It meant a lot of rocking back and forth to check the road was clear.
The telematics system was, in the past, an Australian fitment, now it’s the global system, which seems much more aligned to the truck’s own systems and comes with a well designed interface, which looks good. The information screen directly in front of the driver in the middle of the dash is similar to the previous model, but the screen on the binnacle has a new look and feel.
There’s good adjustment on the steering wheel, with the wheel’s design curve matching exactly the curve around the top of the central instrument cluster on the dashboard. Ever since the first iteration of the Stralis this central screen was has been easy to read and well designed. It gives you all the information you need, selected gear, auto mode, cruise control activation, speed limiter, following distance etc. In terms of the auto, there is an auto and there’s semi auto, which allows the driver to scroll up and down the gears manually, when required.
A few of the controls on top of the door handle the mirrors, but they are not the same as most trucks. Instead of the left/right, up/down buttons, pressing the button brings up a screen on the dash. This screen shows the four mirrors and one of them is highlighted, so that’s the one you’re changing. The driver scrolls through these mirrors and can adjust the one highlighted.
The model tested had a bunk down at the bottom and bunk up top, but if you didn’t have that bunk up at the top, there’s a lot of potential locker space. Then there’s three biggish lockers along the front wall, because this has got the high roof. The driver can stand on the engine cover and has to stretch up to touch the roof.
Cross cab access is really easy, it feels roomy because, although the binnacle is quite close, it’s actually quite steep and easy to get around. The central binnacle is nicely designed with useful storage and odds and ends included, like a simple mobile phone shelf.
At the base of binnacle is actually quite a wide storage shelf with loads of room and holders for bottles and plenty of room for other items needed regularly. Underneath this is a big drawer which you can pull out when you’re driving.
The bunk is comfortable, it’s not massive, it’s a typical European bunk, but set quite high. Under the bunk on this model are a big fridge and a big freezer. You can lift up the bunk and then you’ve got access to the side lockers as well.
Curtains in a cabin can be an issue, as any truck driver will tell you, having done a full shift, filled in the logbook and then trying to pull the curtains around to go to sleep. Very rarely are they free running, catching in the rails, the driver has to pull a little bit at a time. Not on the S-Way, the curtain rails go right around by the windscreen and they work smoothly, without a hitch, they are really well designed. Then there’s also a big curtain which comes across in front of the bunk, also easy to use.
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