Iveco, News

S-Way Better Than Stralis

S-Way better than Stralis

Diesel News’ European Correspondent, Will Shiers reckons the latest heavy duty release from Iveco in Europe is ‘S-Way better than Stralis’. He opines the S-Way is a huge improvement over the Stralis it replaces, but could Iveco have done a bit more with the interior?

Last November a set of images of a new truck, purporting to be the Stralis replacement, appeared online. It looked fantastic, and I couldn’t wait to publish them in Commercial Motor magazine. But all of a sudden, a legal letter arrived from Turin, informing me that they had been obtained illegally and warning me off. 

It said the shots were of a study vehicle “with no official value” anyway. Oh no, I thought. What a pity! My disappointment wasn’t only that I couldn’t publish them, but that there was a chance this smart-looking truck wasn’t actually the Stralis replacement after all. And there was me thinking that this could be the vehicle that gives Iveco the image boost it craves and deserves.

Well, I’m pleased to say that the new S-Way is indeed the same vehicle, as I discover at the official launch in Madrid in July. In fact, the only difference I can see is that the truck in the spy shots doesn’t have mirrors, whereas S-Way currently does.

In my humble opinion it looks fantastic. Iveco’s drivelines have always been hugely respected, and now it has a cab that it can be equally as proud of. But needless to say, not everyone shares my view, and the first pictures of the new truck posted on social media attract the usual barrage of abuse from the keyboard warriors. 

“Scania and Volvo’s red-headed stepchild,” comments one, and “it looks like a Scania that was described over the phone,” says another. It seems everyone on social media is a truck designer.

Yes, it does have hints of Scania S-series about it, particularly the grille, but is that such a bad thing? And besides, modern trucks do increasingly look alike, which is the inevitable consequence of designing them to be as sleek and slippery as possible. 

 

S-Way better than Stralis

 

S-Way Better than Stralis

The S-Way’s 2.5m wide cab is brand new, sharing just 20 per cent of components with its predecessor.

One of the more notable features are new, longer doors, which have been extended to cover the second step. As well as improving security (and giving somewhere for truck-proud drivers to leave their dirty shoes on the way in), this also enhances the aerodynamics. 

The door closes with a reassuring clunk, which isn’t something I’m used to with Iveco. Other external features worth mentioning are new LED headlight clusters, which incorporate running lights, fog lamps and indicators, and one-piece side windows.

The S-Way’s cab is mounted slightly higher than Stralis’s, which has allowed Iveco to increase the size of the external lockers.

A host of aerodynamic improvements has been made, including a new air kit, side skirts, and integrated bumper deflectors, which optimise airflow. Together they play a part in reducing the drag coefficient and making the prime mover four per cent more fuel efficient than the Stralis. European hauliers can expect to achieve at least a further one per cent improvement when Iveco introduces a mirrorless camera system, which is surely only a matter of time. 

 

S-Way better than Stralis

 

 

 

 

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