Ever since its reintroduction into the Australian market back in 2002 the Iveco Daily has always offered a solid, technically adept van or cab chassis, capable of doing many different jobs, but where does the Daily fit in?
Probably, what the model has failed to do is establish a clear identity, so that a potential buyer can picture it in a particular task.
It straddles across a wide area of the market, from vans across to light duty trucks, and everything in between. However, it has never found a clearly identified niche and that has probably limited its ability to penetrate into sectors of the light duty market.
The lack of identity probably comes from the almost overwhelming number of options and variables available to the Daily buyer. Apart from the van or cab chassis choice, there are 21 different van options, depending on GVM, overall length, roof height, power etc. The cab chassis also has a dizzying number of options, coming in with 16 variants, including single cab or crew cab.
One of the big strengths the Daily has over similar products from the van side of the equation is its inherent structural strength, the ‘C-section’ chassis rails which are the base on which the structure is built. That inherent rigidity is something you can feel and it does make the occupant of the driver’s seat a little more secure.
This has served the motorhome market well for the Daily, giving body builders a firm base on which to construct the body. It also suits pantech and tray bodies fitted directly on the cab chassis. The basic van or truck is a rigid frame with wheels on each corner, onto which you can build a van, a pantech, a tray or a flash motorhome.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, directly in front, the flat-bottomed steering wheel is actually the same as is used on the Jeep product, another part of the Fiat empire. Of course, it has a dizzying array of buttons on it, which we are all getting used to, now that most manufacturers are locating the buttons in a similar pattern.
Toggling in and out of cruise control on the Monash Highway, the way the controls work is simple and intuitive. Although the information screen straight in front of the driver, which shows set speed etc, is quite small, it has been well-designed and the imagery is crisp, aiding visibility. The other information screen for radio, reversing camera etc, is placed more centrally, but is similarly easy to read.
