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truck test

Samurai
warrior
VIC OLIVER puts the new Isuzu
FTR 850 fitted with a tautliner
body to the test...

T
o test the handling and
performance of the FTR 850, we
drove 73 km along highway and
secondary roads in the Klipriver
area south of Johannesburg and, although
the truck was not loaded, I believe I got a fair
indication of the new F-Series’ capabilities.
In terms of physical characteristics, with
a gross vehicle rating (GVR) of 15 000 kg and
an empty tare mass of 7 400 kg – including
the tautliner body – this long-wheelbase
vehicle offers an excellent legal payload of
7.6 t, making it ideal for short- and medium-
distribution haulage. The top of the range
F-Series models with a GVM of 24 000 kg
are also capable of pulling a trailer.
The cab doors open fully to a 90o angle
and good strong steps make the cab
entrance and exit easy and safe – important
Isuzu FTR 850 & Tautliner body
factors when considering how often drivers Jhb - Pretoria - Jhb
climb in and out of short- and medium- Laden two ways Laden one way
Purchase Price (Rands) 606 138 606 138
distance delivery vehicles.
Interest Rate (%) 10.5 10.5
The interior of the cab is spacious, with
Payload (tons) 6.5 6.5
room for a good deal of luggage. Although Distance (km) 113.1 113.1
not classed as a sleeper cab, the space Time Taken (hrs:min) 1:46 1:43
Avg Speed (km/h) 63.3 65
behind the driver and passenger seats is
Fuel Used (litres) 30 26.1
also sufficient for a driver to rest during a Consumption (l/100 km) 26.7 23.2
long trip if necessary. Fuel Price (R/l) 7.06 7.06
While air-conditioning is not standard, Productivity Factor 17.9 11.1
Avg Distance p/a (km) 39 646 49 360
the vehicle has been designed in such a
Avg Carried p/a (tons) 5 001 3 113
way that it can easily be fitted. A major Fixed Costs Rands/annum Rands/annum
plus for the driver is how quiet the vehicle Instalments 152 512 152 512
is – thanks to the cab’s excellent insulation Crew 55 744 55 744
Insurance 49 669 49 669
against noise.
Licence 8 412 8 412
Overheads 29 593 29 593
The nuts and bolts Total Fixed Costs 295 930 295 930
While driving the FTR 850, it quickly became Final analysis R/km R/ton R/km R/ton
Total Fixed Costs 7.46 59.17 6.00 95.06
evident that Isuzu has paid a lot of attention
Variable Costs
to the driveability, performance and safety Fuel 1.90 15.07 1.66 26.26
of the vehicle. Time and again I have Tyres 0.20 1.59 0.22 3.47
Maintenance 0.74 5.83 0.74 11.66
witnessed how well a driver cares for a truck
Toll fees
that is driver-friendly. It’s a fundamental
Total Costs 10.30 81.66 8.62 136.45
characteristic upon which “relationships” are * Productivity = payload (tons) x average speed / fuel consumption (l/100km)

44 FOCUS December 2011

built between truck and driver; and a good consideration for any potential buyer. The transmission is well spaced, allowing the
relationship means a well-maintained truck. test vehicle proved itself a winner in this driver to select the correct gear at all times
The new Isuzu FTR 850 is most definitely area, with a fuel consumption of 23.28 l per without overloading the clutch and drivetrain.
driver-friendly. Its power steering is extremely 100 kilometres although, admittedly, under The deep first gear ratio of 6.615:1 gives
light to the point where, initially, I was concerned ideal conditions and unloaded. the Isuzu FTR 850 a good grade-ability of
that it might reduce a driver’s ability to “feel” the The power-to-mass ratio is ideal and, at 34.59%. However, what I did not particularly
handling of this vehicle on the road. However, 80 km/h (the legal speed limit for this vehicle), enjoy while driving the vehicle is the fact that
just a few kilometres behind the wheel was all the engine revs are well within the economical first gear is not a synchromesh gear. As a
I needed to discover how well I could sense its engine range, with plenty of power in reserve result, gear change to and from first is not
handling characteristics. to handle hills and steeper gradients. particularly smooth, and there were times
The engine fitted to the truck I was testing The 380 mm diameter single-plate clutch when I found engaging second gear difficult.
produces 176 kW of power and 706 Nm of fitted to the vehicle is air-assisted and In fairness to the manufacturer, this might
torque. Coupled to a six-speed transmission, hydraulically operated, again making the have been because the test vehicle had
it has the capacity to drive the vehicle in vehicle driver-friendly and easy to handle. It already been driven approximately 4 000 km
economical mode under all operating and is also well-matched to the torque produced by multiple drivers during the recent launch
load conditions, including when pulling a by the engine, so clutch life expectancy of Isuzu’s F-Series, so its gearbox linkages
trailer. With fuel prices going through the should be good. could have been stretched.

These tables have been generated using TransSolve Transport Solutions Software. For a free trial CD visit the htm.co.za website.
ceiling, consumption is an important The gear split in the vehicle’s six-speed Multi-leaf springs fitted to the front and
rear axles, with shock absorbers in the front
Loading
Loading (Side
(Side View
View -Loading
- Summary)
Summary)
(Side View - Summary)
and a stabiliser bar, make the FTR 850
Isuzu
Isuzu FTR
FTR 850
850 Isuzu FTR 850
a comfortable drive. The vehicle remained
stable under all varying road conditions
encountered during the test run.
Fitted with a full anti-lock air brake system
(ABS), the stopping ability of the Isuzu FTR
850 is incredible, to say the very least. An
added road safety bonus is that automatic
brake slack adjusters ensure that the brake
lining adjustment against the brake drum
is always set correctly, providing optimum
braking on each wheel at all times. An
effective exhaust brake has also been fitted
to facilitate deceleration.
The radial 11R22.5-16 Pr tyres fitted
all round improve the FTR 850’s rolling
resistance, which in turn reduces fuel
consumption. The vehicle’s spare wheel
is housed at the rear of the chassis and is
easily accessible. The engine oil dipstick,
radiator coolant reservoir and power steering
reservoir are all situated on the left-hand
side of the vehicle, so they are easily visible
without having to tilt the cab.
Operators will also enjoy the Isuzu FTR
850’s 20 000 km service interval: another
important feature that lowers maintenance
Fritz
FritzHellberg
Hellberg
Prepared By : Fritz Hellberg
Prepared
PreparedFor
For :: Prepared For : Date
DateCreated
Created :: 08
08April
April2010
2010
Date Created : 08 April 2010
012
012991
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Phone : 012 991Phone
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3067 :: Phone : Date
Date :: 09
09April
April2010
2010
Date
costs and : 09 April
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on the information supplied in this report. Overall, an enjoyable truck to drive with
*These graphs illustrate the vehicle’s operating costs but are not based on the road test. good performance and handling capabilities. z

45 FOCUS December 2011