Iveco Daily 2007 Review

The Daily delivery vans and cab-chassis derivatives have claimed a lot of firsts during the past 30 years and maker Iveco is just as chuffed with the latest range.

The chassis frame on a light commercial vehicle, direct-injection turbodiesel engines, a 17cum van with 210cm interior height, common-rail diesel injection and even an engine that (in Europe) runs on natural gas are among the benchmarks claimed for the Daily van in those 30 years.

Thanks to the array of models — seven wheelbases, low, mid and high-roof versions, two engines and various stages of power tune, a wide range of designated payload capacities, dual-cab versions plus single or dual rear wheels — it's possible to make thousands of Dailys without two being identical.

It's reckoned that every five minutes, somewhere in the world, someone buys a New Daily van.

The latest Daily — or New Daily as it's called, with capital N — retains the rear-wheel-drive configuration.

All engines are Euro 4 compliant, some models having exhaust gas recirculation, and don't need a particulate filter.

All engines are four-cylinder, in-line and have four valves per cylinder operated by double overhead camshafts. They use common-rail injection.

The lighter, single-rear-wheel units use a 2.3-litre diesel with variable geometry blades in the turbocharger. Most Daily models have a three-litre turbodiesel engine. The HPI offers 109kW of power and 350Nm of torque. The HPT version ups this to 131kW of power and 400Nm of torque, but notably that torque is constant from 1250rpm through to 3000rpm, suggesting good engine flexibility.

Oil and filters are scheduled for changing every 40,000km, limiting service costs and vehicle downtime.

The Daily has independent front suspension and the solid rear axle can be optioned with air suspension for carrying delicate cargoes.

Driver and passenger convenience and comfort are a priority with Daily. They have a parking sensor, central locking with remote control in the key, clever cab storage spots, including four DIN-sized compartments. Moving about the cab is easier thanks to the dash-mounted gearshift and shorter handbrake lever (made possible due to its lighter action). Seats are comfortable and supportive.

The Daily can be had with a six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed automatic offering sequential shift.

Payloads vary from 1265kg through to the extra long wheelbase, cab-chassis at 4260kg.

The short van has a wheelbase of 3000mm, the mediums are 3300mm and 3750mm, the longs are 3950mm, 4100mm and 4350mm depending on van or cab-chassis style, leaving the two extra-long cab-chassis models with a 4750mm wheelbase.