... could almost be the catchword around the head office of Fuso Trucks, as the new automatic version of the Canter light rigid sells out almost before he first truck is in the country. Gary Worrall spent a couple of days behind the wheel to fid out why they are so popular.
For a long time they were best known for the famous Sumo television adverts, where a bunch of the over-sized wrestlers declared the Fuso cabs were ‘Not so squeezy’, to the delight of audiences and comedians everywhere.
Then came former rugby league great Paul Vautin’s infamous slip and fall as he attempted a spoof of the ad with his ‘Footy Show’ bretheren that left the ex-Queenslander in hospital fighting for his life, and his memory.
Throughout it all, Fuso has done a remarkable impersonation of the paint company, just ‘keep on keeping on’.
Along the way, the company has moved from being a perennial third place in the light and medium rigid markets to challenging Hino for second behind Isuzu, helped in no small part by the latest generation of the Canter.
Then, late in 2009, Fuso talk the wraps off of its ‘little big gun’, a fully automatic version, but with some extra kick courtesy of the 130kW/530Nm from the US version of the 4.9-litre four-cylinder engine, rather than the 110kw/470Nm offered in the manual versions.
STYLIN’ IT UP
With all of the changes under the skin, the Canter Auto is externally identical to its manual brethren, which means integrated headlight/indicator assemblies either side of a ‘wide mouth’ grille, while the steel bumper also includes two generous sized slots that pass more air through the engine bay.
The windscreen features a slight rearwards rake, offering the driver a good field of view, as well as wrapping around into the pillars in an attempt to reduce the side-angle blind spots.
Despite the ongoing drought in most of Australia, we did a get brief opportunity to use the wipers on our extended test, and can say they do a good job of clearing the main window.
The ‘sticky-outy’ door mirrors resemble ears to go with the wide grin of the grille, and provide a decent view down the length of the truck, although a spotter mirror would be appreciated for completely eliminating blind spots.
Our test vehicle was configured with a fibreglass pantech body and 500kg Tieman electric tailgate lifter, so in an effort to direct airflow over the sharp edges of the body a roof-mounted aerofoil adorned the top of the cab in the chase for fuel economy.
INSIDER TRADING
In this case, the main difference between the auto and manual versions was, well, the auto gearbox, with the regular dash-mounted manual shifter gone, and in its place there was a very car-like shifter for the auto.
With designers chasing maximum usable occupant space, the shifter is still up on the dash, making it possible to slide right across from one side of the cab to the other.
A nice touch was the tailored seat cover installed by local dealer Zupps Commercial Vehicles, these rather neat items are custom made by a Melbourne company and were not hot despite being in the middle of 35 degree days, as well as protecting the upholstery from spills and marks.
Having already racked up plenty of kilometres in the manual versions, the auto is like an old friend, everything is exactly where you expect, and works with the same reassuring click, clack or thud, depending on what it was doing.
Standard fit includes an AM/FM/CD stereo, hot/cold airconditioning, three seats across, although the third can be converted to a work table if needed.
Dials and knobs are all big enough so that most tasks can be done by Braille, not requiring the driver to look away from the road, with rotary knobs looking after ht ventilation, while big buttons do it for the radio.
The handbrake could pass for something lifted from a passenger car, further making the ‘weekend warriors’ who tend to be the major customers of the rental fleets that tend to be the major customer for light rigid automatic trucks.
As previously identified the head, leg, shoulder and foot room are all above average, even for tall and wide drivers, while the steering wheel adjustment allowed for a comfortable seating position.
The entry and exit is also easily accomplished, the doors open out to about 95 degrees, allowing the driver to use the step built into the wheel arch for a little extra leverage when entering and exiting, although a second grab handle would be good to allow for the recommended three contact points.
The Canter auto also scores driver and passenger airbags, so in the unlikely event a car fails to see a 6.5-tonne GVM truck, you are well protected, with side intrusion beams in the doors and a strengthened frame underneath you.
There are also disc brakes with ABS on every corner, so Fuso has made the Canter as safe as is possible.
DRIVE TIME
When it is time to hit the road, the 4.9-litre engine fires up promptly after a turn of the key to get the starter motor spinning, before settling into what could be best described as an idle on helium, with a slight high-pitched squeak mixed into the traditional burble.
Possibly because it only had about 2500kilometres on the clock, I found the auto shifter slightly notchy, although I think it should ease up as it wears in, but either way it took a little bit of extra pressure to slide the selector down to ‘D’ for drive, but then it was as simple as handbrake off and accelerate away, no problem.
The steering is well-weighted, perhaps a bit heavier than the competition, but not tiring, and it gave some decent feedback as to what was happening underneath the truck.
Personally I like a slightly heavier steering, so long as you are not left fighting the wheel to try and coerce the truck into a corner, that is certainly not the case here, the Canter goes where you point it, with minimal delay, and no dead spots.
The real revelation though is just how well the gearbox works with the engine, the extra 60Nm of torque makes a huge difference, while the manual Canter can hardly be called a slug, the auto version is so much quicker, to the point where a few dealer staff commented they would love to see the 130kW American-spec engine used across the board.
While there is some stiffness in shifting the selector between gears, there are no such problems with the six-speed Aisin auto, it is happy to bounce up and down through the gears, depending on what is required.
Unfortunately, the Canter auto does not have cruise control, even as an option, and while the auto makes the job easier, a whole lot easier in fact, this is negated by having to constantly watch the speedo to ensure you are not creeping over the limit.
It doesn’t matter if you are in a 60 zone or a 100 zone, the reality is having to constantly glance at the speedo is tiring, and frustrating, this is something that needs to be addressed.
Beyond that issue, the auto Canter is a dream to drive, the exhaust brake ties in with the transmission nicely so that even long downhills can be negotiated without too much problem, simply by lifting off the accelerator.
The all-round disc brakes do a great job of backing up the exhaust brakes, we never had need of the ABS, but it was good to know it was there, lurking in the background, just in case.
Cab noise was low, with no real mechanical intrusion from the engine, gearbox or even road noise, running two and three up in the cab, conversations were never strained.
The only real intrusion came from the auxiliary transmission cooler, located at the left rear of the engine bay, the fan could be heard cutting in and out as it kept the gearbox fluid at the correct temperature, regardless of our road speed.
The only other negative out of the whole test was the suspension setting, again bearing in mind the truck had only travelled 2500 kilometres, when it was empty the rebound over bumps was rather vigorous.
This may settle as the truck beds itself in, but for a vehicle that is going to spend most of its life carting goods based on volume rather than weight, and possibly some fragile goods as well, there is a chance a sharp bump can send things flying.
TRIBAL COUNCIL
Without a doubt, the Canter automatic is a great little truck, with a sweet shifting gearbox that makes the task of driving so much easier by eliminating gearshifts, even hill starts, once a thing to be dreaded, now they are simple, release the brake and go.
Despite this huge positive, and its proven effect on sales, the Canter desperately needs a cruise control unit, if only to fully exploit the possibilities of the auto tranny.
The stiff suspension could just be a matter of needing kilometres under its belt to settle, I have seen this in other vehicles, and it is not something to hold against the Canter while it is so fresh.
The same also goes for the lack of a spotter mirror, while it would be nice, it is not necessary, but sometimes these things come down to personal preference, and buying and fitting a low-cost kind spotter is not hard, if you really ant one.
When cruise becomes available, even as an option, this will be a truly great truck, and so simple to and relaxing to drive.
SPECS
- Make/model: 4x2 Light Rigid, three seat cab.
- Engine: 4.9-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged diesel with air-to-air intercooler;
- Transmission: Six-speed Aisin automatic
- Emission standard: ADR 80/02
- Emission control: EGR
- Power/Torque: 130kW/530Nm
- GVM/GCM: 6500kg/8000kg – optional derated GVM/GCM 4500kg/7500kg
- Good points: auto transmission; good vision; sparkling engine performance; disc brakes with ABS all-round
- Not so good points: No cruise control, harsh ride at low weights
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