While the Fuso Canter range does not sell in quite the numbers as the market-leading Isuzu N-Series, it has earned plenty of fans for its no-frills approach to vocational applications.
Now, with the benefits of some serious development by the Japanese factory, it is about to earn a few more, particularly with the 4x4 version.
Anyone who has driven a 4x4 truck will tell you a bitumen road is not the best place to test one – it to go into the wilds to be properly appreciated. With that in mind, we headed to Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway and its 4WD training track to really put the Canter through its paces.
While the design is similar to the rest of the Canter range, there are a few key differences to the 4x4, most notably the ride height and the unusual air intake with its mouth up above the cab roof (to eliminate the chance of sucking in a lungful of water on creek crossings).
The cab redesign concentrated on minor detail rather than starting from a clean sheet of paper, making the new truck difficult to spot apart from its recent predecessors.
The slab front with a slight rear slope remains. This is one issue facing designers of cab-over trucks everywhere: how to induce aero efficiency into a design with more front than a block of units.
That said, the 4x4 is geared to a top speed of 114km/h, and it would take a strong stomach to push it that hard given the stiff leaf-spring suspension and relatively short wheelbase. These conspire to turn even small potholes into teeth-rattling valleys.
While it might not make you popular with the spare parts division, the designers did operators a huge favour by redesigning the door mirrors so they swing inwards on a single mount, meaning fewer broken units.
The doors are open wide for easy entrance and exit. The side step is entirely necessary unless you have a step-ladder (or parachute) handy thanks to roughly 800mm of clearance under the cab.
Once inside, the Canter reveals itself to be an excellent workspace, particularly for travelling into rough terrain. It features a hardwearing vinyl floors and a rugged, yet comfortable, cloth trim that allows for easy cleaning.
Some might find the battleship grey a little depressing, but it is a sensible colour choice – it neither hides nor highlights mud and dirt, as we discovered during our test.
Instrumentation is simple yet effective offering minimal distractions from the driving task other than easy-to-read speedo, tacho, fuel and temperature gauges, as well as warning lights.
Controls for the air-conditioning and radio are large enough to be operated by feel in rough terrain, while the steering column has stalks for the indicators, windscreen wipers, headlights and exhaust brake.
While the Canter does have height and reach adjustment for the steering wheel, I had problems getting enough clearance for my left foot to come off the clutch without hitting the bottom of the steering wheel, unless I twisted my ankle into an anatomically incorrect position.
To be fair to the Canter, I have a similar issue with every Japanese truck I have driven in the up to 6-tonne class. To Fuso’s credit a pair of visiting Japanese engineers present on the test day took numerous photos and measurements with me in the driver’s seat and have promised to look into a solution.
The gearshift is mounted on the dashboard so it is easy to reach, and it has a light action for easy gear changes. The pedals are well spaced so there is no risk of hitting the accelerator by mistake, while the car-like handbrake was easy to apply from its between-the-seats mounting position.
The seat itself is comfortable, with good back, thigh and shoulder support. Even when riding at absurd angles you don’t slide off the seat or use the steering wheel for balance.
All-round vision was good; the test truck had a low rear body, so there was no problem with reversing, while the wide, unencumbered front screen took care of forward vision.
The door mirrors are actually larger than on the previous model and offer a good view down the side of the truck, again important if you are trying to navigate through tree stumps or around a crowded work site.
Fuso has worked closely with various rural fire services in developing the latest Canter 4x4, so this attention to detail is perhaps not surprising given fire fighters can, and do, bet their lives on the performance of their fire truck.
Having also sampled the passenger accommodation while we learnt the best way around the track, I can say with a degree of conviction the seats are comfortable and supportive, while the grab handles are just where you need them to prevent the passenger falling out of the truck on some fairly hairy terrain.
Smooth character
The revised ADR80/02-compliant engine is a smooth character, internal revisions see it produce 110kW at 2,700rpm, while a stump-pulling 471Nm kicks in at 1,600rpm, making for simple low-gear take-offs, these are enhanced even further by a low range ratio of 1.987:1 that could conquer Mt Kosciusko if needed.
Assisting the mechanical traction are 7.50R16LT tyres, with an aggressive tread pattern – good for gripping in mud, slush and snow.
The one area that seemed to have suffered through all of this muscle boosting is the soundproofing, with the engine noise definitely intruding into the cab more – not a harsh noise, just noticeable.
Starting and driving the 4x4 in two-wheel-drive is a straightforward exercise with the gear shift and clutch are light and easy – far cry from some ‘hairy chest’ 4x4 off-roader.
The steering is a little loose compared to the 4x2 models, but not vague or sloppy. It just takes a little while longer to predict how much input is needed for specific manoeuvres.
One advantage of the forward control position used in the Fuso, compared to traditional off-roaders, is the excellent field of view for approaching obstacles or turning in confined spaces. The Fuso allows you to crawl right up to the point of contact, where bonneted vehicles, and even semi-bonneted ones, can finish up ‘driving by braille’ with the odd impact almost a certainty.
It might be that I am cock-eyed, but I did have one problem with the Canter: lining up the front wheels for ramps. Although I suspect it is more an issue of practice – learning where to look for making sure the corners are in the right place.
The Fuso impressed in virtually every aspect of the test, apart from the on-road ride quality, but that is a trade-off you make for all-terrain brilliance. One aspect really stood out: the pulling power of the 4.9-litre four cylinder engine.
The off-road course required us to climb a concrete pyramid before immediately dropping down the other side into a deep creek crossing, and the baby Canter had enough low-down torque, even with the torque limiter set at 382Nm in first gear, to crawl up the wall before converting that torque into engine braking to creep back down the other side. The foot brake isn’t required; instead we were told to keep our feet flat on the floor away from the pedals.
We repeated this obstacle at least four times in succession and at no time did the Canter falter, with smooth progress up and down every time.
This ramp also showed off the approach and departure angles of 28.8 degrees and 21.4 degrees respectively, as well as the break-over angle of 24.5 degrees.
The Canter 4x4 uses a drop chassis to lower the centre of gravity for load carrying, however because of the raised ride height for off-road operations it still manages to be 5mm further off the ground than the 4x2 versions.
This Canter makes a strong argument as a capable all-terrain operator that can be configured as either single or crew cab, able to take up to seven people into difficult situations and then back out again, as well as a load of materials or tools, depending on the application.