whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Hi. Managed to get a quick drive in the new FGB 71 today which replaces the FG 84 (Canter) in Australia. Straight off the boat. Hoping to go for a decent run in it on Monday and get it back into the workshop to start checking just how different it really is and what aftermarket bits we can carry over from the FG84.
I must say that all along, the thought of no high and low range / 2 speed transfer and a 3 litre engine has been worrying to say the least......that's right!! Still part time 4x4 with a new vacuum engage switch but only high range..... No low range!!! but wait...actually driving the truck was very different to what I imagined. I'm sure 5 minutes driving on the beach at high tide with a big set of tyres at full GVM will tell for sure.
While we haven't calculated the actual ratio difference across the gears between each model, the new box feels much wider........second is still quite low for example but the biggest surprise was easily the engine. The power delivery is more like the current NPS with it's variable turbo and extra wide maximum power range but even more so. I think max power arrives somewhere around 1450RPM !!!!! and is still hanging in there at 2800 RPM!!!! with a much higher rev limit too. Quite staggering really that such a tiny capacity can be making as much power as the previous 4.9 litre engine at a little over idle. Perhaps the lack of low range may not be such an issue as I imagined.........can't believe I just wrote that!!
The cabin is neat and looks like an improvement (it wouldn't be too hard to do that though) and there is even a suspension seat with an armrest for the driver. The fold down centre section has been done away with. A big question mark is the DPF but that's life. The beach tour operators will be crying.
Oh and while the chassis looks similar except peppered full of 10mm holes, it is now 5.5 mm thick and importantly has been upgraded to 6.5ton....yes, yes, yes. There's ABS too and I suppose that means we'll now have to develop a way to de-select it. Diffs look the same at a glance but Fuso has finally had a go at improving the leaf spring packs. Interesting that the rear over-riders are now parabolics.
Plenty of other new things as well but tomorrow I'll post the pics up that I took and make some more comments later.
Regard John.
I must say that all along, the thought of no high and low range / 2 speed transfer and a 3 litre engine has been worrying to say the least......that's right!! Still part time 4x4 with a new vacuum engage switch but only high range..... No low range!!! but wait...actually driving the truck was very different to what I imagined. I'm sure 5 minutes driving on the beach at high tide with a big set of tyres at full GVM will tell for sure.
While we haven't calculated the actual ratio difference across the gears between each model, the new box feels much wider........second is still quite low for example but the biggest surprise was easily the engine. The power delivery is more like the current NPS with it's variable turbo and extra wide maximum power range but even more so. I think max power arrives somewhere around 1450RPM !!!!! and is still hanging in there at 2800 RPM!!!! with a much higher rev limit too. Quite staggering really that such a tiny capacity can be making as much power as the previous 4.9 litre engine at a little over idle. Perhaps the lack of low range may not be such an issue as I imagined.........can't believe I just wrote that!!
The cabin is neat and looks like an improvement (it wouldn't be too hard to do that though) and there is even a suspension seat with an armrest for the driver. The fold down centre section has been done away with. A big question mark is the DPF but that's life. The beach tour operators will be crying.
Oh and while the chassis looks similar except peppered full of 10mm holes, it is now 5.5 mm thick and importantly has been upgraded to 6.5ton....yes, yes, yes. There's ABS too and I suppose that means we'll now have to develop a way to de-select it. Diffs look the same at a glance but Fuso has finally had a go at improving the leaf spring packs. Interesting that the rear over-riders are now parabolics.
Plenty of other new things as well but tomorrow I'll post the pics up that I took and make some more comments later.
Regard John.
Last edited:
