Capital Equipment News April 2016

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

this. A major feature of the vehicle is the hill assist which prevents the vehicle from rolling back when taking off on a hill. During the test I experienced high wind on the open road and the Vito with the Wind Assist feature was able to maintain its directional stability without any fear of drifting off line. Also contributing to the low wind resistance factor is the design characteristic of the body with a Cd coefficient of only 3.2. The ride quality of the Vito 111 CDI Mixto is good and the light feel of the steering with electromechanical power assistance that changes to the kinematics, ensures a posi- tive feel at all times without being too heavy despite the front-wheel drive configuration. The front axle and engine are mounted more rigidly in their sub-frame. The drive unit is therefore isolated from vibration with this variant. The independent rear suspension on semi-trailing arms and coil springs on the Mixto is set for high loads while a comfort suspension is available as an option. Even

with the standard suspension, the Mixto did not compromise on the ride comfort at any time, whether empty or loaded. Access to the interior of the Mixto is pro- vided by three large generously sized doors with low sills, making loading and offload- ing of goods effortless. The side doors are well balanced and slide in both directions with little effort. The new Vito is certainly at the forefront of the market as far as mid-sized vans are concerned. The front-wheel drive concept has not detracted from the practical value of the Vito as its comfort and robustness is still prevalent in the vehicle, which is a well balanced economical and functional means of transport. Adding further to the practical aspects of the Vito are the service intervals which have been extended to 40 000 km or two years across the range and service plans have been extended to 5 year/120 000 km (Pre- viously 5-year/90 000 km).

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS APRIL 2016