It lasted long enough, but the wait for the new UD Condor was worth it. UD has been battling away in the medium duty class with an out-dated cabs and ordinary engines, including one borrowed from rival Hino, but has now been given a massive boost with the arrival of an all new truck range.
There are new cabs, with smart interiors, a cutting-edge UD engine and new transmissions. A test drive on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has revealed the changes make the new Condor trucks, which range from 11,000kg to 16,500 gross vehicle mass, appealing medium duty workers. The new Condor name sits over the existing MK and PK badges which UD customers are familiar with.
All Condors run the same in-line 7.0-litre diesel six-cylinder that UD has developed with backing from the massive Volvo Trucks group that now owns it. Given the UD name comes from the company’s Uniflow Diesel engine it came up with, a top-notch engine is important to the company.
It must have been galling to have had to run a Hino engine for its last model. Now UD’s technology will be picked up by other brands, including Volvo and Mack, because this is a great engine.
This unit runs common rail injection, is turbocharged and intercooled and uses the super clean selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system which means it must be topped up with AdBlue exhaust treatment fluid.
UD says having to top up the 50 litre AdBlue tank is better than the alternative of running a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) emission control device used by most competitors, which can mean shorter service intervals and the occasional manual soot burn-off (meaning the truck must sit idle for 20 minutes or so).
The engine is available with two output ratings, a 180kW (241hp) unit which has 716Nm or torque and a 206kW (276hp) with 883Nm. This represents an increase of between 5 and 8 per cent power and between 6 and 13 per cent more torque. It certainly is a smooth engine too and the cab is fairly quiet as a result.
Transmission choices include a five-speed Allison automatic which is a quality unit that would be a great choice for fleets operating in stop-start conditions. There is also a nice-shifting six-speed manual as well as a nine-speed manual we didn’t get to test on the drive.
UD has strengthened the chassis by up to 22 per cent across the range and the new cabs all pass the ECE-R29 cab strength test, while a driver airbag and anti-skid brakes are standard.
The new cab, which has three seats and a narrow sleeper in behind, is a real highlight. A lot of thought has gone into it and the quality of the surfaces is top notch. There are lots of storage areas for documentation and other bits and pieces while a massive light on the ceiling means you have the best chance of finding what you are looking for at night.
You won’t need the light to read a map because all Condor models come standard with a smart integrated satellite navigation system accessible through a dash-mounted centre screen. You can even search for the nearest AdBlue outlet.
The head unit also features Bluetooth connectivity for a phone, as well as a CD player, a USB plug and an iPod connection. The screen can also be used to display footage from up to three cameras that can be fitted. The suspension driver seat is comfortable adjustable in a number of ways including seven damping settings and lumbar control.
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