Mitsubishi Fuso Canter downsizes

That's the position of Mitsubishi Fuso, which has taken the bold step of introducing a new generation Canter with an engine 1.9-litres smaller than the one it replaces as well as an industry first dual-clutch automated transmission.

It all sounds good, but how does that translate into everyday driving? The biggest concern is whether opting for a smaller engine has transformed the truck into a gutless wonder.

Working Wheels can confirm, after an on-road test, that it certainly has ample performance. In fact, it is a remarkably good light duty truck to drive.

We had a steer of the newly-introduced narrow cab model, which is 200mm narrower than the regular cab and serves as the basic entry level model.

It had a hefty steel tray on the back, but it was empty so we still don't know how the rig will perform running the 1500kg-odd payload on the back (taking into account the heft of the tray) that allows it to be driven on a car licence.

TECHNOLOGY

The new engine is an advanced unit with a variable geometry turbo and piezo injection which allows for extremely accurate combustion (it injects four bursts of fuel for every bang) allowing it to generate 110kW and 370Nm of torque.

It copes well with several steep hills on the drive route that takes in some suburban driving and a trip to Lorne along Victoria's surf coast. The engine does have a diesel particulate filter (DPF) which traps soot and burns it off. Like all of these, it may require a manual burn from time to time when it can't manage one on the run, although we didn't need to do so on our test.

Dual clutch automatics, found in more and more cars including the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, can get a bit confused in city conditions, but the Canter's works so well I don't even think to flick it into manual mode.

Fuso recommends letting the truck make the changes for optimum efficiency. It passed several tests including making the correct changes on some hills that had completely befuddled the Eco Canter's automated transmission (which is a different unit).

The gearbox also has a special creeper mode that means it can ease forward or backward at low speed like a traditional automatic, which is handy when backing up to loading bays and such.

One of the reasons to go for the dual clutch transmission is its efficiency. That and the new engine, which is also considerably lighter than before, make for some good fuel economy.

Mitsubishi Fuso can't say how much because it varies depending on the body fitted to the truck and its usage. All Canters have a fuel consumption calculator which is great for checking how economically you are driving.

The test truck indicated usage of 12.5-litres per 100km on our trip, which is pretty good.

DRIVING

The Canter drive experience is not far off a workhorse ute. Its independent front suspension system has been overhauled and now uses coil-over springs instead of a transverse beam.

Our test truck did bounce around a bit, not surprisingly given it was empty, although the bumps are likely to have made more of an impression given it has a fixed driver's seat. The better specified regular cab models all have more comfortable suspension seats as standard.

Braking is not a problem thanks to discs at the front and rear.

Mitsubishi Fuso has moved to a rack and pinion system for the steering (like a car) and the Canter steers and handles extremely well.

The cabin layout is clean and practical, the plastic quality is high and there are lots of thoughtful hidey holes for all your gear and also for paperwork.

Our test truck had an annoying wind whistle but was otherwise very quiet. The only other niggle being the high-pitched screech it makes when you leave the key in the ignition and hop out of the cab for something (thanks to the immobilizer).

These are minor niggles though and, on the whole, the new Canter is an extremely impressive truck.