I drive a 60 plate 500 6x2, average fuel consumption was reading 9.1 friday night over 118,000 klm’s. I get a few random warning lights and have had a new floor fitted in the cab. Overall I like it, it’s just a shame they didn’t spend a bit more on better materials when building it,
Does anyone know what sort of weight a Stralis comes in at? You don’t seem to see all that many on any kind of work where weight is an issue and the last thing you want to do is buy one and find that it is a right porker and you can’t get a decent payload on.
Just wondering as I would consider one myself if they are light enough.
Paul
I’ve been transporting a few to Sheerness for export to Tanzania, hundreds of them have gone in the last couple of years. Not my favourite truck, the Merc computer can be intrusive, but at least they don’t talk and nag you over silly little things to the point of snapping (no wonder Strallis interiors get trashed 
).
Interiors cheap and nasty plastic, the auto clutch is slow and jumpy, and the majority of the ones we’ve moved (400-600k) have had new turbos fitted recently. They’re cheap s/h for a reason, and would probably be cheaper if Tanzania wern’t hovering them up.
repton:
Does anyone know what sort of weight a Stralis comes in at? You don’t seem to see all that many on any kind of work where weight is an issue and the last thing you want to do is buy one and find that it is a right porker and you can’t get a decent payload on.Just wondering as I would consider one myself if they are light enough.
Paul
With half a tank of juice and a 2004 68yd Freuhauf behind it, steel wheels all round and weighed in at Cerestar yesterday morning at 14,680k’s. That was a 430 with the ‘Curser 10’ engine, I guess the 480 & 540 with the bigger engine will be a bit heavier. (I had to do a days driving yesterday 
)
Ross.
bigr250:
With half a tank of juice and a 2004 68yd Freuhauf behind it, steel wheels all round and weighed in at Cerestar yesterday morning at 14,680k’s. That was a 430 with the ‘Curser 10’ engine, I guess the 480 & 540 with the bigger engine will be a bit heavier. (I had to do a days driving yesterday
Pretty light then really, with a set of alloys you would get 29.5t even with a full tank of juice, and with a newer (lighter) trailer you would be getting nigh on 30t.
Paul
I don’t like them from a driver point of view and can also corroborate Ken’s words on them with the endless warning lights and bits failing off from my time driving for Bedford’s and a hired one at another company.
I do remember a conversation with an owner driver of one some years ago whilst waiting to tip plants at B&Q RDC in MK. He had a 540 from new and had had it a couple of years and said it had cost him a small fortune in lost earnings during that period as it had spent most of its time back at the dealer being fixed. As we parted company he did leave me with some strong words of advice for anything thinking of buying one : “tell them to run for the hills as fast as they can!”. 
They are an animal to pull and the driving position is good but,you get what you pay for and no matter what anyone above say’s you are taking a chance buying anything Italian in car or truck. Get a good one and your laughing but more seem to be dodgy. I’d sooner drive a Stralis than a Premium for example but if i was buying it would be the Premium.
I was a big fan of the Eurostar,they where a good enough truck in the right hand’s but the electric’s where not as complex then.
I drive a 6 wheeler stralis rigid day cab and quite like it. Its fairly reliable but has had a new turbo on it at some point and has only done 175k, the clips on the passenger side window which hold it on the regulator have broken a couple of times which is pretty annoying and the mirror covers break off very easily. That said its a pretty good truck to drive, the driving position is spot on, the visibility is great, nice and high up and the mirrors are spot on, although the steering is abit light and doesn’t give much feel. The interior is a fairly ok place to spend the day, i do find i get quite tired driving it compared to say a daf.
Saaamon:
I drive a 6 wheeler stralis rigid day cab and quite like it. Its fairly reliable but has had a new turbo on it at some point and has only done 175k, the clips on the passenger side window which hold it on the regulator have broken a couple of times which is pretty annoying and the mirror covers break off very easily. That said its a pretty good truck to drive, the driving position is spot on, the visibility is great, nice and high up and the mirrors are spot on, although the steering is abit light and doesn’t give much feel. The interior is a fairly ok place to spend the day, i do find i get quite tired driving it compared to say a daf.
That’s just Iveco steering. Has always been like that. I remember in the old Eurocargo I used to drive that it was something ridiculous like 20 full turns from lock to lock and no feel because of the low gearing. The Eurostar was a nightmare to get on bays without a spaz handle and not helped by the dustbin lid sized steering wheel too 
. Thankfully the Stralis doesn’t suffer with the latter.
ETA: Eurostar? Eurotech? Can’t remember name of the big ‘super space’ cab artic. 
Personally don’t like them as they seem to flash up warnings for no reason.
The other hate was the non lifting midlift which was a nightmare off road or in snow etc
MrReliable:
The other hate was the non lifting midlift which was a nightmare off road or in snow etc
That’s the ‘poverty’ spec, we have a customer with 2 2003 Iveco 430’s with twinsteer and no lift, they used to belong to a tanker firm who obviously never turned of the highway, I can’t imagine loading one of these in Bayston Hill Quarry!!!
Ross.
Rob K:
Saaamon:
I drive a 6 wheeler stralis rigid day cab and quite like it. Its fairly reliable but has had a new turbo on it at some point and has only done 175k, the clips on the passenger side window which hold it on the regulator have broken a couple of times which is pretty annoying and the mirror covers break off very easily. That said its a pretty good truck to drive, the driving position is spot on, the visibility is great, nice and high up and the mirrors are spot on, although the steering is abit light and doesn’t give much feel. The interior is a fairly ok place to spend the day, i do find i get quite tired driving it compared to say a daf.That’s just Iveco steering. Has always been like that. I remember in the old Eurocargo I used to drive that it was something ridiculous like 20 full turns from lock to lock and no feel because of the low gearing. The Eurostar was a nightmare to get on bays without a spaz handle and not helped by the dustbin lid sized steering wheel too
Ah atleast i know the steering isn’t broken now lol…
Mine flags up warnings but they normally go out, also the tag doesn’t lift on mine either but i think it can be spec’d as the manual shows a button for it to lift. I just dump the air if i get stuck in the mud but can only do that if moving forwards.
russell2587:
I drive a 60 plate 500 6x2, average fuel consumption was reading 9.1 friday night over 118,000 klm’s. I get a few random warning lights and have had a new floor fitted in the cab. Overall I like it, it’s just a shame they didn’t spend a bit more on better materials when building it,
Forgive me, but, had a new floor fitted? pls explain…i have had loads of trucks, but never had a new floor fitted to any…yet…what happened, also, i keep looking at them 430 euro 5 strallis, and cant make my mind up either, i had a eurotech and thought it was ace, but i was the minority group in the company… 
When walking around the cab the floor moves a fair bit, then in a few places I could feel that the floor had given way, reported it and was told it got to have new floor, while waiting for it to be done the plastic/rubber flooring started to crack as well. At least one of the others (10 plate) has the same problem but the driver didn’t bother reporting it, an agency driver ran into the back of another truck in that one so he’s getting a whole new cab lol. I think it was the raised tunnel part that got replaced.
Rob K:
ETA: Eurostar? Eurotech? Can’t remember name of the big ‘super space’ cab artic.
Think its called eurostar cursor? Always fancied a go in one of those but to be fair a stralis doesn’t look much more than a facelift anyway.
Saaamon:
Rob K:
ETA: Eurostar? Eurotech? Can’t remember name of the big ‘super space’ cab artic.Think its called eurostar cursor? Always fancied a go in one of those but to be fair a stralis doesn’t look much more than a facelift anyway.
It was a eurostar. That long ago now that I couldn’t remember. Cursor is the engine type iirc. And yeah, made by the same crowd so the Stralis is basically a facelift.
Nothing wrong with a facelift, as i was telling the wife last nite, heck i will even pay, brighten up the view around here…
Rob K:
Saaamon:
Rob K:
ETA: Eurostar? Eurotech? Can’t remember name of the big ‘super space’ cab artic.Think its called eurostar cursor? Always fancied a go in one of those but to be fair a stralis doesn’t look much more than a facelift anyway.
It was a eurostar. That long ago now that I couldn’t remember. Cursor is the engine type iirc. And yeah, made by the same crowd so the Stralis is basically a facelift.
The BIG Eurostar cab was called the ‘Alto cab’, there was also the mid roof, this was the more popular in Europe as the air conditioning works better in a lower cab. The Stralis ‘Active Space’ cab is indeed a ‘face lifted’ mid roof Eurostar but with much more electronics trying to ruin what was a great truck. (with the 14 litre engine anyway!!)
Ross.
richmond:
Nothing wrong with a facelift, as i was telling the wife last nite, heck i will even pay, brighten up the view around here…
Stralis’s look much better imo, than the very dated looking volvos and scanias.
Saaamon:
richmond:
Nothing wrong with a facelift, as i was telling the wife last nite, heck i will even pay, brighten up the view around here…Stralis’s look much better imo, than the very dated looking volvos and scanias.
I think that new Volvo FH16 750 looks better than any Iveco!!
Ross.