good motoring
Sleek mini truck
H. Kishie Singh

Ape Truk from Piaggio is powered by a single cylinder, four-stroke engine

IT would seem that manufacturers have at last accepted the demands of consumers. For decades the only trucks available were the three-tonne capacity by Tata or Ashok Leyland. Some smaller trucks came on the scene but they were trucks which were not suitable to city roads or to move small loads. Small-scale industry owners and shopkeepers were obliged to use cycle rickshaws or autorickshaws to move goods within the city. It was a slow and tedious task. It cluttered up the roads.

We now have a new breed of trucks, mini trucks to be exact. In most countries, big trucks are not allowed in the city and shopping centres. Reason? A three tonne-truck delivering soft drinks to the Sector 9 market takes up four parking places, is always badly parked and invariably has the engine idling for 15-20 minutes. The driver does not switch off the engine because it may not start again. So it sits there causing confusion and chaos and spewing fumes.

Hopefully, this will change. To solve just this problem, cities across the world have banned large-delivery vehicles in the inner areas. So the mini truck was born. It is the size of the family sedan, takes the same space to park, has a smaller engine and does not pollute as heavily as a large truck.

The path-breaker in this segment was the Tata Ace. Next comes the Ape Truk from Piaggio. The concept of the vehicle is not new but it is a brilliant offering. It is an Italian and the Italians do things extremely well, especially designing machines.

The Ape Truk, to begin with, is powered by a single cylinder, four-stroke engine. It’s a 482 cc, naturally aspirated with indirect injection and diesel with liquid cooling. It has a torque of 23 nm. It has five forward speed gears and one reverse. The rack and pinion steering is mechanical but this should not be a problem. The engine is at the rear and drives the rear wheels. The weight of the load at the rear should make the front-end light and not necessitate power steering. This is clever engineering. No disc brakes but all four brakes are hydraulic. The chassis is monocoque. The suspension up front is McPherson struts. The rear has hydraulic double acting telescopic shock absorbers.

The vehicle has a 15-litre diesel fuel tank, and with an expected 22 km per litre, it should provide a 330 km plus run.

The vehicle’s weight is 685 kg with a load-carrying capacity of 865 kg. "It will carry twice that much," the salesman told me proudly. Of course it will because we know how to misuse a vehicle.

The battery is located under the passenger seat out of sight for prying eyes and nimble fingers while it is parked in the transport area. Since the engine is rear-mounted, it is safe in case of a collision. Access to the motor cycle-sized single-cylinder engine is by lifting a panel in the floor boards. The radiator is mounted below the floor board level behind the cabin seats. Also safe in case of frontal collisions. The spare tyre is located behind the driver, again below the floor board level and can be locked. It is on the on-side of the road. The fuel tank filler is off-side and if the vehicle were left hand drive, it would be easily accessed by the driver. Both are indications of its European heritage.

In my opinion the spare wheel could be better located — in between the headlights. The vehicle does not need air vents upfront considering where the radiator and engine are placed.

Placing the tyre upfront would have two advantages. One, easy access — be it a left-hand or right-hand drive. Two, a pneumatic tyre is a tremendous impact absorber. Placed in the front of the driver and passenger in a forward cabin, it would provide extra safety for the occupants.

The price of Rs 2,20,000 will also appeal to the operators.

All said and done these mini trucks could be heralding in a revolution in low-end commercial transport.

Happy motoring!