Behind the wheel

You’d imagine a stonking great vehicle like this to have the ride and comfort of a Sherman tank but if you thought that you’d be dead wrong.

My test took place at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire and on our drive up to the off-road circuit, this Daily handled almost like any other – the engine a quiet thrum and a polite manner on the bends.

Not being an off-road expert, my heart quailed somewhat as Paul, my trainer, plunged the Daily into some of the hairiest bits of track I’ve ever encountered.

But I needn’t have worried – he gave me lots of solid advice on the way and showed me just how unshockable this vehicle is.

There are two levers for changing gear ratios so with a six-speed box, there are a total of 24 gears to choose from.

On one particularly steep slope with two-foot deep ruts, we almost became stuck but Paul simply grinned, shoved it in the lowest gear and floored the throttle.

After a second, the Daily’s sheer brute force won through an up we went.

My turn came and Paul’s strategy proved right on more than one occasion.

With 295lb-ft of torque on offer right down from 1,250rpm, this vehicle is nigh on unstoppable – and great fun to drive too.

After an hour of high jinks, my drive came to an end all too soon.

An afterwards I suddenly realised that during that time, the Daily had exuded not one single squeak or rattle, despite its onerous task.

Verdict

It’s tougher and bigger than a Land Rover and half the price of a Unimog.

Iveco has well and truly carved out its own niche sector with this vehicle.