New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
Merc Sprinter gets ESP upgrade for 2012
Mercedes-Benz will be fitting the latest generation Bosch Adaptive 9i ESP system to all Sprinters as standard from January 2012. Like the current Adaptive ESP 8.1 system, fitted since the current generation Sprinter was introduced, the new ESP 9i takes the vehicle load into account. Depending on the weight and position of the vehicle's centre of gravity, the ESP sensors enable the load to be calculated at any given time, ensuring that it can stabilise the vehicle when necessary.Adaptive ESP 9i brings with it two additional features — Brake Disc Wipe and Electronic Brake Prefill. In wet weather, the former applies light braking pressure to the brakes at regular intervals to clear water from the discs. If emergency braking becomes necessary, full braking power is available immediately, reducing the stopping distance compared with wet discs.
If the accelerator pedal is released suddenly, Electronic Brake Prefill automatically and gently applies brake pressure to eliminate in advance the air gap between brake pad and disc. If emergency braking then occurs, milliseconds will have been saved as the friction surfaces will already be in contact, resulting in a shorter stopping distance.
