In the driving seat: ergonomics and comfort
The driving position has been designed to offer each driver his or her ideal position.
The seat has air suspension, and is adjustable for length, height and tilt. It is upholstered in velour and offers a series of seating positions and back support. It is also heated, and comes with an integrated headrest and integrated seat belt. The suspension can be deflated for greater ease in getting out of the vehicle.
The positon (height and angle) of the steering wheel can be adjusted, with a high joint which allows for considerable movement, up to a total of 20°, reaching a maximum 40° angle from vertical. There is a heel-operated pneumatic floor pedal for unlocking the wheel column in order to adjust its position or move it towards the windscreen when the driver gets out of the vehicle or enters the rest area, as well as for locking it into position.
Particular attention has gone into the design of the door panel: the arm rest under the window holds the electric window controls, as well as the controls for the demister and the electric controls for the rear view mirrors. These controls are operated with two buttons: one to select the mirror to adjust, which is visualised on the dashboard, and the other to move the mirror in four directions. The lower part of the side window is blocked off to protect the driver’s privacy. The door also has two storage compartments, the smaller of which is located right by the driver’s hand. And the final touch is the velour upholstery on the doors to match the seats.
Controls above …
The centre of the steering wheel – designed to hold the airbag, which will shortly be available – has a number of side buttons. They can be operated with the fingertips, without letting go of the steering wheel. The buttons on the left control the radio (station selection and volume) and telephone. The buttons on the right are for navigating the menu of the on-board computer and visualising all the information on the screen at the centre of the dashboard.
…and below the steering wheel
There are two steering column switches below the steering wheel. The one on the left controls visibility and lighting functions (windscreen wipers, directional lights and the switch between full beam and dipped headlights). The right column switches control the Cruise Control and engine brake, namely the decompression brake mounted as standard on Cursor engines. There is also a “speed programming” function that automatically engages the engine brake if the vehicle exceeds the speed memorised in the regulator (when going downhill for example). If the vehicle has a hydraulic transmission brake (Intarder ZF), the same switch controls this function, with four additional positions with respect to the engine brake control.
The “rotating” gearstick
With Servoshift assistance as standard on the two ZF Ecosplit gearboxes, the length and degree of movement of the gearstick have been reduced. The gearstick is now located on the floor beside the seat in a position which facilitates access to the centre of the cab from the driver’s seat.
Iveco has come up with an original feature for vehicles fitted with the EuroTronic full-automated gearboxes. The block at the right of the seat holding the gear stick can rotate 180° when the vehicle is stationary, thus completely freeing up the passage from the seat to the centre of the cabin.
A screen at the centre of the dashboard
The dashboard in front of the driver has a rounded top in order to leave all the information visible independently of the position of the steering wheel. The dashboard contains the speedometer, total and trip mileometer, the revs counter and the two analogue gauges which show fuel levels and the temperature of the liquid coolant in the engine. The tachograph has been moved to above the windscreen; for the time being it is still in disc format, but this will shortly be replaced by the European standard, and will record all the running parameters on a cassette support.
At the centre of the dashboard there is a 5” colour screen divided into three areas. The upper part shows permanent indications (Cruise Control regulation and the speed limiter), while the central area indicates the level of oil and air pressure and checks the various functions before setting off. The driver can then visualise engine functions and a variety of journey informations (fuel consumption and average speeds, for example). The lower part signals any problems. To the sides and above the screen are the lights for the headlamps and indicators, the functions selected (engine braking, braking system, differential locking, power take-off, etc.) and some alarms.
Dashboard controls
The controls on the dashboard are divided up logically. For instance, to the left are the switches for the lights and full beam lights, and the front and back fog lamps, while on the right the driver will find all the driving controls: ASR exclusion, ABS limitation and hazard warning lights.
The other controls (interior lighting, sunroof, electric front sun visor, power take-off, etc.) are located on the central part of the console which faces the driver. The same panel holds the lever for the parking brake and the controls for the heating and air-conditioning.
Electric and pneumatic features
The panel in front of the driver above the windscreen has four standardised DIN compartments: one each for the electronic tachograph and the radio, a third for the CB and the fourth left empty.
To avoid having to work on the electrics, the Active Space cab has numerous sets of wiring as standard, which can be used for various purposes. The radio (if the customer does not choose the Iveco radio). The CB, a 12V socket on the panel. A telephone support built into the dashboard, independently of the Iveco phone, which is available on request. And lastly, on the right of the central module, a 24V socket and a socket for compressed air (for cleaning by blowing the dust away…), beside the diagnostic socket for Iveco service technicians use
