Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America Inc. introduced its new Canter FE130 work truck at the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis on March 5. Its new entry into the Class 3 segment boosts GVWR and body/payload capacity by 700 lb. over the previous FE125 model.
According to the company, the boost in GVWR is actually the second part of a program to expand the utility and versatility of its Class 3 offering. In making the introduction, Todd Bloom, MFTA’s president and chief executive officer, said, “Strategically, this new truck is a direct result of our continuing efforts to improve and refine our products to provide increasing value to FUSO owners. We added a long-wheelbase option to our 2014 model FE125 as a running change in the fall of 2013. The new 169.3” wheelbase option allows installation of 20’ bodies—which greatly expanded the cargo volume capabilities of our lightest truck. For our customers who transport high-bulk items, this is a real benefit. But those who haul heavier items could only take advantage of the longer wheelbase if the GVWR also increased. And that’s where the new FE130 comes in.”
Model designations for FUSO commercial trucks are derived from their GVWRs. The GVWR for the new FE130 is 13,200 lb., compared to 12,500 lb. for the truck it replaces, while Individual axle ratings for the new FE130 — 5,360 lb. front and 9,880 lb. rear—sum to 2,040 lb. more than the FE130’s GVWR. According to Leighton Good, MFTA manager of product and applications, “That GVWR-to-axle-rating margin provides the loading flexibility for the FE130 that FUSO owners have come to rely on and expect.”
The company notes that a 700 lb. increase in body/payload capacity, particularly when coupled with the long-wheelbase option, significantly improves the efficiency of the truck, allowing the operator to carry more in each trip, and thereby reducing overall transportation costs.
The Canter FE130 also offers a number of other improvements, foremost among them a performance increase to go along with the increased GVW rating.
According to Good, “While the horsepower and torque rating of the engine haven’t changed, MFTBC engineers have been able to make refinements to the programming that manages the complex interactions among engine operating parameters, transmission shift points and emissions control system behavior. As a result, the new FE130 will outperform an equivalent FE125, not only in acceleration from a stop and while underway, but also in responsiveness at steady speeds and during deceleration. At the same time, the truck remains in full compliance with OBD II and EPA 10 emissions requirements.”
Additionally, to simplify daily checks, the company says it will be making a running change early in the model year to relocate the engine oil dipstick to the driver side and position it to allow the oil to be checked without tilting the cab. The new dipstick location is intended to encourage Canter owners and operators to perform the regular pre-trip fluid checks it recommends as an integral part of a professional maintenance program. In another nod to human nature and improved serviceability, the company is changing the DEF tank cap color to bright blue to reduce the risk of something other than diesel emissions fluid being added to the DEF tank.
According to Bloom, though, the single greatest advantage of the new FE130 is its increased load-carrying capacity, regardless of vocation. “That 700 additional pounds,” he said, “means two more zero-turn landscaper mowers or 700 lb. more mulch per trip. Or 33 additional cases of soda, 560 loaves of bread or 1,806 bananas. And that’s what the new FUSO Canter FE130 is all about. Helping businesses thrive by giving them a lower cost-of-ownership alternative for their truck transport needs.”
The new Canter FE130 and other FUSO 2015 models should be available at dealers by mid-April.
