Giti Tyres Big Test - No-frills FUSO
In marketing-speak it's a "muddy it up and wash it out, no-nonsense range of trucks, built with one purpose -getting the job done." The sales pitch for the new FUSO Enduro range of trucks calls them workhorses -with "value that's hard to beat"....emphasising their "state-of-the-art Daimler build quality, proven heritage and a three-year manufacturer's warranty."
So here it is....straight: The Enduro is a range of FUSO trucks built in India -constructed at a world-class Daimler Trucks plant and using a proven Mercedes-Benz engine and transmission....
But going without "all the latest bells and whistles" of their Japanese equivalents, and taking advantage of India's lower overheads and labour costs -that combination meaning that they're also cheaper than the FUSO Canter and Fighter ranges that they borrow from.
Pirelli Trevor Test
This is more of a Medium Test rather than a Big Test: John Fillmore Contracting's FUSO Enduro FO3128 8x4 is the largest of the Enduro range -but with only 285hp it's certainly not anywhere near the power nor the GVM rating of the trucks we usually road test.
To put it into context, I was driving a 285hp Mack back in the late 1970s/early '80s -and in those days, that was a big truck. In truth it was a bit different, in that it had an 11-litre engine that developed 1464Nm of torque at 1000rpm -whereas the Enduro's engine is a 6.4-litre, developing 1120Nm at 1200-1600rpm.