Road Test: Iveco S-Way 570

Iveco has seen a resurgence in the UK courtesy of the S-Way, which is building a solid reputation among drivers and hauliers alike. We put their flagship 570 to work for a week to see how it stacks up.

Since the Iveco S-Way was launched in 2019 and eventually reached our shores at the end of 2020, the range has developed a quiet success story. The status of the brand and its standing among both hauliers and drivers has come a long way.

Back in the days of the Stralis, which was - and is - far better than online trolls would have you believe, it was often criticised and derided, often by those who had never actually driven one.

With the S-Way, those sorts of jibes are as relevant as making jokes about Skoda cars. Those offering their witty opinions on Facebook are now marked out and often picked up on the fact they simply don't know what they're talking about. 'Durrr Iveco has it broked down yet lol'... oh go away. Thing is, the S-Way is genuinely very good and it's just as well; we only have seven truck brands and Iveco's sales at the end of the Stralis were so low that if the S-Way didn't improve things, you have to wonder if they'd decide mucking about with right-hand drive midlifts was more hassle than it was worth.

The S-Way did improve things for Iveco in the UK though; it's obvious as you see them everywhere now. Helped by the global supply chain issues and competitive pricing, many hauliers took a punt on one or two. What's interesting to note now is those initial seed vehicles are being followed up with orders for five, or 10.

They've been winning over drivers thanks to the strong performance and well-laid-out cab, while the dealer network appears to have stepped up to the plate. R&M contacts are very competitive too, so the S-Way represents big value.

Top power

The flagship is the Cursor 13-litre 570. Iveco wisely tested the driveline in the late Stralis at Euro 6c so it was good to go in the S-Way.

There's since been an engine update with the only 11-litre now the 460, which we tested in 2021 and found it to be very capable for a fleet engine. The 480 is no more, replaced by the 'Fuel Hero' 490; and the 510 has been updated to 530. Euro 6e also brought in longer gearing for the 490 and 530, although curiously not the 570.

The 530 and 570 both have 2500Nm of torque, which isn't the highest in the 13-litre category, but it's available over a wide spread of the rev band. This makes the engine incredibly flexible and it's backed up by gearbox software that won't wait too long to downshift if needed. Any of them go well, but the star is the 570, which many opted for simply due to the price - might as well go for the top model.

There were a few documented cases of initial resistance to fleet newcomers, until the driver who got it realised it pulled like a train, the doors shut with a thud and there really wasn't much not to like. They didn't want to hand it back.

Test spec

The truck here is a 2023 model 570 which is the first one we've tested with front air suspension. It comes with leather heated and cooled seat, swivel passenger seat, a fridge and multimedia system.

There's loads of space in the overhead lockers, which are made of substantial material and feature gas dampers. It's practical with twin USB points at either end of the bunk, and an upper bunk and four external lockers. The smart, flat-bottomed steering wheel features the main screen and cruise controls.

The various info screens are accessed using a simple grid system. The wheel has just about enough adjustment for most drivers, but could be better. One of two gripes we have with the S-Way is the height of the driver seat - it's way too high with the air up and we have to drive with it dumped.

At a height of 5ft 11in in work boots, that must mean a lot of drivers must need to do the same. The second issue is the brake pedal feel. It's bouncy like a pogo stick and requires too much force to get the required result.

Ivecos have always been like this and it's about time they addressed it. The brakes will work fine, but it's hard to be progressive with it - even when you're well used to the truck. This one is fitted with the ZF retarder which offers enormous stopping power, but care has to be taken on damp surfaces.

The gear selector buttons are to the left of the steering wheel, while the manual selection is on the same stalk as the retarder. Rumours abound of a major update coming for the S-Way which will include a digital dash, and it wouldn't surprise us if they moved all the gear controls onto the stalk, as per the trend we've seen with the other two ZF gearbox users: MAN and DAF. The dash layout is simple, logical and easy to get on with, with all the major functions on buttons in the centre console - although the diff lock is where you'd expect the headlights to be and vice versa.

Speaking of headlights, this truck has the bendy beam function that points at corners, and the LED set-up is so effective you rarely ever need full beam.

Week on the road

We put the truck to work for a week with LM Transport, who have run a few Ivecos over the years including a Stralis 560. They're actually on the lookout for a used S-Way - as a lot of other hauliers will be - but they're very thin on the ground at the moment as even those initial fleet trucks are yet to hit three years old. The first two days of the week saw runs up to RAF Lossiemouth, which entailed plenty of challenging, twisting roads.

The S-Way is one of the best handling trucks, with little body roll and responsive steering. It was very enjoyable navigating the roads through the Whiskey Trail and Cairngorms. Some trucks with front air can feel vague and floaty on corners and undulating roads, but not the Iveco.

If you're a driver who enjoys driving, you'll enjoy this, especially with the abundance of power the free-revving 570 has. However, the brake pedal does give you some moments to think about at times, which is a shame as otherwise you can really lock into what you're doing and make great progress. Without doubt the most interesting and challenging load of the week was a flatbed trailer load of 'engines' which were initially believed to be crated.

They were not. With 12 ratchet straps on board, that was plenty for two rows of nine crates; but it transpired they were scrap engines attached to gearboxes, with a bonus of an entire Toyota HiLux in bits - all destined for Africa from Elgin via Glasgow. Squeezed into a tight yard, the bits and pieces just kept coming and this presented a challenge.

How to get all this secured safely with 12 straps? Was it possible? The yard was closing before it was strapped, and unable to turn around, a long reverse back out into the industrial estate was required (great low-speed throttle control from the S-Way) for the strapping to begin.

It was like Tetris. HiLux doors, bumpers and interior were all shifted around to ensure straps ran through or across them as well as the engines. It took about 2.5 hours, but we got there.

Quite proud of it, actually.

Down south

The drive south required the use of some very hilly and twisty roads, so the load was monitored like a hawk and the straps checked twice on the first few miles. All good. Nearly on nine hours' driving for the day, a lovely peaceful location in a wide layby beside a river in the Cairngorms was home for the night.

We never once parked in a truckstop all week, although we were able to make use of the shower at Route 74 Lesmahagow Truckstop which cost GBP3, and at Newtonmore Grill just off the A9 south of Inverness at a cost of GBP2. We also had dinner there, which was nice; it's a real hidden gem of a truckstop, that one, and well worth stopping in for a break or overnight if you're in the area. At Lesmahagow there are signs on the doors imploring drivers not to crap in the showers, as there had been a number of incidents of this recently.

Insanity. The truckstop is fully booked every night and could probably double in size. Losing Lockerbie truckstop earlier this year is so frustrating.

As it was, when parked at the roadside, the old wash basin and gas stove was used to heat water and have a sponge bath. The glamour of truck driving. On the road at 4am with the engines, the trailer threw up an ABS fault.

Modern trucks with AEBS systems really don't like it when this happens, and the Iveco continually complained about it until it threw up a BCM fault on the A9, which locked out the steering wheel controls - meaning no cruise. We opted to disconnect the battery and that solved it. Always carry some basic tools in a truck.

Duct tape, cable ties and WD40 don't hurt either. The trailer was VOR'd as soon as it was back. Before that, the engines had to be dropped off in Glasgow at an old steel works.

Waiting for a Volvo FH with tag axle and rear-steer trailer only just exit the building, we thought "oh no" as the midlift Iveco with normal 45ft tri-axle was going to be even tighter. It took many shunts, with the tyres running right along the edge of a kerb and the cab tight to a fence, but we got there in the end. The loose surface even required the use of the weight-transfer button and diff lock.

Our Verdict

The S-Way ran pretty light for most of the week and as a result returned 11mpg.

It's geared to run at 1250rpm at 56 mph, which is a bit shorter than most trucks these days. As it was fresh out the box, the gear responses were a little more muted; you need to get some weight on these trucks and let the gearbox software learn for them to liven up. The predictive cruise was pretty intelligent, as was the implementation of eco-roll - although it would be nice to be able to engage it with a blip of the throttle as per some rivals.

Overall, the S-Way 570 is a real 'underdog come good' story. There are total cost of ownership factors to consider, but the fact is you can buy five of these for the price of three Scania 560 Supers. The Scania is an exceptional truck; however, the vastly cheaper Iveco is a very good truck indeed.

If Iveco update the dash and sort the brake pedal and seat base out, along with finally making a right-hand drive tag-axle, the sky is the limit for this truck.