Eicher Pro 1049 Review | Special Feature

When I got an opportunity to drive the Eicher Pro Series sub 5 tonne vehicle I was only too willing to travel to the Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicle (VECV) plant in Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh. I was a tad disappointed with the test track at the plant. It was being re constructed to extend the length of the plant. The track I had to test could barely test the speed of the vehicle because of its limited length. But then I decided not to brood and go ahead with my review.

The Pro series of VECV consists of the 1000 SERIES (5 - 14 tonnes), 3000 SERIES (10 - 15 tonnes), 6000 SERIES (16 - 40 tonnes) and 8000 SERIES (25 - 49 tonnes). The Pro 1049 is the latest addition to the Pro 1000 series and is a sub 5 tonne vehicle. While the 8000 series is made at the Hoskote plant of Volvo Eicher in Karnataka, the others are made in Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh.

Though the pro series 1049 comes in both BS III and BS IV engine options, I was thankfully given the one with the BS IV engine to drive. The Pro 1049 is powered by an E483, 4 Cyl, 3.3L CRS diesel engine which delivers around 95hp @ 2600 rpm and a peak torque of 300 Nm @ 1600-1800 rpm. Trucks are not about speed and acceleration but rather about load bearing capacity and its pull power. Torque is a very important factor in such vehicles as they have to climb steep roads bearing tonnes of load.

 The diesel engine of the Pro 1049 is quite robust and it is mated to a five speed gearbox. Thankfully, this vehicle comes with a Hybrid Gear Shifting Lever (HGSL) which in essence offers less gear shifting effort and reduces driver fatigue.

The vehicle has a contemporary designed cabin with “Pegasus” look in front and clear lens integrated headlamps. From the driver’s seat the view outside is wide and clear, thanks to the optimised design windshield. Among the sub 5 tonne vehicles in the CV segment in India, this one stands out for its practical features that it has to offer. Apart from the wide windscreen, the vehicle comes with tilt and telescopic steering, offering driver friendly 30 mm telescopic movement.

But more than the looks and speed of a commercial vehicle, it is the spaciousness that really matters. The Pro 1049 has a spacious cargo with around 5.6 Sqm with a loading deck length of 10ft “the longest” - ideal for applications like fruits & vegetable, poultry, milk, LPG cylinder, water can distribution etc.

Another practical feature is that it has a best in class cargo body height from the ground (1290 mm) which is suitable for easy and fast loading and unloading. While in passenger vehicles, it is the ease to enter and exit that really matters, here the loading and unloading of goods is of great importance. Eicher claims that ever since the Pro 1049 was introduced in the Indian market in 2016, it has grabbed more than 22pc market share in the sub 5 tonne segment in the country’s CV space. SO the next time you go out to buy your vegetables and milk and other groceries, you can thank your Eicher Pro 1049 for delivering them to your nearest shop.