UD Croner PKE

On the inside too, there are many similarities between the UD Croner PKE and the bigger trucks from the Quester range of heavy duty trucks. The overall layout of the controls, two spoke steering wheel and the large instrument console have been retained from the Quester range. However, unlike in the Quester, the UD Croner PKE gets its interior cabin in a better looking dual tone finish of black and grey. However, the layout itself is plain and could have been made a bit more appealing.

The truck gets all the essentials in the form of a 1-DIN audio system, power windows, manual AC and storage spaces inside the cabin. It even gets the added convenience of cruise control.

The UD Croner PKE takes much of the inspiration in its styling from the bigger heavy duty Quester range of trucks, but has its own visual appeal which is different from the latter. For a medium duty truck, the UD Croner PKE visually looks big and wide, which do work in its favour for giving it a desirable visual appeal.

At the front, the UD Croner PKE comes with a large windshield which is curved from the outer side edges and gets two wiper system, both of which move in opposite directions. The two part grille present below the windshield covers a majority of the areas of both front apron and front bumper, and share their design with the grille of the bigger Quester truck, if not completely.

The two part grille of the UD Croner PKE is a combination of a trapezoidal grille with horizontal slats in the front apron and an inverted trapezoidal grille in the front bumper, the latter of which is smaller and slimmer than the one present on the front apron. The front bumper of the truck has tapered edges towards its outer corners and comes with large trapezoidal headlamp units with fog lamps below them.

The side profile of the UD Croner PKE looks somewhat similar to that of the Quester range, with all the highlights and their placement being in the exact same manner as that in the latter. It comes with the traditional design elements like tapering down window waistline, black door handles, body side molding over the semi-rounded wheel arches and climbing steps and outer rear view mirrors hinged on the door panels. There is a nice vertically laid trapezoidal black panel behind the windows, which have rounded lower rear edge and comes with three small slats within it, thus serving as a nice and distinctive design element. 

The mains chassis of the UD Croner PKE is made up of rubber journaled V-stays and reduction rods as well as rubber springs between leaf springs and rear axles, which work quite well in giving the truck a smooth ride. In terms of brakes, the UD Croner PKE has been fitted with a full air brake system with an automatic slack adjuster and exhaust brake system.

The UD Croner PKE is being offered with an 8.0-liter six-cylinder GH8 series engine, which was engineered on the lines of Volvo D8 engine. The engine is available in two states of tune – 250 bhp of power and 950 Nm of torque, which comes paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox, and 280 bhp of power and 1050 Nm of torque, which has been paired to a 9-speed manual transmission. Also on offer with both the engine options is a 6-speed automatic transmission as an option.

The only safety equipment which the UD Croner PKE gets includes optional ABS and basic seat belts.

For a medium-duty truck, the UD Croner PKE has got a great road presence and a torquey engine. With both of them coming from a much larger heavy-duty truck, the UD Croner PKE is capable of its core abilities, thus making it a practical and desirable option in its category.