Review: Volvo FH16

As David Meredith discovers, Volvo's new FH16 flagship is a heady blend of performance, comfort, and cutting-edge technology

I’d already driven the new Volvo FH several times, including on an exclusive run in one of the engineering development rigs doing big kilometres in Australia six months before the truck’s global release. But the trip on which I was about to embark was to be my first journey of serious distance in the truck that is Volvo’s flagship rig, designed to be the marque's peak of truck engineering for some years to come.

Volvo's FH line offers GCMs up to 100 tonnes – more if you work with the factory – and it defines the Volvo brand in Australian trucking. In our unique long-distance trucking conditions, the FH is regarded by many as unconquerable.

Volvo developed this latest version from rubber to roof panel for a long life at the top. The options list illustrates the factory's objectives, with two engine lines – 13 litres and 16 litres – and a range of power/torque outputs that allows operators to perfectly match truck to task.

The 13-litre engine is available in Euro 5 or Euro 6 guise, with power from 420hp to 540hp. The 16-litre engine overlaps, starting at 540hp and heading up to the 750hp monster popular with the heavy-haulage lads.

The FH's interstate credentials were on test here, with a 700hp version complete with a rear axle matched for comfortable and fuel-efficient cruising, a fully laden B-double set and the Globetrotter XL hotel-on-wheels cab.

Volvo hasn’t just been stuck on developing the FH though. The rest of the range – the compact FE, the FM all-rounder and the hard-as-nails FMX, a construction specialist – have all been thoroughly re-engineered, with many of the advanced features released in the FH running down through the entire truck range. [

Ed: click here for the full trucksales.com.au story on Volvo's recent 2014 range media launch.

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This test truck was one of 10 that were built early in 2013 for release and demo activity later in the year.

Once in the cab [note: accompanying photos feature a mix of Australian- and European-spec interiors], it’s obvious the FH dishes up a range of important features that make truck life supremely comfortable and therefore safe. Both seats are the epitome of comfort: both have dual armrests and the neck support can be adjusted independently of the backrest. There’s plenty of legroom for a stretch of the large muscle groups, too.

Most key functions are at the driver's fingertips on the steering wheel, so you can manage the FH in speed zones by finger rather than foot. The cruise control includes an adaptive speed function, which manages the gap between you and traffic ahead by time instead of distance. You can also set the cruise control tolerance so that it’s a soft engage and disengage, rather than an abrupt cut-off at a set speed.

Accommodation is designed with overnight trips in mind. The cab is more than head high, the floor is just about completely flat and the facilities are excellent, with a very comfortable double bunk bed as standard.

The FH is styled with a severe downwards slope to the side glass that maximises vision out front and for every segment of a driver’s peripheral vision. It also means a lower windscreen, so there’s no excuse in an FH to claim you didn’t see the thing you hit. It was great to maneuver as well, particularly as a B-double. With a large and wrinkle free set of mirrors, reversing was dead easy.

Volvo’s driver trainer, Paul Munro, was with me on this run, and as we climbed on board he casually informed me that (with his help) my challenge was to get from the Sydney suburb of Chullora to the start of the M1 freeway via Centenary Drive, Concord Road, Lane Cove Road and the Pacific Highway without stopping – in peak hour traffic! While my first thought was 'impossible', my response was, “Piece of cake” – and the challenge was on.

It would mean using every trick up the big Volvo’s sleeve to keep moving while threading 62 tonnes and 26 metres of truck through multiple lanes of cars, other heavy vehicles and lunatic cyclists – normal Sydney peak hour.

Volvo’s biggest and best has all the skills needed to manage congestion – fantastic vision over the top of the traffic, an auxiliary brake system that automatically blends with the service brakes, the most versatile automated manual transmission on the market, and plenty of low-down torque from the big 16-litre engine.

Unfortunately I failed the test due to two five-minute delays that were totally out of my control. But those instances aside I never once stopped. Traffic lights, bus stops, pedestrian crossings, school zones – using manual mode on the I-Shift gearbox I dropped down to crawler gear well before blockages and just kept moving. Some cars darted in the gap I had to leave, but mostly the biggest Volvo was intimidating enough to deter the cowboys.

The test within a test showed how a mixture of the latest technology and patience can reduce driveline stress, and fuel, dramatically. We only used the clutch for take-offs twice in 50 minutes, in peak-hour traffic. At full weight, that would have a marked effect on clutch and driveline longevity over a truck’s lifetime.

Once we hit the open road, the interruptions, changing conditions and back-to-back road works through NSW and into Queensland really tested the Volvo’s ability to conquer big distances.

Volvo’s I-Shift is not only the leading AMT on the market, it also has the best manual-mode features. On the long, steep hills that are always hard work for B-doubles I switched to Power mode as we started to climb. The shifts are faster and the engine revs run another few hundred rpm before making the change. Nearing the peaks, I pressed the button behind the selector lever to go back into Eco mode and the truck eased over the top at around 1100rpm.

Despite being fully electronically controlled, the driver has many options at their fingertips for managing progress. Slipping the lever to manual mode allowed me to hold a gear to save a gear change. In Auto, I could still drop a gear by clicking the button on the side of the selector, boosting revs for a faster climb or more engine brake effect. If I pressed and held the down button, the 'box would hold the gear until I let go, allowing me to force the engine to lug down to the bottom of the torque curve if I could see it would still get me over the hill. Less noise, less fuel and hardly any slower.

For the first time while travelling in a truck on the highway, I could hear cicadas screeching in the bushes along the roadside, with all the windows shut and even under full power. Despite 700 horses in the corral, that’s how quiet the FH16 really is.

As we eventually reached the outskirts of Brisbane, I realised the 'no-stop challenge' had continued the whole trip, as both Paul and I kept it going through all the country towns we passed through. I also realised that no other B-double prime mover I had tested previously had the technology package to match this capability, and if operators bought the new FH with only this in mind, enlisting Volvo’s comprehensive driver training program too, they’d be on track for big savings in fuel and maintenance.

The FH is a critical product for Volvo worldwide, not only for revenue but for reputation. The engineering development that is evident when you climb aboard and start it up is such that it will apply significant downwards pressure on whole-of-life costs, enabling operators to combine a better business decision with refreshing the appearance of their fleet, impressing customers and drivers alike.

VOLVO FH16 SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE: Volvo D16G700

POWER: 700hp (515kW) at 1550rpm to 1800rpm

TORQUE: 3150Nm at 1000rpm to 1550rpm

EMISSIONS: ADR 80/03

STD TRANSMISSION: Volvo I-Shift ATO3112D

OPT TRANSMISSION: N/A

CONFIGURATION: 6x4

TARE: According to specification

GVM: 24,500kg

GCM: 62,000kg (up to 120,000kg on specification)

WHEELBASE: 3000mm to 3600mm

BRAKES: Disc

CABS: Standard sleeper and Globetrotter

WEB: www.volvotrucks.com/trucks/australia-market/en-au

Review: Volvo FH16

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