Volvo's super 'sleeper' tipper
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Every truck maker has a "sleeper" hidden away in its model line-up...a vehicle that's left to find itself a home in a niche market away from the mainstream spotlight. Volvo's supercharged FL.626 six-wheeler is a prime example of a sleeper. But having driven it, we really can't understand why.
• by Brian Weatherley
Volvo unveiled its supercharged and turbocharged 5.5litre engine at the 1992 Hanover Show, and it made a big impression with Commercial Motor. Having experienced the doubleblower technology in the little six-pot, we wrote: 'We cant help but wonder what this system would do to a seven-litre lump in, say, Volvo's FLT-260 tipper."
Maybe the lights were on back in Gothenburg, but they'd all gone to the sauna. It wasn't until 1997 that Volvo finally put this engine where it would do most good—in a 6x4 rigid.
The 26-tonne FL626 is an unashamed hybrid, with a cab from Volvo's 18-tonne FL6 on top of a pukka 6x4 chassis. It also borrows the FL6's 5.5-litre D6A engine, which is rated at 230hp when turbocharged, and 250hp with supercharging on top of the regular turbo.
Why the double blow? Because supercharging addresses the age-old problem of low-speed turbo-lag. On the 250hp D6A the mechanical Roots-type blower works up to around 1,500rpm where it's disengaged, leaving the exhaust-driven turbo to take over.
The net result of super/turbocharging is impressive low-speed torque output from a relatively light engine. The 230 and 250hp D6A engines both develop 825Nm of peak torque, but on the super-turbo 250 at least 800Nm is available from 1,25Orpm.
If there's a hole in Volvo's UK range it's a lightweight 6x4, not least for mixer work. The F1626 plugs that hole. It's half a tonne lighter than the latest FM7 250, and working at the 26-tonne limit it offers an impressive body/payload. But can a 5.5litre engine handle 26 tonnes? There was only one way to find out...
SPECIFICATION Model; Day cab 6x4 Volvo DEA in-line six engine rated at 230hp (turbo) or 250hp (super/turbo) with 850Nm peak torque.
Volvo nine-speed R800 synchro box. Volvo CTEN7 double-drive bogie on the latest three-spring 8-Ride suspension. Wheelbase options: 3.9,41, 4A and 4.8m.
Chassis weight with full tank: 6,770kg on the 3.9m-wheelbase model. Payload with PPG alloy body and Meillor tipping gear fitted to the 3.9mwheelbase chassis tested: 17,680kg at a 26-tonne GVW.
Price:148,425 for a F1.626 with the D6A250 engine; £46575 with the D6A230 engine.
• IMPRESSIONS
Getting into the F1626 is easy. Its deep steps are mounted well out of harm's way. Inside, the 14-year-old FL6 cabin is holding up relatively well; let's just say it's functional and leave it at that. Our test truck came with clothcovered seats and carpet, but vinyl covers for the seats and engine hump are available as an option.
Despite the extra blower a small sticker on the engine hump reminds you to "always pull away in first", so unless you're starting off downhill you'll he using every cog in the box. Fortunately the Volvo nine-speeder is Slick to use, and pretty light too.
Given the 064's modest displacement you need to keep it spinning. Initially we took it all the way up to the top of the green band at 2,200rpm before making a shift, but we found that while the little six pulls strongest above 1,600rom, it will lug down quite happily to around 1,200 and recover as the supercharger winds up. In short, it copes surprisingly well. The transition from blower to turbo is seamless, the only clue to the supercharger's operation being a faint whine like a distant police siren. Interior noise levels are impressively low.
With such a small capacity and law back pressure the little 08A's exhaust brake never stood a chance. We gave up on it; so should Volvo. The F1626's rear-axle gearing reinforces its projected short-haul urban role: at 60mph it wasn't far off the red, revving at 2,500rpm. This isn't a motorway cruiser.
Where it does score is on payload. With a PPG alloy body and Meillor gear, our super sixer tared out at 8,320kg. With a load of aggregate on board we were grossing around 25 tonnes—at the 26-tonne limit that would equate to a payload of 17.68 tonnes.
If you're doing six trips a day and can squeeze in another, then the FL626's earning potential looks good, whether you're carrying gravel or 6m3 of concrete. It's very competitive against the MAN 26.2840FK (CM 3-9 June 1999) and could also show its teeth to the Neco Ford Super Cargo.
But no matter what we say about the F1626 its likely to remain a sleeper. We probably won't be offered one for a full roadtest; If we were we wouldn't expect it to break any fuel records. But according to one operator who's borrowed the same truck It's been averaging 9.4 mpg on local work, and that's in Derbyshire.
If you're looking for a tipper that's hungry for payload around the town, the F1626 is worth looking at. But don't expect Volvo to shout about it.