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gakMt SPECIAL TEST: VOLVO VN vs FORD AEROMAX I n 1971

12th December 1996
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Page 34, 12th December 1996 — gakMt SPECIAL TEST: VOLVO VN vs FORD AEROMAX I n 1971
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Volvo shipped eight F86 tractors over to the US for evaluation. It was a shrewd move: last year the Swedish manufacturer registered 23,410 trucks in America.

When the US market is good, it's very good but—but when it's bad, it's lousy. This year Volvo has well and truly been on the rack. Sales are down by 39%, while the company's income has nosedived to such an extent that in the third quarter of 1996 it lost £64m across the Atlantic.

Fortunately, hope is at hand. Volvo sees its new bonneted truck, the VN, as its American dream. Launched in the US in September, and displayed at the recent Hanover Show, the VN is about as close as anyone has yet come to producing a "world truck" (the Swedes prefer to call it "globalised, modular construction").

Either way, it has a lot in common with the Volvo FH currently running on European roads. Some 30% of the day-cab VN's panels are shared with the FH and sent from Sweden to the New River Valley assembly plant in Virginia. Where the VN differs from its Continental cousin is that its cab is 2.2m wide compared with the full-width FH cab's 2.5m.

Volvo is also trying hard to tempt US operators away from traditional Cummins, Detroit Diesel and Caterpillar engines with the D12A electronically controlled six-pot, which powers the FH. But it won't be easy. US top-weight operators remain firmly wedded to "component trucks", naming their favourite proprietary engines, gearboxes and axles.

Given the VN and FH's common ancestry, will Volvo sell its bonneted truck in Europe? According to Gothenburg, there is "no intention to introduce the VN into Europe for the time being". That's hardly surprising last year Volvo sold exactly 83 bonneted trucks in Europe out of a total of 1,023, equating to just 0.6% of the total truck market.

However, Sweden reckons that situation could change. "If there was a large customer demand then we'd have to consider it," says the company, "but you can't just take a VN and sell it in Europe."

That's certainly true. For a start you'd need to do a lot of work to the electrics (the US trucks run on 12V systems) and brakes to get it through ELI acceptance.

Say Volvo did take the plunge

with the VN; would European road hauliers want one? CM'S Brian Weatherley recently got to grips with a variety of VNs in the US to see if they're missing anything.

• PRODUCT PROFILE US operators spec trucks like they're at the pick'n'mix counter at Woolworths, with options to send a UK fleet engineer's head spinning. The VN comes as a VNM (medium) or VNL (long) conventional (American parlance for a normal-control or bonneted truck) with bumper-to-back-of-cab dimensions of 2.87 and 3.12m respectively.

Having decided on the size of bonnet you want up front, you then have to choose how much room you want in the back. Alongside the VN day cab are two integral sleepers The 420 measures 1.05m from the B-post to the back of the cab with1.52m of headroom and a single bunk. Alternatively you could splash out on a 610 with 1.55m of sleeper space and 1.96m of headroom with either a single or double bunk. Next April they will be joined by a monster 760 integral sleeper that looks big enough to take a bowling alley in the back with 1.93m of space.

Choosing the size of the sleeper is only half the job. You still need to pick one of four trim levels and colours (including one called the "legacy") and then it's time to start looking at engines.

The "standard" power unit is Volvo's own D12A 12-litre in-line six, rated at 345hp. Not that "standard" means much when each of the VN models can just as easily have either a 10, 11,12 or 14-litre engine with outputs from 280550hp from Volvo, Cummins, Detroit Diesel or Caterpillar.

It's the same story on gearboxes and axles with a cornucopia of Volvo, Rockwell or Eaton boxes and a choice of single or double-drive back axles. By the time you hit suspension options you start to wonder what happened to the Henry Ford philosophy of customer choice.

US truck-makers have a soft spot for bolted chassis. The VN has an all-new design featuring what the company's marketing men breathlessly describe as "HSS" (high-strength steel). However, widespread use of aluminium and composites do hold down the VN 6x4's kerbweight to an impressive degree.

Rumour has it that not long before CM's arrival two leading Stateside fleet operators, Schneider and JIB I Iunt, had been given a European-built FIT cabover to evaluate. Their verdict, reportedly, was that it was "too heavy".

• ON THE ROAD Volvo recently shipped a small group of European truck journalists over to its US headquarters at Greensboro in North Carolina to try out the VN. CM'S first drive was in a day-cabbed 6x4 medium-length VNI'v164T tractor powered by a 400hp Cummins Mll with a 10-speed Rockwell constant-mesh box.

Hauling a US-made Kronert stainless-steel tank trailer, the outfit was running close to the US class 8 (heavy truck) top weight limit of 80,000lb, a little over 36 tonnes.

Tankers are notorious for their ride and this one was no exception, being hard and bouncy. There was also a lot of noise and a fair amount of vibration too in the compact day cab, though the M1 l's grunt was clearly amplified by having the vertical exhaust stack within two feet of the driver's ear.

However, there was no doubting the Mll's torque back-up-----a point we raised in the recent test of the Cummins'-powered Seddon Atkinson Strato. The 400hp C,elect engine dug in extremely well at low revs—just as well as the Rockwell 10-speed was not one of the easiest of constant-mesh boxes to use.

After a circuit we began to wonder whether the Americans had really made any progress under Swedish ownership. Our first taste of the VN left us distinctly unimpressed.

Desperate for something familiar—or at least with a more identifiable European flavour—we next tried a long-nose VNL64T 610 integral sleeper with a 425hp Volvo D12 diesel and 14-speed Volvo synchro-box. It was like stepping up into a parallel universe.

US trucks haven't exactly been known for ergonomic excellence but access into the longbonneted 6x4 VN was surprisingly good, helped by big progressive steps. Certainly there was none of the "climb up a ladder and shuffle across routine" that makes entry into many US trucks, especially cabovers, such a dubious cultural experience. Having the front axle well out of the way helps.

Once inside we were in for another surprise. The integral sleeper's dashboard is virtually identical to a regular FH cabover. Apart from the ridiculous push-pull buttons that the Americans insist on using to operate the parkbrake, and a rev counter without any colour coding, your average British FH pilot would have no trouble recognising it.

Basing the VN cab on the FH has had many benefits, not least in terms of visibility. By using the FH's low-profile cooling system Volvo has been able to give the VN a steeply-raked (18°) bonnet. This not only pro vides for a 14% better Cd drag coefficient than the old model but provides good forward visibility over the hood. Using EH doors with their sloping windows also ensures good lateral vision. If the VN looks a little like the FH then the Volvo-pow ered versions certainly drive like one. After the rock and roll of the medium-duty model, the longer 215in wheelbase VNL64T double bunk integral sleeper was everything we've come to expect from a European Volvo: quiet, relaxed, well-sprung, in short, downright driver-friendly.

The familiarity of the D12 engine and 14speed Volvo synchro box certainly meant we could spend more time appreciating the VN's American idiosyncrasies. It took us minutes to adjust to all that bonnet out front.

The VN's steering is light and very precise which made judging the position of the tractor's front corners easy when turning, even in confined spaces.

With the engine out front and a wide 762mm aisle between the seats, cross cab access is excellent, just like a flat-floor Renault Magnum. The gear lever on the VN Volvo box is certainly longer, rather spoiling its otherwise precise three-position gate, but it does give better leverage, bringing shift loads down.

To see what your typical Stateside owner driver hankers after in his Christmas stocking we switched to another VNL64T integral sleeper, but this time with a 500hp 14-litre 3406E Cat diesel and an 18-speed Fuller box.

Pulling a tandem axle-box trailer, the 3406E's horses were immediately obvious both in terms of acceleration and through the deep growl under the bonnet. It bodes well for 11■ Foden buyers looking for the ultimate big displacement diesel with torque to spare.

Heading out on to the highway, we were grossing just under 30 tonnes to give the truck something to work against. You'd hardly have known it from the in-cab noise which underlines the VN's European heritage; under full engine load we registered just over 73 dB(A); cruising at 65mph this dropped to 71dB(A).

The big Cat was perfectly matched to the impressively smooth 18-speed Fuller, which would find favour with any British driver used to a Twin Splitter.

On the road the VN sleeper handled well— at last the Americans are building ride comfort into a truck that has long been taken for granted by European operators. Now all they need to do is start building their roads to the same standards.

• CABIN REFINEMENTS Considering the size of the VN Integral sleeper you'd expect it to be a real home-fromhome, and it is.

What hits you immediately is how easy it is to move around in. No more swaying and shuffling about like a demented hunchback while you try and remove your trousers. There's enough storage space in the 610 cab to house the contents of the average steamer trunk. It can have overhead storage on both sides of the sleeper area for clothing or a specially designed three-drawer cabinet and cabinets for a television or microwave. A full-length 1,190x330mm wardrobe is also available, along with a pull-out writing shelf.

Both the Integral Sleepers have a large main bunk with an inner-sprung mattress. Like the FH, there's space to stow kit beneath the bottom bunk and drivers can reach two of the under-bunk lockers from the outside.

The multi-position seats have armrests, optional seatbelts and come with a wide choice of material. There's a six-speaker CD player and an air-conditioning system that can deliver split temperature control between the driving compartment and the sleeping area. Two sets of curtains, between the sleeping area and windscreen, ensure plenty of privacy when you turn in for the night. Each sleeper area has a control centre for heating and ventilation, lights, radio and a digital alarm clock.

Anyone having to spending time away from home would be able to manage quite well in a \IN cab. We'll say no more about the cab comfort, just look at the interior picture in this report and sigh.

• SUMMARY Is the VN a truck built over there" that could do well over here? We doubt it. The sheer size of Volvo's bonneted beauty makes it totally unusable for anyone running with a normal length trailer in the UK. And we can't see F:U vehicle lengths changing somehow Then there's the small matter of being type approved. Still, all that extra length certainly makes for a really comfortable sleeper.

The real question is, can Volvo add any more European features to its American trucks? The VN is certainly a step in the right direction in terms of aila design and interior ergonomics. The exterior styling also has a distinctly Continental flavour to it. But the real challenge for Volvo lies in persuading US truck operators to forsake their beloved Cat, Detroit and Cummins diesels for a Volvo. Sharing cabs is one thing, sharing engines on both sides of the Atlantic is something else altogethen

4 link to the Kenworth/Peterbilt Paccar group, while Western Star can shoot through ERE so supply capability is not in doubt. There's no shortage of parts and maintenance back-up either, even for the proprietary driveline suppliers, so everyone is in with a shout.

• PRODUCT PROFILE Ford's AeroMax has the stylish Mayflower Vehicle Systems (formerly Motor Panels) body panelling. Though a handsome unit, its flared snout is a high one, mainly because of header tanks on the radiator. But having lowered the front of its smaller trucks, Ford will no doubt want to bring the AeroMax down too.

Ours had a standard height cab with 60in add-on sleeper box and 120in (3.05m) bonnetto-back-of-cab dimensions. A longer integral sleeper box is due out any time.

The AeroMax's wheelbase of 220in (5.59m) eats into a European artic's overall length, so to stay legal at 16.5m the trailer, with its tailend bogie, needed shortening somewhat.

Like most US operators, Ford's class 8s are built to individual choice on-line at the factory This AeroMax had the 435hp Cat 3406E but it's just one among eight power ratings offered, with both the Cat and N14 Cummins between 310hp-550hp (231kW-410kW).

Fuller Roadranger transmissions are the US norm in nine, 10, 13 or 15-speed formats, with 10-speeders being the most common. Here it drove through twin 394mm ceramic clutch plates to the Rockwell double drive bogie. Rear air suspension is Hendrickson's two-bag arrangement and for Ford's European foray, it fitted Goodyear 295/75R 22.5's;S208s up front with G362s at the rear.

The 6x4 rig is rated to run at just over 37 tonnes GCW, but weighing around nine tonnes its payload potential is less competitive than traditional European units. However, its driver environment puts it well ahead of the competition, as we discovered whenever we stopped for a rest.

Paul Spencer, who drives a Daf 95-360/tipper combination into France and Italy for Darley Dale operator BJ Waters, was quite gob-smacked. He liked the rear cabin and thought the driver's seat base a bit on the short side.

"I could put up with that though," he said. But shouldn't they all be as comfy as this, he asks? After all, we spend a lot of our lives behind the wheel.

Another firm admirer was Volvo FH420 reefer driver Dennis Saunders, who brings Greek grapes back in exchange for British chips. His opening line was: "I want one but my governor would need to win the lottery first." Having driven a Cat-engined White years ago, he was well impressed by the AeroMax's cabin refinements. "We should learn from the US experience," he said. "I could take my family over in this—in fact I probably wouldn't want to go back home ."

• CABIN REFINEMENTS Unlike the cock-eyed US cab-overs, the lefthand drive AeroMax has two long, recessed running board steps and handrails, so getting into the high cab is quite easy.

The fully adjustable driver's seat is extremely comfortable, with padded armrests, while the high position gives lofty views all round. This, though, is a disadvantage when trying to position the unit's front wheels accurately as you can't see over the front bump.

Door locks and windows are powered but the cluster of switches near the driver's door handle can make locking yourself out a distinct possibility. Its triple West Coast mirror sets are restrictive but they cover wide arcs down each side from front wheels rearwards —and there's a useful glazed panel in the passenger door, too. Only the shallow windscreen disappoints. It cuts out overhead signboards or lights all too quickly.

Although more like aircraft layouts, instrumentation is widely spread but excellent. It's laid out according to priority and superbly back-lit in a soft, luminescent green, like MAN F2000 but more so. Beneath the bonnet there's a large flat power distribution box with a fuse/circuit breaker panel ahead of the passenger seat.

AeroMax quirks include depressing the clutch to start up, Cruise control buttons on the steering wheel and yellow (park) and red (trailer air supply) buttons on the dash.These both push in to drive off but to park up only the yellow one is pulled out.

There's plenty of power and the gears are well-spaced, but the heavy clutch and unforgiving Fuller box, like the cab and chassis air suspension, is very much old technology. This could put off younger European drivers who have been weaned on more sophisticated synchromesh. Older hands, though, who cut their teeth on crash boxes will quickly remember the two-step gearchanges and rev thresholds and enjoy driving the AeroMax.

• CAB ACCESS The tilting cab is high off the ground but the recessed steps are long and wide so entry is virtually unhindered.

With its flat floor and normal height roof, you must stoop to enter the rear sleeper section. However, here's where the real joy is. When you step back into the cavernous dogbox you can just relax and dream.The internal dimensions allow considerable scope to fit it out as you please.

Ours had a huge, well-padded bunk; 1.06m (42in) wide, 2.1m (84in) long and 127, mm (5in) deep with vast amounts of storage beneath it.

All around are cabinets and shelves plus the usual fridge/freezer, TV and video soundsystem package. The low-roof cab had aerodynamic panelling to follow the lines of the sleeper box but Ford's next generation of cab will have a more shapely, high roof with standing space inside.

While doors and bonnet are of composite material the current steel cab can be offered with an aluminium frame which is some 1201b (54kg) lighter.

• SUMMARY Although ordered in a very traditional but labour-intensive way, the US class 7 and 8 truck sectors are lucrative ones. Last year sales totalled 210,000 units, with Ford's tally reaching a healthy 19,000. With the latest integral high-toppers about to go on sale, AeroMax should increase its popularity in the US. Whether that appeal can be mirrored in eastern Europe, albeit in much smaller numbers, is another matter.

The big bonnet has its appeal to UK and Continental recoverers as anyone can see at CM's annual Truckfest Bonanza at Peterborough. However, talk of big Czech, Ckranian or Russian transport outfits using them sounds more like American pie in the sky.


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