Green Volvos take to the road
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Last September Volvo strengthened its medium and heavy truck line-up with a gaggle of uprated low emission engines and a new lightweight distribution tractive unit called the FS7. Commercial Motor has had a turn behind the wheel to see how they perform on the road, fully laden.
EV tractive unit
The FS7 is arguably the most important new model in the Volvo range, being an amalgam of the FL6 rigid cab on top of the FL7 tractor's 6.7-litre charge-cooled engine. The smaller cab shaves 600kg off the FL7's kerbweight.
Although the FS7 is clearly being aimed at urban artic and own-account distribution fleets, with its design weight of 36 tonnes and 169kW (230hp) engine, it is also intended for inter-urban motorway work at 32 tonnes. And herein lies a story.
The FS7 we drove was equipped with the 4.63:1 back axle. At 96km/h (60mph) on the motorway it left the TD73E spinning over at 2,700rpm, way outside of the green economy band set between 1,3002,10Orprn. If you are going to use the FS7 on motorway trunking the optional 4.25:1 ratio is likely to he a better bet as it brings the revs down to a less frenetic 2,135rpm at the motorway speed limit.
To get the best out of the TD73E engine it also pays to rev it above the end of the solid green band before making upshifts to keep up the momentum. With this in mind the FS7 is a willing enough worker and makes fairly brisk progress at 28 tonnes GCW. With a full aero kit and box trailer our FS7 had no trouble holding 96kinih on the M40.
However, the spring detent on the nine-speed R1000 rangechange box needed to be stronger as selection of 7 to 6 and 3 to 2 was not particularly positive.
Volvo Trucks (Great Britain) is only supplying the FS7 with a 3.4m wheelbase on the grounds that this suits most trailers, including those with a 1.6m-deep kingpin.
Air suspension is fitted as standard on the drive axle, but we still found the ride disappointingly choppy — although some of the pitching movement was undoubtedly due to running with a tandem axle trailer with its bogie set well back.
FL7 eight.legger/ tractor
Back in September the FL7 gained the uprated TD73ES low-emission engine which now offers 6% more go at 191kW (260hp) and a useful 18% more torque at 1,040Nm (769lbft).
When we roadtested the FL7 8x4 back in 1991 we criticised it for its pedestrian perform
ance. The latest engine has turned a bit of a gasper into a real goer. Running at 30 tonnes the latest FL7-260 eightlegger made rapid progress over the hilly A44 round Broadway and the A424. Up the long Broadway hill it hung on happily in fourth gear with the revs never dropping below 1,300rpm.
The TD73ES is well matched to the R1000 box, which was much more precise in the FL7 tipper. Not surprisingly the 5.0m-wheelbase rigid offered a good ride: we will give it a full roadtest this month.
At 32 tonnes the FL7-260 was equally at home in artic form and we look forward to running a tractor over our Scottish route.
FL618 17-tonner
Completing the latest line-up of green Volvo engines is the 154kW (210hp) six-litre TD63ES, which is now offered as an option on the 17-tonne F1,618 in place of the standard 152kW (207hp) TD61F lump.
While the power increase is indiscernable, the 700Nm (5161bft) of torque makes for an easy drive at 17 tonnes and puts the FL618 on a par with more powerful 17-tonners such as MAN's 17.192, ERF's E8 211 and Leyland Daf's 60.210.
The TD61F will be superseded by the TD63ES before the October 1993 Euro 1 deadline. As well as the green engine option the FL618 has a stiffer frame and wider brakes to operate at 18 tonnes GVW.