VOLVO F1142 Globetrotter T he FH12 has enjoyed its fair share
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of plaudits and awards over the past year; testers have seen the luxury of the top-spec cabs and assumed that they represent a new high in driver comfort.
Our test vehicle is as luxurious as they get: an FH12 with Globetrotter cab and CD trim. That means leather and velour seats; Driver Information System with trip computer; air conditioning; walnut trim; twin bunks and electric everything.
The seats certainly feel comfortable (the driver's is air-sus pended and electrically adjustable), and the ride meter confirms that they do their sob: while the figures measured from the floor are undistinguished, the other measurements show that the seat suspension is soundly designed. The fore-and-aft figures are particularly good, so you won't feel seasick. The ride performance measured at the floor may be excused by the 4x2 layout, but it shows that the chassis and cab suspension is good rather than a great leap forward, Where the FH cannot be faulted is in noise isolation: only the MAN and ERF could match it, and the clincher was that noise levels at speed were excellent, while wind noise simply wasn't there.
Trim and finish are inviting, though they hardly break the mould. The new cab is quite conventional in layout, with a few touches that deserve a mention.
The passenger's seat base flips up—the standing room width of 620nun beats the other cabs by over 200mm but the Volvo has the usual document tray on the seat hump, making access to the bunks trickier than it could be.
A hinged unit would not have to be stepped upon and possibly broken. Stowage space is good, with plenty of lockers, shelves and cargo nets, but the cab feels smaller than it should because the top bunk doesn't fold away completely; it lacks the airiness of the MAN's interior.
Once in the bunk, however, there can be few complaints. The bottom bunk is longer than the others and thicker than most, with the nice extra of a removable quilted cover, Volvo should be commended for fitting a master panel beside the bunk with controls for the lights, the radio and the night heater.
The radio, heater and alarm controls worked perfectly, but we could not find any combination of switches to let us control the main interior lights.
The heater itself is fairly powerful; it blows hot air out noisily beneath the passenger seat, but despite the cab's size the temperature rose quickly. The sound insulation bodes well for heat retention, though in the conditions of our test (-1°C, high winds and sleet) the temperature fell from 22°C to 3°C in just under six hours which was on a par with the competition. Overall the cab is impressive and comfortable, but we can't help feeling that a little more imagination could have made it a world-beater.