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Uncommonly versatile Scottie
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The days when Volvos regularly broke mpg records are gone, hut Tim Blakemore found this Irvine-built F10 has all-round qualities to add to its standards of comfort which make it a driver's favourite YOLIAYS LEAD as Ow Linked lOnseleen's top •oelling mons laborer In dr 2111mis Mee bombe welt swelled is MO gensing.
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Is fbet Me gem disogpolnalits fuel otwesensidon mulls on en opinekinal Mid wear Wa Ssembh mum. the was the maw segineerbIg tem el Irvine ellObled when OW Iseresd Meet the TD1911111A angered FM's overall hal wasexampulen wes :111.21111/14111bn WEI mpg I. are pone of rood test 1111111111mbe tell shoo Oat for NOW, SNOW whit Is ten semisobr 11111 92 Mins gow Mot Is not set% illemsemo ramie, but Volvo had espected much better; the cowermires osbodwrged =won, 10 and 12-11Ire engines Mvii reputation for issellng fuel ooneurnpdon records en road Met.
Volvo wee bernenced thet al ems not well sigh Its mimed vshicis and
04 chstiing Ow tractive unk nammeled a re-run. One rein Win ems Wend to Is elighey slicking Owirese Is brsking Imbetence width prevenied Othepti brio Weal end some minty pump mele4woment was discovered. ISA maim of thew defect. should PIM 1 serious effect on feel oermwagelen.
Crane Fruehauf inspected our semi-trailer and reported nothing untoward there likely to cause excessive drag. However, we had to agree that it is most unusual for a Volvo to return a below pie fuel Consumption and so, despite a busy teat schedule, we agreed to the re -run .
The results vindicated that decision for on the second run the fl O's mpg improved by 6.3 per cent overall.
We nil do not have a complete satisfactory explanation for the difference between the two trips: the weather on both occasions was broadly similw and trews Was moreover a remarkable parity between the two overall journey times tthe same to within one rrinote over 17 S4 hours; However, it is the second set of results which wM go into the record book 39.02 lit/100km l7.24rnpg1 overall
w awa it an average speed of 601.117km/h 141.59mph The Irvine-buitt F10 wee fitted with the TO 100 GA version of VeivO's long-serving 9_6-litre e ngine. The variant, introduced in September last year 1CI0.4 September 1 9 I and with a minimum net poveer feting of 192kW (257bhpl, replaces the two (TO 100A and TD 100S1 formerly offered.
Volvo's aim with the revamped 10-litre engine, se with the new 12-litre versions introduced at the
e arns erne, is to improve nextiiity by widening the engines' usable speed tangos and thus make good hill economy mix to achieve.
The chancres made to the TO100
angina include a new turbo -charger with more efficient turbine and oornpressor, a nay catrastril and Inlet and exhaust menifolds, and modified crankshaft, fuel-injeclion pump, inisclors, heed gaskets and AT (exhaust beck-preesure) reguielor. Peek toque on the GA engine he developed st 1,30Orpn, 100rornr than an IAD T010011, and the maximum figure has been increased from 1,000Nm to 1,0130Nm (778 lbftl Moreover, between the limits of the engine's usable speed range, 1,200rpm and 1,900rpm, the torque does not fall more than 10 per cent below the maximum.
To the FIO driver moving from a TD1008-engined model to a TD100CsA unit, rse these changes add up to two masor noticeable differences with the new model.
The first is a willingness to hang on in a gew on gradients which with the 290hp Fl 0 would have called for a down-change much earlier. This is particularly evident on motorway gradients. T second difference is a change in the Volvo's exhaust note, to what is best described as a growl that is most pronounced, not surprisingly, when the engine is pulling hard at or near its peak torque speed.
This must result from the -harderinfection characteristics of the GA engine, that is faster injection rate, higher opening pressures, and the raised compression ratio. Volvo insists that the new engines' overall noise level is no higher than that of the TD1008 and certainly the in-cab noise meter readings taken during this test do not suggest otherwise At a weedy 97km/h 180mphl on MIRA's high-speed circuit the maximum noise level measured at the driver's left ear, was 75dEllA) and even when the F10 was pulling herd up Shop, in 8th direct 115) at an engine speed ol 1,400r pm and a road speed of 88km ,'h l42mph/ the meter's needle did not rise above 76111E111AI ft a worth looking in some more detail at this F10 's general hill chrnbing ability and on the road performance as that is likely to be an area of concern to many operators who might feel that 290hp is a minimum requirement for them on time critical operations. Not having tested the earlier F10 with a van semi-trailer over the revised Scottish route, we cannot fairly make direct comparisons between the two models. But it is possible to compare other recently tested 290hP vehicles with this Volvo The impressively versatile Deutz engined IVECO 190.29 ICM July 101 vehicle with 13-speed Fuller was marginally faster over each of the timed hills, saving 17 seconds on Blackhill, for example. and 28 seconds on the M18 climb However its overall journey trme was slightly longer and if used tour gallons or so more diesel overall than the Volvo The Rolls-Royce 2901 powered Seddon Atkinson 401 SCM November 211 with a long rear axle ratio and nine-speed Fuller was markedly slower than this FIO over the hills land indeed in total tourney timel whereas the Cummins E290 powered 401 (CM February 141, also with a nine-speed Fuller but driving through a higher final drive ratio, was able to better the F10's hill-climb times and almost match its overall journey time.
The two vehicles which have bettered the Volvo's second run overall average fuel consumption. the Mercedes-Benz 1625 and Gardner 8LXC C-powered 401, were both relatively slow over the hills and in overall tourney time
Tres 257hp rated F10 can certainly live with the 290 brigade on Journey and hill climbtimes and its fuel consumption is likely to be better than roost into the bargain But I wonder how much this FIO's performance would have suffered hail it not been fitted with the optional SR 62. sixteen •speed gearbox Standard transmission for the F 10 is the R62 eight.speed box The extra cost of the sixteen-speed version is a hefty 11.100. but fleet operators looking for maximum fuel -..xinomy on motorways and those who regularly have to cope with tough gradients would be well advised to specify it.
Maximum geared speed with the R62 with its direct top ratio and the standard rear axle ratio of 4.25: I is only 60mph whereas the overdrive of the SR 62 takes that up to 71mph, making for easy cruising at 60mph with only 1,700rpm on the rev counter. Furthermore the close ratios of the SR62 allow full use to be made of the two "economy bands" identified by Volvo for its GA engine 1,200 to 1,700rprn for light-load work and 1,400 to 1,900rpm when more power is needed for hill climbing, for example.
The new pOsition of the splitter control switch, on the side of the gear-lever instead of on the dashboard, encourages its use. It is
a shame, though, that at the time of the most recent modifications to the FI0/F12 range, Volvo did not also take the opportunity to make the reverse gear detent spring a little stronger. It is still too easy to get reverse gear to grind if you are going for second or sixth in a hurry.
While on the subject of regular* recurring criticisms of Volvos, I must say again that the standard horn still emits a noise more appropriate to a child's toy then a heavy commercial vehicle. A louder, deeper toned instrument is long overdue for big Volvos.
Summary It seems that the days of Volvos regularly setting fuel consumption records on road tests are over at least for the present. Nonethehtes, this FlO's performance was impressive. Like the NEC° 190-29 it demonstrated an uncommon versatility, thanks partly to its optional SR82 gearbox.
As tested, the machine strikes an appealing balance between Payload-carrying ability, sheer fuel economy and the ability to maintain very respectable trip tomes
In the area of driver-comfort, to say that this Irvine built F10 was up to the usual Volvo standard should be recommendation enough.