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A powerful ally
Page 14
Page 15
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CM finally gets the opportunity to put Volvo's flagship FH16 700 through its paces around Britain's road network. How did it cope?
WOf cis/images; Cohn Barnett
FOR THE TIME BEING, at least, the European truck industry's power race is being led by Volvo, with the latest 700 rating of its FH16 flagship. Sadly, for the UK, metric marketing means the big fella can only claim 691 true imperial horsepower, but that's all relative.
CM was among the first group of journalists to drive the FH16 700 in March (CM 19 March), but a few laps of the Volvo demo centre in Gothenburg can only give a taste, even if it was a 60-tonne taste. Now, though, our patience has been rewarded with the opportunity to try out the UK's first example on British roads.
Given that Volvo UK's headquarters in Warwick is not exactly an Alpine resort, to give the 700 horses a proper work-out, we chose to follow the hilliest bit of (M's Midlands route, incorporating the once-challenging (in a tipper) Sun Rising Hill, north of Banbury. Settling into the familiarly plush surroundings common to all FH16s, we were spared the process of proving our sobriety by breathing into the Alcolock device — it hadn't yet been activated.
Wheelspin
Snicking the 1-Shift into action, the 44-tonne tag-axle tractor moved off much as any other big Volvo, just as the sky unleashed a gentle drizzle, enough to dampen the sun-dried asphalt.
Negotiating the first slightly uphill T-junction produced just enough flashing yellow lights on the dash to suggest issues to come, and on the steeper and, by now, damper. approach to the A46 junction, progress was hampered by a significant amount of wheelspin as 3.150Nm tried to stick to the road. The ensuing gentle trundle across the M40 and then across to south of Stratford-upon-Avon saw the big six barely break sweat on the moderate undulations.
As usual, 1-Shift was happy left to its own devices, making the customary changes on cue. It was noticeable, though, that the 16-litre's torque output requires a beefier architecture that was made apparent by a clunk ier shift.
The big test, though, came on Sun Rising Hill. As mentioned, numerous tipper tests have ground to a halt because the near hairpin right-hander kills your momentum just before the steepest part. Well-timed and accurate gear-shifting is essential, especially with a manual dual-range transmission.
Even with one of the best autos on the market at our disposal, we still approached with our 44 tonnes with a degree of trepidation. With the I-Shift's Power mode selected, and the lift axle clear of the surface, what is normally the toughest part of the climb turned into an anti-climax — the electronics picked the right ratio for each inch of the road.
Then, while sitting back and relaxing, we spotted a lycra-clad cyclist wobbling slowly up the steep and greasy hill just before a narrow, blind, left hander.
A politely optimistic toot of the horn failed to persuade him to stop safely, so we were left with the options of a complete stop or choosing between squashing him under the trailer wheels or risking a head-on collision.
The paperwork involved with the lat
ter two saw us trying a forced hill start. A. There is little doubt that A mix of axle lift, traction control, and the Volvo is packing 700hp judicious application of right foot saw (or thereabouts)
progress resume, but not without short ening the life of the drive-axle tyres.
The rest of the trek was uneventful, marked only by us modestly trying to ignore the envious looks from other drivers on the M40. •