Volvo's little lugger
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by Brian Areatherley.
• As operators have continued to demand more power for their money, .Volvo's 6.7-litre diesel has found it increasingly hard to compete against rival eight and nine-litre engines—not least on torque.
But at the recent Hanover Show, the Swedish truck maker launched improved, lowerrevving versions of the little straight-six for its FS7/FL7 truck range, (CM 8-14 September) which should help redress the balance.
We recently tested the most powerful 282hp (210kW) in a 28-tonne GCW drawbar FL7 outfit in Holland (CM 10-16 Nov) where it delivered good economy.
To find out how the latest D7A285 lump performs in a right-hand-drive 32-tonne artic, we recently borrowed a fully laden 2+2 outfit from Volvo for a brief drive around the Warwick area.
Extra power
There's no doubt that the D7A285's extra power and torque (10% more over the previously most powerful 256hp variant) make it infinitely more driveable. On roundabouts and junctions it will lug down happily to 1.000rpm and still recover—although it pulls most strongly between 1,500rpm and 1,600rpm.
Despite having to work hard up some tough gradients, the F1.7-285 had no trouble keeping up with the traffic and even on full throttle on the M40, in-cab noise levels were never intrusive.
Coupled to the wellmatched standard R1400 nine-speed synchro box the FL7-285 .makes for a good supermarket distribution tractor at 28-32 tonnes while retaining the ability to do the occasional job at 38 tonnes if required.
Fuelled-up and with a full air management kit, fifth wheel and ramp fitted, our sleeper-cabbed FL7-285
tipped the scales at 6,510kg, reinforcing Volvo's claims that a lightweight" FL7 tractor can save up to 500kg over an equivalent FL10. Fitting a day cab saves a further 150kg.
If the 282hp D7A285 engine performs well in an artic it should be a very attractive option for eight-wheeler operators looking for maximum weight. Volvo is planning to put one up for test soon.
We look forward to reporting on it when it arrives.