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Fast on the smooth tough on the mu
Page 27
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• by Toby Clark
Six months after its launch, Volvo has expanded the FM family and now offers a full range of construction, distribution and fleet haulage chassis—including new all-wheel-drive variants and components, to be revealed at next week's CV Show (see page 21). At a recent driving event in the hilly terrain of the Ardennes in Belgium, CM had a chance to drive a good assortment of types, which allowed us to see how Volvo's new nine-litre D9 engine performs, particularly in conjunction with the I-Shift automated gearbox. This is what we found out...
Long-haul We cove a pair of EMS artics-340hp and 380hp 4x2 tractors with triaxle curtainsiders—which coped well even at 38 tonnes on arduous Ardennes motorways. We cannot imagine that any UK operator would want to run the 340 at this weight—it's a lightweight tractor intended for trunking at 32 tonnes or thereabouts—but the 380 variant is still a practical option at up to 40 tonnes,
The FM cab is not large, but it uses the space well: cab access is made easier by the tilt-up steering wheel. This is freed for adjustment of reach and rake by pushing on a pedal to the left of the clutch pedal—if there is one. The I-Shift lever is mounted to the side of the driver's seat; it can be folded down for easier cross-Gab access.
around 200rpm compared with Economy mode. Use the kickdown function (by pressing the accelerator down as far as it will go) and you move the shift point another 200rpm, After a short while it becomes second nature to use kickdown.
Then there is the way the box interacts with the cruise control and the Volvo Engine Brake (VEB) control: first there is Eco-roll, which allows the truck to coast in neutral on a gentle downslope—incidentally, this has now been approved for use throughout Europe. As soon as the gradient increases above 2% or so (or when there is any input from the driver, such as applying the brake or accelerator) the gearbox is re-engaged.
Then there is Brake mode: pull the VEB stalk all the way down and it will drop a gear to increase engine-braking efficiency—rather like kickdown for downhill stretches,
Distribution vehicles While I-shift has its uses with long-haul operators, it could make the most difference to distribution runs. We drove a pair of D9-powered rigids—a 260hp 18-tanner and a 300hp 26-tanner—with the !Shift gearbox and an eight-speed manual box respectively
I-Shift didn't perform perfectly: setting off from a standstill it goes up the box
quickly, sticking to the bottom of the engine's surprisingly wide torque band, and can be upset if you encounter a sharp hill suddenly—one or two drivers even found that it stalled. The trick is to keep your foot down, resisting the temptation to lift off as a gearchange approaches; this engages kickdown, and the gearbox interface ensures that the shift is made as quickly as possible.
The most marked difference between the automatic and the manual was the sheer ease of using the I-Shift in combination with the VEB and cruise control—with the manual change you may be able to concentrate on optimising every gear shift, but end up forgetting to engage the engine brake at the right times.
Construction vehicles
Volvo showed off a number of tippers— high-powered, heavy-duty models with serious ground clearance, suited to the sort of off-road work favoured by Continental construction firms.
First was a 3130hp FM9 6x4—as you would expect, with that sort of power-toweight ratio, it had no problem negotiating rough terrain and sharp gradients. The surprise was that the Volvo Engine Brake (VEB) worked so well that holding the 26tanner comfortably on a slippery downs
lope was very easy; just put her into first, let the revs build and go. This model also had Volvo's new 8-ride steel-sprung 21tonne bogie, which uses maintenancefree rubber pivot bushes first developed for Volvo's off-road dump trucks.
The firm was also showing its latest 6x6 model, which will be joining the UK line-up. With switchable front-axle drive, the six-legger can go just about anywhere—though the all-wheel-drive option is likely to add around E10,000 to the price.
The biggest revelation was an FM12 8x4 a 420hp model equipped with the Powertronic six-speed automatic gearbox. This is a "true" automatic, with torque-converter drive added to a lockup facility on all gears. The torque converter comes into its own on sharp uphill stretches, where the ability to keep the power on while shifting up the gears improves average speeds markedly