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In our series examining fleet-spec trucks from the manager's perspective, CM looks at the recently-launched Volvo FM11 LXL.
Page 36
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Words I images: Brian Weatheriey It took a white for Volvo to come up with an
11-litre engine for the UK fleet market. However, last year, having unveiled a new interior for its high-datum FH cab, the Swedish truck-maker also launched a 10.8-litre DI I diesel, together with a taller LXL version of the Globetrotter cab for the lower-height FM tractor.
Why Volvo took so long to offer a smaller displacement alternative to the 13-litre straight-six in its FM fleet tractor is an interesting question, especially since fellow group member Renault has an 1 t-litre engine in the Premium (CM 8 October) based, ironically, on a bored and stroked version of Volvo's own D9 engine, which also provides the same platform for the D1 I.
Moreover, rivals such as MAN and Iveco have long offered smaller displacement diesels based around the II-litre mark in the UK fleet arena.
The issue of weight
No doubt many Volvo customers have been happy to have the larger capacity D13 diesel in the FM on the grounds that it's a 'big engine working easy: It certainly hasn't hurt FM residuals, but for every pro, there's a con, and in the case of the D13, it's clearly heavier (by 140kg) than the Dll. So, for those hauliers wanting maximum payloads, the DI I is an attractive proposition, especially when it's specced in a 6x2 FM tractor with the optional mid-lift axle with 17.5in wheels, Initially launched at 390hp and 430hp, the latest DI 1 now ranges from 330hp to 450hp, with torque outputs from 1 ,600Nm to 2.150Nm respectively, making it well suited to 40-tonne to 44-tonne fleet work.
The new LXL Globetrotter cab will also help fleet buyers balance the rising demand for more comfortable living space in an FM fleet tractor, with a natural reluctance to splash out on a taller and heavier PH cab.
Compared with the regular-height FM Globetrotter cab, the optional LXL provides 140inm more headroom and extra storage space, too, all for just an additional 30kg.
For fleet buyers looking for a practical UK trunker that typically spends a week away from its home base, the FM11 LXL artic is an attractive package. And while it's still very much in the early days of UK operation, we've started to hear encouraging noises about the Dll's fuel economy and in our roadtest (CM 28 May) it proved to have a modest thirst.
Don't he fooled by the bling and leather seats on our test tractor... it's just a Volvo demonstrator. •