Euro 5 Volvo FH 16

There are many arguments about the most suitable power ratings needed to drive a B-double around the highways of Australia. Not enough power, and the engine is working too hard, as is the driver just to keep the road speed up and get the job done on time. On top of this, it also uses a lot of fuel. Too much power, if that is possible, and the horsepower available is wasted, even though the job gets done with ease and a relaxed driver. Again, the truck is probably using too much fuel.

Get it just right by matching the power to the job, and the engine works just hard enough to get the job done, as does the driver. If you get it perfect, fuel consumption can reach an optimum with a balance of power, speed and careful driving. This is where Volvo says the FH 16, with a power rating of 600hp, sits.

Prime Mover took the latest iteration of this high-powered, Brisbane-made, Swedish prime mover out on a well proven route to test the mettle of the 16L engine and see how relaxed an experience it can be. After leaving Brisbane on the Cunningham Highway, the truck pulled up the long and winding climb of Cunningham’s Gap before heading to Warwick and then Toowoomba. The descent of the Toowoomba Range is a severe test for any heavy-duty prime mover before the truck takes the steady rolling Warrego Highway back through the Lockyer Valley into the Queensland capital.

This truck, or something very similar, has actually been available for some time. The introduction of ADR 80/03 in January 2011 requires trucks to meet Euro 5 exhaust emission regulations, but Volvo has been selling quite a high proportion of its FH 16 trucks at the lower emission levels for some time. The ability of trucking operators to offer their customers lower emission engines as part of a contract has not come with a penalty of higher fuel costs as the latest Euro 5 version of the FH 16 performs very similarly to its Euro 4 predecessor.

In fact, the changeover to the new models has been happening for several years as Volvo develops its trucks in a similar way to its Swedish rival Scania. Evolutionary change happens bit by bit as elements of the truck design are changed in a rolling program of development. As new technology renews, designs come online and they are integrated into the existing package. By the time January 1, 2011 comes round, Volvo will be selling a model which has developed in the last two years, not one that has just appeared at the end of 2010.

This evolutionary style of development becomes quite clear as the driver climbs into the cab. It is all very familiar. Volvo is a conservative organisation, there are no radical changes or radical redesigns. What we have here is a truck pushing at the leading edge of technological development without appearing ultra-modern or too far ‘out there’.

As with all modern Volvos this truck goes about its work with the minimum of fuss, almost imperceptibly picking up speed and hauling the 60 odd tonnes of B-double out of Wacol, onto the Ipswich Motorway and out through the never-ending roadworks to the Queensland countryside. It is difficult to tell how hard the truck is working as the engine note is very low and quiet. The smooth changing of the I-shift gearbox is also almost imperceptible, it picks up cues from the driver’s right foot and accelerates away.

The first test of the truck, after a smooth run across relatively level countryside, is the climb up to Cunningham’s Gap. Again the truck takes on the challenge with little fuss. On the long climb the truck settled at a speed of 35km/h in seventh gear with the engine running at 1600rpm. The engine was able to cope with changes in gradient during the climb and, as the grade eased, was able to grab an extra gear, as and when required, and keep pulling.
The last few hundred metres, pulling up over the top of the Gap, are always tough, especially with two trailers in tow. Attempting to put the auto box in manual and hoping it would pull up over the top without the need to change down a gear was not going to work. Instead it was necessary to drop two gears and use the full range of torque in the 600hp engine to get the job done. This performance would compare well with any truck on Australian roads at these kinds of weights.

Out on the rolling countryside of the Darling Downs the ease-of-use of this truck is emphasised. This gives the driver an opportunity to try and work with the new electronic enhancements and safety gadgets available with this model. One of the simpler systems, which is becoming quite familiar on modern trucks, is the lane keeping support which gives the driver a warning when the truck gets too close to, or crosses, a white line marking the lane.

When the truck drifts in its lane and does get too close to the line a buzzer sounds in the appropriate direction to alert the driver to their mistake. Usefully, this system is not active under 60 km/h, removing the need to turn it off in many urban environments where the constant crossing of white lines turns the system into an annoyance.

Active Cruise Control has become more sophisticated and more effective in recent years. The left hand stalk on the steering column controls all of the cruise control, with a slider on the top of the stalk to adjust following distance. The controls to set the distance, once cruise control has been engaged, are a simple and clear indication of the distance set which appears in the dash.

Another safety feature which has been on some Volvo Trucks for some time is the sideways facing turning lights. When the lights are switched on at night and the indicator is engaged a bright beam points in the direction indicated to give the driver a better idea of what may be in the direction they are about to turn the truck.

An ongoing issue with all European trucks is the lack of real estate on the cabover to fit all of the requirements of the modern day truck operator. Not only are the largest possible diesel tanks required but also an Adblue tank, a battery box and, for many operators now, air conditioning equipment. There is also a need to find a home for the large SCR unit and Volvo has come up with an innovative solution for this particular problem. The unit is now made like a large oval muffler and is mounted to the rear of the cab as part of the upright exhaust.

On this particular model the Adblue tank, to store the urea for the SCR system, is mounted inside the chassis rail, shaped to stay clear of the driveshaft. The batteries are mounted directly behind the cab, above the chassis rails, and an Icepack air conditioning system is mounted between the chassis rails behind the rear axle. This means some of the air tanks have to be mounted between the axles above the mud guards. Just about every square inch of the chassis rail has been used to fit something.

One area where some driver training is required to get the best out of these modern sophisticated electronically controlled trucks, apart from the correct use of the I-shift gearbox, is in learning what to do in each situation with the Volvo Engine Brake control. Its use is not intuitive and it is not clear from the stalk itself exactly how it should be used. In normal conditions it’s a good idea for the driver to push this stalk as far away from them as possible to the zero position, and then back one to A. This brings the VEB into play when the driver takes their foot off the accelerator and will bring the engine brake in when the truck overruns the speed limiter.

At the top of a grade the driver gets the truck to the speed at which it can descend and presses the minus button. The VEB will then do its best to maintain that speed but the driver needs to have selected the correct gear in advance. If manual retardation is required there are three individual settings, each giving a different level of retardation. When driving along in automatic, the truck can be brought to a halt by simply pulling the control towards the driver to the B position. The truck will then use the full retarder and work its way down through the gears until the truck can be brought to a halt by applying the foot brake.

Bringing the fully loaded B-double down off the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba gave the Volvo Engine Brake a good workout. The system managed to hold the truck at about 25km/h in fifth gear, running the engine out to 1800rpm. During the descent the VEB needed a little help with two applications of the service brake, just to keep the engine rpm levels under control.

The XXL cab, developed here in Australia by Volvo, gives the company an opportunity to come up with some excellent storage solutions, especially under the wide bunk. Apart from the slide out fridge, there is also room for a lockable safe and, using some smart design, useful storage trays which act as covers for the outside toolboxes. This means the outside boxes are accessible from the inside but also, no storage space is wasted between the top of the toolbox and the bottom of the bunk.

Looking at this truck, as a whole, it is clear the Volvo FH 16 600hp with the XXL cab is getting close to the ideal when it comes to assessing it as a B-double prime mover. The developers of the truck have attempted to tick all the boxes of the potential linehaul truck buyer. The limitations on fuel capacity means it cannot quite compete with the North American prime movers on that score but it does better than its European counterparts.

At its core, the 16L is able to go about the business of applying its power and torque to the job in what appears to be an effortless way. The noise from the engine and the feel of the truck can be deceptive, it is only when the driver looks at the speedo and the grade they are climbing, they realise just how much power it has under the hood. The relaxed manner with which the truck goes about the job makes the experience of driving this truck relaxed.
This gives the driver more time to do the really important job of keeping the truck and other road users safe.

Is 600hp more power than you really need? Probably, but the extra power on tap does create a comfort zone for the driver to be secure they are in total control all of the time and rarely need to stretch the truck’s systems to capacity.