Driven: Volvo FH16 750 - AutoTrader

Colin Barnett (pictured below) is Group Technical Editor at the UK’s leading truck magazine Commercial Motor, and he has spent time in the FH16. He kindly shared his opinion of the truck with us.

Introducing the FH16

The FH16 is the flagship of Volvo’s truck range and it comes with a powerful 16-litre engine (hence its nomenclature). In South Africa, it comes with the D16C Euro 3 engine, which delivers 550hp/2500Nm or 610hp/2800Nm.

The D16G700 Euro 5 diesel engine is also available on request. (The D16G700 is a 700hp 16.1-litre in-line, six-cylinder diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger and intercooler.)

The truck in a nutshell

The exact model that was driven by Barnett was the FH16 750. Given the fact that it has a Euro 6 engine, this exact model is not available in South Africa. Yet. However, we still believe that his driving impressions are both fascinating and relevant to South African transport operators because, while the engine differs, many of the other features can be found in South African-spec vehicles. And, quite honestly, who wouldn’t enjoy reading about this gorgeous yellow incarnation?

Exterior

What is not to love when it comes to the exterior of Barnett’s test truck? It would turn heads anywhere – with its yellow exterior paint, which on this example extends to the road wheel hub caps and A-pillar. Like all new FH16s, the exterior of the truck is characterized by V-shaped headlamps and a waterfall-themed grill, while the headlamp panels have been repositioned slightly outwards to give the vehicle both improved aerodynamics and a confident stance.

Interior

As Barnett notes, the FH16 test truck is trimmed with the best soft furnishings in the Volvo FH inventory but with added yellow. “The hot and cold driving seat comes in black leather, with yellow side panels, and even the cupholder bases and drawer linings, curtains and carpet stitching are yellow. If you suffer from xanthophobia, you’re stuffed,” he points out with a wry chuckle.

Barnett found the seat comfortable. “The last time we tested an FH16, we mentioned that either my backside or the seat cushion needed some extra padding. Statistics show that the former hasn’t happened, so the latter must have, as no discomfort was noticed during this test,” he points out.

He says that any off-duty driver of the FH16 will be spoiled for choice when it comes to relaxing. “How about starting off in the tilting and swivelling ‘Relax’ seat, from where you can reach a cold drink from the 33-litre fridge under the bunk or make a brew in the coffee maker next to it, while watching the TV above the driver’s door?” Barnett suggests.

Even if you like to dress for dinner, Barnett reckons that the aptly named Globetrotter XL will accommodate all the kit you could conceivably need for a week on the road. “When standing in the middle of the cab, your head is surrounded by 360° lockers, mostly double-decked, and there are more under the bunk. With dinner out of the way, you can continue watching TV or catch up on the latest Commercial Motor from the comfort of the electric reclining bunk. If you’d rather do some housework, you could even use the fully type-approved air blower to move the dust around. Then finally, Volvo’s traditional orthopedically efficient mattress should ensure a good night’s sleep, with access to controls for heating, lighting and audio volume,” he reports.

Drivetrain

According to Barnett, the 16-litre D16K engine fitted to his test truck has received quite some attention in Volvo’s quest for greater efficiency. “The first stage of achieving this is reducing internal friction and external parasitic losses from ancillaries. On the latest Step D engines, new cylinder liners and piston scraper rings have improved the former, with a new two-speed cooling pump contributing to the latter. This is on top of improvements to exhaust after-treatment regeneration and throttle mapping introduced quietly in late 2018. Combined with some detail changes to aerodynamics, the latest changes bring a claimed 3% improvement in fuel efficiency,” he reports.

Changes haven’t just been limited to fuel consumption, though. “Driveability has also been addressed by changes which provide faster and smoother gear shifting by maintaining exhaust manifold pressure during changes. By closing the EGR valve and the VGT variable-geometry turbo during shifting, torque losses are minimised and full turbo pressure is regained more quickly. The effect is that acceleration performance is improved by up to 10%, with no fuel penalty. Camshaft modifications have been made to increase the maximum retardation of the VEB+ engine brake from 475kW to 500kW,” he explains.

Barnett welcomed the power of the 750 on the hills of the northern M6. “There was no drop off in speed even on the likes of Shap, although that has been said of every FH16 that yours truly has tested since the first FH16 500,” he comments.

Transmission

The 750 that Barnett tested came with the overdrive version of the I-Shift, with a 3.40:1 final drive ratio. He was impressed with the slick gear change. “Even without the improvements made to the latest engine to speed up the gear shifting, ongoing improvements to software mean this example certainly seemed a bit slicker than the previous one tested. While the overdrive I-Shift is still nowhere near as fast as the Dual Clutch (DC) option, the gap is certainly closing, and you don’t get the DC’s incongruous pause during the range-changing shift from sixth to seventh,” he noted.

Safety

The new Volvo FH16 comes with loads of safety features. Worth a mention are the industry-first adaptive high beam headlamps that improve safety for all road users by automatically disabling selected segments of the LED high beam when the truck approaches oncoming traffic or another vehicle from behind. The high beam is adjusted when the camera and radar detect other vehicles or when the camera detects changes in the amount of light around the truck.

Safety is further improved with the Downhill Cruise Control, which sets a maximum speed to help prevent unwanted acceleration when travelling downhill, and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) that now works at all speeds even down to zero km/h.

The new Volvo FH16 also features a road sign recognition system displayed in the instrument display. The system detects signs such as overtaking restrictions, road type and speed limits.

Barnett was impressed with Lane Assist. “It helped in the sodden conditions, the electronic eye even spotting the white lines in the M6 roadworks that were almost invisible to the human one. Unless you really take your eye off the ball, minor interventions are almost unnoticeable. For when the driver is in full control of the steering, we selected our favoured setting, Stable, on the snappily named ‘Volvo Dynamic Steering with personal settings’, which seems to give the best feel in most conditions,” he reports.

Verdict

Here are the South African prices of the FH16.

Model	List Price excl. VAT
FH84TP6A 610 8x4 Hub Reduction Globetrotter Truck Tractor	R3 148 200
FH64T6L 610 6x4 Hub Reduction Globetrotter Truck Tractor	R2 911 720
FH64T6L 610 6x4 Single Reduction Globetrotter Truck Tractor	R2 752 690
FH64T6A 610 6x4 Single Reduction Globetrotter Truck Tractor	R2 899 320
FH64T6A 610 6x4 Single Reduction Globetrotter Truck Tractor	R2 839 450

The truck comes with a 12-month/ unlimited mileage vehicle warranty and a 24-month driveline warranty. The driveline warranty is valid for a period of 24 months from the date of delivery or up to 300 000 km, whichever occurs first. Components covered include the engine, gearbox and final drive. For driveline components the additional local driveline warranty is valid for an additional period of twelve months or until the vehicle has covered the maximum allowed mileage (600 000 km); whichever occurs first.

We won’t discuss the pricing of the British truck – because it’s honestly not relevant in South Africa. However, having driven the truck, what is Barnett’s verdict? “At the risk of repetition, few operators buy 700hp-plus tractors because they need to. It would be a dull old world if we were only allowed to buy what we needed, though. Witchety grubs instead of steak, water instead of wine and bicycles instead of BMW GS adventure bikes!” he points out.

However, Barnett notes that “not needing is not the same as not wanting”. “If you’re an owner-driver who feels you’ve earned a treat, a fleet operator wishing to reward your best drivers or simply one of those operators who do actually have that need for this level of ability to get the job done, it’s good to know that the puritans haven’t won yet.

“If you want a flagship tractor with a 7 on the grille, you only have two choices, and both come from Sweden. If your shortlist is that short, then your existing personal preference will probably make the decision for you. Buy one while you still can,” he concludes.

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