Volvo VNL. Beaky Yankee

Unlike the European models of Volvo Truck, we know less about the American trucks of this company. Nevertheless, in North America it has an independent model range, one of the most striking representations of which is the Volvo VNL main truck tractor.

If it wasn’t for the branded slash overflowing with chrome, crossing the massive radiator grill from top to bottom, you might think that this is one of the classic trucks of the famous North American brands. And indeed, both in design and in Volvo VNL layout, this is a real American classic: the cars of this model have a three-axle chassis, drive to both rear axles, an impressive wheelbase, impressive dimensions of the hood, and the “long-range” modifications no and a very impressive sleeping bag installed behind the cabin. Yes, and it has much more chrome elements than what the European or Asian counterparts have. And, of course, the future owner can choose between a whole range of large displacement engines: three Volvo's own designs, similar to those used on European models of the company, D11 (355-405 hp, 1250-1350 Nm), D13 (375-500 l .s., 1450-1850 Nm, D16 (500-600 hp, 1650-2050 Nm), as well as the American Cummins ISX15 (400-550 hp, 1850 Nm). But, the D11 diesel is only available on three "Junior versions of the branch, made under the indices 300, 430 and 630, which has short “day” or low cabin. And on more complex versions, made under the indices 670, 730 and 780 and distinguished by spacious and luxurious sleeping compartments, more powerful and high-torque motors are used.

Summarizing the above, it is impossible not to admit that the power of the Volvo VNL branch is at altitude: having such a wide range of engines offered for installing which have impressive output characteristics, these cars are able to solve the whole range of problems with transportations in their modern sense. As the main gearbox for Volvo VNL there’s a brand proprietary 12 - speed I - Shift. This is a mechanical “box” equipped with a divider and a multiplier with a robotic switch and the joystick is located on the right hand from the driver. Its design has a retrofitting with a compact retarder, a power take-off, as well as an emergency pump of the power steering system with oil cooler. Box 1 - Shift Ha is one of the most advanced among all existing analogues.

In addition to the basic package of the programs, it can be delivered with packages of DICON TR (urban transportation and construction cargo transportation), TR - FUEC (long haul and fuel economy), TR FUEC3 (long haul and fuel economy using the 1 - See system) and TR - HD (transportation of extra heavy loads by road trains with a gross weight over 85 tons).

The transport carrier has a wide choice of transmission specialization –he can choose the most optimal one for the future operation of the car between the variants of its settings. It will positively affect the amount of fuel consumption. As an example, the company cites the following data: carrying out trunk transportation with a properly selected software package for a checkpoint, the auto train travels at a cruising speed at lower engine speeds than competitors' cars, which leads to an increase in efficiency by about 3%.

The second option used on the Volvo VNL gearbox - mechanical Eaton with a manual shift and a different number of gear stages from 9 to 18. The third option is also Eaton, but AMT UltraShift, which is differs by an automatic gear of transmitting gears.

And what about the cabin? It looks wider than most American classmates. It is not surprising because it was made based on the cabins of European Volvo, and in Strom they do not save on width and chose it without a trace. Therefore, by the way, the sleeping compartment, despite its impressive dimensions, Volvo VNL does not stick out to the sides, like many other American trucks - the sidewall of the cab almost smoothly transmits into the sidewall of the sleeping bag.

A sleeping bag, I must say, is good! Different modifications have different sizes and different capacity. But the level of comfort is high in any of the options! It is enough to say that the future owner has the right to choose among several materials and colors of , this applies to the floor, walls, ceiling, seats, and even the dashboard. The driver gets not only a spacious sleeping shelf, but also several spacious lockers and containers designed for personal belongings and clothing, as well as a refrigerator and a microwave. In the most spacious versions of the sleeping-room in its lower part, you can even organize a comfortable seating area - two sofas and a small table located between them. In short, the Volvo VNL in the trunk version is a typical example of a mobile home higly appreciated by American truckers. However, in conclusion, it is necessary to say that this model is also can be chosen as a modification for regional transportation - in this case its habitable space is limited to the cabin, which is as comfortable as the cabin made for long-distance transportation.