Cabovers

i dont know those new trucks are becoming super safe , quiet , comfortable , powerful, economic
and in last year they become quite ugly

but something is missing in them ...they dont have soul i am more for old school especially for shorter/local routes



same company, both twin steer tractors , both v8 500hp , 15year difference

 

for sure that this 143 500 cant cope with r500 in terms such as fuel economy but on some way it is nice truck

this r500 get 34L in 44t (97000lbs) over mountains 160km in one direction +driving in city

 

It might be high tech and all that, but volvo really screwed the pooch with this look.
I think that MB with the new Actros has the best looking coe truck in the world!
Darn it, what in the world were they thinking? I think that the old FH looks 1000% better then this one!

 

I shift 2, IFS, rack and pinion, new dash, has some interesting points.
I'm curious about the I shift 2, I had DSG in a vw and loved.... loved it.

 

most people including me think same thing when mercedes come on market but when you get used on it looks become acceptable so probably same will be with this one.....

 

Some nice features on the new Volvo , cab interior room has improved, independent suspension looks interesting, electric handbrake and engine off cab cooling without a retro fitted 'pod' outside

Some pics here: http://www.volvotrucks.com/trucks/u.../volvo-fh-series/Pages/the-new-volvo-fh.aspx#

 

No doubt that they came with some revolutionary ideas, but lets see first how reliable and what kind of lifespan those articulated joints on that independent suspension will have, and what will the cost in maintenance be.
Now, the little extra room in the crammed euro trucks is a good thing, but the dashboard, actually the instrument panel is a roach with that imported from renault idea of one gage in the middle surounded by a couple of electronic displays. they should've kept the truck like look of the instrument panel with multiple gages. The door window looks like it's missing the front top corner....it messes up the flow from the windshield to the side windows.
On the exterior, the front is too darn boxy....not much flow! the sides don't match the front with the pattern of extremly abusive angles of the lines, overcompensating the "deadstillness" of the front. It looks like two very different ideas were forced and crammed together at the last minnute into one concept that shouts more "improvisation" then "integration". All in all, it shows that design engineering has taken a step backwards!

 

I agree with you, the roof too, it doesn't look like it belongs to that truck, it's like a cab they assembled from different kits, it's a disaster in design. I too have reservations about the suspension, time will tell on that I guess but I can see bushing problems etc. a few years down the line.

There is alot to like about it too, firstly European volvos are extremely well built and very reliable , the new ishift has double clutch and that will give superfast gear changes, it has an inbuilt 'engine off' aircon unit , they are promising 11% in fuel savings and at last they give a roomey cab ( not roomy like your condo cabs I know but for euro standard )

 

Let me put it this way: The new FH looks like Volvo took two cabs sharing about 25% similarities, used a plasma cutter and separated the face from one cab and then welded the face from that cab to the rest of the body of the other cab. Nothing but carp!
I wish that I could meet them engineers and slap the bejesus out of them and ask them what in the freak were they thinking!

 

Lol it might do them the world of good!