On The Road
One of the criticisms levelled against automated manual transmissions, especially by those who haven’t driven one recently (or at all) is the lack of fine control at low speed. However a growing number of asphalt hauliers are specifying I-Shift, and we can’t think of many applications that require finer throttle control than tipping into a moving Barber Green. It’s true that early automated manual transmissions did have gaps between the points where drive was taken up and where it was disconnected. That led to jerky progress if trying to maintain a slower than walking pace especially on less than flat terrain. But that’s longer the case.
As our Midlands tipper route approaches Banbury from the north, we have to negotiate Sunrising Hill. With a slope that increases immediately after a tight, almost hairpin, right-hander, it provides a challenge to any driver in an unfamiliar truck. Get it wrong and you either waste time or grind to a halt, with a restart often impossible.
On the Volvo man’s advice, we selected ‘power’ mode and kept the pedal to the floor, resisting the temptation to give some manual help. In adverse weather conditions, it would probably be prudent to stay in one gear, but in the dry it romped up , changing gear as required. The whole test revealed that in virtually every situation there’s little point in trying to out-think I-Shift. The exception would be on site, up to its axles in muck.
Left to its own devices, the Volvo’s gear changes are perceptibly quicker than any manual shift, and there’s no real benefit to help it. We tried on the test track but the stop watch soon said ‘don’t bother’. The only time the I-Shift feels sluggish is when getting back on the power after slowing for a roundabout, for example, but we suspect that the feeling is only because in manual the driver would be changing into the right gear to power away rather than waiting for a few milliseconds for the electronics to catch up. You soon learn to anticipate traffic flow to make the most of the transmission, which must surely be a good thing.
Clever transmission or not, the FM9 has a relatively small engine in a sector where conventional wisdom reckons that anything less than 10-litres is not enough. True, the first few moments from standstill feel a bit sluggish, but it becomes quite lively when its rolling.
As might be expected from the subtle sign-writing on the boot lid, the FM9 comes with a grand’s worth of electronically controlled disc brakes. Sadly, the MIRA tipper curse came into play once again, and the heavens opened before we reached the brake test area. As it happens, in conditions as bad as you can get in the summer, the Volvo stopped from 40mph in 33m, but the ABS earned its keep as we pulled up in a perfectly straight line under full control. If the track had been dry enough to have maintained the 0.86g peak figure we recorded, we’d have stopped in less than 20m. A salutary lesson that not even Volvo can rewrite the laws of physics.
Back on dry roads the brakes are strong enough to justify the hype, and felt rather more progressive than we remembered from our previous encounter. Operated by a column stalk, the VEB engine brake can also be operated by the brake pedal in the ‘A’ position. Its brake blending qualities are good, and although it’s a bit noisy the VEB does a good job of saving the service brakes for real need.
Our initial view of the handling was a feeling that the front axles had insufficient grip, verging on serious understeer. But an encounter with one extremely slippery roundabout had the rear end loosing grip first, revealing that the feeling was simply down to excessively light steering. The ride is generally good for an al-steel setup, even handling the notorious Brackley to Buckingham stretch without too much discomfort.
Cab Comfort
In Estate Agent’s parlance, the FM9’s cab “offers compact yet spacious accommodation within a quadruple aspect environment”. Or, in English, a low-roof sleeper with windows on every side. In fact, the only panel without glazing is the offside bunk wall, greatly enhancing on-site visibility.
The big mirrors give an exceptional view backwards, but their location at eye level means they do create a significant blindspot which the driver needs to be aware of. On one occasion, a car approaching a roundabout from our right was going at just the right speed to be hidden for longer than was safe.
By way of compensation, Volvos now come with a front vision mirror. Rear vision is further helped by the integrated reversing mirror display on the pop-up Dynafleet screen, engaged automatically with reverse or via an over-ride button.
The low roof sleeper means space feels limited compared with a Globetrotter. But there’s still plenty of room for the needs of the average Tipperman, with the added bonus of somewhere to lie down at lunchtime.
The space beneath the bunks is occupied by the external lockers, but the central storage box/tray keeps daily paraphernalia in order. There are also decent door pockets and some fair sized lockers above the screen.
The driving seat is a high-spec air suspended item, while the passenger seat gets a reasonably comfortable fixed and folding set-up. The I-Shift gear quadrant is mounted on the seat and also folds flat to improve internal movement. Although light and airy, the interior trim is perhaps a bit too light for grubby off-road work, but it all helps to improve the working environment.
