On The Road
If you have to spend most of your working week in a confined space watching red lights tear past or turn from green, at least a vehicle like the XF 530 will help ease the stress. It’s an effortless drive with a sweet spot between 1,200-1,300rpm as you move through the box and an optimum speed of 70km/h on the flat.
Half-gear changes are made at about 1,400rpm with whole gears ideally taken 1,500-1,600rpm.
If you sin below the 1,100rpm mark the engine lugs down well as you’d expect with 530hp available, but if it’s fuel economy you’re after try to stay around 1,200-1,300rpm. Occasionally when charging up a hill there’s the temptation to use a little extra acceleration to counter lost momentum, but for the most part this is unnecessary. If you can move back up the box, a change at these points allows you to hold the speed in the next gear up.
Top gear is fairly flexible; the A74 stretch of our route was covered almost exclusively on cruise control, which is cancelled by a touch of the clutch or brake pedal and reactivated by a button to restore the original speed. Speed can also be reduced on the cruise control to match slower moving traffic on the open road when overtaking is not an option.
Over the hilly A68 the impressive torque from the 24-valve engine was able to cope with the occasional late gear change, and on Forteviot Hill we were able to accelerate and move up from six high to seven low with a third of the hill still to go. It held the gear in its sweet spot with enough to spare. Nice.
Coming down a mountain is a different story. The green band on the rev counter runs from 1,000-1,600rpm before a yellow band takes over up to 2,000rpm, passing the maximum power point at 1,900rpm.
The blue ventures around to 2,400rpm, and this is where the exhaust brake is at its best. When the needle is at 2,200rpm it makes you realise that driving today is done more than the eyes with the ears, but don’t exceed 2,400rpm.
The transmission is old school, with a range-change and the splitter on the stem in a four-over-four design, but it’s what you’re used to, isn’t it? Moving up through the box is very smooth with no forcing or clanking of the gears, which gives the driver confidence to use each ratio to the full.
Cab Comfort
From the outside the XF95 looks spacious and capable of catering for all manner of driver. At 3,90m it’s higher than the Scania R164 (3.84m) but not quite as tall as the MAN XXL cab (3.92m), so it doesn’t look too much like an office block. Inside there’s plenty of room for a strapping six-footer to move around in comfort. The Super Space Cab certainly has plenty of storage room (1,080 litres, according to the manufacturers) with good sized cabinets for maps, food and clothes. Our test model came with the optional fridge under the bottom bunk. Lift up the bunk for access to the space behind the seats and enough room for a larger fridge.
When it comes to entertainment most new trucks have taken the CD option but the Daf’s multi-disc changer is still a luxury, so if you wish to play Francis Albert or Basement Jaxx you can accommodate them and more. And all within easy reach of your left hand.
The driver’s door sports electric windows and electrically adjustable heated mirrors. The blind across the top of the windscreen gives the co-pilot the same protection as the driver so when heading towards the bright lights you don’t have to reach over to the passenger’s side for sunlight protection. But with a low front view thanks to the excellent over-screen storage, these blinds often won’t come into play.
My only gripe with the cab concerns the exit. The door only opens to about 60o with the steps just inside the hinges, so you have to angle your body to get out. In wet weather this might be your undoing.
As you’d expect with a modern flagship, in-cab noise is minimal. The cab has four-point air suspension making the ride smooth on the motorway and comfortable even when negotiating the though section over the A68.
