On The Road
Like the Cummins ISM, Daf’s CE diesel comes with a foot-off “idle-away” system that gets 44 tonnes rolling smoothly without any fuss or bother. Apart from really tough hill work we never went out of the 1,000-1,500rpm green band, despite running at the full 44 tonnes. Such is the flexibility of the XE engine and its excellent match with the ZF box that if a driver can’t keep it in the green band it’s time for some economy training.
In the best tradition of Daf’s big in-line six, the XE pulls lustily at around 1,200rpm. At times we thought we might need an extra split down, but it surprised us by lugging down happily to 1,000rpm and still recovering without needing a shift.
On the A68 it was simply a case of getting up and over, and with 44 tonnes it wasn’t a matter of if we needed low range, but when. It will be a very special truck that can deliver much more than 5mpg over this section hauling 44 tonnes… The CF85.430 slipped inside this barrier with 5.04mpg.
One thing’s for sure: at 44 tonnes, speccing a retarder is no longer a silly Continental aberration. Our CF85.430 came with the optional hydrodynamic ZF Intarder built into the Ecosplit box and its performance is superb. Whether dialling in various braking levels manually via the control stalk, or setting up as a downhill-speed control via the sliding collar, it offers tremendous stopping power. Round our three-day Scottish route we reckon it reduced our use of the service brakes by at least 50%.
As a 44-tonner tends to accelerate downhill like a grand piano pushed out of a sixth-floor window we wouldn’t normally contemplate driving down Carter Bar at 40mph, but with the Intarder’s downhill limiter function engaged we did just that with total confidence. When we did need the service brakes they were there, cool and ready to bite, and we’ve certainly no complains about the CF’s new discs.
The Intarder also scores on long motorway descents where you’d normally be forever dabbing the brakes to keep your speed down. Not with the “Bremsomat”. Just let the speed get up to 60mph, push in the collar on the steering column stalk and it will rein you in. As the terrain levels off, the cruise control takes over again and you’re away. Perfect foot-off driving, for mile-after-mile.
The ZF retarder is cooled by the same circuit as the engine and operates best over 1,500rpm. As you let the revs climb (not least if you’re also using the exhaust brake) you can certainly hear the fan cutting in, and it tends to stay in for 2-3km. The Intarder has a safety override that will reduce the level of retardation after heavy use to prevent any engine over-heating; when this happens the green “R” symbol flashes on the dash.
Spending £3,380 on a retarder might seem a lot. But offset that against longer brake life and, more importantly, reduced downtime and the economics start to look attractive, never mind the extra safety. For the record, the Intarder weighs in at just 95kg.
Like the XF, the CF now has a similar version of the cab suspension ‘subframe’ that has done wonders for the 95’s ride and handling. While you certainly notice the extra height of the Space Cab, the CF remains as surefooted as it ever was, allowing tight corners to be taken in fine style.
In the past we’ve criticised the CF for the amount of road shock that travelled up through the steering column and floor. Bigger ball joints in the steering set-up and revised metalastic bushes in the spring shackles combine to deal with this. The steering is now very light – a little too light for our taste – so win some, loose some.# Thank goodness for Servo Shift. The Ecosplit finally has the kind of shift levels we’ve long desired in ZF’s otherwise slick gearbox. But why make it an option on the CF85 when it’s standard on the new XF95?
Cab Comfort
The CF has always been an easy cab to get into and its latest manifestation maintains that praiseworthy tradition. The revised “family” dash is a model of clarity. Every gauge and dial is easy to see and read, with the exception of the speedometer. We may be isolated from the Continent (and we’re all for saving on part numbers) but Daf still sells a hell of a lot of trucks in the UK. So why can’t right-hand-drive CF’s have a speedo marked in mph first and km second, rather than the other way round?
As for the Digital Information Display, it’s easy to scroll through and find a multitude of condition readings from turbo boost to next service warnings. We doubt that your average driver will ever use more than 50% of its functions but operators can’t say they don’t have access to a full range of management data.
The Space Cab has a practical but comfortable trim with a sensible rubber floor covering and muted blue colour scheme. The curved binnacle has a nice flat centre section, complete with a rubber mad that’s just made for a TV or kettle. Mock wood trim? We can take it or leave it, but for all those minimalist hauliers out there, there’s an optional stainless-steel finish.
It’s not called a Space Cab for nothing. The storage room provided by the narrow-but-tall design is pretty impressive with voluminous lockers over the header rail, plenty of space under the bottom bunk (you can also spec a slide-out cooler) and sundry pockets and drinks holders. The only thing we missed was a holder for a litre bottle.
The extra-thick foam bottom bunk felt comfortable enough (if you really need to be pampered order the top bunk with a sprung base). There’s also a particularly solid step arrangement to get you up and into the top bunk.# OK, £1,340 is a lot to pay for a pair of “Super Luxury” seats. But after three days in the saddle we reckon the driver’s seat is worth the money because it really is superb. With back pain the biggest cause of time off work it’s hardly a sign of indulgence to invest in the best possible working environment. Did someone mention driver retention?
Overall visibility is OK, although we’d probably lower the offside mirror to see over it, and Daf needs to shroud the mirrors more effectively as they pick up spray and dirt too easily, especially from the windscreen.
