Brains & Brawn

by Paul Hartley

If it's true that power corrupts, Volvo's latest offering to North American truckers, the D16-powered VT 880, might have a considerable effect on the industry's collective psyche.

The VT 880, unveiled in February, represents the company's first product specifically designed for owner-operators whose buying habits are dictated by traditional styling and locomotive-class horsepower. The truck's features include a distinctively squarish hood, set-forward front axle, exposed fuel tanks and mufflers, ample brightwork and, most importantly, enough radiator capacity to handle the continent's most powerful on-road diesel engine.

Volvo's 16.1-liter (984 cubic inch) D16 is capable of delivering 625 hp and 2,250 lb.-ft. of torque, 200 lb.-ft. more than its closest competitor. Such an impressive output is merely an academic consideration for 90 percent of the time most people spend behind the wheel. For the other 10 percent, however, it's an absolute thrill - complete with bragging rights - an equal mix of acceleration and exhilaration.

This brute force was demonstrated recently when Volvo officials invited a handful of CDL-holding media members to test-drive the 880 on a nearly 500-mile triangular route through the mountains of North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. They'd assembled three rigs for this trial, each loaded and weighing roughly 78,000 pounds. All of the trucks sported D16s: two of them rated at 625/2,250, the third at 550/1,850.

A fully rated D16 doesn't have much trouble with gravity. This was apparent soon after our trio of would-be truckers left a North Carolina rest stop and headed up an eight-mile pull that tops out near Fancy Gap, Va. As we ascended the slope, the rate at which we passed other trucks increased. Those drivers were shifting down, but we were shifting up, reaching the summit in 15th gear (on an 18-speed Eaton) at 55 mph. Two subsequent grades in the Tar Heel state - Sam's Gap on I-26 and Black Mountain on I-40 - were traversed with similar (relative) ease, although the former, with a pitch greater than 7 percent at times, slowed our movement to a few clicks below 40 mph. Its effect on the derated engine was even more pronounced.

The course, composed entirely of interstate highways, was mainly chosen to show the engine's hill-climbing prowess, but some stretches were marvelously decrepit and provided a good test of the trucks' silky smooth suspension. The 880 might actually offer the best ride of any Volvo on the market. In designing the truck, engineers moved the cab back 8 inches (to make room for the D16) and they pushed the front axle forward 12 inches. This new geometry, officially dubbed the "comfort setting," is bound to become the standard by which all others are judged.

Supple suspension and industry-leading horsepower are just two of the VT 880's attributes. The truck - essentially a VN on steroids - also has the usual complement of outstanding Volvo safety features: crush-resistant welded steel cab, driver's side airbags, a steering column and engine mounts designed to limit driver injuries in a frontal crash. As if that weren't enough, the truck is packed with technology. It has more computer power than some third-world countries.

Among the various systems deployed on the 880 is one called Intelligent Torque, or I-Torque for short. Using multiple measuring criteria - and several serious algorithms - it electronically limits the engine's output while the truck is operated in the transmission's lowest gears. This helps prevent damage to driveline and rear end components. I-Torque then cranks up the D16's massive twisting force in 200 lb.-ft. increments, matching demand with prudence. The changes in torque levels are no more noticeable than that of barometric pressure.