The new Volvo VNL, inside and out: Truck walk-around with Volvo's Chris Stadler

Overdrive caught up with Volvo Trucks North America's product marketing manager for long haul, Chris Stadler, on the floor of the Truckload Carriers Association's Truckload 2024 show in Nashville, Tennessee. There, Stadler walked us through the redesigned features of this early production model, a VNL660, featuring a 62-inch sleeper (74-inch options are available on the VNL 860 and 840 variations).

In addition to the improvements showcased in the video -- related to aerodynamics, driver-entry and -exit, accessibility to internal compartments around the truck, aftertreatment-component design for accessibility and ease of service, non-torque-reactive suspension and plenty in the interior of the vehicle -- Stadler noted the new VNL's power options would be limited to Volvo power. "The engine itself has been improved," he said, with a "seven-way piston for a cleaner burn," likewise a variable speed oil pump.

For 2024, only turbo-compounding engines will be available -- plans for the new VNL for 2025 include a variable-geometry turbo option. Horsepower options from 405-500 hp are available, with an option for 1,950 lb.-ft. of torque with the 500-hp spec. Cummins-built engines are no longer an option, he added.

Volvo Dynamic Steering is part of the now fully proprietary lane-keep and lane-centering driver-assist system that Stadler said had been "on the road for a number of years in Europe" and fully developed and proven out.

In the interior, Stadler ran through a litany of design choices aimed at increasing driver comfort and accessibility to internal systems, from a new all-digital HVAC control panel up front that is mirrored back in the sleeper as well. The steering wheel has both tilt and telescopic adjustment, but likewise neck tilt possibility for "position perfect" adjustments, he said, "to better see your instrument cluster and stalk control" of the automated transmission, now positioned just behind the wheel.

New electronic parking brakes are positioned for "easy toggle" within the driver's reach, Stadler noted, and designed so that if the driver "stands up in the seat" the parking brake will automatically set "if they haven't done it already."

The rig's outfitted with two wireless-charging pads for phones and tablets -- one in the dash, another back in the sleeper, where new lighting is dimmable and connected to an alarm system -- lights can be configured to "come on with your alarm clock," Stadler said.

Thicker sleeper curtains, combined with additional insulation around the cab walls, roof and floor, increase the efficiency of Volvo's Cab Parking Cooler battery-driven auxiliary HVAC system, designed to maintain comfortable cab temperatures for 8-10 hours in most overnight conditions. Traditional battery-powered auxiliary power systems, Stadler noted, might feature a total of eight batteries on board, starting batteries included. Yet the new system has reduced the battery number to six, reducing weight and cost. Integrated is a new "battery management system" that "auto-starts the truck to charge the battery," he added, when power levels reach a low threshold.

The auxiliary air-conditioning components include a condenser and compressor down on the frame rails, with the cooling fan in the front. For auxiliary heat when parked, two options include a 2-kW Espar fuel-fired heater and a 6 kW option, Stadler noted, "integrated into piping in the truck to heat the engine and cab, ... circulating heat in the ventilation system."

Greater sleeper width for the 62-inch sleeper means the reclining-bunk feature of larger sleepers in the prior VNL generation is now available here. Likewise the double-bunk configuration in this truck -- if "you're not using it for sleeping, it makes for nice storage" and is liftable for better overhead space.

The wardrobe now includes an airplane-type latch, and the sleeper is outfitted for effective refrigerator connection and microwave/TV prep kits on the other side, expanding ease of obtaining the comforts and features of a home on the road. That extends to the stereo system. "You can order it with a subwoofer and amplifier as well for a better system," Stadler said, making good in so many ways on "driver and customer clinics" Volvo held "to find out what's important to them" prior to finalizing design changes.

Volvo opened up the order books for the new VNL just last month: https://www.overdriveonline.com/equip...

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