Swishy, just look what Vic's driving!

Yes, it's the one on the right of the photo! What's happened to the Inter, then?

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz350/vicandval/Volvo1.jpg?t=1326411993

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz350/vicandval/Volvo2.jpg?t=1326411993

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz350/vicandval/Volvo3.jpg?t=1326411993

http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz350/vicandval/Volvo4.jpg?t=1326411993

Well, another driver was driving "my" Inter between Christmas and New Year and was involved in a head-on with a car; neither driver was seriously hurt but the car was demolished and the Inter had a bit of damage but will be back on the road soon. I must emphasise that it was completely the car driver's fault, he slid sideways onto the wrong side of the road on a corner with a narrow bridge, straight into the path of the truck which was travelling 20km/h below the recommended speed limit for that corner.

So, for a couple of weeks, the Inter is being replaced with this rental Volvo FM500. Interesting!!

Vichung, good stuff mate, tell me how is it for comfort & power. Looks good too. I reckon the old Swish is probably a liddle bit nvious, maybe!! Cya Tim

I reckon the old Swish is probably a liddle bit nvious, maybe!!

I doubt it, Tim!

Power? It seems to go as well as, or maybe slightly better than, the 460bhp ISX in the Inter, certainly not as well as the 525bhp ISX in the other Inters we have, so that is about what you would expect. The Volvo engine brake is great, has more retardation than the Cummins "Jake Brake".

Comfort? Good seat, good driving position, but so has the Inter. It is very quiet. The ride in the Volvo is a lot better BUT you have no feel of what the wheels are doing and feel quite disconnected with the truck and the road.

The I-shift? I spent the day yesterday driving around Auckland city and it worked well and I liked it. However on the open road it works well empty, but fully loaded on hilly winding roads it gets a bit lost and needs some manual intervention, which I suppose is to be expected. If I was driving in the city all day, every day, I would prefer the I-shift, but for what I do, almost all long distance, I definitely prefer my 18-speed RR.

Overall? I must admit that it is a nice truck and I am enjoying my couple of weeks with it, but I'm looking forward to getting the Inter back; it has served me and the company very well for the last 8 years and 940,000km and I'm expecting it to go just as well for a bit longer yet.

Maybe the the SWISHY is coming out of the closet and does have a girlly side Is just looking for some else to cross over with

vic ofcourse its got more retardation .... ITS A VOLVO HAHAHA