Volvo’s VNX with 600-hp D16 engine

Louisville, KY — Volvo Trucks used the Mid-America Trucking Show to introduce a new heavy-haul tractor, the VNX, designed for extreme-gross-weight applications. It sports a Volvo integrated powertrain featuring a newly introduced D16 engine with 600 hp and 2050 lb ft of torque spinning through an I-Shift automated manual transmission. The 16-liter engine is new to North America but has been offered in European and other markets for some time.

Developed for applications up to 225,000 lb GVW, the VNX is ideal for long combination vehicles, heavy-equipment hauling, aggregate, low-boy, logging, oil-field, and mining operations, says Volvo. Demonstrator models will be available early this summer, and customers will be able to place orders in the fall.

Volvo’s I-Shift automated manual transmission is now a standard feature across the company’s product lineup. Its integrated sensors identify truck load and road grade to place the truck in the right gear for the conditions. The result is said to be optimum shifts, improved fuel efficiency, and extending clutch life and service intervals.

Available in 6×4 and 8×4 configurations, the VNX offers a wide range of heavy-haul components to ensure it’s properly spec’d for the job. Front axle ratings range from 16,000 to 20,000 lb with parabolic springs. The VNX is available with 385 wide-base, 425 and 445 tires to match front-axle load capacity. Available rear-axle ratings range from 46,000 to 52,000 lb in regular, dual-track, and wide-track tandem configurations. Dual steering gears and a 20,000-lb steerable pusher axle are also available as options.

The VNX provides an obviously increased ride height to accommodate more articulation and front ramp angle. A signature feature of the VNX is its distinct metallic, honeycomb-patterned grille and bright-finish steel bumper with center tow pin. A steel ‘moose’ bumper with center tow pin is also available.

The VNX uses Volvo’s full-size daycab, constructed of high-strength steel, with “ample” storage room and trim levels ranging from vinyl to premium leather.

Standard safety-oriented equipment includes a driver-side airbag and Bendix ‘Enhanced Stability’ technology that helps the driver maintain control during emergency maneuvers and hard-braking events.

Also standard — as on all Volvo-powered trucks — is Remote Diagnostics. It helps maximize vehicle uptime by providing diagnostic and repair-planning assistance with detailed analysis of critical diagnostic trouble codes. The service also helps improve parts availability and provides technicians at the repairing dealer with repair instructions before the truck arrives at the shop door. Volvo says it has reduced the average diagnostic time at service locations by 71 percent and lowered the average time of repair by 25 percent.

www.volvotrucks.us.com