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A GREAT CONST1iNT
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When Daf first launched its XF95, it had a real winner on its hands. But the competition has not stood still, so has it still got what it takes?
Alot has happened since the original 95 broke cover in 1987, when it had to be all things to all men— and suffered dearly for it. But when Daf transformed it into XF95 it finally had the flagship it desperately needed.
Say what you like about the Dutch truck maker, but it does listen to grumbles, and with XF95 it ultimately addressed them all, even if it has taken longer than most to embrace electronic disc brakes and automated gearboxes not a bad thing for some operators!
Indeed, the XF95 Super Space Cab is the one truck that has given Scania a real jolt in the top-weight tractor market. Dais 12-6-litre engine earned a reputation for decent economy while the Super Space Cab is respected by drivers for its abundance of real living room'.
However, with the arrival of new FH, new Stralis, and in particular the new Actros, suddenly XF95 is no longer the brightest star in the firmament. In a recent conversation with Daf we were told (admittedly with tongue firmly wedged in cheek) that a big-name haulier was considering buying XF95-480s as a fleet machine, not least in a bid to woo drivers and enhance residual values.
Not a bad compliment, but wasn't that sector supposed to be CF85's hunting ground? If it's not careful. Daf could well end up trying to make XF95 all things to all operators again, which is exactly what Mercedes wants to avoid with its new Actros— hence the emphasis on flagship luxury and extreme cab comfort.
So is XF95 still a 'premium' product in every sense of the word? We tried out its latest Euro-3 offering complete with the optional 12-speed AS-Tronic auto in order to find out.
On the road There's no need to shout! Leastways not in the XF95, as its in-cab noise levels remain impressively low. From tickover to top whack,it sets the standard for quiet, beating even the whispering R164-480 Scania at motorway speeds. We've got no reason to fault its EBS brakes either, which produced perfectly adequate stopping distances, even though we did our panic stops on a damp test track. However, a little bit more progression on the pedal wouldn't go amiss, as the all-disc set-up can be a bit fierce at times.
We've clearly been spoilt lately by testing all those 6x2 tractors with 'low datum' cabs which tend to cling to corners like limpets. Naturally, the taller, coil-sprung XF Space Cab rolls a bit more when you push it hard into a bend, but its 'lean' is progressive and predictable.
The big Dafs steering is generally okay too, although a bit more weight on the wheel wouldn't hurt; it's almost too light at times.
So far so good, but the real focus for our test was to see how the XF95 performed with ZF's 12-speed AS-Tronic auto not least as this was Dafs first foray into automation on a CM roadtest.
The answer is not much different from the Stralis 540 we tested in June with the 16-speed version. We still think Volvo's I-Shift has the edge overall, but AS-Tronic is definitely a contender.
With it, your right foot now controls throttle, clutch and gear-changing all in one.
How hard you press down determines how it controls the complete drivetrain.With 40-tonnes on board we did find AS-Tronic letting the engine revs build up a bit higher than normal before changing (although it's a 12-speed after all) not least when pulling away from rest.
After decades of being told to -keep it in the green", it was something of anathema but the ZF box also tends to take bigger bites, block shifting up three and sometimes even four cogs at a time, thereby saving fuel in between.
Moreover, with a bit of judicious feathering of your right foot you can prompt an earlier up-shift around the 1,500-1,600rpm mark as long as the terrain isn't too demanding. The only time we were left -waiting" for a gear change was occasionally between 11th and top on single carriageway roads where we let the speed drop below 45mph.
However, the remedy was simply to select manual and 'do it ourselves'. But here's a thing; in a bid to always keep the XF's six-pot in the green, you can almost become too obsessed with intervening.
Once you make a manual change in the Daf/AS-Tronic installation it stays in manual until you re-select auto the juddering of the engine as you slow down for traffic lights is a good reminder to do so!
Yet whether it's manual or auto, you're not likely to see any difference in fuel economy so you might just as well relax and let it do all the work.When you do life's a breeze, especially approaching roundabouts where the best style is to wash off the speed early with either the exhaust brake, or in our case the optional (and exceptional) ZF Intarder, look for the gap then press the accelerator, leaving AS-Tronic to select the right gear in one hit.
But the real revelation came when we encountered the nasty hills on the A68 within our tough A-roads section. The fact is, while AS-Tronic may not be able to see the road ahead, its thinking speed and rapidity of shift is little short of astonishing.
On more than one occasion, it changed up on a 1:7 gradient in auto mode, and held it, when we wouldn't have dared to try it on a manual. As a result you get the full benefit of the XF's 480 horses and as ever the 12.6-litre lump is a willing worker in the best tradition of Daf diesels, happily thumping down to 1,000rpm and recovering.
Our verdict on the Daf/ZF auto combo is a comfortable eight out of 10. Last but not least the view from the driving seat is pretty good, even if the driving mirror occasionally gets in the way. However, the extra blind-spot mirror on the nearside showing the stepwell area is a winner.
Productivity
With traffic congestion often hitting journey times, our 0-80km/h acceleration test remains a useful indicator of a truck's speed of delivery Having experienced a rather leisurely sprint with the XF's AS-Ironic box running in full auto we then switched to manual and promptly knocked five seconds off our arrival time! That puts the Daf just one tenth of second behind the V8 Scania,with bags more torque. On hill climbing the XF was well up with the pack too and (being only the second truck to go around our new test route) its overall average speed of 74.4km/h is virtually identical to that of the similarly-powered Magnum 480.
At first glance, the Dutchman's tare weight of 7,245kg may seem a little on the hefty side but it's carrying a full 620-litre tank and its useful 25.75-tonne payload still beats the MAN TG-A 460 XXL and is not far behind the Magnum with 65 litres less dery on board.
The Daf diesel's reputation for good economy can still be taken 'as read'. It's neck-andneck with the Magnum overall and proved better on all sections bar easyA-roads, where gearing is invariably the deciding factor.
Cab comfort
Despite being a premium artic the standard Space Cab isn't exactly overloaded with extras. Its predominantly light blue/dark blue trim is undeniably user-friendly,but it does leave you wondering whether you're in a flagship or a CF85.
You can personalise it with wood or gunmetal dash inserts and the optional slide-out fridge is worth the money (even if it does eat into the under-bunk space).
But what's missing are little things such as pop-out dash cup/can holders and the fact that the standard spec, air-sprung seat doesn't come with an arm rest or damping control, so when the road gets rough you've either got to lock it out or get used to your foot bouncing off the throttle pedal as you go up and down. We're not asking for frippery — it's just that Daf shouldn't keep all the `goodies' for the Super Space Cab, especially now the new Actros has rewritten the book on cab comfort.
The XF95's greatest strength has always been its useable living space, exemplified by the sensible cut out in the headlining over the passenger side which allows the driver to stand upright to change, and 1,080 litres of storage space.The smaller AS-Tronic gear selector makes cross-cab movement easier, although Daf could have copied Iveco's idea of making it swivel through 180° to provide even better access. However, it's now simpler to adjust the steering wheel as there's a decent switch on the column.
The central part of the binnacle sticks out quite a way into the cabin but it will take a television or coffee maker on top and it also houses a pull-out tray.The 150rnm thick bunk should give you a good night's sleep and with two sets of curtains you won't be disturbed by stray lights. •