Transport International Magazine (IC Review Thread)

[Aurora Confederacy]

Click on the magazine cover for the OOc thread

Transport International magazine aims to bring to the forefront of attention the various commercial vehicles that are currently on the market today, performing reviews by industry related journalists out on the open road, so if you have a commercial vehicle to be reviewed, visit the submissions page and fill out the form, giving as much detail as you can about the model being tested, then it will appear here once it has been reviewed.

[Aurora Confederacy]

A report on Eslovakia's heavy hitter, the Karlberg V100 by Tim Rundheim

Karlberg V100 is Karlberg's assault on the heavy truck market, available with either a 12 litre inline-6 cylinder, or a 16 litre V8, both engines provided by Diamond Star, however, despite the Diamond Star engine, the V100 is very much Eslovakian muscle.

So, what's it like to drive, well I flew into Eslovakia to find out.

Arriving at Karlberg's factory I was handed a set of keys, and shown to the truck, and there she was, a 6x2 rear-lift V100. Our test model was the 600bhp FTR 16 powered example so had the V8 engine, which is claimed to have 3,500Nm of torque, which given that the truck is rated for 44 tonnes is ample for most operators. Most notable for the V100 is the grille, fully chromed it is carefully sculpted to match the fender grille, and behind this grille is a large radiator and intercooler assembly, so cooling wont be a problem, and with such a large intercooler, the engine is going to be fed with cold air, making for an efficient engine.

Down the sides, the V100 has fibreglass side skirts, these side skirts are however optional, costing $1,000 for a set, these blend nicely into the colour coordinated wheel arch covers on the test model, which is the top spec Starline cab. Behind these side skirts are two fuel tanks totalling 1,200 litres, a 50 litre adblue tank and a large exhaust silencer. The exhaust on this model running down along the inner face of the fuel tank, rather than vertically like some Australian or US models which results in a nice, clean exterior which should aid fuel economy.

At the rear of the chassis is the battery box which contains two large batteries for the trucks 24v system, however being a Euro-style model, the Lastbil V100 comes with only 24v electrics, however, modern LED trailers have 12-24v electrics so that should not be a problem. The 5th wheel is positioned forward on the frame however is fitted on a slider system, allowing it to slide rearwards for coupling up with trailers that have a short king pin to landing leg distance. Whilst behind the cab there is a full width catwalk which features a high-grip pattern, making it safer when walking on the back of the truck performing task of coupling up the 5 jumper leads.

To get inside the cab, the V100, the wide doors make for an easy entry, however despite good, well placed grab rails, the 3 step entry does make it a bit of a haul to get in, compared to other 4 step designs, however the cab is somewhat lower than some of its rivals, so its not that much of a big deal. Once inside, the feel of quality continues with a nicely curved dashboard that puts everything in easy reach and has an integral satellite navigation system.

The Steering wheel is nicely sized and features controls for the bluetooth phone, cruise control, retarder and radio whilst the steering column has 3 stalks, these have the controls for the lights and indicators, wipers and the automated transmission system. To my right as the test model is a left hand drive example, though the V100 is available in right hand drive also, there is an engine hump which restricts cross cab access, though the dashboard, where it meets the engine hump has a slide out drawer which will hold a map.

Above the windscreen there are 3 large lockers, and they are large, not quite as big as those in the Mjolnir, but bigger than those on the Kvasir, below these there is a small storage shelf, below the left hand side of this shelf the digital tachograph module is located along with controls for the night heater, there is also space for a CB radio and the truck comes with the antenna pre-wired but not installed, saving you the need to drill holes in the cab shell to run the CB antenna, whilst a 12v supply is also installed for the power supply for the CB. Above each of the two cab doors there is a small storage pocket, nicely in reach from the top bunk, whilst in the panel behind the seats, there is also a similarly sized storage pocket for the lower bunk.

Placing the key into the ignition, the dashboard came alive and in typical Karlberg style, the dashboard is no nonsense, the main instrument binnacle is clear and easy to read with a central display that gives various messages including any diagnostic fault such as low brake pad warnings, oil pressure warnings, as well as drivers hours information. Permanently on display in this display is the air pressure and the Ad-blue exhaust fluid level. Default for this display is the cruise control setting status. To its left is the rev counter which is analogue and easy to read, red line begins at 2,500RPM, with its Eco band being around 2000RPM. The bottom of the rev gauge gives the Adblue level. Below that is the temperature gauge which though a simple scale with a red warning area is easily read. To the right of the data display us the speedometer which has an integral oil pressure gauge. Below this is the fuel gauge. Again easy to read.

The seats of the Karlberg V100 are comfortable and air sprung, adjustable in reach, tilt angle, height and backrest, adjustments of the tilt is by means of a ratchet, the reach is adjusted by a pull bar at the front, with the seat backrest adjustable by a turn wheel, and the spring dampening is also adjustable so you will not feel like you are in a boat if you don't want to, and if you really do not like air spring seats, you can also isolate the damping mechanism.

I spent a few moments adjusting the mirrors and all 6 are adjustable, allowing the mirrors to be put into a near perfect position, and the mirrors are also large giving excellent rearward vision, though the flip side to this is the main door mirror assemblies do create a large blind spot. Having adjusted the mirrors I turned the key start the engine. The big sleeve valve Diamond Star produced engine starts easily and runs almost silently, there is some cabin noise from the V8 engine. Selecting a forward gear by pushing the gear stalk forwards and feeding power in, the truck responded without fuss, pulling off in third, cruising around the Karlberg yard to the trailer park, the mid drive set up being nimble around the yard. The steering feeling light, and the brakes responsive.

Once coupled to the trailer I set off to give the truck a run. The test route was 400km long, a full 8 hours worth of driving on the mixed roads of Eslovakian motorways and alpine roads. Fully loaded, the 600hp V100 pulls well, and the gearbox shifts intelligently, however it does not like being overridden by me, yet that can be said about all automatic shifts as they know best, well, they think they do at least.

With steel front suspension, and air ride rear, along with an air sprung cab shell, the ride is of a good quality and is somewhat sure footed, giving plenty of feedback as to what the front axle is doing, and when the gearbox does change, the indication is a change in engine RPM, up shifts especially so. Coming down the gearbox, the engine revs go up, the speed goes down, and there is an oh so slight feel of the gear changes letting you know something is going on. With the exhaust brake activated, unwanted speed is disposed of quickly and even on the steep Alpine roads the exhaust brake is effective at holding back, giving plenty of confidence when operating mountainous areas, though when you do need to slow down with the brakes, the EBS operated discs are very effective at stopping you.

Out on the Eslovakian motorways, the cruise control is simple and easy to use, simply turn it on, press the + button and let it do the rest, all you do then is steer, though it is not a distance sensing system, so you still need to be aware that you may come up on traffic moving slowly, especially on the hills as this thing storms up them despite half the power on this model as the top flight Diamond Star models, but sitting in the drivers seat you wont notice, the high torque makes a big difference, as the less time you spend lugging up the hills, the less fuel you are going to burn and with fuel getting expensive these days that can't be a bad thing, and on the hills that the V100 does slow down on, it quickly regains lost speed once on the flat, that us until you reach 100km/h as that is where the speed limiter is set at on this model. When it comes to economy, traditionally the larger the engine, the bigger the appetite for fuel, however yet despite having a 16 litre V8, the V100 is economical managing 24l/100km on the rolling Eslovakian hills, and even when on the Eslovakian motorways, fuel economy is a creditable 22l/100km, this means that the V100 could well be the truck for you if you are worried about fuel consumption.

After 4 hours on the road, the time came to park up for the night, yes I had to spend a night in the cab, and this is an equally important area for any large commercial truck. When it comes to storage space, there is however less space than something like a large bonneted conventional, so to compare it to one of those type of trucks will be unfair, however as a cab over design, there is still plenty of space to get around the cab, the curtains that come fitted do a good job of keeping light out so once closed the cabin is quite cosy, though there is still light coming in from the sunroof, however that was not a problem as the bunks themselves had their own curtains. Having thrown my overnight bag onto the top bunk I climbed into the lower bunk and set the night heater to 16 degrees.

The mattress of the V100 is firm though not uncomfortable and is a nice place to spend the night, however it is a little bit narrow, measuring 800mm however it is the full width of the cab, so even a 6 footer can lie comfortably across the cab though in the slightly lower Dayline cab may have to stoop slightly because of that engine tunnel. During the night, a refrigerated trailer pulled up alongside, however the steady drone was pretty well muted thanks to the excellent sound insulation allowing me to get a good nights sleep, meaning come the morning I am alert and ready for the days work ahead, which for me was a short 4 hour drive back to the Karlberg factory.

Verdict : 4.5 stars out of 5
let down by the cab not having a flat floor

Specifications (as tested)
Length: 9.8m
Width : 2.5m
Height : 3.9m
Gross Weight 44,000kg

Engine Capacity 16.35l
Engine Horse Power 600hp
Engine Torque 3400Nm

Suspension : steel front, air rear
Tyres 295/80R22.5

PRICE : $116,000