Shift low, sweet chariot

A big seller for Daf in Europe, the XF low-deck is popular with event companies in the UK such as Fly-By-Nite

- Dougie Rankine

At a glance

Make & model Daf XF 530 FT 4x2 Low Deck

Engine: Daf MX-13 six cylinder Euro 6d

Power: 530hp @ 1675rpm

Torque: 2600Nm @ 1000-1400rpm

Gearbox: ZF 16-speed manual

Operator: Daf Trucks UK

Being slammed to the floor is more common with the car modification scene than trucks, but this Low Deck configuration is a big seller for Daf in Europe and has a role to play here in the UK too.

Seeing as there was very little truck manufacturers could do to promote products to the press or customers during 2020, they had to come up with some novel ideas to provide a bit of coverage.

Daf are in a period of transition, the current range is nailed down and well sorted until the wraps are finally pulled of that weird, black Darth Vader looking thing that keeps getting spotted testing round Holland. Will it be using the good old XF cab? Will there be a model between the CF and XF? Will there be more power? Can we still get a walnut dash? Who knows. Those are questions for another time.

In a slick move, Daf’s PR team got their Showtrekker low-deck auto, which T&D spent the most wonderful time in during the summer of 2019 at the Nürburgring, during those carefree times before some tosser ate an undercooked bat and ruined everything. They brought it together with another low-deck XF at the Fly-By-Nite studios in Redditch.