The Big Sleep

Invited by Volvo North America for a sleepover in its voluminous new VNL 860, T&D finds that the experience is one that European drivers can only dream of 

- Colin Barnett

On a recent visit to Volvo’s North American HQ in Greensboro, North Carolina, I eagerly accepted the offer to become the first European journalist to spend a night in its latest and largest ever product, the VNL 860 long-haul tractor.

For the first time across the Atlantic, Volvo’s flagship cab is designated as the Globetrotter XL, with a slightly smaller Globetrotter also available. That long bonnet, sorry, hood, in front of the cab betrays a truck that is remarkably similar to a European FH, especially in terms of its Volvo D13 engine and I-Shift transmission.

Cab size its USP

The VNL 860’s unique selling point is the class-leading 77 inch, or just short of two metres, length of its accommodation area, a full seven inches longer than previously.

Getting aboard the VNL is effortless, thanks to the wide door, the two almost as wide steps and a floor height significantly lower than we’re used to for a flagship truck.

From the driving seat, all looks reassuringly familiar to European eyes, although there are a few strange switches and the dash is dominated by the traditional American big red and yellow brake knobs.