Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/153582
INSIDE VOLVO PHOTO: PAUL HARTLEY "Our intelligent, integrated XE13 package delivers improved fuel efficiency without sacrificing drivability during steep mountain inclines or stop-and-go traffic." GÖR AN NYBERG, PR ESIDENT, VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA SALES AND MARKETING to gain some experience — the whole XE project probably wouldn't have happened. The risk was too high without hard evidence that it would work." Likewise, he credits Blonde and Saxman for keeping the engineering team focused on the customer. Blonde and Saxman, in turn, explain that the ultimate proof of the concept was in the extensive customer testing, courtesy of Bison Transport, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Volvo needed a "dynamic" field-test customer. That meant looking for "the untypical situation," Blonde notes. "The worst case," he says. "If we can get it to work there, with that customer under these conditions, we can know that, hey, this works." Bison runs a number of combinations across 48 states and the Canadian provinces, and Blonde points out that Bison, at his urging, had already made a gradual transition from overdrive to direct-drive vehicles. More importantly, the XE team knew Bison to be "top-notch" and "very professional." "So they were prepared to take on the XE concept," he says. 28 Bison installed the pair of test transmissions Volvo sent to them. Oh, and by the way, the Bison representatives mentioned when the XE team made their first evaluation visit, those transmissions had been installed in trucks pulling twin 53-foot trailers — with vehicle weights of 105,000 pounds, maybe more. "They just wanted to raise the bar a little bit," Saxman recalls. "It was outside the bounds, so we called it a 'stretch target.' We're still not aiming for twin 53s, ever. But let's see what happens." He can laugh about it now — including a visit when the temperature in Winnipeg was 18 below zero (Fahrenheit). "But we couldn't have asked for a better team." Blonde adds: "We told them we wanted their most dynamic, receptive drivers. That was a key. It was the communication between the project team and the drivers — the direct interaction gave us so much valuable feedback." The three-man driver team had more than 100 years combined experience. And when told they'd be running 100k/h (62 mph) at 1100 RPM, the reaction was "no way," Blonde recalls. "The net result of the Bison testing, which is ongoing, gave us the confidence that drivers would be keen on driving the XE," Saxman adds. "We in marketing have never ignored a certain area. Even in metropolitan traffic in New York City, we say the XE drives exactly like a normal truck, even if you never get into high gear. But if you do go on the interstate at cruise speeds, it works great." "Quiet" and "relaxing to drive" are the commonly heard reviews from drivers, according to the XE team leaders — and that's high praise indeed. "Of all the 26 ratings we have for Volvo engines, over three displacements, the XE13 at 425 horsepower quickly became by far the most popular," Saxman notes. "I've yet to meet a driver that didn't accept the XE." A preview tour with a small group of trucking journalists was part of the XE roll-out, and the first impressions validated the team's own positive assessment. The test drivers were not told what to expect, and the trip was designed to be very much like Saxman's memorable first drive across varying terrain. Blonde recalls riding with a journalist known to be very knowledgeable but also skeptical — and critical — of new trucks. "I asked him for his final verdict, and he looked up in the sky and said, 'Terrific.' I felt really, really good about that." Among the anecdotal reactions to the XE, Saxman recalls hearing from a customer who'd bought 40 trucks. "The fuel distributor called the customer and asked if everything was okay, and why hadn't he been buying as much fuel as he used to — the distributor was wondering if he was mad at him!" Looking ahead, further development of the XE is aimed at a wider variety of trucking applications, Blonde added. Also, contrary to typical truck spec'ing — where a truck buyer has range of engine ratings and gear ratios to choose from, the XE package is exactly that: a package optimized to perform best as designed. "Too many people would try to spec it differently and do it wrong," Saxman explains. "So we said that's it. It's this way or DRIVER 'S DIGEST #2/2013 DDQ213PG022-29_Inside Volvo.indd 28 8/13/13 8:37 AM