weve got two rental 420 fm globetrotters in at the mo with the i-shift box. i took one out on wednesday night, what a lovely motor to drive. the gearbox was a joy to use-drop it on to A for auto and away. ive always liked volvo`s and the fm is a huge improvement on the old wendy house i had on coopers years ago! i didnt notice the “eco-roll” bit tho? how does that work? rgds jon
For eco roll to work you need the engine brake in the A setting and the over run set to 5km or above. When it doesn’t need the engine to keep you moving it drops it into neutral and the momentum keeps you going, when it starts to slow (or goes 5km over the cruise control setting) it goes back into gear. If you touch either pedal it goes straight back in as well. It also doesn’t go into neutral if you have just used the brakes.
Now could you move over a bit because Rob will be in in a minute to ridicule the i-shift. 
thanks for that coffee. i was just given the keys and told to put it in auto 
. advanced driver training eh!
Eco-roll isn’t actually standard with I-shift, but it’s an at-cost option, so if you were wondering where it was on your trucks it may not even have been there !
Now I never thought of that. 
You obviously went for optimum spec Neil
Of course.
I was told that when you stop you should put it in neutral as otherwise it slips the clutch causing premeture failiure.
is this true?
The reason I ask is that I’m starting to think about the spec of a replacement vehicle & am interested in the I-shift & daf automated boxes.
Has anyone bought one (either vehicle) and did you get the chance to have a demo first?
I haven’t tried the Daf version so can’t comment, Craig would be the guy for that, I have been running an i-shift for the last 18 months and it has been a great box so far, never missed a beat. I don’t put it into neutral at every stop, only at longer stops and I haven’t heard or read anything to suggest that is wrong.
The only real difference between my last truck and this is the i-shift, the last was manual, and I’m getting over a mile to the gallon better with this doing the same work pulling the same trailer.
The Daf will probably be similar only you will have to take it in the garage EVERY week to get it reset or fixed because its failed for some unknown reason .
coffee is your motor a 420/460/500
I’ve heard about a model that is 460 but the software can increase to 500 when it is needed
I’ll be looking at getting the prestige cab if I get the volvo with a roof mounted air con unit no matter what make of truck.
Good God man that sort of power would give me a nose bleed. Mine is only a 380 as that is all I need for the weights I run at, it’s also only plated a 31 tonnes and I very rarely get close to that. When I ship today I’ll be lucky if I tip the scales at Dover at more than 23 tonnes.
Mine is the Prestige cab with the office/dinette package, I prefer comfort to power. I am going to look at one of those roof mounted aircons for the new one next year.
I think the i-shift only goes up to 460 but there is a software option on the engine management that will increase output to 500hp but only comes in when in top gear
I-shift is available on all new generation FH12s, up to the 500hp turbocompound model. It’s only recommended for trucks running on normal freight work up to 44 tonnes, so for heavy haulage or construction work it’s a choice of Geartronic or Powertronic if you want an autoshift transmission.
As for the roof mounted A/C units, why are you guys looking to buy those, are they more efficient, or will you be thinking of swapping them onto the next vehicle when you change again?
i may be wrong craig but cant you leave the roof mounted a/c on all night without the engine running? that would be a big attraction for me on euro work
Don’t know about that Jon, but like you say would certainly be a lot better for nights out in the hotter climates 
Craig, the roof mounted a/c would be in addition to the a/c that comes with the vehicle and would be used when parked, From looking into details about them they can be run when the vehicle is stopped for up to 8 hours without needing the engine running. They work by spraying a fine mist into the cab, so fine that nothing gets wet, which lowers the temperature some 10 degrees below the ambient temp. If you see a vehicle with one fitted you will find that there is a large plastic container on the back of the cab, outside, something similar to a windscreen washer bottle. Pipes lead to the roof mounted unit from here and I guess as well as stopping for diesel you will have to stop to fill up with water. How long before the garages start charging for that I wonder.
i also drove a i shift demo last week. excellent gearbox
our 2 only do 85 k i wondered if that was because of the box .also had iveco/man (zf) autos they where just as good
scania opticruse is dreadful, slow and often picks wrong gear
i surprised neil has an i shift.i would have stuck to the 14 speed manual for long haul work.or is so he can drink his coffee and drive
jon