i got to have a good look around a brand new DAF XF 105 super space cab this week, unfortunately i did not have my camera with me.
it’s very nice with the almost flat floor and because it was auto it didn’t have the gear stick - just a heater control type dial on the dashboard and an additional stalk on the steering column which i was told is for manual operations of the gearbox.
the spotlights in the roof look good, twins built into a shielded glass or perspex outer casing and they have got rid of that stupid tinted glass panel from over the cupboards.
adblue guage on the dash clocks.
big fridge freezer under the bunk and an additional storage bin at the side both of which are very deep and come with dividers to help break up the emense space available, perhaps the additional storage bin should have been 2 draws instead as deep holes tend to fill up from the bottom and you end up having to turn everything out to get the first item you ever put in etc.
the lower bunk is a fairly wide bunk, much similar to the old xf and better than the scania as it’s all ready to use so you don’t have to start putting it together like an airfix kit. the top bunk is also quite big and the ladder to get into is attached in a folded position by a double runner under the bunk, it can be slid along to either side of the bunk and the rungs are much wider than the older xf meaning you should be able to climb into it without shoes on your feet for protection. the thing i really liked was the top bunk release, it’s a bar with the webbing that holds the bed attached, the bar fits into a housing so all you do is pull the bar down then towrd you to release it from the housing then simply move it up and the bunk comes down, the bar fits against a stopper at the top and the bunk is then flat for sleeping, purpose of.
the top cupboards at the front don’t seem to have changed and the dash layout seems very similar if not the same as the old xf with the exception of the ad blue guage.
nice little pockets/bins around the sides of the cabin interior, you can fit the curtains in etc and some nick nacks.
from my 15 minute tour i found the following to be wrong (minor niggles really).
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like scania have done with the r series - daf have dictated where a driver sleeps at night, bottom bunk with head behind drivers seat (rhd model).
this is dictated by the fact that there is only one control for the nightheater and lights etc. and this is - behind the drivers seat on the lower bunk only - nice one - so whoever wants to sleep in the top bunk does so knowing that if they need to heat the cab up then they have to get out of bed to do it and in the dark too, or if double manned then whoever sleeps in the lower bunk has access to the controls for both and if they sleep with their head behind the passenger seat then they still have to raise themselves from the lying position to adjust the controls or turn on the lights. -
the coat hanging pegs, why do truck makers think we always wear short coats and they they will never be wet. the coat pegs (and in most other trucks too) are above the lower bunk with enough hanging space for a bomber jacket, most companies that supply wet gear will give you a coat that goes just below your hips, this type of coat will be hanging on your bed if you use the hooks provided for the purpose of.
why no just take away a piece of the top bunk, put the pegs up there on one side only and a hard wearing leather or pvc liner that comes down to the lower bunk and behind the end of it, to a small pipe that allows any water to run to an outbound channel.
first impressions though were that it is an excellent cab, really liked the mozzy net for the sunroof (been there a while now i know), the big red night lights (most other makers have gone for small led types), the huge fridge freezer and the top bunk set up - much improved.
