(04 Aug 2020, 7:04 pm)Storx wrote There's always a massive debate about how Volvo pretty much messed up with the B5TL but is the B9TL all that people make it out to be aswell. For longer distance stuff it's ideal but in comparison to the B7TL they're not half as popular and it's no wonder as in reality places like London where most sales come from as the extra 2 litres really aren't needed. It's no wonder why in reality Volvo went for the B5TL but it just feels like they switched it from too powerful to too weak.

They should really make a 2 axis B8L (7.7L engine) for longer distance stuff could imagine it being quite popular.

They'd have one up on the Enviro and Streetdeck which are both 5/6 litres aswell and aren't ideal for longer stuff either.

The E400 is 6.7L I believe - which has been shown to be ample for the majority of work operators require a decker for, the only real exceptions up here would likely be the X9/X10 and X93. 

To be honest I think the B7TL was pretty much the sweet spot. Not too small an engine to stress it out constantly on routes such as the GNE X21 or ANEs plethora of express work, but not that big that it's overkill for a route that just runs about at a max of 30mph all day.

I don't think it's any real surprise that we're still seeing B7TLs used on some demanding routes right across the country. I wonder if Volvo came out with something similar now, given that many operators are seeing first hand how durable the B7 is in terms of sheer lifespan, how it would fare sales wise. I think they'd immediately get orders from Lothian and likely Transdev, but I wouldn't be surprised to see First and Arriva go in on it.