DAF Trucks’ bespoke low-roof XD heralds return to car transporter market

The specially developed cab variant, which is available in day and sleeper configurations of both the XD and XF, is manufacturer warrantied and fully type approved and reduces the roof line by a full 18cm. This reduction makes the XD one of the lowest cabs on the market with an overall cab height of 2.7m – ideal for the largest car transporters, which can often carry up to 11 cars, including one above the cab. The XD car transporter achieves the three-star Direct Vision Standard for London, enabling easy operation in the capital. A chamfer to the rear upper corner of the cab can also be specified, to suit the requirements of specific body designs.

The multi-award-winning DAF XD provides operators and their drivers with a class-leading combination of efficiency, safety and comfort. Powered by the PACCAR MX-11 10.8-litre engine – with ratings up to 450hp and 2350Nm of torque and MX engine brake – the XD offers excellent performance and efficiency. The XD cab provides easy two-step access and exceptional direct vision for maximum safety thanks to its large windscreen and low belt line.

The interior is well appointed with all controls easy to hand, based on DAF’s philosophy of ‘hands on the wheel, eyes on the road’, while all key driving functions can be controlled with physical buttons. The XD has ample storage both externally with two large lockers and internally with the option of a 33-litre fridge.

For so-called, ‘short-long’ combinations, a drawbar variant of DAF’s FTP 6x2 tractor is produced at the DAF factory by special order. Equipped with a pusher axle on 17.5-inch wheels and drive-axle air suspension with anti-roll bar for added stability, drawbar braking system and bespoke chassis packaging of air tanks and batteries, the DAF XD is fully prepared for body installation and ideally suited to the specialist application.

To optimise the design of the new low roof models, DAF worked closely with a number of leading bodybuilders, including Essex-based Transporter Engineering. “DAF was, for a long time, a mainstay of the transporter industry,” said Isla Gill, Sales Director at Transporter Engineering. “It’s therefore been a pleasure to bring the fantastic XD in line with the required specifications. We can now provide fleets with a model that changed the game in terms of technology and driver experience when it launched a few years ago. Working side-by-side with the DAF teams in both Eindhoven and the UK, we’ve been able to create a car transporter that’s hugely compelling for operators.

“We’ve had a very positive response to the product’s launch, and a lot of our long-standing customers have been keen to check out the new XD. It’s led to a number of orders, which we’re in process of fulfilling,” Gill added.
 
One early adopter of Transporter Engineering’s DAF XD is Robinsons Auto Logistics in Corby. The family firm handles major contracts with car supermarkets, as well as vehicle manufacturers, so needed a truck that could handle cars and vans of varying shapes and sizes.

“Height is everything in this line of work,” said Barry Robinson, Owner and Director of Robinsons Auto Logistics. “We’re limited to around 16ft in overall height, so every inch we can save on the cab gives us more space for cars. Now that DAF is back in the market with the XD, which, in itself, is a very appealing truck, I don’t see why we wouldn’t place future orders for these XD transporters.

“DAF’s in-cab technology is great, as is the room behind the wheel – even with the deliberate reduction in headroom,” added Robinson. “Our driver has only positive things to say about the new XD; wherever he goes, people want to have a look around it and check out the cab. Meanwhile, the all-round visibility is second-to-none with the low-level passenger door window and the camera system for the London DVS requirements.
 
“DAF’s new XD is night and day compared to the previous-generation trucks and it really does offer us the full package,” he concluded.