Very sophisticated cab suspension, even more efficient than on the F10/F12, was the most important factor behind the exceptional comfort provided for the driver and his passenger. Another factor, which contributed in this respect, was the dashboard, which was designed to have all instruments and handles within sight and easy reach of the driver.
The art of multi-purpose
The most obvious new feature of the new FL7/FL10 trucks was, of course, the completely new cab, which was extremely spacious for a low-built truck of this type, not least due to the fact that the new cab had a full-width of 250 cm (in contrast to the F7, which had a width of 230 cm).
The new family of low-built trucks were true multi-purpose trucks like their predecessor F7 so it was natural for Volvo to offer a full range of cabs, including a short day cab for maximum payload and load area within a given overall length, a spacious sleeper cab with a full length single bunk, and also a crew cab for community service vehicles such as fire trucks.
Advanced chassis specifications
Efficiency (together with improved ergonomics) was the key word for the new range of vehicles. That was the reason for the very advanced chassis specification, which could be supplied in a large number of models, including two, three and four-axle vehicles. These could be driven on one, two or three axles, with numerous suspension alternatives including full air suspension on all axles, which contributed not only to extremely good cushioning for the payload and comfort for the driver, but also to very fast exchanges of different load carriers.
The FL7 and the FL10 became very popular in a large number of countries. In some countries, e.g. Great Britain, it became by far the most popular of all Volvo trucks.