The Volvo FH16 780 has been named Truck of the Year Australasia (ToYA) 2025 at this week’s Brisbane Truck Show.
The other contenders this year were the Scania Super 500P, the Mercedes Benz eActros prime mover and the FAW JT6 550.
“I’m delighted to be here in Australia to see our flagship truck receive this award,” said Roger Alm, President Volvo Trucks, at the Brisbane presentation on Thursday, May 15.
“Our new FH16 780 is a fantastic truck to drive, it really is a driver’s dream come true.
“The new D17 engine gives operators the flexibility to gear for efficiency or for heavy haulage while still delivering outstanding durability.”
“I’d like to thank the Truck of The Year jury for the award and their recognition of just how significant this vehicle is for both our customers and their drivers.”
To be considered for the Truck of the Year Australasia, a truck has to solve problems and issues which trucks elsewhere in the world do not have to deal with.
Trucks coming to Australasia have to cope with a very different trucking environment to many of their home countries and have to be adapted accordingly. Often, the trucks which are most successful in our markets are those which have been adapted in the best way to make them useful.
The ToYA jury of five includes Tim Giles, Dave McCoid, Charleen Clarke, Editorial Director of FOCUS on Transport & Logistics and Jury member of the International Truck of the Year Innovation Award, Randolph Covich, Deals on Wheels NZ Editor and Bob Woodward, Road Transport Engineering Consultant.
The jury assessed the attributes of the four contenders, and after a long discussion decided that this year the FH16 780 embodied the original attributes which have informed the decision of the various global juries involved with the International Truck of the Year since its inception in 1977.
The launch of the FH16 780 by Volvo was a headline maker from its launch, with Volvo leap-frogging fierce rival Scania to claim the kudos of producing the highest-powered highway production truck in the world.
According to the jury, the FH16 780 brings a higher level of sophisticated engineering and electronics to Australasia’s toughest road transport tasks.
The power output is generated by the Volvo D17 engine, which is based on the current D16 engine with a number of modifications, including thinner and low drag cylinder liners as well as ‘wave-top’ pistons, which are in the process of being introduced across all of the Volvo truck engines.
The amendments to the design of the engine which enabled the increase up to 780hp saw an increase in the engine’s cylinder bore by 5mm to 149mm. This increased cubic capacity by over a litre, from 16.1 litres to 17.3 litres.
As a result of this increase, the engine is achieving over 600hp all of the way from just over 1000rpm to 1950rpm, with the maximum at 780hp achieved at 1700rpm.
“These numbers become real when the driver puts the truck to work,” said judge and former PowerTorque editor Tim Giles, after driving the FH16 780.
“This level of power and torque make tough freight tasks a relative breeze and the driver can always feel confident the driveline can handle high masses in difficult conditions.
“This extra power is coupled with the excellent driver experience which Volvo have developed over the years. There’s a quiet effortlessness which the driver feels as they get into a climb at high masses, and the way the driveline copes in an unfussy way with varying gradients is impressive.”
This driveline includes the latest version of the I-shift which sees even more integration, electronically, between the engine and the transmission. The changes are imperceptible and very quick, said judges.