If you are looking to buy a super luxurious bus, more in space, comfortable on a range between 1.3 and 2 crores, then you must go with Volvo 9600 sleeper coach.
Volvo 9600 has set a new benchmark in the luxury travel segment. Built with a passion for excellence, this super luxury travel coach can turn every journey into a memorable experience and a story every passenger will share with their family and friends.
Even though a coach is all about travelling together, every passenger is an individual and has inspired us to make luxury highly personalised.
Volvo Buses India is a division of Volvo Eicher (VE) Commercial Vehicles Limited, the newly launched next-gen Volvo 9600 platform including a factory-built sleeper and seater coaches in 15m 6×2; and 13.5m 4×2 configurations.
Both 15m and 13.5m variants are modern and stylish, setting a benchmark in luxury and comfort.
The new bus will be priced in the range of Rs 1.3 to Rs. 2 crores, depending on the specifications and the level of customization. State transport corporations and private fleet operators are the target customers of the new model.
The new front of the Volvo 9600 has a distinct and powerful expression. Every single line and the surface is part of an aerodynamic masterpiece alongside an undisturbed flow with a minimum of turbulence resulting in reduced noise, increased stability, and a fuel-saving reduction in air resistance.
The holistic design philosophy is the secret behind the distinctive personality of the new Volvo 9600. The design of the coach expresses comfort and luxury without compromising on functionality and performance. The evident elegance comes from the fact that everything you see is there for a reason.
The Eicher-Volvo 9600 coach is built for a luxurious travel experience. The elegance and the attractive details really catch the eye. The distinctive V-shaped headlights complemented by the exterior body design add a sense of grandeur.
The vehicle’s inner gradient theatre floor gives every passenger excellent visibility in the seater coach, and the spacious berths in the sleeper coach ensure a comfortable travel experience.
This is the coach for the most demanding passengers. They are comfortably seated, surrounded by carefully selected materials, elegant trim, and harmonic colour schemes.
The Volvo 9600 offers unique visibility, thanks to its panoramic windows and the gradient theatre floor. The interiors of the sleeper coach are uniquely designed to offer a comfortable long-distance travel experience.
While the 15-metre seater coach has a passenger capacity of 55 seats, the sleeper coach has 40 berths. The seater and sleeper applications incorporate 15.1 cubic metres (cu.m) and 9.2 cubic metres (cu.m) of luggage space, respectively. On the other hand, the 13.5-metre coach seats up to 47 passengers, and the sleeper variant hosts 34 berths. The corresponding luggage spaces for the seater and sleeper variants are 13.6 cu.m and 8.1 cu.m, respectively.
Vinod Aggarwal, MD & CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., said that the recent pandemic had affected the bus industry in an adverse manner. The bus sales slipped from 65,000 units per annum to as low as 10,000 before climbing up to 18,000 units last year. Further, he added that in the first four months of this fiscal, the sales were around 5,000 units per month. While the intercity luxury buses have a small share in the overall bus market in India, he expected the share of these buses to be around 800 to 1000 units per annum. It is this segment that VECV is targeting with its brand new Volvo 9600 buses.
He further said the company is betting on alternate fuels like compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and electric vehicles.
“Things are becoming better as far as semiconductor shortage is concerned. Hopefully, it will be behind us in the next three months as global demand has cooled off,” he said.
He said the Volvo 9600 takes the “next step in luxury, comfort, and safety -values that all of us associate with Volvo Buses.” He did not mention the investment that had gone into making this all-new 9600 platform but mentioned that the company invests around Rs 400 to Rs 500 crore yearly for product development and other CV-related work.
“In 2015, we did bring a hybrid bus but had to phase it out as the government excluded the hybrid vehicles from FAME’s ambit. For this kind of bus, the regenerative brake system doesn’t work for long-distance highways. So this option doesn’t make sense.”
For the passengers who never settle for anything less than the best, it’s a visual treat. The luxurious interiors welcome everyone with a more personalised and comfortable experience, and the exterior design is a true expression of modern luxury.
“We always put the safety of our customers first. The super luxury travel coach has been designed with years of experience and expertise, and several safety tests are conducted in advance so that every member on the board can relax and enjoy every part of the journey.”
Open the separate driver’s door and take your seat. The spacious driver’s cabin features world-class ergonomics for superior driving comfort, helping the driver stay focused and alert, even after a full day on the road.
EXTERIOR
One cursory look at the bus, and you realise that the Volvo 9600 sleeper coach is one imposing vehicle that is smartly designed and made. The bus has a length of 15 metres, a height of 4 metres, and a width of 2.6 metres, making it not only a tall boy but also a broad boy. It’s got a wheelbase of 8.26 metres and a permitted GVW of 22,200 kgs.
To put things in the right perspective, Volvo sleeper coaches made earlier were not fully made by Volvo, rather their buses were restructured by local bodybuilders. With government norms evolving, Volvo has finally decided to make the entire sleeper bus, from head to toe, at its factory in Hosakote. Their global quality standards are quite evident when we look at the bus from the outside as well as inside.
The Volvo 9600 has a galvanized tubular structure with anti-corrosive paint. In front, it gets a large windshield with signature V-shaped lights with DRL. The front structure is now even further enhanced. In the event of a collision, the front framework can absorb more energy. It also covers a wider spectrum of impact angles and heights. It gets an in-swing type pneumatic passenger door. The features include lights on the sides with indicators, large ORVMs, and a very imposing rear.
For keeping the heavy luggage of the passengers, there is a large 9 cu metres of flatbed kind of space in its belly area that is accessible from both sides. The bus, as is mandatory, also gets an emergency door on its right side.
INTERIOR
Once you step inside the bus, you can see for yourself the richness of materials used and the several utilities for the passengers. The passenger section gets a flat floor. The side windows are pasted and toughened with tint, besides being very wide, offering a panoramic view. The berths for the passengers are well cushioned with backrests in case someone wants to sit up and lean on the side walls to read a book or magazine. The material used is very rich and elegant.
Every berth in the sleeper bus has a spacious headroom and space to keep personal belongings. You also get privacy curtains, storage shelves, children-friendly soft touch handles, ladders, and restrainers without any metal surface exposed. You also get Individual USB charging ports, Individual AC louvers, and reading lights. Berth’s layout is in a 2×1 configuration.
The bus has 40 berths, a seat for 1 driver and co-driver. Usually, the driver and co-driver of a bus are neglected. The driver has access to a pleasantly curved dashboard where everything is in the right place. He has immediate access to all the buttons and levers on the dash. The driver gets an air-suspended seat, including forward and reverse movement, with an adjustable headrest for a truly premium experience.
The driver space is also equipped with a full-length retractable type sun visor, quick access tray, and an illuminated cabin for a relaxing driving experience. Driving comes easy with hydraulic power-assisted steering, heated and electrically operated three-piece rear view mirror complemented by a rearview camera with a 7″ screen. The driver can also lower and raise the bus level from the ground for situations that warrant it, thanks to the air suspension with electronic control.
ENGINE AND PERFORMANCE
At the heart of the Volvo 9600 platform is the tried, tested, powerful, and fuel-efficient Volvo D8K(8-litre) BS VI engine, delivering power of 350hp@2200 RPM and a peak torque of 1350 Nm@ 1200-1600 RPM. The fuel-efficient engine, along with its purpose-developed drive train, is designed to minimize TCO and maximize uptime for bus operators.
The chassis includes the I-Shift automated manual gearbox, electronic braking system (EBS), Hill-start aid, and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) systems. The bus has a fuel tank capacity of 540 litres, with an Ad Blue capacity of 50 litres.
The front axle is rigid and steerable; the rear axle is a single reduction hypoid axle, while the tag axle is also rigid and steerable. This makes it a lot easier to manoeuvre on narrow roads. The turning radius of the sleeper coach is 11 metres.
The bus has 295/80 R 22.5 18PR tubeless radial tyres, and as for its braking, it gets an Electronic braking system (EBS), including ABS. Other features include Hill start aid and electronic vehicle stability control (EVSC). The EVSC increases stability at higher speeds. The fire extinguishers and roof hatches ensure uncompromised passenger safety too.
Now the choice is yours, whether to travel in a Volvo 9600 sleeper bus or to throw all environmental caution to the winds and travel in a fancy car, especially when traveling interstate.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions and weights
| Model | Seater | Sleeper |
| Length(mm) | 15000 | 15000 |
| Height(mm) | 3800 | 4000 |
| Width(mm) | 2600 | 2600 |
| Wheelbase(mm) | 8350 | 8350 |
| Permitted GVW | 22200 kg | 22200 kg |
Powertrain
| Emission standard | BS VI |
| Diesel Engine | Volvo D8K6350, common rail injection |
| Output(KW) | 260 (350 HP) at 2200 rpm |
| Torque(Nm) | 1350 Nm @ 1200 – 1600 rpm |
| Transmission | I-shift automated manual gearbox(12F & 4R).Avaliable with intregrated hydrodyanamic retarder |
Fuel tanks
| Diesel (L) | 540 |
| AdBlue® (L) | 50 |
Luggage space
| Seater | 15.1 m3 |
| Sleeper | 8.5 m3 |
Axles, suspension and steering
| Front axle | Rigid,steerable and non- driven | |
| Rear axle | Single reduction hypoid axle | |
| Tag axle | Rigid and steerable | |
| Power steering | Hydraulic power assisted steering | |
| Suspension | Full air suspension with electronic cable | |
| Tyres | 295/ 80 R 22.5 18 PR,Tubeless Radials |
Brakes
| Brake systems | Electronic Vehicle Stability Control (EVSC) |
| Volvo disc brakes (EBS) | |
| Electronic Stability Program (ESP) | |
| Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) |
Passenger experience
| Model | Seater | Sleeper |
| Theatre type saloon | Flat floor station | |
| Seating layout in 2×2 configuration | Berths layout in 2×1 configuration | |
| 55 + 1(D) + 1(CD) without calf support 51 + 1(D) + 1(CD) with calf support |
40 berths + 1(D) + 1(CD) (2 levels) | |
| Premium push back seats | Spacious and comfortable berths with back support and privacy curtains | |
| Individual USB charging ports | Individual USB charging ports | |
| Individual AC louvers and reading lights | Individual AC louvers and reading lights | |
| Elegant trim and harmonic colour schemes | Children friendly soft-touch handles, ladders and restrainers without any metal surface exposed |