Volvo B7R

The Volvo B7R is a coach chassis available with a range of bodies. It is promoted as a rear engined lightweight coach chassis. It is primarily intended for tourist and long-distance duties. B7R is also manufactured in China, India and Iran for use in regional transport services.

B7R is powered by Volvo D7E (previously D7A, D7B and D7C) six-cylinder diesel engine with turbocharger and intercooler. The D7E engine produces 290 hp with 1200 Nm of torque between 1050 and 1650 r/min.

It comes with a retarder incorporated into the gearbox. The retarder slows down the engine when brakes are applied. Once the engine slows down, disk brakes take over and bring the vehicle to complete stop, almost in an instant.

Its frame is a robust steel construction with a flat upper face. A flat upper face simplifies building bus body. It could be built with a maximum length of about 12.5 metres.

The B7R is also available as complete buses - the Volvo 7350 (for Mexico) and Volvo 8700.

Volvo also developed a low-floor variant of B7R, known as the Volvo B7RLE, for intercity and city operations.It is widely used in Bangalore,India.

The B7R is also used in Sentosa, Singapore as shuttle buses and a B7R was converted into an openair double deck.

Also used in Pune as BRTS and private transport.

And it is also used in Hungary, both for city services and long-distance duties.

And it is also used in Bangladesh as intercity services.

The B7R is a popular intercity commuter and school bus in Australia, used on routes up to 100km in length. Transborder Express use B7Rs with Custom Coaches bodies from Canberra to Yass, as well as on country school services around Canberra.

The B7R is one of the most widely used inter-city luxury buses in India, and has complete monopoly in this segment. Even though it is costlier than any other bus available in the country at present, it is still the best choice, for obvious reasons like better build quality, safety and higher power.

External links

* [http://www.volvo.com/bus/global/en-gb/products/city+buses/chassis/Volvo+B7R/ Product description in Volvo website]