Volvo Vs Freightliner: Which Truck Is Better? (2024)
To decide on a new truck when you’re weighing the options between sticking with Volvo vs Freightliner isn’t an easy task. And, both of them have diversity that helps driver to select one.
If you want a budget-friendly car that costs less on repair or maintenance, it’s better to go with Freightliner. But, if you want to ensure comfort, reliability, fuel efficiency, safety, and so on, you should pick Volvo.
Don’t worry if you are struggling to decide! In this guide, let’s figure out the root aspects that poles Volvo apart from Freightliner to decide which one to pick!
7 Differential Points Between the Volvo Vs Freightliner!
Selecting one in between Volvo or Freightliner is pretty hard. But, it usually comes down to a few key things like how reliable the truck is, how much time it spends in the shop, repair costs, and other factors. Here’s a closer look at all the comparison points:
1. Exterior and Interior Design
If talking about the outer and inner looks of Freightliner vs Volvo, it’s clear that both do a great job of ensuring luxury. Well, Freightliner has a lot of space, floor space, cabinets, and so on options that ensure a cool design.
On top of that, you’ll find excellent seats that are quite large so that taller folks can comfortably sit more. However, Volvo doesn’t offer this kind of interior design even if it works decently.
Plus, it has a clever exterior look that suits a cleaner and sleek beauty. Moreover, you’ll find backseats that stand out well but most models don’t offer good room to add child seats.
Winner: Both.
2. Maintenance Cost
When we look into the Volvo vs Freightliner maintenance, there’s a visible difference. Both cars usually need care to ensure it last longer.
And, the Freightliner is the better option for that as it mostly takes less care or effort to maintain. On the other hand, Volvo works greatly but it takes more than $10,000 only for the care. Besides, if you look into the used one, it can be costly to maintain the car.
Winner: Freightliner.
3. Price Point
The starting prices of both Volvo and Freightliner cars are pretty similar. To explain it simply, you’ll find Volvo cars in different styles, colors, and models at diverse price ranges. In most cases, the cars cost up to $53,000 to $230,000 or more.
Similar to Volvo, the Freightliner cars offer diverse options with their collections. Mostly, the cars cost no more than $70,000 to $200,000 or so based on one user in Quora.
Winner: Freightliner.
4. Comfort and Reliability
In terms of Freightliner vs Volvo reliability, it’s clear that the Volvo has the upper hand for its comfort and options.
And, the ride with it is pretty smooth while the interior helps a lot to ensure comfort to drivers so that they can ride well for hours. When it comes to reliability aspect, a lot of folks find the Volvo good to depend on for daily driving experience.
In contrast, the Freightliner (older models or gliders) is a decent choice as it ensures comfort. But, you’ll notice the difference if using both brand’s cars side by side.
With Volvo, you won’t face issues in the truck’s electronics, EGR system, DPF system, and so on. And, it’s pretty common to deal with issues based on the users of Freightliner.
Winner: Volvo.
5. Cost of Repairs
The repair costs for both Volvo and Freightliner are diverse as you’ll notice over a year. With Volvo cars, you’ll need to do repairs that cost a lot if done at auto shops.
As the truck got older, a lot of drivers faced issues like stuck gearshift in Neutral or link hardware failure. Besides, the repair bills with Volvo cars are higher. And, this is one of the main reasons why some drivers switch to a Freightliner.
However, Freightliner trucks are known for being cheaper to repair. The parts aren’t as expensive as Volvo. And, it’s because most of the Freightliner’s parts are easier to find. Plus, the repairs can be done faster and for less money.
Winner: Freightliner.
6. Fuel Efficiency
When it comes to fuel efficiency on both car brands, you’ll notice a difference after using them. In terms of fuel efficiency, the VNL lineup of Volvo is one of the best options.
Thanks to the big rigs in most models, you’ll find them best for long-haul trucking. And, the cars are designed to exude more power and torque while consuming less fuel.
Plus, the reason behind this is that Volvo models are merged with the Turbo Compound technology. In case you don’t know this, it’s a system that can save up to 16% of fuel. And, you’ll get this while ensuring the power.
On the contrary, Freightliner offers the Cascadia series car that works fine for big rig driving as a highway truck. And, some models of the Freightliner include bulk haul, temperature-controlled reefer, and regional distribution.
Due to this, you can ensure drive train efficiency. And, most of its cars come with the Detroit Integrated Powertrain (IDP). This also makes it decent for fuel efficiency but not better than Volvo cars.
Winner: Volvo.
7. Safety
If talking about both car brand’s safety, it’s clear that Volvo trucks are the safer option than Freightliner. For instance, the big rigs included in its car will help you deliver the load you need to transport with greater safety.
Plus, most cars have a special option called the Volvo Active Driver Assist. Due to this option, you can get help to avoid any collisions on the road.
Along with this, it comes with better LED headlamps that are meant to add driver visibility. And, this helps a lot when driving in the most compromising road conditions.
On the other hand, the Freightliner is made with disc brakes with the Detroit Assurance collision system. With this option and setup, you can ensure that the active brake of the truck is always on. This also means that anything ahead of its path can be detected early on.
And, this safety system is capable of computing the right speed and alerting the driver in case a braking action is needed. Most of the time, Freightliner trucks come with this feature to add to the safety of their big rigs. But, this option can’t beat the Volvo’s safety.
Winner: Volvo.
Wrap Up
In the end, it’s pretty simple to tell which one wins between Volvo vs Freightliner. You’ll mostly get better benefits if choosing Volvo cars even though they cost a lot to buy, repair, and maintain.
Then again, you’ll find support in cost with Freightliner after sacrificing comfort, safety, and other good points. Based on which one you prefer, you can make a good decision. Hope you find this guide detailed enough to understand how both brands differ. After reading this, you can look into another guide about Volvo Vs Audi that shows how the two giant car brands differ!
