XXL Generation Clash!
To mark the 50th anniversary of the International Truck of the Year award, DAF organised an incredible exclusive experience for TruckStop: bringing together in Eindhoven the eight generations that enabled the brand to win the trophy and allowing us to get behind the wheel of several of them. From the 1988 DAF 95 to the new XD and XF Electric models elected for 2026, with a very personal detour through a superb 2800, we travelled through nearly half a century of history in a single day. With Florian Engel and Gianenrico Griffini, suffice it to say that we were blown away!
We have carried out quite a few tests at TruckStop, but this one had a particular flavour for me. Bringing together so many generations, looking at them side by side and then moving directly from one to another was simply magical.
DAF gave us this opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the famous International Truck of the Year award. The Dutch manufacturer is one of those that has won it most often, with eight titles: the 95 in 1988, the 95XF in 1998, the LF in 2002, the XF105 in 2007, the CF and XF in 2018, the new-generation XF, XG and XG+ in 2022, the XD in 2023, and then the XD and XF Electric for 2026.
Eight awards, eight stages in the evolution of the truck. And, in front of us, a rare opportunity to measure the journey travelled in a way other than by reading a technical data sheet. DAF had hitched the trailers and prepared a route in the Eindhoven region. Some trucks drove on a track, others on open roads. It was impossible to take all of them out for hours, but together with my ITOY colleagues, we selected the most representative ones.
DAF 95: Back to 1988, Windows Open
First behind the wheel, first leap through time: the DAF 95 elected Truck of the Year 1988. When it was launched, this truck represented a real change in the world of long-distance transport. DAF began to consider the cab as a living space and not merely as the place where a seat, a steering wheel and a driver were installed.
For the time, the space was impressive. Two berths and the possibility of standing up on the passenger side: commonplace today, revolutionary in 1988. The future Super Space Cab would take this logic even further. DAF had just laid the foundations of its reputation: that of a truck designed for the driver.
Behind the wheel, however, the return to the past is immediate. There is no air conditioning on our example: it is hot in the Netherlands and we are driving with the windows open.
The sound environment is obviously nothing like that of a modern truck. Under the cab, the six-cylinder engine of just over 11 litres develops 350 hp and 1,450 Nm. At the time, that was serious. Today, when engines commonly exceed 2,500 Nm, you have to relearn how to get the most out of the mechanics.
Unlike today, the engine has to remain at high revs. You listen and make the gears pull. The 16-speed synchromesh manual gearbox requires you to choose the right range and not handle the lever too roughly. Nothing insurmountable, but it is impossible to drive with the relaxed attitude of a modern automated transmission.
The same applies to braking. The exhaust brake seems rather modest compared with modern MX Brakes. You have to anticipate and downshift. The steering requires more effort and the blind spots are numerous. Among Dutch bicycles, this is obvious.
And yet, my 95 runs perfectly. Once up to 90 km/h, it does the job and even more, because there is no speed limiter here. But after a few kilometres, one thing becomes clear: finishing a day behind its wheel must have left much more of a mark on your back, arms and ears. Those who keep saying that “things were better before” should get behind its wheel again for a few hours!
95XF: The Truck Really Starts to Become a Home
Ten years later came the 95XF, elected for 1998. Our example dates from 1999 and develops 380 hp. The cab retains the 95’s family resemblance, but the interior has clearly moved into a new era.
The berth becomes thicker and high enough to sit on. A refrigerator appears under the bed, along with more storage space and a proper table. Small details that make all the difference when you live in your truck for several days.
The gearbox remains manual, still a ZF, but its control is more natural and more modern. Air suspension improves the handling and filters out cab movements more effectively. The truck is less tiring, quieter and more stable.
The driving position remains fairly upright compared with what we have today, the windscreen appears small and the doors rise high. The driver still feels enclosed in the cab. Personally, I rather like this feeling of being installed at the heart of the machine, but in terms of direct visibility, the latest generations have made a gigantic step forward.
This 95XF retains the mechanical character of the 95 while introducing what would become the signature of the XFs: a generous bed, a table, an accessible fridge and a cab organised around the driver.
LF: One Million Kilometres and Still Working
Among the big long-haul trucks, the LF looks almost tiny. Yet this small rigid truck, elected Truck of the Year 2002, also changed the rules of its segment. Its cab structure was produced in France, in Blainville — as is still the case for the XB — and shared with the Renault Midlum, but DAF gave it its own exterior design and, above all, a very distinctive interior layout.
Our 12-tonne model has 220 hp and maximum torque of 900 Nm. As for the transmission, it is once again a manual gearbox, but here with six gears. No range or half-gears: you drive almost as you would a car. The low access and agility are perfectly suited to the needs of urban delivery.
The example tested mainly displays an incredible figure: one million kilometres. It has had only one driver, the father of its current owner. It no longer works every day, but it still helps the company with a few deliveries. Despite its age and mileage, everything works and comfort is there, with air conditioning that is still original.
XF105: 1.6 Million Kilometres and Still Ready to Go
We move forward to 2007 with the XF105. The one waiting for us is a 2008 Super Space Cab, in a superb olive green. In the Netherlands, transport operators dare to use colours. In France, we often have the choice between white, white and sometimes… white. Over there, a truck can still display a real personality, and frankly, this 105 is particularly successful.
We take to the road at 37 tonnes with a semi-trailer equipped with Tridec steering axles. The manoeuvrability of the combination is amazing: the trailer follows the tractor unit and positions itself with astonishing ease.
Inside the cab, the leap forward is spectacular. The roof of the Super Space Cab provides volume and you will also have noticed its famous Skylights, which would mark the beginning of a new trend among manufacturers. Here, the storage compartments and refrigerator grow, the engine tunnel is lowered and you can stand up in the centre. In this respect, DAF had taken a real lead, and every driver who has tried this truck still remembers it.
The mechanics take a step forward with the 12.9-litre PACCAR MX-13. Our version develops 410 hp. Torque arrives at lower revs and the 12-speed ZF AS-Tronic automated gearbox eliminates the clutch pedal. It seems slow today, but it changed the lives of many drivers.
The MX Brake finally provides genuinely noticeable deceleration. It is not yet as effective as current versions, but the difference compared with the old exhaust brakes is enormous. The truck holds the road well, remains quiet and never gives the impression of being worn out.
And yet, it has covered 1.6 million kilometres. I myself owned an XF105 460, sold with comparable mileage and still in operation today. Our 410 of the day shows its age in certain details, but I could set off to work with it tomorrow morning without hesitation.
From the XG+ to the XD: The Driver Takes Up All the Space Again
The next major change arrives with the new European rules on weights and dimensions. DAF is the first manufacturer to take full advantage of them and presents its new-generation XF, XG and XG+, elected Truck of the Year 2022.
When you line up a 95 and an XG+, the difference is striking and you understand that we are no longer in the same world. The first looks like a square block, while the second extends its cab, works on every airflow and offers an announced interior volume of 12.5 m³. This is no longer simply an evolution: we are changing worlds.
The XG+ definitively establishes DAF among the premium references in terms of cab design. The driver no longer receives just a large berth; they have a genuine space in which to work, eat and recover. Let’s be clear: to this day, the XG+ still has no competitor on the market of standard factory-built trucks.
One year later, the XD won the 2023 trophy and transferred this philosophy to distribution. Visibility, ergonomics and cab quality matter just as much when getting in and out twenty times a day. The change is under way and this now applies to everyone; DAF was a pioneer.
XF Electric: Silence After the Noise
To finish the modern part of our journey, we take the wheel of the XF Electric, a member of the XD and XF Electric range elected International Truck of the Year 2026. It is difficult to imagine a more brutal contrast with the 1988 95.
The first required you to listen to its engine, select each of the 16 gears, anticipate braking and cope with the heat. In the XF Electric, everything becomes smooth, linear and almost silent. Gear changes are barely perceptible, torque arrives immediately and the cab seems completely isolated from the outside world. Compared with this good old 95, everything seems almost too simple to me!
Even so, it is still very much a DAF. The table, storage compartments and overall ergonomics are still there. On the digital instrumentation, the rev counter gives way to consumption and battery information. The truck does not deny its DNA; it is a DAF, but an electric DAF!
Those who reject electric power on principle will still be grinding their teeth. But one thing is certain: to drive, it is an extraordinary machine. DAF does not present itself as an exclusively electric manufacturer, either. The brand continues to develop diesel and is also working on a hydrogen combustion engine. It offers several solutions because the missions are not all identical.
The real obstacle is no longer necessarily the truck. Performance is improving and support measures are improving certain economic calculations and, on this point, we can for once thank French politicians. On the other hand, infrastructure is not keeping up.
To achieve the announced targets, public authorities will have to seriously accelerate the deployment of charging points and connections.
The 2800, My Childhood Journey Made Real
We could have finished with the XF Electric, an obvious symbol of the future. But DAF had prepared one final gift for me, because I had once mentioned that I regretted never having driven a 2800. A truck that never won the trophy, but which was nevertheless my great favourite of the day: a DAF 2800.
Let me explain. I first knew this model as a child, in miniature form. At the time, many of us played with these little trucks and imagined the roads they travelled along. Several decades later, finding myself behind the large steering wheel of a real, perfectly restored 2800 brought all of that back in an instant. The smells, the heat, the noise, the driving position: no image and no technical data sheet can reproduce that feeling.
The gearbox has 12 gears arranged in two sets of six. You have to contort yourself to reach the berth, there is neither air conditioning nor independent heating and the space seems tiny next to an XG+. Yet its owner used to make journeys between the Netherlands and Tehran with it that could last six weeks. Six weeks in that cab! That certainly puts things into perspective.
The DAF Club restored this 2800 to an exceptional condition. You could believe it had just left the factory. Driving it is not only enjoyable: it is moving. At 55, finding in real life the truck that made the child I was dream is simply incredible. This final truck tested that day alone represents a moment I am not likely to forget.
No, Things Were Not Better Before
This day gave us something rare: the opportunity to travel through time without leaving the same road. By moving from the 2800 and the 95 to the XF Electric, we can physically measure the progress made.
Broadly speaking and depending on usage, consumption has gone from figures that could reach 40 to 45 l/100 km to around 25 l/100 km on modern combinations.
Engines have gained torque while running at lower speeds. Automated gearboxes have eliminated thousands of clutch operations. Retarders have become genuinely effective. Suspension, soundproofing, air conditioning, visibility and safety systems have transformed working days.
We have lost a little freedom, the older generation will say, and they are probably right, but it is impossible to deny progress. Today, we arrive less tired, we see better around the cab and we consume less to transport the same load.
DAF enabled us to carry out a test that we had never dared to imagine on this scale. With Florian Engel and Gianenrico Griffini, we drove, compared, discussed and, above all, enjoyed every minute. Seeing the eight DAF Truck of the Year winners gathered together was already exceptional. Being able to take the wheel of them and finish the day in a classic 2800 was a privilege.
This “generation clash” tells the story of fifty years of the trophy, but above all several decades of progress. It also reminds us that truck heritage deserves to be preserved. Without the enthusiasts and clubs that maintain these vehicles, it would be impossible to understand where today’s machines come from.
We left Eindhoven with our heads full of images, a few old diesel smells still in our nostrils and one certainty: this journey through time will remain for a long time among the most extraordinary tests in TruckStop’s history.
Thank you, DAF. Frankly, we were blown away!
Text and photos: Fabien Calvet
