News, Western Star

49X and 47X Western Stars are headed for Australia

49X and 47X Western Stars are headed for Australia

According to PowerTorque’s US Correspondent, Steve Sturgess, both the 49X and 47X Western Stars are headed for Australia in right-hand-drive, maybe this year. He checks the new models out.

Not only are the latest Western Star models heading our way from the US, but Australia also is likely to get a unique Australian model for B-double operations, featuring snorkels for dusty on and off-highway operations and top power from the Detroit DD16.

For the North American markets, the 47X is 90kg lighter spec-for-spec than a 49X, it also has a shorter bumper-to-back-of-cab with a standard 2.83m BBC and a 2.61m option. With the shorter hood and a wheel cut up to 50 degrees, the 47X optimises manoeuvrability for work on construction sites or operation in congested urban environments, said Western Star in the launch release.

“With the 47X and the 49X, we can offer our vocational customers different options that will give them the right tool for their specific job needs,” said David Carson, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), the parent company for the Western Star brand. They are customisable to different markets, so there are twin-steer models for Canada and maybe Australia, too.

Single frame rails are lighter but involve no compromise in the legendary Western Star durability or reliability, said the company.

49X and 47X Western Stars are headed for Australia

Interestingly, while Western Star is something of a niche brand, the X series has unique cabs that draw from corporate cab experience that includes the Unimog, Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Cascadia. It features steel-reinforcement for the aluminium cab that reduces mass by up to eight per cent while offering greater driver comfort with a claimed 13 percent more space than competitors. An optional two-person bench seat is available for applications demanding a larger on-site crew, and a new in-cab battery box affords additional legroom to the operator. 

All X-Series models come standard with operator features such as a wrap-around dash that provides easy access to the driver command centre and B-panel. On the B-panel, a flex panel can be prepped for a tablet or configured for an additional 12 switches or 10 gauges. At the virtual launch, video showed this panel equipped with what appears to be a PTO command lever. As such, all the PTO controls that normally require a box between the seat have been consolidated to the dash leaving added space in the cab between the seats.

Under the hood, Detroit’s DD13 is standard and for weight-sensitive applications, the Cummins L9 and X12 engines are available. The 47X is also offered with the all-new DT12-V automated transmission, which is built on the DT12 and has more than 56 million km of vocational-specific testing, says Western Star.

The new model goes on sale in North America in 2022, but it will take longer to get it engineered for Australia as it will require a right-hand steering position, changes to the brake system to conform to Australian requirements and other detail changes. But the DTNAA folks were adamant that the 47X, 49X and this mysterious unique addition to the range will be available there.

49X and 47X Western Stars are headed for Australia

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