The return of a 13 litre engine to the Fuso heavy duty range sees a Japanese big banger announced at over 500hp. There had been a trend to use 11 litre engines, in recent years, at the top end of Japanese truck ranges from UD Trucks and Fuso.
The domestic truck market in Japan runs at much lower masses than here in Australia and, in recent years has found the 11 litre engine adequate to handle most transport tasks and improve fuel efficiency. Over the years, Australian truck buyers have sought more power from Japanese truck makers. The truck makers in Japan have become more outward looking in recent years and have spent more development dollars on product for export.
The announcement that Fuso will break through the 500hp barrier with a 13-litre Shogun set to arrive in Australia next month is further evidence of that changing paradigm. Earlier this year, Hino hinted that its newly redesigned 13 litre may become available with power ratings above 500hp in the future.
Fuso Australia says the new model was developed by the Japanese company in response to requests from local customers for a true high-performance Japanese heavy duty B-Double capable truck and it has been several years in the planning.
With the Japanese big banger announced, the Fuso Shogun will be available with an engine rated at 510hp and with 2500Nm of torque on tap. According to Fuso in Australia, it will be the best performing Japanese truck in Australia with a big torque advantage.
The introduction of the Shogun 510 will increase the breadth of the Fuso Shogun prime mover and rigid model range that already includes 8-litre and 11-litre options.
The Daimler OM471 six-cylinder engine achieves maximum power at 1600rpm and its maximum torque from 1100rpm. The six-cylinder engine, features an asymmetric turbocharger, and meets Euro 6 emissions standards. This is coupled to the Daimler 12-speed AMT used in the lower power Shogun models.
The announcement tells us that Fuso engineers have carried out extensive testing of the Shogun 510 since 2017, including an outback Australian test of an initial prototype, durability testing in South Africa and an additional production-ready test in Australia and New Zealand.
