Paccar HQ in Bayswater has seen a new Kenworth unveiled, the T610. Available in two models, the T610 and T610 SAR, this new generation of Kenworths looks set to revolutionise the truck maker’s range, here in Australia.
After almost a decade of development, and the result of more than 100,000 Australian design hours and more than ten million kilometres of testing and validation, Paccar said the T610 is the single largest investment in product development the company has ever made in Australia.
The new models have been designed to utilise the technology and components available from the Paccar organisation worldwide, but put it together in a particularly Australian way, to meet the trucking industry’s needs both in terms of power and dimensions as well as being able to remain durable in Aussie conditions.
The new cabin is fitted to the traditional Kenworth chassis and is the coming together of three sections, an adaptation of the unitary driver’s cab used in the US, a sleeper compartment custom built at the Bayswater plant and a fibre glass roof designed and built in Australia.
Getting a feel for the new truck from behind the wheel.
Diesel News took a couple of the launch trucks out on the road to see if the actual trucks matched the hype, and to answer the question on most people’s lips, does it still look, feel and sound like a Kenworth? The answer to all of those questions is yes. We are quite happy to be driving a more modern truck, as long as it still pushes our buttons.
One of the first things the driver notices is the improvement in steering response. The wider cabin means the steering column runs straight down to the steering box without having to divert around the turbo. The feel is excellent with minimal kick and zero play. The ride is also smooth the unchanged chassis has always felt sure footed.
The pre-production models driven had little or no sound proofing fitted and the sound levels were just right in the SAR and perhaps a little loud in the standard T610. It’s always good to hear and feel the Cummins at work. out on the highway.
Yes, there are a number of items which look very much like the Kenworths sold in the US, namely the doors, mirrors and the front grille. In fact all of these have been Australianised. The doors are the same shape but all of the fittings, seals, panels etc are Australian designed. The mirrors have been seriously beefed up and strengthened to put up with the rough treatment our roads provide and the front grille on the T610 is a similar shape but made from stainless steel, just down the road from the Bayswater factory.
For the full story see the next issue of Diesel Magazine.
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