With the release of its new range, the new look, new technology, new DAF brings the brand’s technology design and driveline smack up-to-date, on a par with all of its main competitors. Diesel News looks at what is on offer in the new range and gets an early experience of the new product.
The DAF Trucks brand looks like it will come of age in Australia in 2020. With the release of a complete new range of DAF CF and XF models, the brand is getting a major renewal, with new engines, new technology and new components all around the truck.
Unfortunately for DAF enthusiasts, the brand has always played second fiddle to its bigger sibling, Kenworth in Paccar. The Dutch truck brand has been back in Australia for over 20 years, but, when it first arrived here, it lagged behind the other European truck brands both in terms of sales and in using the latest technology.
There can be no doubt about the strong pedigree associated with DAF, and its continued status as the top selling truck brand in Europe is testament to the quality and reliability of its trucks. In the wider world of Paccar, the North American arms, of Kenworth and Peterbilt, were complemented by a consistent performer with massive technical capability in DAF, which Paccar acquired back in 1996.
This latest launch by DAF should put a truck brand which sells in large numbers in Europe on the front foot and it is now ready to compete on a par with the other European brands in the Australian truck market. This development may also be the first stage for Paccar in any plans they may have for developing an alternative to the Kenworth K200 over the longer term.
Many of the new DAF trucks which will be sold here, will be assembled at the Paccar plant in Bayswater in Victoria. The plant will be building several of the variants in the higher selling CF range, while the rest, including the larger XF models are being built in DAF’s Leyland plant in the UK.
Recent releases from European truck makers has seen a quantum leap in the sophistication of vehicle electronic systems, extending the trucks’ capabilities in their control and safety systems to a much higher level than was available in the last generation Euro-5 trucks.
This release by DAF means the trucks on sale here will be at the same level of sophistication as those on sale in Europe today and it will be possible to update them, virtually simultaneously, as they are upgraded in Europe.
What’s New?
The answer is just about everything. The cab front has been completely redesigned and now resembles the more rounded, and distinctly more modern, DAF LF introduced into Australia a few years ago. The interior of the cabin has been seriously upgraded and improved.
Upgraded and brand new engines have been introduced across the range and the driveline has also been modernised to the latest transmission from ZF, the Traxon. The new drivelines and improved aerodynamic performance of the truck overall is reckoned to offer a substantial fuel saving over the previous models.
“Building on the excellent reputation for fuel efficiency, reliability and driver comfort, the Euro-6 DAF range has earned in Europe, DAF has developed a new generation of XF and CF trucks offering the best possible solutions for both the customer and the driver”, says Brad May, Director Sales and Marketing at Paccar Australia. “Backed by our extensive and professional dealer network, the new trucks have superseded the existing range with exceptional advancements.”
