Western Star X Series up for Truck of the Year Australasia

The third contender to be profiled here on PowerTorque, features the Western Star X Series up for Truck of the Year Australasia 2024, to be presented in New Zealand next week.

After a long period where its truck offering remained relatively static, the Western Star brand launched a completely new range of trucks bringing all of the latest technologies to its truck offering. The new X Series represents a radical transformation for a traditionally conservative truck brand.

The range change meant a complete redesign from the ground up and a complete renewal of all of the models on offer from Western Star. By moving across to the Daimler North America chassis and a state of the art, electronic system, the trucks are able to offer all of the latest safety systems as well introducing the most up-to-date Detroit engines into Australasia.

The introduction transformed the trucks available from Western Star from a past based on long held traditions, to a set of trucks which could match rivals for technical sophistication and efficiency while still retaining the style and feel of the Western Star models which came before.

A Truck Within its Comfort Zone*

*This story first appeared in PowerTorque May/June 2023

Climbing up inside the cabin, The Western Star 4700 tipper and dog is a North American truck and feels, to a certain extent, like its predecessors. There’s enough switches and dials to satisfy the traditionalists and only a relatively small electronic information screen directly in front of the driver, which gives a hint of the arrival of modern technology.

Under the skin, of course, this is a very modern truck. Under the hood is the Gen 5 Detroit DD13 engine putting out 525hp (386kW) and with the classic 1850 ft lb (2508Nm) of torque, when needed. This is the latest iteration of the engine, the state of the art from the Daimler Group.

Axles front and rear come from Meritor and this truck runs with an industry standard 1:3.42 rear axle ratio

The wiring is multiplexed with the level of sophistication to run the engine, the Detroit DT12 AMT, plus the myriad safety systems which are onboard and mandated from 2025. The DT12 uses the Performance Off-road package, ideal for this kind of work.

The safety package is the Detroit Assurance Active Brake Assist, which includes active cruise control and automatic emergency braking. The system does have an off switch, and the ACC can bring the truck’s speed down to to zero km/h. It also has ABS, stability control, Safeguard Assist and also the Detroit lane departure warning system with a 15 minute timeout.

This is a thoroughly modern truck, but it is still ‘Western Star enough’ to satisfy those who prefer things a little more old school. Getting that blend of ancient and modern right can be a fine balance, and Western Star seem to have come close to pulling it off.