Kenworth today introduced a comprehensive new medium duty conventional truck lineup ranging from Class 5 to light Class 8. The announcement came during a major virtual product reveal.
The new models are the Kenworth T180 (Class 5), Kenworth T280 (Class 6), Kenworth T380 (Class 7) and Kenworth T480 (light Class 8). In addition, for customers needing FEPTO, full parent rails and fixed grille, Kenworth added the Kenworth T380V and Kenworth T480V with a vocational hood.
“Our new lineup sets the industry standard for quality, performance, reliability and durability throughout the many diverse, medium duty applications in the U.S. and Canadian markets. These Kenworth models possess excellent versatility and maneuverability, spacious 2.1-meter wide cab, exceptional visibility and driver-focused ergonomics, and new PACCAR TX-8 transmission. Our new medium duty trucks are an impressive addition to the World’s Best product line,” said Kevin Baney, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president.
Kenworth’s new medium duty vehicles are designed to serve an expansive variety of applications including cargo and reefer van, beverage, tow and recovery, utility and government, fuel oil and propane, landscaping, fire and dump and mixer. The trucks may be specified with either a standard low roof or a raised roof option. The low roof is 63 inches tall, 4 inches shorter than the raised roof, making it ideal for height-restricted applications.
The new trucks offer three hood types to support the lineup’s application versatility – short aero hood (107.5-inch BBC) that accommodates front axles from 8K to 20K lbs., medium aero hood (109.5-inch BBC) for higher horsepower and AWD applications, and Kenworth’s vocational ‘sloped’ hood for the T380V and T480V. The shorter wheelbases produce a tighter turning radius and enhanced maneuverability for urban or vocational operating environments.
The Kenworth’s new medium duty vehicles are available with the model year 2021 PACCAR PX-7 engine rated up to 325 horsepower and 2021 PACCAR PX-9 engine up to 380 horsepower, depending upon BBC. With the introduction of the new medium duty vehicles, Kenworth offers – for the first time in its medium duty trucks – the near-zero emission Cummins Westport L9N natural gas engine that delivers 320 horsepower.
Kenworth also launched the new PACCAR TX-8 automatic transmission as standard for the Kenworth T180, T280, T380 and T480. The robust, yet lightweight 8-speed transmission provides smooth performance and enhances fuel economy. The PACCAR TX-8 serves a wide range of applications from pickup and delivery to utility service and a variety of vocational applications. When matched to the PACCAR PX-7 or PACCAR PX-9 engine, the transmission has a maximum torque rating up 1,000 lb.-ft. of torque and a 57,000-lb. GCWR.
“We designed these new Kenworth medium duty trucks with our customers. Over the past several years, Kenworth actively sought, listened to and collected invaluable input and feedback from nearly 1,000 customers and drivers throughout the extensive design process,” said Joe Adams, Kenworth chief engineer. “The important customer insights – representing a variety of medium duty applications – were essential to developing The World’s Best medium duty vehicles.”
More than 500 people participated in design studies to help Kenworth define the dimensions and fine-tuned ergonomics of the new models, resulting in a new 2.1-meter cab 8 inches wider than the previous version. Three-person seating with the bench seat is standard for the Kenworth T180, T280 and T380 and optional for the T480. Customers also can select various seating options featuring high- or medium-back seats for a comfortable ride.
The larger front windshield enhances visibility by nearly 17 percent – also aided by the hood’s steep slope – compared to previous Kenworth medium duty models. The new cab construction reduces interior noise by up to 50 percent. Kenworth also lowered the cab by up to 2 inches – depending upon configuration. That benefits in-city drivers, who may climb in and out of their truck up to 60 times daily.
Kenworth developed a new instrumentation cluster with a 7-inch high-definition digital display centered between four standard analog gauges – speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure, and coolant temperature. The integrated Kenworth Digital Display allows drivers to personalize information on the screen to match their preferences. The 20 physical tell-tales and variants support either standard or metric units. Additional ‘virtual tell-tales’ are available. Within the digital display, drivers can choose from a variety of screens that show specific vehicle information, trip information, gauges, and more. The display also enables drivers to customize the digital gauge layout view from the many accessory gauges, and intuitively integrates advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features, when specified on the truck.
