Kenworth unveiled its ‘next level’ cabover, the K220, to a crowd of 500 dealers, customers, and industry partners at one of the most eagerly-anticipated launches of the year in Brisbane on Friday, June 3.
Although its predecessor, the ever-reliable workhorse, the K200, has benefited from many years of refinement, Noelle Parlier, PACCAR chief engineer, said customers were able to offer several areas for “product improvement” for the K220 since plans started in 2018.
“It became apparent that our focus should be applied to providing greater driver comfort and technology integration for a more productive ownership experience,” said Parlier.
Director sales and marketing Brad May said it is a development path that has been forged by an “amazing collaboration” between Australian transport operators and a dedicated and determined local development team.
“Nowhere in the world does such a close relationship exist between those who use the product and those who design it,” said May.
Kenworth dealers are hosting local launch events across the country in the coming months.
Meanwhile, here’s an overview of what to expect before that test drive.
Exterior
With its streamlined, purposeful contours, the Kenworth K220 is reassuringly familiar, said PACCAR.
The K220 has new LED headlamps with integrated indicators and daytime running lights (DRL) that can be paired with bright look bezels to give the K220 exceptional on road presence.
The new grille works with a more efficient fan to deliver optimised cooling system performance and efficiency.
The new wheel well shield protects the engine bay and critical electrical systems from road spray and debris.
The most significant exterior change is the new wind cheating roof profile.
Shaped with the aid of computational fluid dynamics, the new roof profile improves aerodynamic efficiency by 4 per cent, keeping more money in the owner’s pocket.
Immediately noticeable is the absence of the trademark vista windows. Inspired by the success of this change on the T610, this allows for improved sleeper insulation and a more easily maintained cabin temperature.
The new roof profile increases headroom and provides greater overhead storage space, which is now triple the size. The new climate-controlled HVAC system provides significantly improved performance, to vastly enhance interior comfort in any weather.
The K220 picks up where the K200 left off and remains the most versatile truck on Australian roads. Starting nominally at 97t GCM and available up to 250t GCM and beyond, through application approval, the major configurations available are as follows:
- 6×4
- 8×4
- 8×4 tandem with lazy axle
- 8×6
- 10×4 tandem with lazy axle 10×6
Interior
The interior boasts a new 15-inch high-definition instrument panel. Intuitive and easy to read, this new digital instrumentation helps reduce distraction by allowing the driver to control how much information is shown when operating the truck. This can be customised from driver to driver and trip to trip.
The instrument panel will display critical content to alert the driver of all necessary information, constantly monitoring critical vehicle parameters, and displaying them to the driver as required. This includes early intervention warnings for the driver, allowing them to respond quickly.
At the start of the working day with a simple press of a button, the K220 will perform a comprehensive Systems Check. Likewise, at the end of the day upon shutting down, it will display a detailed trip and vehicle summary. This includes statistics like, average fuel economy, idle time, cruise control usage as well as any potential mechanical issues.
Driver distraction may be minimised by a new and improved SmartWheel and stalk mounted controls. This enhances fingertip control of an expanded range of vehicle functions and settings.
The new 8-inch Audio Visual Navigation (AVN) unit provides easy access display with intuitive controls for truck navigation, the audio system, and smartphone mirroring.
The AVN can be intelligently integrated with up to six external cameras giving drivers full visibility of what is happening around the vehicle.
To further help drivers remain focused on the road, the AVN is integrated with the steering wheel controls and the driver’s phone can be stored safely on either the charging pad, or in one of the convenient storage pockets in the new dash.
Every K220 is equipped with PACCAR’s proprietary telematics solution, PACCAR Connect. It offers live tracking and monitoring of the vehicle, driver, and fleet performance. Fully customisable dashboards and reports are in easy-to-read formats. The provision of such a powerful and analytic tool supports owners to continually measure and identify potential vehicle performance improvements.
Moving through the cab, clever storage and meticulously considered switchgear that falls right to hand, illustrate the detail with which the interior ergonomics have been reviewed and refined.
The interior is more spacious and quieter than ever. More space in the footwell, achieved by moving pedals further forward, combined with a greater range of seat movement, offers drivers more legroom.
Featuring high quality soft plush upholstery in the traditional studded pattern, trim colours have been updated and brought in line with the contemporary range available in the Kenworth 2.1m cab range.
Both 2.3m and 2.8m sleeper cabs offer a comprehensive range of sleeper storage and bunk options.
Available cab options are as follows:
- 1.7m Day Cab
- 2.3m Aerodynamic roof sleeper
- 2.3m Flat roof sleeper
- 2.8m Aerodynamic roof sleeper
All cab options are available with side extenders. The 2.3m and 2.8m Aerodynamic versions are available with roof fairings.
Engine and transmission
Optimised for the Cummins X15 Euro 6 and Euro 5 engines, the K220 can be coupled with a manual or the all-new 18-speed Endurant XD ProTM automated transmission. The Endurant XD ProTM delivers the right mix of hardware and intelligence to give drivers more confidence in the most challenging applications.
The Endurant XD ProTM utilises Eaton’s Extreme Duty clutches, which feature robust components designed for increased durability, improved noise and vibration, in addition to higher thermal capacity for enhanced low-speed manoeuvrability. All whilst being lighter, smoother, and engineered to reduce fuel and maintenance costs.
Safety
Contributing to improved safety for drivers and other road users, the K220 has the largest range of active and passive safety options ever offered by Kenworth Australia, adding multi-lane Autonomous Emergency Braking and stop-and-go functionality to a growing list of systems.
With more space and freedom to move, a quieter cabin, more than 60 per cent increased airflow from the new climate control system, as well as a 2.8m king single bed combined with more storage options than ever before, drivers can arrive at journey’s end feeling less fatigued.