Friday, March 23, 2012

Kenworth T680 Test Drive

My eyes light up at new product introductions. The reveal for the Kenworth T680 was no exception.

A little smoke, some fanfare and tada ... a new truck, going into production in May. Better yet, I had the opportunity to take it for a test drive. It was hooked to a lightly loaded 53-foot trailer. I walked around and gave it a quick once-over. Aerodynamic and sleek, sculptured lines, twisted fairings. There's obviously a lot of thoughtful design in an elegant package.

The door clicked open and I stepped up. Spacious on the inside, lots of room between the seats, a visually appealing dash, strategically placed gauges and switches. Cowl-mounted mirrors mean I can turn my eyes instead of my head to scan my surroundings.

A CumminsISX15 under the hood, and an Eaton Utra-Shift transmission.

Fired up, buckled in; the new seats have a deep cushion and a wide base. I eased out of the drive and down to the highway. Plenty of power to get up to speed, great visibility through the huge expanse of windshield. Spent too much time talking and listening to the truck and missed our turn. Rolled down a few city streets and ended up where we needed to be without any muss, fuss or curbed tires.

Stopped for the mandatory photo op, switched drivers and headed back to our starting gate. There was plenty of leg room from the second seat. I took a little time in the bunk to check out the lights, switches, gauges and gadgets. Love the door lock from the bunk mechanism. Rotating table, swiveling passenger seat (although not in my test drive model).

Kenworth is designing trucks with today's drivers in mind. And for a quick peek, I liked it.

3 comments:

  1. i like new truck drove from diler parking lot and broke down

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  2. Kenworth realy knows how to make trucks right. You hit on some key things in your review - like the mirror placement and lock-from-bunk. I never imagined any OEM putting that optino in but I have wished that I had it more than once. Good job on the non-curbed tires, by the way! Danny Schnautz, Pasadena, TX

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  3. Hi, thanks for sharing this review about Kenworth T680 test drive. I want to drive that truck also because I'm sure that I am easy to teach. I want to work in a heavy hauling company driving that truck.

    Over Dimensional Loads

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