Evaluation
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Paccar created quite a stir with
the local launch of DAF’s flagship
XF105 model, not least because it
now has an 18-speed Roadranger
option. After stirring a B-double
version between Brisbane and
Sydney recently, PAUL MATTHEI
wonders if this could be another step
towards the ultimate amalgamation
of Paccar’s cab-over cousins.
T
here can be no denying that with the
Australian launch of DAF’s XF105,
Paccar Australia can now boast two
cab-over prime movers capable of
handling similar tasks. Just as there can be no
denying the biggest business in the heavy-
duty cab-over class is hauling B-doubles on
linehaul routes.
Now while there is probably a multitude
of drivers and operators who will pooh-pooh
any notion of the ever faithful Kenworth
K-series being ultimately supplanted by its
European cousin, the fact remains it’s now
half a century since the original ‘K’ design
was launched in the US and over 40 years
since its manufacture began Down Under.
Put simply, there must surely come a day
when Kenworth’s venerable cab-over will be
rendered unviable to perpetuate.
Don’t get me wrong; that day could be a
very, very long way off but as surely as Paccar
makes a profit, it’s a day that will eventually
36 DIESEL September-October 2012
arrive. And that, my
friends, is precisely
the reason why
many industry
observers believe
the company will
eventually move to
a global cab-over
strategy with DAF as
its centrepiece.
That said,
the engineering
expertise that’s gone
into the K-series, particularly the latest K200
iteration, is nothing short of remarkable and
Kenworth’s local engineers have received
high and much deserved accolades for their
efforts. Indeed, the calibre of the cab-over
product and that of its conventional peers
has enabled Kenworth to consistently snare
around 20 percent of the local heavy-duty
market which is no mean feat considering the
quantity and quality of its competitors.
But why, you might ask, should the
K-series ultimately make way for the XF105
or something like it? Couldn’t it be the other
way around?
The simple answer is economies of
scale. While the DAF product is sold in huge
numbers in Europe and many other parts of
the world, the K-series is now largely sold
in Australia and New Zealand only, making
it a relatively small volume product on the
global scale. Furthermore, and as previously
mentioned, K-series cab architecture is
decades old and the viability of designing
and building a completely new version for
such small markets would be negligible,
at best.
Sure, it might be a different story if US
operators still used cab-overs; but because
length restrictions over there apply only to
the trailers, conventional prime movers with
whopping great sleepers have been the
mainstay on US highways for the past 20 years
and more. In fact, apart from appearances at
vintage truck shows, you’re hard pressed to
find a cab-over anywhere in the States these
days. And it’s a situation that’s unlikely to
change unless US regulations are adapted to
limit the overall length of a truck and trailer
combination rather than just the trailer.
As an aside, it’s interesting to note that
Paccar is not alone in having two heavy-
duty cab-over contenders in the Australian
market. Its arch nemesis Daimler Trucks is in
virtually the same boat, offering both the US
built Freightliner Argosy and the European
Mercedes-Benz Actros. Even more intriguing
is the fact Freightliner and Benz both use
Daimler’s HDEP – Heavy Duty Engine Platform
– global engine family in capacities of 13, 15
and 16 litres.
It’s exactly the same story at Paccar with
the DAF developed MX engine now being
installed in Kenworth and Peterbilt chassis
in the US. And from all accounts it’s a match
made in Heaven with America’s good ol’ boys
taking to the new engine like ducks to water,
while on the local front it’s well known the

Strong heart. The 12.9 litre MX
engine punches above its weight,
delivering maximum torque just
shy of that produced by 15 litre Cat
and Cummins plants.
MX is now being trialled under the snout of a
Kenworth conventional. Paccar’s ultimate aim,
of course, is to offer both the 12.9 litre MX and
Cummins 15 litre engines across the bulk of
the Kenworth range.
Anyhow, back on the DAF XF105, the option
of an 18-speed Roadranger transmission
provides the Dutch truck with a new
level of ‘street cred’ and is perhaps a key
development in the gradual assimilation of the
DAF and Kenworth cab-over products.
Whatever the case, it’s guaranteed much
Australian engineering expertise will be
wrought on the DAF product to ensure it has
the robustness and durability to maybe one
day fill the sizeable shoes of the legendary
K-series. Right now though, it’s still a big
‘maybe’ and besides, Paccar’s immediate plan
is not to offer the XF105 as an alternative to
Kenworth’s venerable cab-over but rather,
inflict a Continental counter-punch on the
likes of Volvo, Scania and Mercedes-Benz.
Testing time
For this evaluation we were given access to
easily to hand but no lateral spring
an XF105 stirring through Eaton’s evergreen
18-speed, hooked to a B-double set and
loaded with enough concrete blocks to run
at a gross weight of 55 tonnes from Brown
& Hurley’s dealership at Yatala near the
Queensland Gold Coast to Sydney.
For starters, the climb into the cab was a
piece of cake thanks to the wide, well placed
steps and strategically positioned grab
handles, not to mention the large doors that
open nearly 90 degrees. Once seated, there
was an immediate feeling of familiarity with
all regularly used controls situated within
fingertip reach around the curved cockpit-
style dash panel. The only exception were
switches for passenger door unlocking,
hazard lights and interior lighting located
on the centre dash section to the left of the
Smooth transition. The big
Roadranger ‘box looks and feels
right at home behind the MX
engine in the DAF chassis.
Well positioned gear lever falls
loading combined with small gaps
between gates made it difficult
to find the right slot, particularly
during downshifts.
Evaluation
driver. These require an arm’s length stretch
to reach.
A particularly good example of excellent
European cab ergonomics is the park brake
lever situated just to the left of the steering
wheel and perfectly positioned for ease of
operation. Whenever I drive a European truck
this aspect always makes me wonder why US
manufacturers persist in using the archaic
red and yellow park brake buttons which are
often positioned so far to the left of the dash
that you risk putting your back out every time
you use them.
Moving off, the low down torque of the
engine was put to good use as the combination
idled out of the yard and onto the road but
first impressions of the gear shift were that
it was a little stiff, with no spring loading to
hold the lever in the central plane of the shift
pattern. Both these traits conspired to make
downchanges more difficult than they should
have been out on the highway. But more on
that later.
Still, I have to say the MX 375 engine which
produces 375 kW (510 hp) between 1500 and
1900 rpm is one impressive lump of iron. On
this exercise, performance – starting at 1000
rpm where peak torque of 2500 Nm (1845
lb ft) is reached and remains undiminished
through to 1410 rpm – was simply superb and
it’s worth pointing out that maximum torque of
the 12.9 litre MX engine is only marginally shy
of that dispensed by the 15 litre Cummins ISX.
The thing about the MX is it delivers the
performance so smoothly and quietly that it
perhaps doesn’t convey the aural impression
it’s haulin’ hoof. Therefore, I found keeping
a keen eye on the speedo needle a far more
accurate way of ascertaining the prodigious
performance and in turn, warding off attention
from the constabulary. With the combination
September-October 2012 DIESEL 37
Evaluation
No doubt the shifter’s inertia would probably diminish
after some use and the narrow gate would be something
you’d get used to, but I definitely believe there needs
to be spring loading of the lever to provide a reference
point to work from.
of a tall final drive ratio of 3.91:1 and the
Roadranger’s overdrive top ratio of 0.73:1, the
XF105 cruised effortlessly at 100 km/h with the
tachometer showing a smidge under 1500 rpm.
Thus, cruising at between 90 and 100
km/h on the multi-lane freeway stretching
south from Brisbane to the border, the only
way to describe the driving experience in
the XF105 is one of pure enjoyment. It’s one
of those trucks where every element works in
harmony to make the driver’s job as painless
as possible. Take the ride, for instance.
The cab suspension is both compliant and
controlled which means there’s no roll or pitch
during cornering but still enough suppleness
that combines with the similarly tuned air
suspended seat to provide a ride equal to a
good quality passenger car, even over rough
and broken sections of road.
Of course the 1.8 metre long taper-leaf
front springs and Kenworth AirGlide 400 rear
suspension also play their respective parts
in isolating road shock from the chassis, an
aspect certainly put to good test after crossing
the border into NSW where the billiard table
smooth multi-lane freeway on the cane toad side
constricts into the shockingly surfaced two-lane
goat track laughably called the Pacific Highway.
From here on the hills get steeper too, which
meant relaxed top gear cruisin’ gave way to a
good deal of stick stirrin’ as the MX was called
upon to dig deep into its torque reserve. What’s
more, it was here that a couple of shortcomings
with the shifter made their presence felt.
Granted, shift quality in a cab-over is rarely
as good as a conventional but the issue I had
38 DIESEL September-October 2012
with this installation is that there is no spring
loading on the lever to provide a reference
point when it’s in neutral. Therefore, when
changing down it was hard to find the right
slot, particularly when skip shifting. The
problem was exacerbated by the somewhat
stiff lever action and narrow ‘throws’ between
the gates.
No doubt the shifter’s inertia would
probably diminish after some use and the
narrow gate would be something you’d get
used to, but I definitely believe there needs
to be spring loading of the lever to provide a
reference point to work from.
As for the steep climb over Tintenbar just
south of the border, the MX managed the
haul in high range (11th gear) and settled
into the pull with the tacho resting at 1300
rpm and the speedo registering 30 km/h.
It was a similar story during other notable
climbs on the run down the Pacific, with
1300 rpm seeming to be the sweet spot near
Easy access to the bunk comes courtesy of a folding gear lever similar to that found in the
K200 Kenworth. Drink holder for 1.25 litre bottles is a nice touch.
the centre of the torque band where the
engine worked best. Yet such was the pluck
of the MX engine it appeared completely
unbothered when allowed to pull down as
low as 900 rpm to crest one long grade.
During lengthy downgrades the
combined retardation power of 320 kW
(429 hp) at 2100 rpm from the engine and
exhaust brakes proved adequate rather
than spectacular at keeping the 55 tonne
combination’s speed in check with minimal
service brake application. It’s worth noting
that DAF’s potent Intarder with retarding
power of 420 kW (563 hp) is available as an
option on the XF105, but only paired with the
AS-Tronic self shifter.
On fuel efficiency, it seems the engine’s
willingness to consistently perform at
relatively low revs contributed to the
DAF’s thrifty figure for the overall journey,
measured at 1.93 km/litre (5.46 mpg) by
the truck’s trip computer. In fairness though,
this was achieved by being mindful of fuel
consumption and consequently, the total
travelling time of just on 12 hours with
an average speed of 76 km/h might be
considered a tad slow by regular runners on
the route. Still, it shows what can be achieved
with just a bit of thought and the application of
economical driving practices.
Perhaps best of all though, at the end of
the trip I climbed out of the DAF feeling none
the worse for wear, which speaks volumes for
the comfortable and quiet cab environment of
the XF105.
As mentioned previously, the gearshift set-
up still needs some tweaking but other than
that the Roadranger installation felt spot on.
However, it’ll be especially interesting to see
how the market takes to the manual option
given it attracts a $5000 premium over the
standard ZF AS-Tronic automated version.
Times have indeed changed.
Whatever happens though, at the end of
the day it’s sure to create more interest in
the XF105 and elevate Kenworth’s corporate
cousin to a new dimension in the minds of
operators. Or at least, that appears to be
the plan.