2019 Kenworth T360 and T410: Launch review

The arrival of the new Kenworth T360 and Kenworth T410 is big news in itself but, after a day at the pair's national media launch, I left with the distinct feeling the new hardware is just a part of a much larger revitalisation of both the individual brand and its local parent, PACCAR Australia.

The T610 arrived on the scene in late 2016 and it's been a huge success, to the extent that it's the brand's second-best seller (after the iconic K200), and represents a third of total production at Kenworth's Bayswater factory.

That factory is itself subject to a massive renewal, with work now underway to double the facility's footprint. With works scheduled for completion by August 2020, it's a $37m expansion project that will lay a strong foundation for future growth.

Add in the commencement of the local assembly of the DAF CF85 – a move that will surely give the brand a significant push in a market where it has long played 'second fiddle' to its Aussie sibling – and there's plenty afoot for Australia's heavy-duty market leader.

Related reading:
Kenworth K200: Operator review
Kenworth Cummins X15 Euro 6: Review Pt. I
Kenworth Cummins X15 Euro 6 : Review Pt. II

But back to the machines of the moment, the T360 and T410. Both were recently premiered to the nation's trucking media at the Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC) in Anglesea, Victoria, over a day that saw the assembled press sample the newcomers in a variety of formats following a technical presentation by PACCAR Australia's Director, Sales & Marketing, Brad May.

To the tagline of 'The Best in the Business', the new models blend the benefits of the 2.1-metre-wide cab platform that appeared in the T610 with a host of other updates and improvements, from drivelines to electrics to safety, all aimed at delivering even better outcomes for Australian operators.

Kenworth divides the Australian truck market into thirds, with a third buying in the 15-litre engine segment, a third in the 12 to 13-litre engine segment, and a third in the under-12-litre segment. With its Cummins X15 engine, the T610, which replaced the T609, plays in the 15-litre segment, while the new T410 is targeting the middle bracket and the T360 the lower.

"From our point of view we want to hit a bit of a reset in our product range that looked at designing and tailoring products specifically to what the segments in the market are and what the criteria is for each of those applications," said May.

At our disposal on the day were two T360s and two T410s, each configured for roles into which these trucks would typically be pressed: the T360 as a twin-steer tipper and a twin-steer agitator (T360A); and the T410 as two 6x4 prime movers, one with tri-axle curtainsider and the other hauling a tanker. Let's start with the T410 and see what's what…

The new T410 is the shapeshifter of the two newcomers: able to be pressed into a wide range of roles spanning both rigids and prime movers, tipper and dog, single trailer or B-double, for both metropolitan and intrastate work.

"You start to get a bit of a blend of the 15-litre product with the small product," said May of the T410.

Sporting the 2.1m-wide cab platform found in the T610, the T410 is available with sole engine choice of PACCAR's 13-litre Euro 5 MX-13, in ratings of either 460 (1700lb-ft) or 510 (1850lb-ft) horsepower. In effect, this means the T410 is taking over from the MX-engined T409, while the option of the Cummins X15 engine is gone, that larger engine spec now covered by the T610.

Gone too is the T409 SAR – although Kenworth won't rule out a T410 with a forward-set front axle.

"At this point in time the answer is 'no SAR', but as always I would say watch this space; you don't know what may pop out the door," said May.

The PACCAR MX-13 has been around for years – in DAF products and from 2014 in the Kenworth range. And now, in the T410, it's been fully integrated with a PACCAR automated transmission – a 12-speed, twin-countershaft unit that provides a third choice beyond Eaton's Roadranger manual and Ultrashift Plus AMT transmissions.

While based on the Eaton Endurant transmission found in the US, Kenworth says in the T410 it's been optimised and tuned specifically for the MX-13 and offers "lots of smart programming", along with benefits in terms of performance, price and tare weight. However, its current 50-tonne rating – a reflection of the lower GCMs of its country of origin – will rule it out for heavier applications here.

That may change subject to further validation, said May.

"We will take the conservative approach but we will actively try and move that benchmark," he said.

"I'd rather lose out on a bit of opportunity for a while and make sure it's right, than grab opportunity and work out how we fix our stuff-ups later."

For T410s with either two-pedal transmission, there's now a stalk transmission controller off the right-hand side of the steering column. In addition to switching between gears or auto and manual modes, it does double duty as a two-stage engine and exhaust brake.

The truck now has a 12-volt architecture, as opposed to the 24-volt T409, allowing the (optional) addition of the Bendix Wingman Fusion suite of advanced driver-assist and safety features, such as collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and more.

With the 2.1m cab comes improved access, better visibility, and a more refined and ergonomic driver environment, with a choice of either a more utilitarian fleet-spec trim or the ability to option up to all the traditional Kenworth 'bells and whistles', such as a woodgrain instrument surround, chrome bezels for the gauges, a seven-inch multimedia display and more. Kenworth's high-performance HVAC climate control system, as first seen in the T610, is also available.

As an aside, Kenworth also chose the launch of the T410 and T360 to unveil its new 1400mm sleeper cab, which effectively completes the roll-out of its 2.1m-wide cab platform. It was on show at AARC in a T610, and it's huge.

The engineers have pulled 100mm out of the truck's BBC (bumper to back of cab) measurement to provide added flexibility in terms of trailer placement, swing clearance and weight distribution, while the addition of a new cooling package has seen the T410 adopt a shorter, steeper bonnet that also delivers an improvement in visibility.

"I'm very confident this has, as far as bonneted 13-litre trucks go, the best visibility in the market," said May.

For our first hit-out, Trucksales made a beeline for the T410 prime mover with tanker, with a 510hp-rated PACCAR MX-13 engine mated to the new PACCAR 12-speed auto. Loaded to an all-up running weight of 40.8 tonne, our run around the AARC's highway loop and up its testing, gradient side road gave us a good idea of its capabilities, but the favourable impression began well before we even turned the key…

Kenworth went to some lengths at this launch to convey the effort it's put into improving safety and cab access in its latest products, and the benefits of that labour are clear. Our climb to the cab is aided by two wide, grippy and evenly spaced steps located at the top and bottom of the fuel tank, while the cab floor itself is reasonably low.

The grab rails either side of the wide-opening door aperture are sturdy and right where you want them, and once behind the wheel finding the ideal drive position is easy thanks to the tilt-and-reach-adjustable steering column and the air suspension driver's seat.

This truck was fitted out with the fleet-spec cab trim which, while utilitarian, is still quite refined, just with a focus on functionality and durability without the extra cost.

Visibility is excellent, with the raked bonnet and especially the frame-mounted side mirrors delivering a superb view all around the truck. The side mirrors, previously door-mounted, are now free of the clutter of their associated mounting rails and they're positioned quite low – it's far easier to look around and over them, when not actually taking in the clear view they provide to the rear.

While this particular truck was fitted with a day cab, three sleeper options are also available: a 600mm aero, 760mm mid-roof and a 860mm aero. On the subject, there are now five cab options available across the 2.1m cab platform, with a whopping 1400mm sleeper – now Kenworth's biggest – unveiled for the first time at the T360/T410 media launch in a T610.

Getting rolling is as easy as placing a foot on the service brakes, releasing the parking brake, flicking the stalk controller to D for drive and easing on the accelerator. The MX-13 happily skip-shifts its way through the ratios, and is especially impressive for the speed and precision with which it executes those shifts.

This PACCAR 12-speeder is described by Eaton as an 'automated transmission' – not an automated manual transmission, as are commonly found in many trucks these days, nor an automatic transmission, like, say, an Allison.

If your particular applications falls within its 50-tonne rating, try it for yourself – Kenworth says it offers big reliability and durability benefits, in addition to being appreciably more affordable than the Eaton Ultrashift Plus, while also being lighter.

It would certainly be an interesting exercise to drive identical trucks fitted with these two different transmissions back to back. In any case, we couldn't fault the PACCAR transmission as we made our way around the AARC circuit – and it's so easy to use, opening up the use of this truck to a wider pool of potential drivers.

It's got plenty of smarts too, with four different shifting patterns that adapt to the driving style and situation at hand. You can simply let it do its thing in auto mode, hooking a higher or lower gear with a flick of the lever if required, or you can switch it to manual mode and take command of the 'box yourself. Either way, it's 'idiot proof', in that it won't let the engine revs run down to low or rise too high to risk any transmission damage.

There's a hill-start assist function too, which held us securely on one of the steepest parts of the gradient test, before putting down the right foot quickly prompted the MX-13 into action, the transmission even skip-shifting its way up the incline due to the aggressive use of the accelerator.

There's also a coasting function, which sees the engine drop back to idle on descents where certain parameters are met, and particularly impressive is how long the transmission will utilise the truck's momentum to hold this mode, even for several seconds after the road begins to climb.

Of course, most buyers will favour the two traditional Eaton transmission options, if as much due to familiarity as for the higher GCMs to which they can be applied, but certainly don't discount this option if your application concerns lower loads.

The MX-13 is a good thing too and it lays down an impressive wave of torque. It's more a torque line, rather than a torque curve, which Kenworth says is at its peak from 1000rpm to 1400rpm. For a 13-litre unit this engine does a top job, and it hauled our tanker up hill and down dale without a worry. It's pretty darn quiet too, for a conventional application – and not just when coasting, either!

Slowing the show, meanwhile, couldn't be simpler thank to the new two-stage engine and exhaust brake. Pulling the stalk controller back a notch towards you activates the engine brake, while pulling it back again delivers maximum retardation, the exhaust brake kicking in while the truck also starts downshifting.

At 1500rpm around 340 braking horsepower is at your fingertips, while the system develops up to a maximum of 410 braking horsepower.

Our test truck, now with its 12-volt electrics, was fitted with the Bendix Wingman Fusion system, which – along with the boosted visibility – makes this one safe truck. It's the little touches, too – like how the PACCAR transmission will automatically select neutral if you pull up, accidently leave it in gear and hit the park brake, or how the horn sounds if you attempt to drive off and the door isn't fully shut.

Add in a tanker with EBS and stability control, and it's a case of 'box ticked' for the increasing number of fleets that demand this level of safety to meet their WHS requirements.

And if you're yet to sample Kenworth's 2.1m cab, check it out. It's highly functional and modern, yet classy and inherently Kenworth. We love the clean and clear instrumentation and the general layout, which represents a slick blend of old-school style with modern features, like the wealth of trip and driver data that can be dialled up on the central TFT display.

While the larger-engined T410 can be pressed into a very wide and diverse array of roles, the new T360 brings the same benefits and updates to the urban and intrastate environments, and in particular construction/agitator applications with the T360A.

The T3 series is powered by a nine-litre Cummins ISLe5 – gone is the 11-litre Cummins ISM of the T359 – and is available in 6x4, 8x4 and 10x3 configurations. The ISL comes in various ratings from 280hp (778ft-lb) to 400hp (1255ft-lb), in a choice Allison 3000/4000 series automatic or Eaton manual or automated manual transmissions.

Kenworth says it builds on the T359 with better manoervrability, a lower tare weight, and more safety, the truck also receiving the new 2.1m cab platform and the 12-volt electrics, giving access to options like the Bendix Wingman Fusion system.

Like the T410, the T360 has also had a four-inch reduction in BBC, which delivers extra flexibility in terms of wheelbases and bodies. The company also says it invested significant effort into the engineering of the truck's steering geometry, achieving an improvement of nearly two metres in kerb-to-kerb turning circle compared to the out-going T359 – a very handy thing in tight work sites and around town.

And of course there are all the benefits of that new cab platform, with its enhanced visibility, cab access and improved ergonomics, and a new cooling package with aluminium-core radiator, said to reduce fan time and eliminate the need for an additional oil cooler on the Allison 4000 transmission.

Kenworth says the T360 is now also easier to service, thanks to the cab's larger dog box and transmission access hatch, while a revised hood tilt angle gives better access to the engine, radiator and firewall.

At the AARC Trucksales jumped in an 8x4 T360 tipper, with the Cummins ISL laying down its grunt via an 18-speed Eaton Roadranger manual. It's three steps up into this particular truck but they're large steps and you're climbing up on an inboard angle, and not straight up, which takes some of the strain off your arms.

This day cab featured Kenworth's premium-spec interior, complete with woodgrain dash, traditional Kenworth diamond-pleat trim and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The truck's ISL had a 380hp rating but it wasn't exactly being put to the test – the 12-cubic-metre Bisalloy tipper body was empty, and with a bit of fuel on board we had a rolling weight of just over nine tonne.

Now I won't profess to be an expert with a Roadranger – far from it – but I found the manual quite forgiving in this tipper, and it fairly flew down the straights with that ISL growling away up front.

The level of visibility really is a highlight in this T360, and a boon for the applications this new T3 series will commonly see. And the cab's premium trim adds a real touch of class – it's a workspace of which any owner/driver can feel justifiably proud.

While the offerings on test at the AARC were all pre-production models, Kenworth will host the official launch of the T360 and T410 at the looming Brisbane Truck Show, to be held over May 16-19. Orders will be taken for the newcomers from that point on, with production scheduled to commence mid-year.

Two years ago Kenworth knocked one out of the park with its T610, and with the new T360 and T410 it's clear it's not resting on its laurels. These two new conventionals up the ante for this Aussie powerhouse yet again and, if this first taste is anything to go by, the T360 and T410 both have long and successful roads ahead of them.

Are they really 'The Best in the Business'? We'll let the market decide – but you can count on these new Kenworths to make a damn strong case.