Kenworth K220 2022 Launch Review

We’ve been hearing whispers and received sneak pics of the Kenworth K220 for a while now. I even saw a cab under covers in the Kenworth Research and Development centre in Victoria following a drive of the Kenworth Legend SAR, so we knew it was coming.

But just what the changes were going to be remained a mystery until the big reveal on Friday June 3. It was there we were told that Kenworth had brought the venerable K series cab-over kicking and screaming in to the 21st Century with a new 12-volt CAN-bus electronics architecture that assists with a host of more modern features.

Of those, one of the more noticeable is the new 15-inch electronic screen that adorns the dash. The screen is enabled by a very modern-looking steering wheel with no fewer than 14 buttons, and from the buttons you can scroll through the features of the screen that gives a huge amount of data about the truck.

Both of these features are borrowed from the Kenworth T680 Next Gen which is available in North America.

There’s also a new and thoroughly-modern 18-speed automated manual transmission called the Endurant XD Pro. This gearbox is the big brother to the PACCAR 12-speed that sits behind the MX-13 in the Kenworth T410.

The 12-speed constantly monitors changes in road grade, vehicle speed, acceleration, torque demand, weight and engine load to keep the truck in the most fuel-efficient gear possible, and we’re told the Endurant 18-speed does the same.

Of course, the Eaton 18-speed Roadranger manual gearbox is also available. It’s this transmission that, according to Sales and Marketing Manager Brad May, takes up the lion’s share – around 70 to 75 per cent – of the builds of the current K200, but he is confident that the new Endurant will make a change to these figures in the K220.

In terms of power, the K220 changes little from its predecessor with the Cummins X15 in either Euro 5 or Euro 6 configurations. Check the specs list at the end of the story for the rundown of power and torque available.

On the day after the Gala launch, the transport media contingent was taken out to the Brown and Hurley dealership in Darra, Brisbane where six shiny, new K220s were there to greet us.

Various configurations were there from low-roof sleepers, to high-roof aerodynamic variants with the 2.3 or 2.8-metre sleepers, single trailer or B-double with either manual or auto transmissions.

Related reading:
Kenworth K220 unveiled
We drive the Kenworth Legend SAR
Buying Used: Kenworth T950

I chose a 2.8 Aero Roof sleeper with a single trailer loaded to around 40 tonnes with the new Endurant 18-speed auto transmission that I was keen to try out.

I quickly familiarised myself with the new layout and flicked the transmission shifter on the right-hand stalk to D and eased out of the dealership and onto the freeway. My initial thoughts were that the transmission was a beauty. It effortlessly skip-shifted its way up to top gear as we weren’t carrying a lot of weight, but it did so with such ease and lack of fuss that I couldn’t help but be impressed.

Downshifts were similarly smooth and fast and although we didn’t really get any decent hills to test it, I got the feeling that on a good pull, the downshifts would be so quick that very little momentum would be lost.

Of course, you can pull on the transmission lever and slip it into manual mode if you want to pull back a few gears, or just do the changes yourself. I didn’t bother this time.

Then I noticed the steering. I was fortunate to have Ross Cureton, Kenworth’s head of Product Planning with me on the drive and I asked him if he’d changed much in the steering. “Little bits here and there,” he said. “It’s basically the same hydraulic setup but we’ve tweaked it a bit in various areas and the total seems to be an improvement,” he added with some understatement.

It’s been while since I’ve driven a K200, but I’m dead sure the steering wasn’t as good as in the K220. The steering in these new trucks is impressive. It’s very positive in its response; it has no ‘slop’ in it and it has ‘feel’ at the straight-ahead position which, let’s face it, is where these trucks spend most of their time.

I found the steering actually gave me confidence in the truck, and I felt I could put it anywhere and it wouldn’t wander or would I have to chase it – just point and shoot.

The wheel felt good too. It’s thicker in your hands and feels solid even though it’s soft to the touch.

The buttons are easy to figure out – cruise control on the left and music, phone and screen scroll on the right. The new screen is great on the road with the default setting having a big digital speed readout inside the tacho and then air, oil, fuel and temp surrounding that. It’s clear, easy to read and precise. You can adjust it to get more or less info, but I didn’t bother and thought I’d leave that for a longer drive when I had a bit more time to play.

What I did do on the motorway was have a play with the radar cruise. In these sort of conditions, I do like radar cruise, as it can give you a bit of a break and can save a few points on your licence. The K220’s cruise is simple and car-like to use with the steering-wheel button, and it kept a nice distance from the car in front.

When I wasn’t on cruise I did get a bit close to the vehicle ahead of me and was alerted by the proximity warning which beeped at me. It wasn’t too intrusive, just a quick reminder and a glance down at the dash told me that it was indeed the proximity alert and I backed off a bit. Of course, you can dial this out, but I didn’t.

Vision from the driver’s seat is great. The windscreen is still a two-piece affair but that didn’t worry me; the A pillar has been pushed out a bit at the top which gives marginally more vision in the corners and the big wing mirrors are sturdily mounted and provide a great view with no vibration.

Kenworth has done more with the insulation of the cab and that not only makes it better for sleeping but it’s quieter on the road. Sure you can hear the rumble of the X15 and, of course, the Jake brake when you haul on the lever, but it’s not intrusive and I found I could chat to Ross at normal volume without having to raise my voice (except when he gave me a bum steer on the navigation and we went the wrong way).

I didn’t get a definitive answer as to whether they had tweaked the suspension as well, but it seemed to ride really well too. Perhaps that was a combination of the better steering and the quieter operation, or there may been some suspension modifications that made it feel smoother.

Regardless of that, I found the K220 to be an altogether more sophisticated truck than the K200.

It’s an evolutionary change rather than a revolutionary change. And while some of the old stagers will scoff at the new auto transmission and the digital dash rather than the old analogue gauges, the changes are there for a reason and that reason is to make life easier for the drivers – and if that’s what they were trying to do, I reckon they’ve achieved it.

Sure, you can still get your Roadranger transmission if you want it, and you can even get a K220 without the Wingman Fusion safety package – hell, you can even get a K200 if you want it. But if was doing serious linehaul work, I’d go for a K220 with all the fruit and the new Endurant 18-speed auto, thank you.

Engines:
Cummins X15 Euro 5 – 485hp/ 1650 LB-FT Torque
Cummins X15 EURO 5 – 485hp – 600hp / 1850 LB-FT Torque
Cummins X15 Euro 5 – 550 – 600hp / 2050 LB-FT Torque
Cummins X15 Euro 6 ‘EFFICIENCY’ – 550 – 580hp / 2050 LB-FT
X15 Euro 6 ‘Performance’ – 525 – 625hp 1850 / 2050 LB-FT

Transmissions:
Automated  –  Endurant XD PRO
Manual  –  Eaton 18 Speed / 1850 / 2050 / 2250 LB-FT Torque
Automated Manual Transmission (AMT)  –  Ultrashift Plus / 1850 / 2050 / 2250 LB-FT Torque

Configurations:
6 X 4
8 X 4  /  8 X 4  Tandem with lazy axle  /  8 X 6
10 X 4  Tandem with lazy axle  /  10 X 6

Cabs:
1.7m Flat Roof Day Cab
2.3m Flat Roof Sleeper
2.3m Aero Roof Sleeper
2.8m Aero Roof Sleeper