Review: 2014 Freightliner Argosy

David Meredith gets to grips with Freightliner's new and improved cab-over king, the Argosy – and he likes what he sees…

Three years ago a preview version of the then new Freightliner Argosy was displayed at the Brisbane Truck Show, encased in a transparent box. Attendees could only gawk at the biggest and baddest truck grille on the market. The Argosy is many things, but in the world of cab-over trucks, subtle isn’t one of them.

Argosy is one of only two US-designed and built cab-overs in the heavy-duty sector. For this iteration of Argosy, Freightliner execs were at pains to underline that the model was selling into a highly cost competitive market that turned its nose up at things like disc brakes, airbag suspension, lane-change alert and active cruise control/distance alarms etc.

That kind of decision making raises all sorts of questions about the rights and wrongs of withholding safety technology for a cheaper price but, in reality, the market speaks the ultimate truth.

However, the latest Argosy has nudged a little closer to the chassis standard of its biggest rivals, and time will only tell if the potential buyers will accept a few more dollars for a great value and hard-working truck with some additional bells and whistles.

To spice up the offering, Freightliner will deliver a brand new Argosy 6x4 with the 560hp 15-litre DD15 engine to your depot for a monthly lease payment of $5591 for four years or 800,000 kilometres, whichever comes first.

The total cost is $268,368 if you run the full 48 months. Inside that is $60,000 of servicing, calculated at 7.5 cents per kilometre. Apart from the lease fee, all you pay for is fuel, on-road costs and tyres. At the end of the period you won’t own the truck, but you won’t owe anything either. The deal may allow individual operators to bid on a key contract with mechanical risk eliminated from the equation.

My last drive of an Argosy was positive for ride, handling, cab comfort and a great night’s sleep in the sleeper cab, but a bit off for some technical wrinkles that spoiled what could have been a spotless performance. As is often the case, electrical gremlins played a part, disabling the Eaton Ultrashift Plus at one stage, and some pre-delivery fails meant the engine power was down and a nasty cyclical vibration rattled my fillings when under load at a certain rev range in seventh and eighth gear.

When I reported the problems to Daimler Trucks, I got unanimous looks of scepticism. Thankfully for me, the problems repeated themselves some days later, in one instance causing a major problem in Melbourne's Burnley tunnel during peak hour!

As a result I was looking forward to my latest drive and I think the Freightliner people were keen to get me into the latest version. As it turned out, the Argosy I drove was a lot more than the latest version. It was being used as a test rig for some new features and trims that will represent a major upgrade when they arrive on retail trucks.

The Freightliner HQ is in Mulgrave, in Melbourne's mid-eastern suburbs, and I have a set route when I pick a test truck up in Victoria. I head out west towards Adelaide and drive as far as time allows before looping around a turn-off that has a bridge across the highway and returning. The route dishes up tight manoeuvring around the depot, heavy traffic across the city, a grind up the Westgate Bridge and some highway cruising with some decent hills thrown in around Ballarat. A B-double with 60 tonnes on board gives a truck a decent workout.

Even before cranking up the DD15 engine, one of the best features of Argosy made its presence obvious. The extendable steps into the cab provide the best and safest truck entry on the market, bar none. Even between two rigs parked closely, it was easy to get in and out as I did my checks and kicked off the log book. The contrast was vivid because the passenger’s side had only the conventional climb up and then across to get on board. Extendable steps on the passenger side are an option.

I had a close look under the cab before leaving. Freightliner has left a large open space above and behind the DD15 engine. Its EGR emissions system generates more heat than its major competitors, and the high ambient temperatures in some of the roles for which Argosy is popular demand plenty of airflow through the engine compartment. Lashings of heat-resistant foil protect the cab from radiated heat, and the insulation must be thick because I noticed very little heat soak into the cab floor.

There are lots of incentives for being careful getting out of the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in a B-double – mainly millions of dollars of cars packed tightly in rows surrounding the truck area! Some had been added since it was parked so it took a couple of reverses to get out safely. It was a good exercise though, as it revealed the Argosy’s vision and mirror set were well up to the task.

I was on the freeway quickly and into peak-hour traffic knowing that most other road users would give me a wide berth.

Some trucks feel disconnected from the trailers in a way that can be unsettling. Argosy felt like the trailers were part of it. The rig tracked dead straight so I was able to place all the axles right where they ought to be. Eaton’s Ultrashift Plus did its job without a murmur so I could concentrate on road placement, but when I hit the first big climb it was obvious the transmission had been calibrated to make the DD15 rev out pretty high.

It was changing down around 1350rpm and heading past 1750 before changing up. I clicked into manual mode on the hills from then on and made it lug down to about 1050rpm, changing up at 1500. It was quieter, I don’t think I lost any time, and the fuel use would have come down.

The new cabin trim is felt-based and brings a complete new feel to the cab, as well as offering further sound suppression. All surfaces are softer and, with some effective fake wood in the sleeper, Argosy becomes a welcome place to rest after a day on the road.

The test truck was trialling active cruise control, lane-change alert and distance control. But the best feature was a system dubbed 'Parrot' by the Freightliner folk. A camera under each mirror stack displays the road from the back of the front wheel half way along the rig on the colour touchscreen in the dash – it's very good for checking for cyclists, motorcyclists and small cars when right-angled turns and roundabouts are on the route. It switches on automatically when the indicators are activated, or when you select reverse gear. In just four hours I got so used to it I’ll miss it on the next truck I drive.

From this test I am confident Argosy will expand market share in the linehaul sector. It’s a great home away from home, an efficient mechanical package, and the new fully maintained lease deal will probably open up a few prospects for those who want to eliminate mechanical risk from a potential new contract.

FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE: Detroit Diesel DD15 in-line, six-cylinder, intercooled turbo-diesel

POWER: 560hp at 1800rpm

TORQUE: 2508Nm at 1200rpm

EMISSIONS: ADR 80/03

STD TRANSMISSION: Eaton RTLO-20918B 18-speed manual

OPT TRANSMISSION: Eaton UltraShift Plus

CONFIGURATION: 6x4

TARE: 8317kg

GVM: 24,000kg

GCM: 80,000 to 90,000kg

WHEELBASE: 4800mm

BBC: 2573mm as tested

BRAKES: Drum

CABS: 90-inch, 101-inch and 110-inch sleepers

WEB: www.freightliner.com.au/trucks/argosy

Review: 2014 Freightliner Argosy

Tags