Scania 770 V8 CR23 Extended Cab 2023 Review

People often ask me, ‘What is your favourite truck to drive?’ It’s a hard question to answer as there are so many trucks on the market and so many different applications. It’s a bit like being asked to choose your favourite child or grandkid.

However, with the launch of the Scania 770 with its grunty V8, luxury R Cab and new electric steering, that would have to be a contender.

And now Scania has raised the bar even further with the release of the new CR23 extended cab. Obviously concocted to do battle with Volvo’s XXL and the soon-to-be-released Mercedes-Benz Actros GigaSpace, the CR23 uses existing components from the four-door Scania CrewCab to give an extra 23cm to the R-series premium cab.

Overall, we’re told that this gives the CR23 an increase in the distance from the pedals to the rear of the cab of 13 per cent.

What it means in real terms is that the Scania expandable bed, which can be pulled out to 100cm wide, now no longer needs to be retracted to move the seats back into a driving position, allowing the bed to remain made up the whole time.

Our test truck in its striking red paintwork was the second of the extended-cab models into the country but there are more on the way.

According to Ben Nye, Director of Sales for Scania Trucks Australia, the CR23 has proven so popular here that we’ve taken nearly all of the world’s production. “The CR23 is available world-wide,” Mr Nye said. “But we’ve taken just about all of the production well out into 2024. New Zealand got a couple and Norway got a couple – they like a big cab – but we got the rest.”

“They’re a very popular truck,” Mr Nye added.

And it’s easy to see why. Scania is the only manufacturer producing a V8, and who doesn’t like a V8? With that characteristic V8 rumble and all that torque produced from very low revs – in our truck’s case it’s 3700Nm from 1000 to 1450rpm – they are a real hit with any driver.

But there is more to it than just power and torque. The 770 is also fitted with the Scania Opticruise overdrive transmission and the R4100 retarder, which is one of the best in the business. The whole combination makes for a really lovely truck to drive.

Climb up into the cab and the superlatives keep flowing. The fit and finish on these trucks is superb. From the matching red piping around the dash and the upholstery to the fabulous heated seats with the V8 logo embossed into the headrest, it’s all class.

Even the red stitching on the leather-wrapped steering wheel is a touch that sets this truck apart as a top-shelf product.

In the back there’s plenty of storage high on the rear bulkhead but there’s still enough room to sit up and read a book, and there are options to spruce it up with such luxuries as a TV and a microwave if you need them. Plenty of fridge and freezer room is standard as is lighting and block-out curtains for a peaceful nap.

Up above there is an electrically operated roof hatch with a mozzie net for ventilation, and you’ve got full standing headroom in the cab

Certainly, the Scania 770 with the CR23 extended cab is a stylish and refined piece of kit, but they’re not for everyone. So who buys them? We put that question to Ben. “Those who can,” was his succinct answer.

Clearly, not everyone is going to rush out and buy a fleet of these things and run them up and down the Hume – although it’d be a pleasant truck in which to do it.

“No,” said Ben. “The people who buy them might have a few of our other trucks for the drivers, they might even have some of the smaller V8s, but they’ll have one of these as their own truck.

“Or we might sell one to an owner/driver who is upgrading from another Scania. Whoever it is, they will be a discerning buyer who knows what they want. And that’s a little more room, a little more comfort, and a little more prestige.”

There is no doubt, the Scania 770 is a delight to drive. The steering is up there with the best on the market today. It is light and precise, and it’s just so easy to place the truck exactly where you want it on the road.

In fact, I had to check to see if I had the lane departure warning on, as I didn’t trouble it all day.

We had a B-double set loaded to a bit over 60 tonnes and, as expected, the 770 took it in its stride. We headed out of Melbourne and down through Gippsland via the South Gippsland Highway, which isn’t in the best condition, but the Scania handled the wintery conditions and the crappy road with ease – the front and rear air suspension saw to that.

On the return trip we cut through to Pakenham for a freeway blast back towards town where the big Scania was in its element, the adaptive cruise had us eco-rolling where we could, and despite me punching it up hills on the South Gippy, we still returned a creditable 1.7km/litre.

Ben tells me he has customers who are regularly getting 2.0 to 2.1km/litre, which is very good for such a big, powerful engine.

Scania Australia is having a good year. The month of May was a record for the company and by all accounts, Scania is looking at a record year for sales.

There are still a few issues with supply for the Swedish company but, overall, according to Ben Nye, things are looking better.

With the launch of the Super range of six-cylinder engines back in late 2021, the 770 announcement around the same time, and now the CR23 extended cab, things are really on the go for Scania.

And while the truck that’s the subject of this story is really a range-topping, aspirational truck that will only be sold in limited numbers, it is sure to drag the rest of the family up with it and show just what the company can do.