Scania R 540: Review

While the Americans reckon the only substitute for cubic inches is cubic feet, the Europeans seem to be aiming in the opposite direction. Smaller, more technologically advanced engines seem to be the way of the future for the big Euro truck manufacturers.

Volvo was the first to bring out a powerful and torquey 540hp 13-litre six, followed by DAF with its slick 13-litre. Now Scania has joined the party, with a modern six that packs a real punch in the grunt-per-litre stakes.

All the Euro 6 13-litre mills put out around the same horsepower but the latest Scania offering tops the lot when it comes to the all-important torque figure. The company’s new 540 puts out a maximum of 2700Nm of torque at between 1000 and 1300rpm.

To put that into perspective, that’s more horsepower and the same torque figure as the company’s 16-litre V8 in its 520 spec.

And Scania is quick to point out that the new 540 weighs 300kg less than the V8, so if front axle weight is a concern, this could be the answer you’ve been waiting for.

Scania says the new 540 engine features Scania XPI fuel injection and a new ball-bearing fixed-geometry turbocharger that allows the additional performance while still giving good fuel economy.

The new DC13 166 540hp also introduces new hardware and software. Updates include new friction-reducing coatings on the pistons, rings and bores, increased compression ratio and high cylinder pressures, the adoption of smart auxiliary pumps, updated turbochargers and modified inlet and exhaust manifolds, all of which are designed to increase power and reduce fuel consumption by up to 2.5 per cent.

Intake and exhaust manifolds, as well as the turbine housings, have been modified in order to increase the pulse energy and to give a faster response, accentuated by faster spool-up from the new ball-bearing, fixed-geometry turbocharger.

Exhaust software control and updated after-treatment also contribute to the overall fuel savings.

According to Dean Dal Santo, Director of Truck Sales for Scania Australia: “The additional power, and particularly torque, will be welcomed by operators who have wanted to access a bit more grunt for B-double work at higher weights for intra- and interstate work, or while traversing hilly terrain, without reverting to our famous Scania V8 engine.”

Our rig for the two days of our test was an R 540 – the R being the larger of the cabs with the alternative being the G cab – with a Freighter B-double set loaded to 52,440kg on the weighbridge docket.
And it’s worth noting here that both the G 540 and R 540 are rated to a 75-tonne GCM.

The R cab is the top of the range from Scania and features stand-up headroom, a comfortable bunk and an under-bunk fridge as standard.
As with all New Truck Generation models, the new G 540 and R 540 are fitted with a high level of active and passive safety systems, including side curtain roll-over protection airbags as standard.

Further safety features include driver and passenger seat belt pre-tensioners, driver steering-wheel air bag, electronic stabiliser program, lane departure warning, and advanced emergency braking, as well as adaptive cruise control, auto hill hold, and auto headlights.

Fuel tank packages of 1030 litres are standard, along with 105 litres of AdBlue, and there are options to increase that fuel load.

We’ve driven quite a few of these New Truck Generation Scanias since their launch in 2018 and the standout take-away from driving them is the quietness and comfort in the cab. I’m not going to bang on about it too much here, but they really are lovely truck to drive, and you can have a conversation with your co-driver like you were sitting at the bar in a pub.

One of the ways that Scania has got the fuel economy equation right while still retaining the power and torque is to give the R 540 a tall diff ratio and use that high torque figure and low revs to good effect. It translates to around 1400rpm at a 100km/h cruise speed.

That means that when you're coming to a hill, you’re dropping down in to the maximum torque range of 1000 to 1300rpm. The engine will lug down to about 1100rpm before kicking down a cog and getting back up to that 1400rpm sweet spot.

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The 540s all get Scania’s Opticruise 14-speed auto, which is a pretty slick piece of gear. It changes smoothly and efficiently so you don’t lose too much momentum on the downchanges.

And it’s no slug off the line either, despite the tall diff ratio. It takes off in first, where some autos like to take off in second, and then will happily skip up to third or fourth on the flat giving you plenty of grunt to get going. I found it easily handled our load and got up to city and highway speeds easily.

On the freeway it’s time to shift over to the adaptive cruise control. Simply set the distance you want from the vehicle in front and hit the cruise button at the bottom of the steering wheel.

On the downhill runs, you can choose to use the downhill auto hill hold feature where you can set the maximum speed you want to descend at, hit the button on the steering wheel, and the Scania will do the rest. It works using the gearbox for engine braking and the retarder, which offers 242kW of braking power at 2400rpm.

Another way the auto hill holder can function is if you merely dab the service brake as you’re heading down the hill, the truck will automatically hold the speed at which you dabbed the brakes.

It’s impressive stuff and a great safety feature.

The retarder itself needs mention as it is without doubt the best of its kind on the market. Once the driver is used to the retarder, which has five settings, you can get it to do most of the truck's braking.

The new Scania 540 is a wonderfully versatile truck. It’s economical – we averaged right on 2.0km/litre for our two-day run – it’s really comfortable and it’s easy to drive with all the driver assistance features.

In fact, when I got out after both days of driving, I felt remarkably fresh and could have easily done another shift.

You could use the 540 for around-town work, intrastate work and even linehaul, with a B-double set behind as we did.

It certainly makes a lot of sense as an alternative to the V8, especially if you’re looking for a reduced front axle weight and good fuel economy.

I certainly enjoyed my time in the Scania 540, and if I was a driver I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if I was offered one as my dedicated truck.

Scania 13-litre engine specs:
Displacement: 12.7 litres
Bore x stroke: 130mm x 160mm
Type: In-line six-cylinder diesel engine, four valves per cylinder
Maximum output: 540hp (397kW) at 1800rpm
Maximum torque: 2700Nm at 1000-1300rpm
Fuel injection: XPI Common Rail
Turbo: Fixed-geometry turbo (FGT) with wastegate and ball bearings
Camshaft: Normal
Compression ratio: 21.0:1
After treatment: DOC/DPF/SCR (no EGR)
Exhaust brake: 242kW at 2400rpm