Scania R 660 2023 Review

The personalised ‘660HP’ numberplate made finding the new Scania R 660 in the row of trucks parked at the rear of the Melbourne dealership easy.

Scania’s Jarrod Hegarty was on hand to provide some insight into how to get the best out of the truck.

“We’ve loaded up this B-Double set of Freighter trailers to give us a gross weight of 61.5 tonnes,” Jarrod explained, as he touched a button on the key fob to activate the lighting test sequence. “This has to be one of the best features added to modern trucks,” he added.

Jarrod was keen to have the new Scania R 660 demonstrate its steadfast appetite for hauling big weights effortlessly. Not surprisingly, his test route included typical interstate terrain and urban congestion similar to the real-world duties this truck would experience in a typical fleet scenario. Still, he’d included a test run up the infamous Pentland Hills on the Western Highway just for good measure.

Earlier in the morning, I’d noticed a poster on the spare parts counter in the dealership advertising driver information for the new Scania trucks by following the links on the QR codes for Apple or Google apps. So I scanned the QR code and downloaded the iPhone app. It then asked for the chassis number, which I typed in, and – moments later – I had the full operator’s handbook and quick guide at my fingertips. After a cursory glance over the quick guide, I was comfortable that I had enough knowledge of the new vehicle to get the show on the road.

Pleasingly, the R 660 came with a factory-painted blue livery, not stock-truck-white. Yet even though it is relatively conservative in its appearance, there is no over-the-top bling, and only the factory-fitted badge tells you it’s an R 660.

Inside the cab it’s precisely what you’d expect in a top-of-the-range V8: leather seats and steering wheel, and a healthy smattering of the iconic V8 logo here and there. But other than that, the interior is essentially the same as previous New Gen Scania trucks. Nevertheless, I still rate Scania cabins as among the best on the market: they exude quality and are, by and large, well laid out and functional. However, that said, the others are catching up and, in some cases, possibly overtaking them, but more on that another time.

Pulling the loaded B-Double out of Scania’s Laverton, Victoria, dealership onto Boundary Road was effortless, thanks to a significant break in the traffic. But then, of course, we were on one of the city’s most challenging roads. The dual lanes of Boundary Road and the subsequent meanderings around Laverton onto the Western Freeway are exceptionally busy, and there is little time to familiarise yourself with the finer workings of a new truck. As a result, my first taste of the new R 660 was the complete polar opposite of a nice, smooth drive through the country.

The condition of the roads in these parts can also be found wanting, with an inferior top surface and potholes that could double for water storage dams to boot. The Western Freeway is one of Victoria’s busiest freight routes, yet it is not an ideal trucking road thanks to its poor state of repair.

Nevertheless, the inclusion of the front air suspension certainly ironed out many of the sharper potholes that would have rattled right through to the bone with a traditional steel-spring front-end. Handling-wise, the Scania steering system now incorporates a raft of electronic wizardry that works a treat on rough, uneven road surfaces.

Jarrod explained that along with the V8’s new 660hp rating, the most significant advance in operational terms stems from the widened ratio spread of the new 14-speed G33-CM transmission, from the crawler ratio of 20.8:1 to a top overdrive gear of 0.777:1.

“The wider ratio spread, coupled with slightly wider gears, handle the increased load better and longer,” Jarrod said. “Now we can run high gross weight applications with the flexibility to utilise taller rear-axle ratios while maintaining deep gearing to facilitate smooth lift-off and deliver optimum efficiency.

“Furthermore, with the G33-CM, we’ve included an abundance of newly developed and clever power take-off (PTO) solutions to satisfy any number of advanced PTO needs.

“But more importantly is the substantial improvement in retardation performance,” he said. “The G33-CM transmission now contributes 4700Nm of auxiliary braking compared to 4100Nm from the previous transmission. Indeed, the additional retardation is a significant gain that, soon enough, highlighted exceptional downhill speed control through the steep gradients of the Pentland Hills.

The new dash displays slightly different transmission gears that commence with ‘C’ for the crawler, followed by the ratios to 12th (direct drive), then ‘OD’ for Overdrive.

The final drive ratio of 3.07:1 might be considered a tall ratio for a B-Double-spec truck. Still, Scania has done its homework and is confident it’s got the balance right, thanks in no small part to the new transmission ratios and sheer torque of the new 660hp V8.

Once out of the urban traffic congestion, getting the R 660 to stretch its legs didn’t take much. This truck has all the bells and whistles to make life behind the wheel simple. Merely set the adaptive cruise control and downhill speed control, then sit back and let the Scania do all the hard work.

The Scania R 660 engine develops a peak power of 660hp (485kW) at 1900rpm and produces a remarkable torque peak of 2434lb-ft (3300Nm) between 950 and 1400rpm.

Yet it’s where the power and torque curves overlap, at around 1350rpm, that a distinct appreciation for this V8’s gallant strength and tenacity emerges. Where these two lines intersect in this 16-litre unit’s rev range, approximately 640hp is produced while the engine still pushes out maximum torque. Consequently, this extreme pulling power is delivered at relatively low engine speeds, resulting in exceptional economy at high average road speeds.

The transmission has three modes: Eco, Standard and Power. I’d selected ‘Standard’ mode, which provided good acceleration from traffic lights and enabled the R 660 and its fully loaded B-Double to keep up with traffic easily.

On the Western Freeway, the R 660 was strutting its stuff in style. I’d set the cruise control to 100km/h. The tacho indicated the V8 was ticking over at around 1200rpm in overdrive. But as we approached the Pentland Hills, the V8 bit hard as the climb intensified, the engine revs lowered and – once down to 1000rpm – the G33-CM transmission swapped effortlessly back into 12th gear.

A slower vehicle up ahead meant I needed to lift off the throttle, and as the revs slowly lowered again, the transmission seamlessly dropped back another gear.

Thankfully the right-hand lane cleared. I pressed the button on the end of the gearstick wand to engage ‘Power’ mode, flicked the indicator to the right and squeezed down hard on the throttle. The big 16-litre engine responded instantly; the transmission hanging onto 12th gear as the needle on the rev counter spun around to 1950rpm. Once I passed the slower truck, I tapped the button on the end of the gearstick again to shift the mode back to ‘Normal’ to maximise fuel economy.

On the descents, the downhill speed limiter worked a treat to keep the R 660 at the set 100km/h without any over-speeds. The system is clever enough to turn on the fan to add to the braking effect as well as apply the retarder.

The slick changes of the G33-CM transmission were indeed impressive and the power of the 660hp V8 didn’t disappoint. Another feature worthy of mention is the ‘Hold’ function, which activates once the vehicle is stationary and the brake pedal is pressed down towards the floor. A green light illuminates on the dash to indicate the function is active and holds the truck until the accelerator is depressed, then automatically releasing to allow you to drive away. From a driver’s point of view, there is a lot to like about the new R 660, including the extra-wide sleeper cabins.

But it goes deeper than that. Scania has put much thought into how trucking businesses run, including compliance and asset valuation. For instance, an R 660 can be purchased with full-service maintenance contracts, giving operators known fixed maintenance and operating costs for the purchase term.

A maintenance contract also means repair and maintenance compliance responsibility is taken care of by Scania. As a result, a Scania truck on a full service maintenance contract attracts higher resale value than one that’s not, and so it sought after by prospective used-truck buyers.

Overall, the Scania R 660 is a truck that is packed with functionality, is very drivable, and is supported by competitive maintenance contracts. As a result, I’m sure we’ll see many more of these Scania R 660 models on our highway in the months and years to come.

Specifications:
Model: Scania R 660 6x4
Engine: Scania DC16 660 16-litre V8 E6
Power: 660hp (485kW) at 1900rpm
Torque: 12434lb-ft (3300Nm) at 950 to 1400rpm
Transmission: Scania G33-CM1 14-speed overdrive
Transmission shift: Opticruise
Retarder: Scania R4700D
Alternator: Scania 24V 100A
Propeller shaft: P604
Steering box: Bosch 8298
Front axle: Scania AM64S
Front suspension: Scania Air
Rear axles: Scania AD200SA axle housings
Rear axle ratio: 3.07:1 with diff locks to both axles
Rear suspension: Scania Air
Brakes: Scania electronically controlled disc brakes
Tyres: Bridgestone 295/80R22.5R
Safety: EBS with integrated ABS and traction control
Wheelbase: 3150mm
Cab tilt: Electronic
Interior: Black leatherette with V8 styling
Seats: V8 leather back with red stitch
Battery box: 2 x 12V, 180A, left-hand-side chassis mount
Fuel tank: 1 x 320L R/H side and 1 x 710L L/H side
AdBlue: 1 x 73L R/H side