Steve Brooks

Battle of the Big Boys

On the back of what promises to be another strong year for heavy-duty truck sales, 2019 is also emerging as a battlefield as the two biggest names in the business go toe-to-toe for market supremacy. In one corner there’s long-term leader Kenworth and in the other, the brand which for decades has been relentless in its desire for the top spot: Volvo! Right now, the contest has never been closer.
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CLASSIC DEALS: THE MAKING OF LEGENDS

Spawned in the shadows of the iconic W-model, it was perhaps inevitable Kenworth’s classic T900 would one day notch ‘Legend’ status. Yet embedded in this story of a remarkably resilient truck are the steely pride and fierce passions of people devout in the Kenworth creed: ‘Australian Made. World’s Best’. They live it. They breathe it. Right to the end
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Iveco Stralis: X-Way vision

Given the 20-year cycle of new model development among the world’s major truck producers, it won’t surprise if Iveco’s X-Way range of cab-overs is the final rendition of its flagship Stralis family. Nor will it be an earth-shattering shock if the next few years define the locally assembled X-Way as the best Stralis of all. We took a run in a premium X-Way prime mover
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Volvo XXL: eXXLent adventure

What started as essentially a long distance sleep-over in Volvo’s new XXL Globetrotter cab quickly morphed into much more as the 700hp Swedish flagship turned in a stunning performance hauling four trailers and 120 tonnes to the Top End. Heading north just days after starring on Volvo’s stand at the Brisbane Truck Show, it was the maiden voyage to beat all maiden voyages
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Volvo Dual Clutch: a clutch of class

If you think automated transmissions don’t come any smarter or smoother than Volvo’s super-slick I-shift, well, you’ll have to think again following the release of a new ‘Dual Clutch’ version. But are quicker, slicker shifts Volvo’s only motivation for adding the significant cost and complexity of dual-clutch technology?
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Fuso chases bigger bite of Daimler cherry

It may be viewed by some as the underling in Daimler’s corporate collective but, in our part of the world, Fuso outsells its more illustrious siblings by a hefty margin. And now, with a modernised cab and advanced heavy-duty powertrain in the wings, the Japanese giant is hungry for an even bigger bite of the cherry. But how big a bite will the corporate kingdom allow?
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