Scania gives punters a sneak peek of its new XT range...
Scania Australia has used Melbourne’s International Mining and Resources Conference to give the national transport industry its first local look at the XT bulk haulage tough nut.
Available in three cab sizes, the XT comes with safety features available to its highway siblings, such as side curtain rollover airbags as standard in its choice of P, G and R-series Day Cab.
The XT is available with a full range of Scania’s “frugal and modular” Euro 5 or Euro 6 SCR emission engines and Opticruise automated gear-changing, including the clutch-on-demand feature “for particularly challenging environments”.
Engine configurations include 5-cylinder 9.0-litre, 6-cylinder 13-litre engines or the V8 16.4-litre.
Scania has switched to the lighter, less complex SCR-only exhaust after-treatment (with the exception of the top of the range, highest-output V8 730hp (544kW) engine which uses a combination of EGR and SCR).
“Specific changes to the 9.0-litre 5-cylinder engine include new engine software and a reconfigured combustion chamber,” it says.
“One important change is that oil cooling is now thermostat-controlled. This contributes a 1 per cent fuel saving, since the oil can generally be allowed to maintain a higher working temperature. The cooling fan is fitted directly on the crankshaft and no energy-intensive upshifting is required.
“Other modifications that help to reduce consumption are an increased compression ratio (from 18.0:1 to 19.0:1), a cylinder pressure increased to a maximum of 190 bar (180 bar for the 280hp [209kW] version) and a more efficient combustion chamber.
“The 9.0-litre family shares its technology and design with its 6-cylinder siblings in the 13.0-litre in all material respects.
“Its balance shafts and the introduction of an asymmetric crank pin pitch counteract the tendency of 5-cylinder engines to vibrate, so that it now runs just as smoothly and silently as a 6-cylinder engine.”
Read our outback road-train road test of the Scania R620, here
All of Scania’s Euro 6 diesel engines are already certified for a mixture of up to 10 percent biodiesel in their basic configuration, without any impact on maintenance requirements.
Highlights the truckmaker identifies is the XT’s protruding steel front bumper, headlamp protection grilles, front under-bumper skid-plate, 40-tonne towing point in the centre of the bumper, and robust door mirror housings, as well as an elevated ride-height and all-steel parabolic leaf spring suspension.
The range arrives at an auspicious time, just as the mining and resources industry is picking up following the end of the boom earlier in the decade but it also coincides with the ongoing national infrastructure investment effort.
“The launch of the Scania XT range is a response to the growth of business the company has attracted in recent years in the mining and resources sector in Australia, as well as an answer to operators involved in the current domestic and civil infrastructure construction boom,” the company says.
“The arrival of the XT means Scania is well-placed to service its existing as well as new customers in the mining and construction sectors.”
With owner services remaining on of the more hotly contested aspects of heavy truck competition, the company continues to make a virtue of its offering.
“Scania provides a variety of customer-friendly services designed to support uptime and total operating economy, and the XT range provides customers with the same benefits that long-distance and urban distribution operators enjoy,” it says.
“These include having a nominated fleet manager to support planning, coordination and administration of all fleet services, who will work to detect potential problems in advance, and optimise the vehicle or fleet’s service plan to achieve maximum uptime.
“Scania can also configure a service arrangement where its factory-trained technicians can attend in-house, rented or temporary on-site workshops to maintain or repair vehicles as well as ensure sufficient supplies of spare parts are kept on hand.”
That extends to in-cab and in-office IT provision to ensure asset transparency, with Scania Fleet Management Systems – Control Package providing information on fleet position, vehicle tracking and geofencing, as well as fuel use, driver behaviour and can capture damage reports to help speed up repairs.
“The Scania XT is perfectly set-up for a range of construction and mining applications on sealed and unsealed surfaces,” Scania Australia MD Mikael Jansson says.
“The Scania XT has been designed to shrug off tough conditions and a few bumps and scrapes without the need to visit a workshop to replace exterior fittings.
“Our customers will be happy to gain additional uptime facilitated by this careful attention to detail.
“Trucks like these often cover significant distances each year on regular roads in the course of delivery and back-loading, so efficient fuel use is of great importance to the operator.
“Of course, the Scania XT features all the pertinent safety features and equipment needed to provide the greatest level of safety and safe operation to protect drivers from harm, unnecessary downtime and inconvenience.
“The construction industry faces increasing demands for sustainable and cost-effective production.
“With a powerful line-up ready for the toughest mining and construction tasks, Scania is well prepared to meet the highly diverse transport assignments within these sectors.
“We have the right products, the right services, and the right skills to help Australian mining and construction operators specify the perfect vehicle for their needs, securing maximum uptime and enhanced total operating economy, protecting their profitability, and therefore enhancing their long-term business stability.”