Mack Trucks says its anticipated new engine family will begin production in early 2006 with an 11-liter model, to be followed by a 13-liter version in '07. Both MP (for Mack Power) diesels will come in Maxidyne, MaxiCruise and Econodyne versions and will replace current ASET engines by January 2007.
The builder also announced new Granite vocational trucks with roomier cabs and updated interiors, as well as a new Pinnacle highway tractor with similar features. As now, the new Granite will come with forward and rearward steer-axle settings and in a lightweight Bridge Formula model. Most will use only the new MP engines.
The 11-liter MP7, with ratings from 325 to 405 horsepower and torque of 1,260 to 1,560 pounds-feet, will be offered in certain truck models and meet current exhaust emissions regulations. For '07, the MP7 will be fitted with a diesel particulate filter to meet stricter emissions limits. In '07, Mack will add a 13-liter MP8, with 415 to 485 horsepower and 1,540 to 1,700 lbs.-ft. And in '08 it's scheduling the introduction of a high-horsepower 16-liter MP10, based on the D16 diesel now offered by its sister company, Volvo Trucks.
Maxidyne MP engines, designed for construction and other vocational trucks, will have better low-end torque than current engines and get "substantially" better fuel economy. That's because the MPs will use cooled exhaust-gas recirculation instead of the simpler but less efficient internal EGR on the current Maxidyne, executives explained. MP MaxiCruise and Econodyne highway diesels will get 2 to 3 percent better economy than ASET engines.
MP design includes a single overhead camshaft with four valves per cylinder, "high performance" cooled EGR, variable-geometry turbocharger, wet sleeve cylinders with steel pistons, rear gear train with a rear-engine power take-off option, and advanced VMAC-IV electronic controls. Mack's PowerLeash engine brake will be optional on the MP engines.
The MP family will have unique mechanical parts, electronic controls and operating characteristics to differentiate them from a similar family to be offered by Volvo Trucks. Cam profiles, piston crowns, injector settings and some turbochargers will differ from those on Volvo engines, Mack executives said. Both families will be built in Hagerstown, Md., in a retooled former Mack plant now operated by Volvo Powertrain.
The Volvo Powertrain factory now produces Mack's ASET engines, which will continue in 2006 but will be phased out by the end of the year. The MPs and similar Volvo engines are designed to meet new federal exhaust-emissions limits that take effect in January '07.
2007-model engines and the trucks they're installed in will be more expensive than current models, but Mack executives say they have not yet determined how much higher their '07 heavy-duty trucks will be priced. Most competitors say the same thing.
A cab 4 inches longer than now adds belly and leg room to Mack's Granite severe-service model, built for construction, trash and other vocational uses. The longer cab also allows seat backs to recline more than 20 degrees, executives said, and results in a bumper-to-back-of-cab dimension of 116 inches vs. 112 inches for current Granites.
The cab's interior has been redesigned for greater driver comfort and convenience. Included are a wrap-around instrument panel with a new primary gauge cluster and space for up to 25 switches. The standard driver information display has a new CoolBlue back lighting for easy viewing day or night; this also illuminates the optional CoPilot expanded info display.
The heater and air conditioning are improved, and controls for them are easier to use, executives said. Better floor mats muffle outside noise. Ceiling-mounted lighting is like those in highway models to give drivers more reading ability. Storage compartments include a large pocket with litter-bag hooks on the rear wall, in-dash recesses, a cell phone holder, and cup holders with "snuggers" to grab cups/bottles of various sizes.
As with current Granite CT models, the new models will come in 600 and 700 series, indicating heavy- and extra-heavy-duty frames, axles and suspensions. Designation for the new series is CTP, with AF indicating steer axle forward and AB meaning axle back. Also as now, BF means bridge formula, a lightweight version produced mostly for California, whose laws require wide axle spacing but allow only one auxiliary axle.
The Granite Bridge Formula offers Cummins' 8.8-liter ISL diesel as a lightweight alternative to the standard Mack engine. The ISL will continue as an option in the new Granite BF, but the others will come only with Mack's MP7. Cummins' ISX remains the only engine for Mack's long-nose CL truck and tractor, and is expected to continue into '07. Current Granites with ASET (application-specific engine technology) engines will be phased out at the end of 2006.
The new Pinnacle highway tractors are available as a daycab and with several sleeper sizes. The Pinnacle will have the cab interior features of the new Granite, plus upgraded sleeper interiors, and will use only MP engines. The Pinnacle will replace current Vision and CH tractors by the end of 2006.
