New Kenworth T680 Sets High Standard for Excellence with Superior Fuel Efficiency, Performance and Comfort

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kenworth Truck Company set a high standard for excellence with the introduction of the Kenworth T680™, which offers superior fuel efficiency, performance and comfort. The announcement came at the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville.

“The T680 is designed to smoothly slice through the air, setting an industry standard for aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.”

“It’s a great honor to proudly introduce the Kenworth T680, which establishes a new standard of excellence in the industry with exceptional styling, superior fuel efficiency, outstanding performance and extraordinary comfort,” said Gary Moore, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president. “Our goal for the T680 is to be best-in-class in key areas, including aerodynamics, quietness, comfort, reliability, durability, and serviceability. The Kenworth T680 is the new leader of The World’s Best® product line.”

Kenworth has designed an outstanding truck that takes the company’s long tradition of superior aerodynamics to a new level of achievement. “Simply put, the Kenworth T680 is Kenworth’s most aerodynamic truck … ever,” said Preston Feight, Kenworth chief engineer. “The T680 is designed to smoothly slice through the air, setting an industry standard for aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.”

The T680’s extremely stylish and aerodynamic body shape also benefits from a sculpted full-height roof, optimized bumper and hood, full-height side extenders, cab/sleeper-to-fairings closeout panels, chassis fairings extenders, and flush-mounted lighting. It all adds up to a significant 10 percent enhancement in aerodynamics. The T680 was engineered with 65 percent more storage capacity, a 50 percent larger windshield, 40 percent less interior noise, 30 percent larger door openings, and best-in-class forward lighting.

The Kenworth T680 is also designed to maximize performance in line haul, pickup and delivery, and regional hauling operations. Available with a new 76-inch sleeper or as a day cab, the T680 is standard with the fuel-efficient, 12.9-liter PACCAR MX engine and optional with the Cummins ISX15 engine.

Kenworth’s newly designed T680 cab is a spacious 83 inches wide with a comfortable 23 inches of room between the seats for excellent sleeper ingress and egress. The T680 offers the premium Diamond VIT and Vantage trim levels and two interior color options of Sandstone Tan and Slate Gray.

Here are key Kenworth T680 features:

Stamped Aluminum Cab: The lightweight and corrosion-resistant cab uses stamped aluminum panels joined with self-penetrating Henrob™ fasteners, which help ensure excellent fit and finish while providing an extremely durable structure more resistant to water, noise and vibration. Acoustic treatments in the floor and firewall help block out airborne noise.

Sleeper: The T680 features a new 76-inch sleeper integrated with the cab. The sculpted, full-height sleeper roof is a visually captivating styling feature that blends cab and sleeper shapes into one smooth aerodynamic arc. The roomy sleeper is 96 inches wide with a high ceiling, 60 cubic feet of storage, and a full-height wardrobe cabinet. A new Kenworth innovation is the rotating table, which is robust enough for daily use and will last the entire life of the truck. Use it for meals, working on laptops, or reading. The sleeper offers a mount for a 23-inch flat screen TV, storage tray for DVD player or video game system, hook up for a microwave, and factory-installed inverter with optional shore power.

Panoramic Windshield: The T680 is standard with a new panoramic one-piece, bonded-in windshield with superior visibility. The windshield is 50 percent larger, has increased thickness to minimize the effects of rock incidents, offers efficient replacement time, and provides enhanced aerodynamics.

Robust Door: The stamped aluminum door is lightweight and stiff, resulting in an extremely durable design. Computational fluid dynamics was used to design for smooth airflow around the cab and minimize noise-inducing turbulence. A pressure relief valve equalizes interior and exterior air pressure to make the door easy to open and close. The door is triple sealed against the elements and road noise.

Hood and Bumper: The 3-piece aerodynamic hood is made of sheet molding compound (SMC). SMC is a lightweight, durable composite material with an excellent finished surface, which is not only robust but also enables high paint quality. With the advanced hood-assist system, lifting the hood requires just 35 lbs. of opening force. The stylish, signature Kenworth grille is manufactured from corrosion-resistant aluminum wire mesh for superior protection of cooling system components. The two-piece aerodynamic bumper and chassis fairings are made from Thermoplastic Olefin (TPO), which enhances impact resistance and looks good with various paint colors. TPO is a durable material that does not react to sunlight. This allows for an in-mold-color option that reduces service costs for customers.

Lighting: The T680 is standard with dual lamp Halogen headlights and optional with High Intensity Discharge Xenon lights. Seamless, integrated jeweled headlamps improve aerodynamics. All standard exterior lights utilize LED technology that provide a 20,000-hour life, which equates to about 15 years of truck life. LED lights are also used extensively in the cab and sleeper.

Driver Performance Center: The all-new Driver Performance Center (DPC) has a full-color, high-resolution, 5-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display screen, which includes current truck information, diagnostic data, and pop-up alerts. Additionally, the DPC will display to the driver situational-specific recommendations which help improve vehicle performance.

HVAC System: With industry-leading Automatic Temperature Control, simply set the desired temperature and the system maintains it. A one-touch feature provides maximum defrost. These new features help keep drivers comfortable and maintain their focus on driving.

Seats: The Kenworth proprietary seats offer an advanced air suspension system that automatically adjusts to various driver weights. An adjustable shock provides a full range of seat comfort for driver-specific preferences. An optional passenger 180-degree swivel seat allows the occupant to face into the sleeper. This option, combined with the rotating table, creates an industry-leading work and living environment.

Kenworth Dash: The new dash cluster has an easy-to-read layout with nine standard gauges and 12 additional gauges available. New switches utilize the toggling feature that drivers prefer, while maintaining rocker switch functionality. The Kenworth dash includes Kenworth NavPlus® – with hands-free cell phone capability via Bluetooth connections and voice commands. NavPlus is standard with premium interior trim.

Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth is an industry leader in providing fuel-saving technology solutions that help increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The company’s dedication to the green fleet includes aerodynamic trucks, compressed and liquefied natural gas trucks, and medium duty diesel-electric hybrids. Kenworth is the only truck manufacturer to receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Excellence award in recognition of its environmentally friendly products. In addition, the fuel-efficient Kenworth T700 equipped with the low-emission PACCAR MX engine was named the 2011 Heavy Duty Commercial Truck of the Year by the American Truck Dealers. Kenworth was the recipient of the 2011 J.D. Power and Associates award for Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Heavy Duty Truck Dealer Service. Kenworth’s Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth. A PACCAR Company. (NASDAQ:PCAR)

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