There is a rigorous internal process for the development of any truck with the DAF name.
During the process, engineers in Eindhoven working with the new engine were concerned about the level of turbo whistle the new engine was producing. The team in Australia had to explain to their colleagues that Australian truckies would expect to hear that familiar sound in their truck.
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“DAF have got a truck over there, in Eindhoven and they test it over there, then we do it here. We compare notes, we agree to disagree or agree to an action to change it,” says Brad May, Paccar Australia Chief Engineer. “It’s just been unbelievable, a lot of meetings, a lot of discussions, but it’s been fantastic.”
The Paccar assembly plant in Bayswater was already building DAF CF models, so was equipped to deal with the chassis. There is now a different cab lifting arrangement because the XG is bigger than the CF. The first one down the line was built in the normal sequence and the plant had built more than 60 of them by the end of 2024.
The current CF kit comes into the country almost complete, but for the XG there are a lot more locally sourced components, moving the process closer to full truck manufacturing than simple kit assembly. The vehicles come down the production line alongside the Kenworths.
Paccar in Australia had been wanting a 15 litre engine inside a DAF, as the 13 litre limited opportunities in the very large heavy GCM segment. According to Paccar, it was always going to be a Cummins engine.
The other major plus for the truck was its aerodynamic performance. In fact, the key difference is the radius on the front corners of the cabin. It is much larger than normal, and then tapers out, only getting to full width behind the door. The most efficient design uses digital mirrors, but there are also traditional mirrors as well. It seems the digital versions are a step too far for Australia, just now.
“We saw an opportunity for a 15 litre, but the key was, could we get the kind of fuel efficiency improvement DAF had got with the 13 litre, or would it undo all their good work?” says Ross.
“The objective with this XG was to not be any heavier than the XF, even though it’s 500mm longer. At its highest spec, the larger XG+ is just 20kg heavier, when compared to the XF models.
“We saw this opportunity, this great new DAF that looks terrific, but we needed a 15 litre and at the same time, were having conversations with Cummins about a newly developed engine. You wouldn’t normally do that, but the outcome was going to be so much better that it was worth embarking on this huge validation program to make sure the new cab and new engine were both going to work, so that’s what we did.
“The European 15 litre market in Australia is not going away. If anything, it’s growing. So we see a real opportunity there. We knew that DAF had the most dominant long haul prime movers in Europe already, and they were going to do better still. It stood to reason, it was going to be very competitive product.”
Long-term solution
The XG+ also brings something else to the Paccar party, and that is a future solution for a problem which has been hanging over the Paccar Australia organisation for some time.
The dilemma it has faced is the fact that the existing Kenworth cabover sold by the company, the K220, is probably the last iteration of the famed series which has been with us in the Australian market since 1971.
The Paccar organisation needs a ready alternative to be waiting in the wings, if or when production of the K220 eventually ends, at some point in the future.
The XG+ is the kind of truck which is likely to be able to fill that gap in truck showrooms around Australia.
It may be difficult for European truck enthusiasts to understand just how important North American iron is within the trucking industry in Australia. Truck buyers are constantly tossing up between driver acceptance and the need to have the latest technology on board in their trucks.
One of the elements which may well benefit the XG in the Australian truck market is the kind of fuel economy being achieved. This has been a strong selling point for other European brands in recent years.
For the new DAF achieving similar outcomes to those found in the other European brands, added to the fact that this is a North American style engine, may well be a strong selling factor.
Currently the XG will only be available as a 6×4 prime mover, but the team at Paccar are not ruling out an 8×4 model in the future, which would certainly be attractive to New Zealand trucking operators.
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