Mack unveils MP10 engine at ITTES

Mack Trucks Australia has unveiled a stronger, cooler running engine range and a new generation of drive axles at the 2012 ITTES. The US-based brand also presented its homegrown automated manual transmission, mDRIVE.

Headlining the 2012 product line and officially launched at the ITTES is the new MP10 power plant. In Melbourne, Mack has presented the first customer vehicles equipped with the new engine.

The Mack MP10 is the most powerful engine ever released by Mack Trucks and with up to 685hp, it will be the most powerful engine under the bonnet of a conventional on-road truck in Australia, according to Mack.

The 982 cubic inch (16.1 litre) in-line 6-cylinder engine features an overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder and unit injectors. It is turbo-charged, intercooled and fitted with a single cylinder head, overhead camshaft and Mack’s V-MAC IV electronically controlled fuel injection.

Mack’s PowerLeash engine brake is standard in the new MP10 range, which has been designed to ensure exceptional driving characteristics, high reliability and excellent fuel economy, according to the Mack design team. “With a cylinder block and cylinder head made of cast iron, a strong base is created for a dependable engine.”

Coinciding with the MP10 release, a higher capacity Mack mDRIVE 12-speed automated manual transmission will be offered. This addition is standard with the 685hp rating as it is the only transmission strong enough to handle the MP10’s 2,300 lb-ft torque output.

Mack Trucks have also taken this opportunity to make additional improvements to reinforce the durability of the Super-Liner and Titan models, including larger cooling packs, steel fuel crossover lines, updated fan clutches, updated seat packages as well as relocated and shielded fuel filter.

“It is a great privilege to be in charge of such an iconic brand in Australian transport and I take this responsibility seriously. I feel strongly about where the brand is headed,” says Mack Trucks Vice President, Dean Bestwick. “The product we are currently offering our customers is the best we have ever had.”