Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/391783
50 | Overdrive | October 2014 is perfect. "With small fleets and own- er-operators finally coming back into the industry today, we think we have the perfect truck for them," he says. "It's a truck that will help them make money and be competitive while giving them the bold styling and unique stance that set them apart from their competition." This is a pretty dramatic sea change, given that as late as three years ago, 40 percent of Western Star customers were telling Jackson they had no interest in an aerodynamic truck. He says they now "realize they have to make money with these vehicles. Branding and image are still important. So is standing apart from the pack. And this truck lets them satisfy all those needs." Western Star's chief design engineer, Don Vena, pointed out that blending an aggressive grille into a highly aero- dynamic package was a sizable task for his design team. "We realized that this was a design that needed harder edges and angles than you typically see in aerodynamic truck profiles," Vena says, "but we were unsure if it would allow us to hit our drag coefficient target numbers. In the end, we found that we exceeded our expectations for the aerodynamic pro- file and delivered a look that is true to Western Star's heritage" while delivering excellent fuel economy. Some "aero-neutral" features add to the truck's bold looks but do not increase drag in any way. Chief among these are the old-school sun visor and the bumper end caps, which Vena and his design team laughingly refer to as "fangs." At a time when many manu- facturers are abandoning such features in the quest for ever more slippery trucks, Vena says his designers were able to find ways to make these compo- nents complement the overall aerody- namic design. "Our sun visor actually helps push air over the top of the tractor," he says. "And the fangs efficiently push air over the front wheel wells. The result is a very efficient truck with distinctive styling." Drive TesT The 5700XE'S cab retains Western Star's sturdy all-steel design and features a retro feel with all of the latest safety devices and electronic wizardry. DRIVE TEST 'Muscle' in style and power The day after the 5700XE's press launch, the Western Star folks happily tossed me the keys to a Sapphire Blue model and told me to enjoy myself. That wasn't hard to do in a truck that looks this striking. Western Star's chief design engineer, Don Vena, told me over lunch the pre- vious day that he draws particular inspi- ration from '60s-era American muscle cars. So he was pleased when I said the 5700XE reminded me of Oldsmobile's tough front ends from the early '70s. At highway speeds, I was surprised to find the 5700XE to be one of the qui- etest tractors I've ever driven. A lot of credit for this has to go to the integrated Detroit drivetrain. Another factor is the proprietary all-steel cab, which Western Star has used elsewhere. Heritage also comes into play, given that Western Star cabs have been built to extremely tight tolerances to help survive grueling West Coast logging operations. So even in less-severe operations, it's a major factor in holding down in-cab ambient noise. For the first time, Western Star is offering only Detroit engines for its truck. An Eaton manual gearbox is an option, but all other drivetrain packages are spec'd with Detroit's DT12 automat- ed manual transmission. My test truck featured a 400-horse- power DD15 coupled with a slick DT12 AMT. Even fully loaded, the engine provided plenty of low-end grunt to get the 5700XE up and moving. I'd driven an Eaton-equipped 5700XE the previ- ous day, and I was pleased to find it to be the smoothest-shifting I'd driven in a long time. But it's hard to argue with the simplicity and ease of use offered by Drivetrain: Detroit Integrated Engine: Detroit DD15 Horsepower: 505 hp Torque: 1,750 lb.-ft. Transmission: Detroit DT12 12-speed auto- mated manual Front axle: 14,700 lbs., Detroit Single Rear axle: 23,000 lbs., Detroit Single Front suspension: Taperleaf, 14,600 lbs. Rear suspension: Airliner, 46,000 lbs. Western Star 5700XE specs as tested