Jack Roberts is
equipment editor for
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drive tests by Roberts
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traffic around Orlando much easier. The
MX-13 and UltraShift Plus are the perfect balance of quiet and powerful.
When mated with the cab's advanced
soundproofing and vibration-dampening technology, the result is a truck that
allows for civilized conversation between
driver and passenger – even at full throttle on a construction site.
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notably around the front grill, fenders and wheel wells – contribute to
the clean design.
But the T880's stance and
demeanor is cut out for the roughand-tumble world of construction.
The truck stands an intimidating
13½ feet tall and 102 inches wide.
Kenworth cut its teeth in the construction and logging world and isn't
about to start cutting corners on its
vocational trucks today.
When the T680 debuted, engineers stressed that it was a driver's
truck, and the attributes that make
the T680 such a delight to drive are
present on the T880. This includes
a new brightly-lit and well laid-out
instrument cluster, as well as ergonomically placed switches and controls. Even though my test truck is a
daycab, there's plenty of well-placed
cabinets and cubbyholes to put
jackets, boots, documents, tools or a
lunch cooler.
Even better, this truck was
equipped with Kenworth's slick airride suspension seat. This "smart
seat" lowers itself to make cab entry
and egress easier, then automatically
returns to the correct preselected
height when you're seated.
The outstanding sightlines and
mirror placements are most welcome
when you're driving on a packed
eight-lane freeway with carloads
of screaming kids and their jittery
parents darting madly around you.
Making lane changes and monitoring
oncoming traffic is a snap.
On my test truck, the MX-13 got a
lot of help from the Eaton UltraShift
Plus automated manual gearbox.
We're lightly loaded – about 35,000
pounds – with sand, but I'm still
impressed at how quickly this big
Kenworth leaps when I give her the
gun. Accelerating to 60 mph before
merging into traffic is not a problem,
and neither is passing at cruising
speed. Steering is tight and precise;
this isn't a truck that wanders around
the lane.
The transmission's intelligent shift
patterns – with much needed skip-shifts
– make dealing with the stop-and-go
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