The new Freightliner Argosy has been officially launched, and ATN went along to check it out
By Gary Worrall | August 1, 2011
After a positive introduction to the Australian truck market at the Brisbane Truck Show in May, the new Freightliner Argosy was officially launched in Sydney last week.
While there is no doubt the striking ‘cheese grater’ grille was the main talking point at the Brisbane unveiling, Freightliner boss Gary Wheatley is confident the Argosy’s on-road performance will do the talking now.
Christened the Argosy Next Generation, the new model is destined primarily for on-highway line-haul duties, leaving the off-highway and vocational duties to its Coronado and Century Class siblings.
While there will be a small number of rigid Argosy manufactured, as well as twin-steer 8×4 variants mainly for the New Zealand market, the majority of production will be Australian-spec 6×4 prime movers.
Daimler’s Australian Managing Director of Commercial Vehicles, Dr Kolja Rebstock, says the Argosy is an Australian truck despite being manufactured in the US because it has the cab-over design which is not sold in the American market.
“The Argosy is built on Australian needs and requests,” Rebstock says.
The cab has undergone an extensive redesign as part of the model upgrade aimed at improving operator comfort with numerous changes under the skin, including revised doors for better dust and draught sealing and reduced noise and vibration.
Despite teething problems when offered in the first generation Argosy, which Wheatley says have now been rectified, the new Argosy not only retains the driver’s swing out step but the steps are again offered on the left side.
Wheatley says this is possible because the improved cooling package, using a single 10,645sq cm radiator in place of the dual radiators used on the outgoing model.
Wheatley says design changes to the cab include raising it 50mm for improved airflow into the engine bay, while the flat floor also improves air movement across the engine.
“This Argosy is an EPA 10 platform, we have chosen to use it in conjunction with the proven and sorted EPA 07 engines,” he says.
This offers Argosy buyers the choice between the all-new Detroit Diesel DD15 engine and the proven Cummins ISX and Signature 16-litre engines, all in current ADR 80/03 emission specification.
The three engine options means operators have eight different power ratings to choose from, with the DD15 offering 373, 395 and 418kW (500, 530 and 560 horsepower respectively), while the Cummins engines are available in 362, 373, 392, 410 and 448kW (485, 500, 525, 550 and 600 horsepower respectively) choices.
The torque figures remain at 2500Nm (1850 lb/ft), except for the 448kW Cummins, which offers an impressive 2800Nm torque figure.
Wheatley says the DD15 will be offered with a million km warranty, with Freightliner dealers able to offer initial warranty support thanks to engine supplier MTU Detroit Diesel Australia also being part of the Daimler group.
Despite the new DD16, which is still undergoing field testing before it is offered as an option, Wheatley says the ADR 80/03 Argosy will not be offered with a version of the superb Benz PowerShift automated manual transmission.
Also missing from the new Argosy will be the full suite of safety systems offered by Mercedes-Benz in its trucks, with Wheatley saying operators show little interest in fitting safety-related items to the Freightliner brand.
He says the new Argosy will be fitted with disc brakes. Work is well underway to develop a roll stability program, with engineers now sorting out the placement of sensors to ensure proper calibration and operation.
The Argosy currently makes up 50 percent of Freightliner sales in Australia. The company’s senior executive for heavy vehicles, Carlo Beltrame, says this percentage may drop despite the new model arriving, as Freightliner works on increasing the volumes for bonneted vehicles.
See the September edition of ATN Magazine for the full story on the new Freightliner Argosy.