PACCAR Australia has unveiled a new range of Kenworth models on the opening day of the 2025 Brisbane Truck Show.
Nine years after the release of the revolutionary T610, Kenworth is showing its new-generation wide cab models at the show. With new nomenclature to align the model numbers and signify the evolution, the T320, T420, T620 and T620SAR are on display.
With emission standards for heavy vehicles being phased in through ADR 80/04 in November, Kenworth took the opportunity to continue its long history of evolving its model line-up.
By engaging closely with customers and operators, Kenworth’s design and engineering teams have developed enhanced new models that retain the best attributes of the existing range and readied the trucks for the future.
Michael Long, PACCAR Australia’s Director Sales and Marketing, says, “Kenworth engineers spent countless hours with customers, gathering their insights. The feedback was clear: the existing models were excellent, but there was room for improvement. Those implemented enhancements and refinements have culminated in the new-generation series.”
Chief Engineer Brad May says the result is “an impressive range of trucks that really deliver for both owners and drivers alike, no matter the application”.
Through extensive customer immersion, numerous features have been fine-tuned to optimise the driver experience and operational efficiency, including the addition of PACCAR Connect, which offers live tracking and monitoring of the vehicle, driver and fleet performance.
“Running a transport operation has not been a simple life for a long time, but it’s become infinitely more difficult now. Our customers have told us how they need accurate, timely information – but not so much they’re overwhelmed. Our new trucks are the centrepiece of this solution to this,” adds Ross Cureton, Director of Product Planning.
In the T620 and T620SAR, the Cummins X15 Euro 6 with power ratings up to 625hp and 2,050lb-ft of torque now available from 1,000rpm, make it suitable for a wide range of applications.
The T420SAR houses the latest ADR 80/04 compliant PACCAR MX-13 engine.
With its exceptional efficiency and proven performance, the PACCAR engine with the PACCAR TX-12 and TX-18 12 and 18-speed transmissions delivers more torque at low engine speeds and high performance over a wide rev range.
The PACCAR transmissions are optimised for integration with MX engines and ideal for vocational, heavy-haul, severe service and high-performance applications on-highway.
The nine-litre engine in the T320 continues to offer a range of power and torque settings applicable to mid-market segments like agitators and rigid body applications and allows a low cab height in applications with frequent ingress and egress.
What’s more, the new-generation Kenworths integrate important, useful technology while maintaining this simplicity for operators and drivers.
“The truck is the source of truth. No longer reliant on anecdotal evidence or gut feeling about critical numbers like fuel consumption, the truck’s existing on-board sensors paired with proprietary PACCAR Connect can tell the full story, providing crucial data for insightful and accurate business decision making,” May says.
The new-generation Kenworth trucks feature a 15-inch high-definition instrument panel. Intuitive and easy to read, this new digital instrumentation helps reduce distraction by allowing the driver to control how much information is shown when operating the truck. This can be customised from driver to driver and trip to trip.
The instrument panel displays critical content to alert the driver of all necessary information, constantly monitoring critical vehicle parameters, and displaying them to the driver as required. This includes early intervention warnings for the driver, allowing them to respond quickly.
With a simple press of a button, the new-generation Kenworths will perform a comprehensive systems check. Likewise, at the end of the day upon shutting down, it will display a detailed trip and vehicle summary. This includes statistics like, average fuel economy, idle time, cruise control usage as well as any potential mechanical issues.
The eight-inch audio visual navigation (AVN) unit provides easy access display with intuitive controls for truck navigation, the audio system and smartphone mirroring. The AVN can be integrated with up to six external cameras giving drivers full visibility of what is happening around the vehicle.
To further help drivers remain focused on the road, the AVN is integrated with the steering wheel controls and the driver’s phone can be stored safely on either the charging pad, or in one of the convenient storage pockets in the new dash.
The new-generation Kenworth models are available with all the active and passive safety features drivers and operators have come to expect. It builds on existing critical safety design elements and overall ergonomics designed for comfort and control – everything on these trucks has been developed to have a positive impact on the driver’s work life and gives every opportunity for drivers to be supported by full systems.
“By being closely connected with our customers and attuned to driver needs, we’ve been able to take the existing driver and owner experience and elevate it,” Long says.
Showcased alongside the new models is the the crowd favourite, the flagship T909, showcasing a new Euro 6 engine and responding to an increase in customer demand for larger bunks, an updated 60-inch bunk option.
This icon of the Kenworth line-up is versatile enough to operate in almost any application where fuel capacity and front axle weight is critical and delivers unmatched performance in Australia’s harshest possible conditions.