Scania is the only heavy truck maker with a V8 diesel in our market these days. And who doesn’t love a V8, right?
Well, I do for one. And the Scania V8 is a beauty as we found out on a recent trip across the Nullabor hauling three loaded trailers.
The Scania V8 range spans horsepower outputs from 590hp through to 770hp. Our test vehicle sat in the middle with 660hp.
Who’s it for
Scania V8s can handle virtually any heavy-duty transport job you care to name. They can do truck-and-dog work, big agitator jobs, mining, timber and, of course, heavy linehaul as we were doing.
Scania V8s have been around for 50 years and many operators swear by them for many different applications.
Powertrain
The 660’s engine is a 16.4-litre V8 that puts out 660hp at 1900rpm and a hefty 3300Nm between 950rpm and 1400rpm. This is mated to a G33CH1 overdrive 14-speed Opticruise automated transmission with Eco-roll function and three drive modes – Economy, Standard and Power.
Scania has gone for a 2.92 diff ratio to bring the revs down when cruising and take full advantage of the prodigious torque on hand, not to mention a claimed five percent fuel saving.
The 660 gets Scania’s R 4700 D retarder plus an engine exhaust brake giving 300kW of retardation at 2400rpm. I personally love the Scania retarder and it certainly saves on the service brakes.
The 660 also gets Apple Carplay and Android Auto, so you can dial up all your stored tunes from your phone.
Tech & Safety
The Scania, like all the big-name Euro trucks, is packed full of safety features including driver, passenger and rollover air bags, active and passive lane assist, ABS, vehicle stability control, side detection, active cruise control and AEB – safe for all road users, we’re told.
Scania is also now offering Vulnerable Road User warnings for the front and rear as well as for take-off. This lets you know if there are any pedestrians or cyclists in your blind spots.
Swedish crash test standards are among the most stringent in the world and Scania says that its trucks surpass them.
Scania tells us that the structure of the cabs offers outstanding crash performance and this comes down to structural integrity, instrument positioning and dispersion of impact forces. It also significantly reduces the risk of a car ending up under the vehicle in the event of a collision.
On the Road
Our test was a pretty big one across the Nullabor and it certainly gave us a great idea of how the truck performs in the real world. We had a lovey set of three Freighter trailers loaded to just under 80 tonnes and the Scania 660 hauled them beautifully.
Admittedly, a lot of the run was pretty smooth and flat but there were a few jump-ups and a big pull up Madura Pass going from east to west. It’s steep and it’s long but the Scania went up, I won’t say easily but untroubled.
I used the cruise control extensively and for some of the trip, I dialled up the new electrohydraulic steering system (EAS) with Lane Keep Assist. That came in handy on the long, straight stretches like the 90-mile straight which is the longest straight piece of road in Australia (it used to be the longest in the world until the Saudis took the title away).
On those boring stretches, I found I could engage the cruise on max (100km/h), then hit the button for the EAS and the truck would ‘read’ the lines on the road and stay in the lane. It worked a treat, and I found I could sit back and relax and not have to ‘steer’ the truck but simply keep my hands on the wheel and let the truck do some of the work.
If you take your hands off the wheel, the truck will flash up a warning, and if you don’t put your hands back on the wheel it will come to a stop and put the hazard lights on.
From a driver’s perspective, the Scanias are a delight to drive. I make no apologies in saying that from the first time I drove a Scania of this generation, I liked it. In fact, they are one of my favourite trucks to drive.
They are smooth, quiet and very well-mannered on the road. The V8s are particularly nice with that characteristic burble, and the massive low-down torque.
On the highway, they cruise effortlessly and with the new diff ratio, we were sitting on 1450rpm at 100km/h.
On our trip, we averaged 62.4 litres/100kms or 1.6km/litre. This would give us a theoretical range, loaded as we were to around 78 tonnes, of 1400 kilometres.
Fleet Verdict
The Scania 660 V8 is a top-shelf European truck. These days, when driver retention is a big factor in choosing a truck, I don’t think there’s many drivers who wouldn’t like to be in charge of a truck like this.
Sure, there are the die-hards who will want to stick the American brands, but these trucks really are a pleasure to drive and even live in for a while. Scania has gone to great lengths to make these trucks comfortable – including a new bed which is wider and longer than before.
Add to that the safety factors, all of that grunt, and you’ve got a damn good package.
Scania 660 V8 Quick Specs:
- Engine: DC16 122 Euro 6 V8 turbocharged diesel engine
- Capacity: 16.4-litres
- Power: 660hp (485kW) at 1900rpm
- Torque: 3300Nm (2434 lb-ft) at 950-1400rpm
- Fuel System: Scania XPI extra-high pressure Injection
- Emission System: Scania SCR, DPF
- Gearbox: G33CH1 overdrive 14-speed, Opticruise auto, Eco-roll
- Opticruise Modes: Economy, Standard & Power (ex-factory)
- Rear axle ratio: 2.92:1
- Cruise Control: Adaptive cruise control with active prediction
- Brakes: Disc brakes with AEB and electropneumatic park brake
- Retarder: Scania R 4700 D retarder (plus engine exhaust brake 300kW at 2400rpm)
- Suspension: Air suspension front and rear with extra stiff anti-roll bar, axle load display on front and rear axles, load transfer system
- Fuel tanks: 565-litres (l), 310-litres (r), 73-litres (AdBlue)
