Kenworth couldn’t have released the K220 at a better moment in terms of the inaugural Truck of the Year Australasia. Awarding it the 2023 title did what such awards always do, light up robust conversation. It had some strong techy competition in MAN TG3, Fuso Shogun, and IVECO S-Way, but the Australasian award seated in the world’s most cosmopolitan truck market has to look at far more than wizardry alone.

In terms of popularity in its market, there was no competition, meaning the advancements encompassed within the K220’s design stood to have an enormous impact on the market going forward, speaking to safety and productivity.

Gone are the days of ‘here’s your new truck, like it’. As is the case with OEM releases in 2023, there was exhaustive consultation with those who hand over the dosh, followed by field testing, field testing, and more field testing. There’s no question all of Bayswater’s children will continue to inch toward the PACCAR platform family, a sensible and logical thing to do. The key will be retaining everything that made the brand what it is here and know what family bits won’t cope with the length of the Stuart Highway at 120 tonne, or the Napier/Taupo at 60. Roping the customers in on that will help immeasurably, especially when it comes to their confidence in the product.

The K220 houses more than 100 changes compared with its predecessor, and not surprisingly, it’s control of the smarts and the wiring architecture that form the foundation of any new model’s future success or longevity in the market these days. Although electric cab tilt, hydraulic clutch, and cab air suspension don’t really set the world alight in terms of innovation, the inclusion of CAN Bus control and a serious upgrade in multiplex wiring to something called VECU01 certainly do, the latter punching the K model to the front of the Aussie PACCAR wiring loom hierarchy. For the non-propeller heads among us, the CAN Bus means there’s a ‘Fat Controller’ running the whole show making sure everyone speaks the same lingo, and the wiring architecture equates to bandwidth, meaning messages get to where they need to be quickly and orderly. It opens the door to swankier platform-based safety systems and who knows what else.

The K220 comes with everything you’d expect in terms of core safety kit in 2023; adaptive cruise, accident mitigation, side protection, lane departure, hill hold etc. Sticking to its philosophical guns, Kenworth will continue to offer it all as an option, even active emergency braking, until it’s mandated in Australia in 2025.

This is a truck fore-ordained for another time and the K220 will likely be the first K series propelled down the road by something other than old trees and dinosaurs. Even if it’s still big and red under the floor, it might well turn its nose up at diesel.

Easily able to accommodate Cummins’ X-15 Euro-6 offering, the red engines all now come standard with the ADEPT software. Eaton’s amazing Endurant AMT, the company’s first greenfields AMT range, is also on the tick-box list in HD trim, although not here, just yet.

Tech and driveline, it makes the whole K220 package a formidable contemporary offering.

Now to other things. Cabs. ‘The cab has never changed’ shouted Louis Braille from the madding crowd. Of course it has, significantly. Park a K220 next to a K124 and they’re nothing alike yet instantly identifiable as lineage. Like parking a Porsche GT3 next to an original 911. It’s the art of great vehicle design, retaining the connection to heart and science at the same time.

The new 15in digital dash layout is spectacular, and although my initial thoughts on the gauges in the wrap were negative, driving the truck resolved that. They’re like your granddad’s favourite stein on the mantle. They are a superb example of how Kenworth keeps you connected while surreptitiously heading off in a new direction. How they’ve delivered a digital dash with ribbon gauges – of all things – dominating the customisable view and not made me dry-retch I’ll never know, but they have. I loved it, and I loved the clock- face tacho, and inner numerical digital speedo. One day and I didn’t want to go back.

The Smart Wheel has more going on than the last one, but because it aligns better to the common layout and vibe, I found it easier to use.

The wrap is now a T610-looking crossover in appearance, with the same heater gauges and big easy toggle buttons. The demisters and heater now demist and heat; the HVAC system’s improvement is really noticeable.

There’s an infotainment screen – albeit still a bit dinky by some of today’s offerings – and plenty of room for additional comms in various forms. There’s enough woodgrain to pacify, and a non-slip rubber mat in the dash-top caddy – that will be great.

Access around the cab is fine. Is it the best? No, probably not, until you remember how many buy them. What then defines best? The cab shell is largely still the cab shell although it is slipperier, and strides have been made in the aero option improving room, storage, and insulation via the bold decision to eliminate the iconic vista windows.

There are all the traditional things that touch the ‘don’t remove the reason they buy it’ mantra, like deep-button vinyl in a range of colours, none of which are called ox-blood … thank you cancel culture.

Fit and finish are an improvement on the K200 and the big yucky left-side bolted plastic fascia panel has been replaced with a nicer woodgrain setup. Is the K220 in the league of Europe’s finest when it comes to fasteners and panel gaps? No, as a rule you don’t see bolt heads in Europe’s elite. If the Euros actually did close the competition gap in many of Kenworth’s key markets, those panel gaps might close too.

Of course, the elephant in the room with the K model shed is always access, and in this area I’m a little harder to convince of its overarching negative. You always have three points of contact, and bear your weight on your feet. I’ve carried many a bag and coffee into a K model and never once felt on the brink of having my will read in a solicitor’s office. The other thing a rear-of-the-wheel entry means is your truck will easily comply with heavier HPMV permitting in New Zealand.

The side lockers are huge and again, maybe a smidge too high for the vertically challenged, or fairer sex driver. All OEMs need to address that.

Potential positive impact on the existing market? Huge … a worthy winner in 2023.

Acknowledgements

There are few welcomes in this world like the one extended by Guy and Helen Knowles. We are not just thanking them here for their help and support on this feature, but through all the years of our association. Truly inspirational people. We always leave fired-up.

To Richard Smart. At an extremely busy time, as ever, your support was instant and as always, hugely appreciated. To Steve Herring, thank you again for your help, camaraderie, enthusiasm, and passion for all things trucking.