King of the Road is Coming to Oz

News

24 Nov

I wish Scania would put a couple of 8 inch pipes up the back of the cab – specifically the cab of their newly released (in Europe) R770.

I mean, if you had a 16.4 litre V8 pumping out 770 horses and twisting 3700 Nm of torque, wouldn’t you want the whole world to know it?

An R770 has arrived in Australia for evaluation, 12 months ahead of expectation. This truck will be used as a demonstrator and yours truly will be hopping behind the wheel and hauling a B double from Melbourne to Bendigo and back on December 1. Can’t wait to give you the feedback. I’m Excited!

Just as excited is Dean Dal Santo, Scania Australia’s Director of Truck Sales.

“We often say ‘You’re never late in a V8’, but this time we’ve outdone ourselves, bringing the 770 hp variant to Australia a good 12 months ahead of the rest of the revamped V8 family, and ahead of our target,” he enthused. “We’re very excited to be able to open our order books for the 770 for delivery during the second half of 2022. The 770 is the absolute pinnacle of Scania V8 performance and efficiency, together with low emissions and so it is easy to understand why we are so pleased to have it here so early.”

The Scania V8 range was unveiled in updated and improved form late last year in Europe and this R 770 is the first of the new breed to arrive in Australia.

“We launched its predecessor, the R 730, in Australia in 2011, and it has been a very successful brand icon for Scania over the past decade. Now we are raising the performance bar still higher, and have refined and improved the technology which allows the increases in outputs. The Scania R 770 will deliver all that the R 730 did and more, and will retain and improve on the fuel efficiency of that truck.”

Scania anticipate an improvement of 2 percent in fuel efficiency compared with the 730, despite the increase in output - assisted in part by a new 3.07 rear axle ratio, and also by a significant 75 kg saving in weight, over the steer.

The 730 V8 appealed in different ways to different operators over the past decade, from owner-drivers to line-haul fleets and mining operators, all of whom prized the engine’s power, torque and fuel efficiency. “The new R 770 will give our customers even more of that Scania V8 magic,” Dean says.

Within the all iron V8 engine there are more than 70 new parts, and significant reductions in internal friction, higher compression ratios, improved aftertreatment-systems and a new powerful engine management system (EMS).

The new 770 hp variant is probably the most powerful, factory-built truck engine in production today. The 770 is, of course, not for everyone, but Scania see a growing demand for trucks capable of handling GCMs of 60 tonnes and above, especially for road-going combinations.

Scania’s V8 engines are in high demand in countries where greater GCMs are permitted – particularly in Scandinavia. The Scania V8 is also very popular in Italy and Spain (and markets like Australia and New Zealand), due to hilly terrain with many steep and challenging roads.

The powerful 16.4-litre V8 produces its 770 hp with the help of bigger injectors and a fixed geometry turbocharger using ball bearings. The result is faster response and improved combustion.

The new single-bank manifolds actually come with an additional advantage. Not only are they lighter and more efficient but they also contribute to the distinctive V8 sound, the typical ‘blatt’ that so many Scania customers and V8 fans appreciate. (YES!)

Scania’s R 770 is available to order in Australia now for delivery in the second half of 2022. It will be available in the usual range of axle configurations including 6x4 and 8x4, and in all-wheel drive for specific applications.