SCANIA’S DOUBLE SHOT

SCANIA HASN’T wasted any time slipping the new 540hp (403kW) version of its 13-litre Euro 6 engine into the market. And nor should it, given that, since the local launch of its much-lauded ‘New Truck Generation’ (NTG) more than three years ago, the Swedish brand has been somewhat off the pace in the 13-litre power parade.

Sure, the new range has many attributes: second-tonone in safety, exceptional build quality, respectable efficiency and, when it comes to big bore brawn, there’s nothing to match Scania’s venerable V8. But, as we asked several Scania operatives during the NTG’s Australian launch, why is the 13-litre engine limited to 500hp (373kW) when the similarly-sized engines of its main rivals, namely Volvo’s D13 and Mercedes-Benz’s OM471, peak at 540 and 530hp (395kW), respectively?

The official response was to simply cite the six-cylinder engine’s gritty torque output (2,550Nm/1,880lb-ft) and its subsequently-stated ability to deliver an enviable mix of potent pulling power and frugal fuel