International Announces Two More Big XT Pickups

International Truck & Engine Corp. is tripling its XT line of large "image" pickups with an MXT 4x4 and an RXT 2x4, both following the colossal CXT, which wowed the general news media in 2004 when it was introduced as the world's largest pickup.

Announced at the Chicago Auto Show last month, the on/off-road MXT's styling is vaguely reminiscent of a Jeep Commando from the 1960s or '70s. It uses a four-door crew cab from International's 4000 series featuring seating for five. It's powered by a VT 365 diesel rated at 300 horsepower and 530 pounds-feet of torque, and an Allison 2200 RDS five-speed automatic.

The MXT is a Class 3 truck weighing 10,000 pounds, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 14,000 pounds, a carrying capacity of 4,000 pounds, and a towing capacity of 16,000 pounds. It is in preproduction stages and is expected to be ready for building this summer, International said.

The heavier Class 5 and 6 RXT enters production this month. It is aimed at consumers and commercial customers who tow large, heavy travel, boat and horse trailers, or just want something out of the ordinary. It, too, is a four-door crewcab that seats five, and comes with an eight-foot pickup bed or a nine-foot fifth-wheel tow body. Its VT 365 comes in ratings of 230 to 310 horsepower and 540 to 950 pounds-feet, and is mated to an Allison 2500 five-speed automatic.

An RXT weighs 10,500 pounds with either body. The pickup version can carry 15,000 pounds with its GVW rating of 25,500 pounds, according to International specs. It can tow a ball-hitch trailer weighing up to 22,500 pounds. The tow-body version's GVW rating is 19,300 pounds and it can carry 9,000 pounds. It can pull a fifth-wheel trailer weighing up to 29,500 pounds.

The new trucks cost less than the $115,000 list price for a loaded CXT, but are still not cheap at $69,900 to $85,000 for the MXT and $76,000 to $102,000 for the RXT.

The big-and-tall CXT pickup garnered tremendous positive publicity from media writers stunned by its sheer size, and is the low-volume product that International expected.