When I first saw the T680 on the show floor at the Mid-America Trucking Show, I thought, that's the same as the T700. That truck is only two years old, and I was wondering why the truck maker was introducing its replacement after such a short lifespan.
I had not heard any serious complaints about that truck, so couldn't see why Kenworth was rolling out another so soon. I wasn't at the press conference, so I hadn't heard the full explanation.
The T680 is not the T700 revisited. Far from it. While they bear some resemblance from a distance, the T680 will appeal to solo drivers who like larger cabs, but not necessarily the barn-like cab of the T700, which is very well suited to team operations. The cab is 83 inches wide, 10 inches more than a T660's, and about eight inches narrower than a T700. There's still 23 inches between the seats for easy access to the 76-inch sleeper.
This truck has all the room any solo driver could ask for and it sure wouldn't leave team drivers wanting.
The most striking thing about the T680 is the quiet. Kenworth claims in its press material there is 40% less interior noise -- compared to what I'm not sure, but its darned quiet.
When I say it's quiet, imagine driving down the highway at cruise speed in the rain, and the loudest sound in the cab is raindrops hitting the windshield. The rain was louder than the engine noise, louder than the road noise, and louder than the virtually absent wind noise.
Actually, the mixture of sounds the driver is exposed to is very nicely balanced. The low growl of the MX engine is clearly obvious, but not intrusive. In fact, it's quite pleasant.
Kenworth has done a lot of stuff right on this truck, from vastly improving the throttle pedal placement, angle and action, to the redesigned dash panel that's both easy to look at a perfectly functional. The larger windshield and narrower A-pillar improve forward and lateral visibility without leaving you feeling that you're sitting in an aquarium.
