Take a look at Drive: Peterbilt’s New Mannequin 589 is a Trendy Traditional – Gear
The Peterbilt Mannequin 589 options the brand new Paccar 2.1-meter cab, which provides drivers extra inside room in addition to further area for packaging the following technology of exhaust gasoline aftertreatment methods.
Photograph: Jack Roberts
There’s simply one thing about searching over that lengthy nostril. Positive, it’s a throwback in an age of modern, aerodynamic vehicles, however driving a long-nose standard in the present day is trucking’s model of cruising by city in a tricked-out ’55 Chevy. The “cool issue” will flip heads in every single place you go.
Peterbilt understands this, and the long-nose standard is sacrosanct to the corporate, its designers, engineers and — after all — its clients.
For years, the Peterbilt Mannequin 389 has been the OEM’s long-nosed flagship. However now, the corporate has up to date the design with the brand new Mannequin 589 Class 8 tractor.
It’s a truck that takes every thing long-nose standard followers love in regards to the Mannequin 389 and provides a brand-new, trendy cab; sleeker, extra refined exterior traces; and trendy consolation and comfort options designed to maintain drivers protected and targeted on the street.
“Not everybody on this business wants an aerodynamic truck,” Jacob White, director of product advertising and marketing, Peterbilt, tells me as we put together to take a gleaming new Mannequin 589 out on the Texas highways.
“We have now a number of clients who spec Mannequin 389s as premium work vehicles in small- and regional fleets. And we promote a number of them into functions the place aerodynamics aren’t vital function — wreckers, tankers, work vehicles and so forth. And so, for us, the great thing about this truck is admittedly tied in with its operate. They work arduous and carry out nice. And there’s a really sturdy residual when the homeowners resolve to promote that actually drives their worth proposition.”
The problem for Peterbilt engineers in designing the brand new Mannequin 589 was to retain all of the traditional long-nose standard options beloved by the Mannequin 389’s devoted followers and mix them with a contemporary cab and inside.
Photograph: Jack Roberts
White says the Mannequin 389 accounts for about 20% of Peterbilt’s annual truck builds, so this isn’t a distinct segment product by any means.
“It has a big and passionate buyer base that care deeply about this truck. And we understood that going into the design of the Mannequin 589.”
All of which signifies that upgrading a beloved design just like the Mannequin 389 was a tough proposition for Peterbilt designers. They needed to modernize and enhance the truck however retain the options, feel and appear which might be nearly sacred to its clients.
“We spent over 10 years engaged on this design,” White says. “When you’re standing in an enormous, truck cease car parking zone, you typically can’t inform the distinction between it and its Mannequin 389 predecessor. And we’re very glad about that.”
Trendy Cab for a Traditional Tractor
The important thing distinction between the Mannequin 389 and the brand new Mannequin 589 is the fashionable, 2.1-meter cab. That is the most recent and most trendy cab provided by Paccar — a design that has confirmed itself for years on Peterbilt Mannequin 579 and Mannequin 567 vehicles. It’s each wider and taller than its predecessor on the 389. Trendy composite supplies make it sturdy but in addition extraordinarily quiet on the street.
“Our design theme for this truck was easy,” White explains. “We needed to ship a ‘traditional’ truck really feel with a contemporary cab that incorporates a snug and quiet inside. And we’ve. You possibly can spec this cab from 36 inches all the way in which as much as our new 80-inch high-rise sleeper.”
Jake White, product growth supervisor, showcases the bigger, quieter, Mannequin 589 cab.
Photograph: Jack Roberts
Mannequin 589 interiors function a number of trim packages in each Sandstone and Alpine Grey coloration schemes. My check truck was a top-of-the-line Legacy Version tractor with the Platinum inside trim and the 80-inch high-rise sleeper choice. The inside featured heavy brightwork accents on the dashboard together with a good-looking, burled-wood steering wheel with built-in controls and two-tone leather-based seats.
There’s ample storage within the roomy sleeper compartment. Driver-oriented touches embrace a full-length wardrobe cupboard; devoted area for a 22-inch, flat-screen TV; a mini-fridge; room for a microwave oven; and what Peterbilt says is the longest mattress within the business, measuring a full 80 inches in size. The inside options are rounded out with ample energy ports all through the sleeper, a pull-out desk for consuming and dealing, and a big, “belt buckle” Peterbilt brand dominating the again wall.
New visible cues exterior the truck embrace a big selection of bumper choices, LED working lamps, 15-inch stainless-steel air cleaners, West Coast model rear-view mirrors — “Identical to God supposed,” White quipped — and the compulsory twin chrome exhaust stacks. New roof parts embrace a brand new solar visor design and bullet-style marker lights which might be twice as brilliant because the lights discovered on the Mannequin 389.
There’s a brand new battery field on the aspect of the truck as nicely. It’s totally built-in with entry to the truck’s exhaust aftertreatment system and options an easy-access toolbox.
Robust on the Outdoors, Luxurious on the Inside
When you’re a Mannequin 389 fan, climbing up into the brand new Mannequin 589 goes to be a really acquainted and cozy expertise. That lengthy nostril remains to be out entrance. However visibility is best due to a brand new flat windshield design that’s 2 inches taller than its predecessor. The brand new sprint and middle console graphics have been crisp and clear, even within the brilliant mild of a Texas spring morning.
The 510-hp Paccar MX-13 engine fired proper up. The Paccar TX-12 automated transmission didn’t flinch when it got here to getting our 65,000-pound trailer shifting. The truck accelerated easily with slippery-smooth gear shifts and simply the correct amount of engine rumble effervescent up from the engine compartment.
The inside is surprisingly quiet, even when it’s accelerating at decrease speeds. Noise ranges at freeway speeds are about pretty much as good as you’d anticipate from a high-end passenger automotive.
The Mannequin 589 is rock-steady on the street. The journey is extremely {smooth} and the suspension shrugs off potholes with a casualness bordering on disdain. The truck tracks true each in cruise mode and whereas braking. Even with that lengthy nostril out in entrance of you, views ahead are extraordinarily good. The identical holds true to the edges and rear of the truck.
Ergonomically talking, the Mannequin 589 is sort of a spaceship in comparison with a classic long-nose tractor. The position, lighting and graphics on the gauges and controls couldn’t be higher. Each swap, dial or lever will be shortly recognized and reached by the driving force. All the things has an intuitive, easy-to-use really feel to it.
The Mannequin 589 might seem like one thing from trucking’s Golden Age. However below its pores and skin, it’s about as trendy, protected and cozy a truck as you’re prone to discover anyplace. Peterbilt needed a truck with a traditional look and a totally trendy inside. And that’s what its engineers have delivered. It’s obtained the standard, tried-and-true, two-fisted stance and exterior that its followers love. However within the cab, it’s as trendy and downright luxurious as any premium truck available on the market in the present day.
When you’re a fan of the Peterbilt Mannequin 389, the brand new Mannequin 589 is simply going to deepen your affection for this class design. It’s every thing you’ve all the time liked a couple of long-nosed standard — made even higher.
