Workhorse W20D Scores Big With 13.2mpg Fuel Economy

[DriVer]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Workhorse W20D scores big
with 13.2 mpg fuel economy

Diesel engine’s torque and quietness also provide
great new choice for Class A motor homes

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Workhorse® W20D/22D front-engine diesel chassis with its MaxxForce® 7 engine has taken a big leap in improving motor home fuel economy while providing outstanding torque for Class A motor homes along with the quietest V8 diesel engine you might ever drive.

Independent tests at Bosch Proving Grounds in South Bend, Ind., had this chassis-engine match-up achieving up to 13.2 mpg, an almost unheard of figure for a Class A motor home. The tests were conducted with a 32-foot Four Winds Serrano coach body and loaded to the maximum GVWR of 20,500 lbs. The Serrano has been drawing heavy consumer interest throughout 2009 and was named a “Best of Show” at the September Pennsylvania RV and Camping Show by RVbuddiesonline.com. The W20D chassis and MaxxForce 7 engine are both on display at the National RV Trade Show in Louisville this week along with the Serrano.

Proven, reliable engine
The latest version of the MaxxForce 7, V8 tuned for motor homes generates 230 horsepower and 620 lb.-ft. of torque. “This high volume, rugged mid-range diesel engine is the heart of many International medium duty trucks. Now it is making its mark in the RV industry,” said Tony Monda, Workhorse RV vice president of marketing. “Coupled with the six speed Allison transmission, our W20D and W22D front engine diesel platforms do not sacrifice power and performance in order to achieve better fuel economy.

“These platforms have incredible grade ability and pulling power. Our proprietary RV consumer research indicated that class A potential buyers still want power and performance — but they are also demanding better fuel economy and that is what the new W Series delivers. Our strategy is to continue to integrate MaxxForce engines into Workhorse products where applicable, creating synergies with Navistar along with true market differentiation.”

Quietest diesel V8
Drivers will also immediately notice that MaxxForce 7 is quiet. The noise level measured at 68.9 dBA in a low idle test. A high-pressure common rail fuel system, piezo actuated fuel injectors and a block and head design with a single-piece nodular iron bedplate are among the features that contribute to reduced noise and vibrations, a key to the MaxxForce 7’s front-engine application.

Selling well
Presently, the Serrano coach from Four Winds International exclusively uses the W20D for both its 31Z single slide out and 31V double slide out models. Four Winds Director of Marketing Jon Krider said dealerships with the product find that “it retails quite quickly. They’re seeing consumers that traditionally look at diesel pushers and longer coaches. These customers are finding many features with the coach and chassis that they like, starting with things like storage and the whole aerodynamic look and contemporary feel of the coach. So instead of spending $200,000 to $300,000 for a bigger coach, they can get a lot of what they want at a much lower price point.”

Regarding the W20D and Serrano matchup, Krider said, “retail customers comment on how quiet the cockpit is for having a diesel engine under right under their feet. We get a lot of comments about just how well the coach drives because of the 50 degree turning radius and being able turn a short coach around in a tight area. And we get many good comments about the overall stability of the coach moving down the road.”

For such reasons, Krider believes spring sales of the Serrano will be even better.

High performance technology
The series sequential EVRT® turbocharger provides exceptional response over a wide range of engine speeds for impressive acceleration, grade climbing, towing capability and high altitude performance. The turbo is tuned to improve fuel economy while also making the vehicle very responsive to the driver. The MaxxForce 7 also provides unaided cold-starting performance from -20° F within four seconds. Routine maintenance is economical, with oil changes every 10,000 miles.

About Workhorse
Workhorse® is an affiliate of Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV), a holding company whose wholly owned subsidiaries and affiliates produce International® brand commercial and military trucks, MaxxForce® brand diesel engines, IC Bus™ brand school and commercial buses, Monaco RV brands of recreational vehicles, and Workhorse® brand chassis for motor homes and step vans. It also is a private-label designer and manufacturer of diesel engines for the pickup truck, van and SUV markets. The company also provides truck and diesel engine parts and service. Another affiliate offers financing services. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com/newsroom.

For additional information about Workhorse call 877-294-6773 or visit www.workhorse.com.

-end-

[cannon man]

what are they using for brakes?

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cannon man what are they using for brakes?

The W20D/W22D use a ZOHT type, Bosch 66mm pin slide hydraulic disk brake caliper and the Bosch Hydro-Max brake booster. The brakes also feature 4 wheel 4 channel ABS that are operated by a Kelsy Hayes ABS unit.

[tderonne]

"achieving up to 13.2 mpg"

My motorhome does that. Downhill.

Any idea what the test conditions were? "Up to" is quite a disclaimer.

[dajudge]

Reminds me of what I heard a long time ago. "The differince between what the manufacture claims for mpg and what the consumer gets is like the differince between your salary and your take home pay".

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dajudge Reminds me of what I heard a long time ago. "The difference between what the manufacture claims for mpg and what the consumer gets is like the difference between your salary and your take home pay".

The vehicle was tested while fully loaded to its GVW, by an independent testing agency on the Bosch Proving Ground. The MPG numbers quoted were the values that were issued by the testing agency.

What we know as RV'ers is that no 2 of us drive our vehicles in the same manner so our MPG values will vary quite a bit from one another.

That said, having a benchmark to compare our results is a starting point. I believe that for an engine providing 620 lb/ft of torque in this weight rating, this should be achievable goal. If "we" really got 12 MPGs how good would that be? I think that would do just fine.

Tiffin Motorcoach has just begun using the Navistar MaxxForce7 in their new Breeze, see my Blog. This engine is slightly deratted from the Workhorse version. New for 2010 is that the MF7 engine used by WCC has been upgraded by the addition of a 2nd turbo.


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