By Jan Westell LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Mack’s latest model made one of the most dramatic entrances at the recent ConExpo construction trade show, and the company also had one of the busiest displays, with industry truck enthusiasts scrambling to get a close-up view of the new off-highway vehicle.

The Mack Titan has been designed for heavy transport and heavy construction applications. It’s a new model intended to offer comfort and style, as well as power. Mack also considers the new Titan to be the boldest looking Mack ever, with the “attitude and torque required” for hauling heavy loads.

Mack Trucks vice-president of marketing Tom Kelly, also said the Titan offers “excellent” visibility, productivity and driver comfort.

“The Titan model is an all-out Mack – strong and bold,”Kelly says of a product that should work well within a demanding Canadian landscape. “One look at this truck and you know it was engineered to handle the meanest jobs – logging, oilfields, heavy equipment or severe heavy-haul,” he adds.

“For Mack customers whose requirements demand these extreme loads, the Titan by Mack is exactly the truck they’ve been looking for. This new offering extends our tradition of application excellence, and follows in the Mack heritage of classic big-block, long-hood, high GVWR like the RW Super-Liner.”

But looks aren’t everything, and Mack indicates that the Titan’s appeal goes deeper with transmissions, suspensions, axles, and a “Cornerstone” chassis for an integrated, balanced design Mack flagship.

“Our research showed customers in these segments expect their truck to have several key characteristics,” says Steve Ginter, Mack vocational products marketing manager. “The truck has to haul heavy loads in brutal conditions. It has to be reliable, durable and efficient. It needs the horsepower to pull extremely high GVW and GCW loads, and the Titan by Mack is perfect for this. And it must visually demonstrate its power, durability and quality. The styling team did a fantastic job, with the whole chrome show that’s going on with the Titan model.”

Mack considers the imposing vehicle to have a “commanding” stance, with high ground clearance to handle adverse off-road conditions. Image-conscious operators may appreciate the long hood, and for comfort and ideal vantage, a cab that is moved back and up on the chassis for a heavy-haul position. The higher cab position has also been designed to improve air flow for under-hood cooling.

Mack engineers believe that the Titan’s most appealing exterior feature is the twin cowl-mounted chrome air intakes, which are not only functional, but also appealing, and provide several advantages over external air cleaner assemblies.

According to Mack: the design minimizes moisture and screens debris from reaching the air filter element; the “smooth, non-restrictive piping, is optimized for highvolume airflow;” and for easy service, the air filters’ elements are located under the cab.

For those operators who can’t get enough shine on their trucks, the shine doesn’t end with Titan’s front grille. The Titan offers: chrome horns, chrome “eyebrow” on hood fender wells, a stainless steel sun visor (in two widths), stainless steel skirt lighting (with optional features), large six-inch dual exhaust stacks, a bright metal bumper with integrated driving lights, and a stainless steel cover for the diesel particular filter.

Mack indicates that the “heart and soul” of its new model is the new MP10, what the company promotes as the most powerful engine ever installed by the company, and certified to EPA07 emission standards.

The MP10 offers an in-line sixcylinder diesel, with single overhead cam and high-pressure fuel injection, available in three ratings: with peak horsepower of 515 hp, 565 hp and 605 hp, and all with “MaxiCruise” torque rise. Maximum torque ranges for the MP10 range are listed from: 1,860 lb.-ft. to 2,060 lb.-ft., at 1,200 RPM, providing literally, “a tonne of torque” in some instances.

“The MP10’s huge torque gives Titan by Mack the grunt to pull heavy loads from a dead stop on a job-site, and the power to get those loads up to speed on the highway,” according to Mack officials.

“These are typical conditions for applications such as logging, mining and equipment haulers.”

The MP10 engine has been matched to the Mack T300ES series 10-, 13-and 18-speed transmissions, and Mack attests that it will deliver triple countershaft performance, for the most demanding vocational applications. Otherwise, Eaton transmissions are an option.

Mack’s “Cornerstone” chassis is offered in three frame rail thicknesses 8-mm, 9.5-mm and 11-mm, with optional full or partial 5-mm inside channel reinforcements, and application-specific crossmembers. The frames have been rated at 120,000 psi, according to Mack.

A short 41-inch front axle position has been designed to increase load capacity, while providing ideal maneuverability in tight job-site environments, according to the company.

The combination of the front axle position, and high ground clearance, is intended to give drivers an optimum approach angle for sharp inclines and uneven terrain, typical of the landscape associated with logging and construction.

Options for front axles and suspensions range from 12,000-lb to 20,000-lb capacity, with rear axles and suspensions from 38,000-lbs to 65,000-lbs.

Mack predicts that drivers will experience a smooth highway ride even when off-road, due to the Titan’s new air-ride cab mounting. The cab is mounted on twin widespace air bags, with shocks intended to neutralize a harsh ride, and stabilizers to prevent cab sway.

The Titan’s interior has been designed for driver convenience and comfort, including reduced noise and vibration. The interior is available in three options: Pedigree, Champion and the Rawhide Edition. The cab comes with overhead storage bins, and four-point lighting: two for general use, and one map light and one task light over the steering wheel. The dash is available in wood grain or brushed nickel. The standard instrument panel is intended to offer easy access, and safety.

The standard Mack co-pilot display provides drivers with accessible screens in the instrument panel to monitor various data, like realtime fuel economy with sweet spot indicator and trip data, detailed maintenance and fault summaries, and supplemental sensor readings.

The available T7000 navigational radio integrates entertainment, navigation, a blind spot camera display, and vehicle, trip and tire-pressure monitoring systems.