A new powertrain, enhanced aerodynamics and vehicle light-weighting all combine to deliver the most fuel-efficient over-the-road Kenworth ever. 

The T680 from Kenworth started turning heads the day it launched at the Mid-America Trucking Show in 2012. Two years later, with 15,000 units in service, the T680 represents half of all Kenworth’s production. In 2013, it was named the American Truck Dealers Heavy Duty Commercial Truck of the Year, so it’s clearly a very popular truck with both style- and fuel-conscious fleets and owner-operators. 

Starting with an already proven platform, Kenworth left no stone unturned in squeezing every bit of efficiency possible out of the T680 Advantage edition. Today’s Trucking’s Ultimate Test Drive team picked one up at the factor in Chillicothe, Ohio, and spent a couple of days putting the truck through its paces. It didn’t disappoint.

We drove the truck multiple times over a 30-mile route near Chillicothe that gave us a nice mix of four-lane and two-lane road with a few twisting turns and even a bit of heavy traffic — situations drivers will face every day with the truck.

The truck features the 2013-version of the PACCAR MX-13 engine, which Kenworth says is even more efficient that previous versions. Our truck’s multi-torque version was rated at 455 horsepower with 1,550/1,750 pound-feet of torque. Surprisingly, the Eaton Fuller 10-speed automated Advantage transmission let the engine spend most of its time between 1,000 and 1,200 rpm, which is an incredibly fuel-efficient operating range. It’s clear that Kenworth and Eaton spent a great deal of time integrating this powertrain combination for optimum fuel efficiency.

To see how well this advanced level of integration works, and to see how well the truck works and feels, check out these three videos. And if you haven’t already, make sure to also check out our other test-drives while you’re at it.  They are all part of Today’s Trucking’s growing Ultimate Test Drive video collection.