If you needed any convincing that Mack is serious about the over-the-road market, take a look at the new Vision tractor. The Vision is a linehaul tractor, period, intended for regional-distribution operations, not coast-to-coast treks. When production begins in August it’ll be only available with a 112-inch BBC-and only with 12-litre Mack E-Tech E7 engines. Nor will you be able to spec heavy-duty bits like reinforced frame rails. Mack does hint, though, about the possibility of a longer-nosed 120-inch version in the future.

Mack sent a Vision north of the border for me to drive in mid-April, and on a gorgeous spring day I took the wheel, sticking to country highways and small-town streets to give both me and the truck a workout. Narrow roads, lots of twists and turns and rolling hills, lots of shifting.

The test truck worked pretty well, superbly in some ways. In fact, my day at the wheel left me wondering if this really is a niche truck at all. The current taste for long-nosed, big-bore machines in the long-haul market may be as much a function of driver retention efforts as real need, after all, and this Vision was at least a match for the best of them in terms of ride and noise levels and comfort in general.

WHAT’S NEW

Derived from the 12-year-old CH/CL model, the “CX” shares the forward cab structure, windshield, doors, and external sleeper sheet metal with its CH/CL stablemates. The slope-nosed hood is all new, however, and it merges cleanly with the aero bumper and sleek halogen headlamps to project a very contemporary image. The aerodynamic bodywork-done by Mack and its owner, Renault Vehicules Industriel of France-continues with the nicely done side skirts and the new slim, rounded mirrors on break-away arms.

The pleasing outer shape is one thing, but it’s inside where drivers may find even more reason to smile. Finally, Mack has an integrated cab and sleeper, and with that wall removed you’ll find a six-inch gain in belly room compared to the CH/CL. You’ll also find a new dashboard that’s been moved closer to the firewall to make the cabin feel more spacious. And out back there’s a good selection of extremely comfortable sleepers, all the way up to an 80-inch highrise model like my test truck had.

The driver’s seat slide now measures 10 inches, and the Mack “Performance” seat we had in our test truck reclines and swivels and adjusts in all manner of ways. At first glance, I was critical of the short seat cushion until I realized there was a way to extend the front of the cushion to support me under the thighs. For those of us with long legs, it’s a welcome addition-and a rare one. There are few things more tiring than working the pedals at the ends of unsupported legs, but remarkably few seat and truck manufacturers seem to recognize the problem. Hats off to Mack, and to Bostrom who make the seat for the Bulldog folks.

The new dashboard is a little less successful, in my humble opinion. It’s definitely a function of driver size and seat adjustment, but in my case the lower gauges-which have been reduced in size anyway-were largely obscured by the steering wheel. They weren’t the most critical instruments, but if they’re there I’d like to see ’em. I also found the labeling on the otherwise fine rocker switches a little too little and thus hard to read. On the plus side, they’re lighted and have “bumps” on the “on” side to help you navigate. Even more on the plus side are the easy-to-use rotary controls for the heating/air-conditioning system.

In other terms, the dash was nicely organized, and there’s a fair bit of useable storage space in the cockpit at large. Nice touches include pockets on the sides of the seats to hold wallet, cell phone, or what have you. There are map pockets on the seat backs as well as door pockets for logbooks and permits and such. A pair of 12-volt electrical outlets on the passenger side accommodate laptops, etc.

One of the newest elements up front was the Mack VIP in-dash computer with its huge and very readable gas-plasma display. It sits on the right wing of the dash and is run by the V-MAC electronics. There’s the usual array of information like instantaneous and trip-average fuel economy, as well as percentage of throttle and a host of other data-even tips for driving economically. It holds complete vehicle specs and parameter settings too, and information is readily accessed by 10 lighted function buttons. It can double as the display for other onboard systems in the future, but in this case the Eaton Vorad collision-warning system had its usual separate screen.

Now for the voluminous sleeper-call it big and comfy, with tons of well-organized storage space and functional work surfaces that include a small pull-out desk for your laptop computer. In a word, it’s a nice place to live. In the 80-incher on the test truck, there was a big 48-inch lower bunk and a folding 36-inch bed up top-where windows let in lots of light. In fact, the bunk’s lighting, natural or otherwise, was first-rate. Stand-up room next to the bunk was well over my six-foot height, but much shorter at the driver’s seat. I was glad to see the sleeper had its own exit door, a small one just for emergencies, but a welcome feature for those of us with claustrophobic tendencies. Other sleeper choices, incidentally, include a 70-inch high-rise, 70-inch mid-rise, and 48-, 56-, and 70-inch flat-tops.

ON THE ROAD

Within minutes of pulling away from Mack Canada headquarters in Mississauga, Ont., grossing about 76,000 pounds, I had formed three impressions that never changed.

First, I liked the smooth power of the very responsive 460-horse E7 engine, which develops a healthy 1660 pound feet of torque. Not bad for 12 litres. Second, forward vision over that short snout was excellent. And third, I was impressed by the ride. Mack’s air suspension works a treat, and in combination with the cab/sleeper’s own air suspension the result is top-of-the-class. An hour into my test run, by then on country highways, I was even more impressed-the Vision simply floated over some jarring railroad tracks at speed.

The truck was also mighty quiet, so much so that I could hardly hear the J-Tech engine brake doing its trick. But the other lasting impression was one of sure-footedness. The Vision’s straight-line tracking, no matter the road surface, was excellent, and the steering found centre unerringly with no vagueness whatsoever.

On those skinny, undulating secondary roads I always perform a little test in which I plant the outside trailer wheels six inches from the shoulder and see how long I can hold it exactly there. In this case it was a long time. Then I move a little further over and see how long I can hold it just a couple of inches from the edge. Again, a long stretch. In some trucks I’ve had over the years, I couldn’t even manage stage one, and in a couple of them I knew the exercise would be a waste of time.

The engine/drivetrain combination had those 460 horses running through an Eaton Fuller Super 10 Top 2 transmission and out to Dana Spicer’s DS405 rear axles. The engine felt strong, as I’ve said, certainly a match for the kind of hills to be found northwest of Toronto. It’s governed at 1850 rpm, but the power curve has a useful hump, delivering 485 or so horsepower as you lug back to 1650. I let it fall way down to about 1100 on a couple of grades and it did so without complaint, picking up the revs easily as things started to flatten out.

The Super 10 gearbox is an easy thing to use once you get the hang of it, and I like having just five lever positions with button shifts in between. Oddly, given the quick response of the E7, I found those clutchless button shifts rather slow, having to wait a while to get back on the throttle after breaking torque for an upshift. If I didn’t wait, I’d find myself gearless, but it wasn’t a matter of the engine rpm falling slowly. It’s not typical, so there may have been some kind of programming glitch in there.

The 3.70 rears and 0.74 overdrive delivered a relaxed 1500 rpm at 64 mph, where the road-speed governor kicked in. And according to the VIP display, I averaged about 8.3 mpg for the day. Pretty good, considering the roads I was using.

Overall, the Vision was impressive, especially in a few key areas like ride and handling where it really is right up there with the best. If you haul heavy loads or need 600 horses, look elsewhere. Otherwise, take a gander: you’ll find more comfort than Mack has ever offered. ___

TEST TRUCK SPECS

* Wheelbase: 239 inches * BBC:112 inches * Sleeper: 80-inch high-rise * Weight: 16,800 pounds (dry) * Engine: Mack E-Tech E7 460 * Transmission: Eaton Fuller RTLO 16610B-T2 * Clutch: Eaton Solo auto adjust * Front axle: Dana Spicer E 1200I (12,000 pounds) * Front suspension: Mack taper-leaf * Rear axle: Dana Spicer DS 405 (40,000 pounds) * Rear suspension: Mack AL401LH air-ride * Front brakes: Meritor Q-Plus 15×4 S-cam * Rear brakes: Meritor Q-plus 16.5×7 S-cam * ABS: Meritor WABCO with ATC * Driveline: Dana Spicer Life Series * Hubs: Con-Met Pre-set, Eaton Outrunner seals * Wheels: Alcoa aluminum Diamond Edition * Fifth wheel: ASF Simplex Lite Series * Fuel tanks: Dual 135-gallon aluminum * Miscellany: Eaton Vorad accident avoidance system, Qualcomm IMCT communication system, remote keyless entry, VIP in-dash computer, premium sound with remote CD changer, Mack Performance seat by Bostrom