The highly efficient highway cruiser doesn’t sacrifice looks, prestige, comfort or power
In a sense, Peterbilt engineers never get to build a true “clean sheet” design when they start work on a new truck.
Those engineers might disagree with that statement, but as I gazed at the fully restored 1939 Peterbilt tractor on display at the company’s plant in Denton, Texas, I couldn’t help but see styling cues that have carried over from generation to generation of Peterbilts.
No matter what marching orders the company’s engineers receive, there are a few mandatory design aspects: a bold old-school exterior wrapping a refined, even luxurious, cab and sleeper. Engineers can add to that legacy, but they never can take away. Peterbilt’s newest and most fuel-focused long-haul tractor yet, the Model 579 EPIQ, is no exception.
The Model 579 was a groundbreaking design for Peterbilt, seamlessly melding traditional Class 8 styling with highly efficient aerodynamics. The new EPIQ package takes this formula further, with more aggressive aerodynamics and a highly optimized and integrated drivetrain. The result is consistently high miles per gallon while allowing owners to bask in Peterbilt’s refined image.
Before I headed out in my crimson test truck, Peterbilt product manager Anthony Gansle noted how many of the Model 579 EPIQ’s fuel economy enhancements were a direct result of the company’s extensive involvement with the SuperTruck program, a government program that funded OEM and component research in technologies to boost commercial truck fuel economy.
