To help sort out the differences between Kenworth’s new W990 and its popular predecessor the W900L, we talked with Kenworth’s director of design Jonathan Duncan.
“The biggest thing is the comfort in the cab and the visibility out the windows,” Duncan explains in the video below which was recorded at a press event held for the truck’s unveiling in Las Vegas.
“The glass on the side goes back further. The windshield is a lot taller. And the layout of the pedals and the way the seat is designed—even the toggle switches on the instrument panel—it’s all designed for the driver,” Duncan continues. “We know they have a hard job, so we’re trying to do everything we can to make it easy for them, to make it more comfortable in there, and make it easier for them to do that job.”
Duncan also explains that the W990 is equipped with a wider and quieter 2.1-meter cab versus the 1.9-meter cab on the W900L.
“The truck is definitely more fuel efficient,” Duncan says. “It’s more aerodynamic, about six to seven percent depending on the configuration than a W900L.” (Duncan explained earlier that the improvements in aero would probably translate to about a three percent improvement in fuel economy).
