The Western Star team let us lay our hands on the new on-highway truck, the 57X. Here’s a photo gallery and a bunch of first impressions from our time with the X-series truck. Click here if you’re looking for all of the product details and stay tuned for a full video that will show off the truck features and provide hands-on impressions.
Stepping up to the Western Star 57X, you’re presented with four cab options: a Day Cab, 60-in. Mid-Roof, 72-in. Mid-Roof or 72-in. Stratosphere. Eagle-eyed fleet managers would notice that the sleeper has slimmed down compared with the 5700. If you recall, the 5700’s largest sleeper bowed out from the body a bit, whereas the 57X Stratosphere sleeper has actually gained sleeper space volume even with its trim aerodynamics.
Speaking of cabs, inside, the twin driver displays make an impression. A 12-in. and 10-in. digital dash displays feature a configurable instrument cluster.
The steering controls make the display magic happen at the click of a button or a swipe of the finger on the touch-responsive pad. It feels a lot like classic Blackberry button touch controls.
Said displays also deliver information about the Western Star 57X’s safety features, namely, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC to 0 mph); Active Lane Assist (ALA) includes Lane Keep Assist, Auto Stop, Lane Departure Protection and Steer Assist; and Active Side Guard Assist (ASGA) to mitigate blind side issues during right-hand turns. Click here for the Western Star 57X announcement for more safety system details.
This is the steering control module on the steering axle under the hood. And below is a better shot of it on the Detroit powertrain product display.
Active Side Guard Assist radar is nestled into the passenger side steps and provides a blind-spot warning down the length of the trailer.
Taking a closer look under the hood, you have a choice of Detroit power options.
The Western Star 57X is exclusively Detroit engine powered, with engine options that include the DD13 Gen 5, DD15 Gen 5 and DD16 paired with the Detroit DT12 direct or overdrive automated-manual transmissions (AMT). When asked about the absence of a Cummins option, Len Copeland, product marketing manager, Detroit products, Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), was confident that the Detroit powertrain offering would provide plenty of power needed in any Western Star 57X on-highway application. He also noted that the Detroit powertrain put the Western Star 57X in the best position for fuel efficiency gains and advanced safety system availability. (It’s worth noting that the previous Western Star on-highway iteration, the 5700, also only offered Detroit powertrain options. So this is consistent within this application segment for Western Star.)
Western Star 57X shots that just look cool
Before you ride off into the sunset
Click below to catch up on the Western Star 57X product announcement, and then stay tuned for an in-depth video that shows off all of the new features previewed here.
