Engine
540-pounds-feet (torque rating), V-8 diesel
Transmission
5-speed automatic
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Heavy truck maker International is seeking to build on the buzz around its giant CXT pickup truck, introduced last year, with three new and slightly smaller versions — one coming to market this fall, one in concept form and one for the military.
The 8-foot-tall rear-wheel-drive RXT, powered by a 230-horsepower V-8 diesel engine with 540 pounds-feet of torque, will be the first available to consumers. It's bound for showrooms this fall as a 2006 model at a price of $70,000 to $90,000.
The RXT bears a strong resemblance to its bigger brother, the four-wheel-drive CXT. Both have International's oversized vertical grille, four doors and the vertical rearview mirrors common to commercial trucks.
But the RXT is dwarfed by the 9-foot CXT, a truck so large that the top of the bed is roughly a foot above eye level and a 6-foot-tall adult can stand underneath the rearview mirror. Both trucks have — and need — two steps to the cabin, although the CXT's are spaced farther apart.
The CXT was introduced last fall and made a minor splash among celebrities; actor Ashton Kutcher was among the first to buy one. But company officials believe business owners will account for most of the anticipated 500 to 1,000 annual sales of the truck, which costs $90,000 to $130,000 and has a 220-hp inline-six diesel with 540 pounds-feet of torque.
The CXT and RXT each have an Allison five-speed-automatic transmission, although the CXT's is larger. They have similar hauling capabilities, however. The RXT's towing capacity of 9 to 12 tons is less than the CXT's (up to 22 tons), but it's still roughly twice as much as anything else on the road.
The RXT's gross vehicle weight rating — the combination of the truck's weight and its payload — is 25,500, very close to the CXT's 25,999, suggesting similar payload capacities. Both vehicles can be equipped as dump trucks.
The RXT gets slightly better mileage — an estimated 10 to 12 mpg — than the CXT (8 mpg), though it's still not nearly enough to make the Sierra Club folks happy.
International showed two other versions of the truck. The Project XT is a concept that's basically the same as the RXT except for different styling cues, including a high-mounted spoiler behind the cab, fog lights and air intakes in front of the rear wheels.
Daniel Ustian, president of International parent Navistar, said the company will bring the Project XT to market at some point, although he didn't give a target date.
The company also showed a version built for the military, the MXT. Though this truck also sports the distinctive International grille, it's boxier than the others, much like a military Humvee. The 7-foot-tall MXT has a smaller engine than the RXT — a 230-hp V-6 diesel with 460 pounds-feet of torque — and a lower GVWR of 18,000.
Just as the Humvee spawned the civilian Hummer version, the MXT will be made into a consumer truck, scheduled for market in 2006. |
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