Visited the international dealer a few days ago, test drove a few trucks.
Was entertaining the idea of buying a big SOB and putting a pickup box on it.

At the back of the lot, I see this cute looking little truck, that instantly told me "Take me home with you" .




This little guy has internationals version of our familiar 6.4 diesel. The block is CGI though, so a lot stronger, and only 1 giant EGR cooler, and other small details.
They come with allison transmissions, the 1000 series, but apparently built with tougher parts than the duramax trucks have.

I was sold, until I learned that they are not available with 4x4.

Then, a sales guy told me that there are big changes planned in the next months... 60,000$ cdn base price, 4x4, crew cabs, truck style boxes, and 10,000 lb fronts, 20,000 lb rears. He said they are going to price them right at the same price as the big 3 diesel trucks, but they are way tougher trucks.

I might have trouble helping myself.

 

And they claim they want 50% market share !!
Why have I not run accross these before?

 

So they're trying a Sterling reboot and getting into the Class 5 market. Maybe it'll work out, maybe not, but I doubt 50% market share. There is kind of a class 4/5 bubble where you get a crossover between real C&C models and the Big 3s 1 ton pickups with higher ratings, maybe they're just trying to remove ambiguity and cement a real "medium duty" market that's closer to pickups and less like the Class 6+ trucks.

 

I guess you really mean that intertrashional is entering the light duty sector. They've been making heavy duty trucks for longer than most of us have been alive.

 

Yes, thats what I meant.
"Heavy duty pickup market", is actually what I meant.

I am very surprised, the engine itself is not the same as our 6.4's.
I don't know about 50% either, but I think that they will have a great product IF what I was told, is true, because it sounds like they are offering a heavier truck at the same prices as the big 3.

EDIT: did I mention the hood opens and you can access the engine easily?????????????

 

50% market share would be quite an accomplishment.
The TerraStar looks a lot like the older 4700 series with a small face lift IMO...
Ford has a pretty good hold on the med duty market because they make it so easy for the various outfitters to work with them. IH has their work cut out if they want to cut into that market share.

The IH brochure cracks me up....they claim the benefit of their TerraStar over the Ram or Ford is that smaller drivers may have to stand on the bumper to open the hood. Really? Is that the best reason that IH can come up with?
TerraStar - Utility Truck - Commercial Duty | International Trucks
We have a LOT of F-450/550 trucks and we NEVER had to stand on the bumper to open the hood. Never.

If you are seriously considering a IH truck then pay attention to the coming change with their emissions systems. They have been using EGR instead of SCR to meet emissions requirements but they recently lost their case in court so I presume they are going to have to begin using SCR going forward. I don't know when that will happen though. I suppose if 2013 is still using the EGR method then you might want to jump on it before they go SCR since that method has a lot more stuff to go wrong down the road. Just some food for thought....

 

Yes, there are some dumb things in the brochure.
Still, these trucks seem pretty cool.
Certainly won't appeal to everyone, but if a tougher work truck is needed, this might be an answer.

I expect the engine repair costs would be a ton lower than in a pickup truck, and the maxxforce 7 is not the same as the 6.4 powerstroke. b50 rating of 500,000 miles.

Wether they go SCR or not, I have no idea.

 

International is dillusional if they think they are going get 50% of the light duty (450-550 size) truck market. Especially since the 6.4l in the Fords left a bad taste in the mouths of many fleet owners. The fact that the 6.4l in the Ford and International are not exactly the same will not matter, the majority of the market know they are affiliated with the Ford version.

 

I agree that the 6.4 might have gotten a bad name in the ford trucks.
I think 50% market share is dillusional also. I think maybe that meant for the medium duty market, my apologies if I was that stray with information.

As I said, in the next months, a lot of new options and packages are coming, with different pricing.
Right now, a crew cab, 4x4, diesel f350 costs roughly 68-78,000$ depending on options and discounts.
If international can offer a terrastar crew cab 4x4 with heavier duty running gear, and wider cab, etc.. for a similar or slightly higher price... I see lots of sales.

Let's face it, people love big giant vehicles, the only reason half of us don't drive an f650 is probably the price.

 

I get a kick out of reading brochures from various manufacturers...including Ford. They all have interesting ways of twisting half truths into something they believe benefits their cause. Entertaining...

Do you mean a tougher pickup truck? In the commercial segment, if a business needs a diesel power plant, then they need a Medium Duty Truck with a custom utility bed to suit their specific purpose. Diesel powered pickup trucks are intended for the private sector. All practicality is lost when a pickup bed is added to anything larger than a class 3 vehicle.

Heavy duty trucks are classified into three groups by the federal government. Light Heavy, Medium Heavy and Heavy Heavy. Each class has a different method for calculating the B50 numbers in relation to duty cycle. Here is some interesting reading in case you are interested in that stuff...
Emission Standards: USA: Heavy-Duty Truck and Bus Engines

If you read the article, make sure you click on the link for Transient FTP (Federal Test Protocol) Dyno testing. I found that to be quite interesting...




The F-450/550 trucks are classified as Medium Duty vehicles...


....and they aren't practical as a pickup truck. Most folks don't want to drive around a utility truck. Most insurance companies won't cover anything over a class 3 truck and registration gets super complicated as well. I had to insure my F-450 as a personal vehicle (non-commercial) and also jumped through some hoops with the DMV for registration. In the end I got to state my vehicle weigh and remove the Motor Carrier Permit fee so my registration was a little closer to what I pay on my pickup trucks. It was kinda a pain but at least I don't live in California...it would have been much more effort to register there.

Keep in mind the price you were quoted was most likely just the cab and chassis. The upfitter bed would be an extra depending on the features. I believe you must have a special license in order to purchase an unfinished cab and chassis truck so you'll probably have to buy a "completed truck" or you won't be able to register it for the road. Every state is a bit different so you might want to research the regulations for your area.

 

The International Mxt has been out for a while already hasn't it?

 

Does that start at 60,000$ CDN ?

 

Nope, I seen one for 80k a year back

 

Sounds about right. I saw a new one about 2-3 years ago and the sticker was around $85k. It had the 6.0 engine IIRC..


Has anyone seen the new styled front end for the LoneStar models? Sorta reminds me of Maximum Overdrive...

 

My jaw dropped the first time I seen one of those bad boys on the highway.