Featuring the same imposing hood and grille, the HV appears to be little more than a gussied up WorkStar – and for good reason. The Lisle, Ill., truckmaker used feedback from more than 100 vocational customers to shape the cab design features. With aerodynamic efficiencies well down the wish list, interior and safety upgrades got most of the attention.
The weather on my test drive – a warm, clear Summer day in New Carlisle, Ind. – couldn’t have been more picturesque and the visibility through the glass could hardly have been more panoramic.
Following cues from International’s RH, LT and MV trucks, window sills were lowered and redesigned doors remove the vent window. The improved seals minimize air leaks and wind noise. Pedestal mirrors have been pulled forward, and a low-rake windshield improves visibility. A door-mounted airfoil helps keeps rain water off the side window.
An optional high-visibility hood is available on set-back axle models not equipped with front power take off, adding about 6-inches of downward slope to the grille and a line-of-sight improvement of about 7-feet to the ground. With an inside wheel cut of up to 50 degrees, the added visibility makes navigating tight turns and crowded streets easier and safer – no easy feat for a truck with a wheel base of 197-inches.
A new premium instrument cluster – the same unit featured prominently in the LT, RH and LoneStar – sits center of the driver, complete with driver information display. On upper trim levels you can get a larger screen that allows the driver to customize virtual gauges, pulling analog dial-based data off the dash panel and putting it in the driver’s field of view.
The gear selector for the standard Allison 6-speed automatic has been moved to a stalk on the steering column and features an integrated engine brake. The wing panel has been redesigned to increase knee room and an AC vent has been added for center seat riders. You’ll want to spec a flat panel if you’re part of the three-person crew. The wing takes up some of what would be the center-rider’s legroom but if you’re a two-man group, the controls on the wing are easier for the driver to reach and that extra vent pumps out chilly air from the upgraded HVAC system on those hot construction jobs.
