Mack's medium duty MD model is getting a refresh barely four years after its initial launch.
The most notable change is a cab borrowed from Mack's on-highway Anthem model that is 4 inches longer than the previous MD version, giving drivers more seat travel and leg room. That's something fleets had been asking for, according to Bruce Graham, Mack sales manager for Birmingham, Ala.-based truck dealer Nextran Truck Centers.
Forward visibility on the MD is good, and when equipped with rear window and peep-hole window on the passenger's side door the driver has excellent visibility of surrounding cars and pedestrians. Above the windshield you'll also find about 2,500 cubic inches of added storage space.
Bruce kindly let me borrow a truck before shipping it off to a body upfitter where it will be rigged with a vacuum and ultimately delivered to a local municipality. I took the chassis cab about 50 miles around the Birmingham Metro Area, from the dealership in Fultondale north to Warrior and back.
That's pretty close to the daily mileage this truck will get sucking up leaves in the northern part of Alabama, and the cruise up and down Highway 31 and through the adjacent neighborhoods is where you'll find an MD spec'ed with a number of bodies, especially a leaf sucker or a box.
Roomier, more comfortable cab
The Mack MD cab borrows some interior features from Mack's on-highway Anthem, like premium satin aluminum trim, improved seating with lumbar support and enhanced LED lighting. New steering wheel controls for cruise control, telephone and audio functions have been added, increasing driver convenience and safety. All of these have been popular with Mack's Class 8 customers.
Hopping between the first-generation and Gen2 cab, the now 107-inch BBC provides noticeably more leg room. While the flat bottom steering wheel does help some in the first-generation cab, the driving position is pretty rigid and feels crowded underneath the steering wheel.
The new generation MD keeps the flat-bottom steering wheel, and that's where the cruise control, telephone, and radio/audio controls are. The driver's hands don't have to the leave the wheel for many basic, mundane functions.
The added room in the new model, aided by the tilt and telescopic steering wheel, makes driving more comfortable and the truck easier to get in and out of.
The standard air ride cab and now-standard air ride seat is also a lot more comfortable than the prior MD. Unless you're training for a rodeo, what fun is a spring seat?
The new galvanized steel cab borrows other interior features from Mack's Anthem, like an overhead console for additional storage, a premium satin aluminum trim, and enhanced LED lighting.
The refreshed MD also now comes standard with several enhanced safety features, including a new Anti-Lock Braking System with Automatic Traction Control, radio mute in reverse and a parking brake alarm that sounds when the driver opens the door without first setting the parking brake.
The peep hole mirror in the passenger door is also helpful for a truck that isn't really a big truck but feels and drives like one. A low-tech safety tool is still a safety tool.
My demo truck had a vinyl bench seat – plenty of room for two passengers and easy to clean.
Work truck flexibility and rigidity
The Mack MD features some of the most rigid frame rails in its class: 110 ksi frame rails for the MD6 and 120 ksi rails for MD7.
The MD is available in 4x2 and 8 wheelbases (12.5 to 22.5 feet) across two models: a 25,995-pound Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) MD6 and 33,000-pound GVWR MD7. Both models feature some of the most rigid frame rails in their class: 110 ksi frame rails for the MD6 and 120 ksi rails for MD7.
A Cummins B6.7 mated to an Allison automatic is the only powertrain available on MD.
My test truck – an MD7 – was equipped with a B6.7/Allison 3000 combo with 300 hp and 660 lb-ft torque. That's plenty of power and grip for the medium-duty segment, but this year Mack expanded its MD Series line with a 325 hp engine rating on the Cummins B6.7 and a new 23,000-lb. rear axle. The heftier rear axle should be appealing to refuse and construction fleets.
Mack's MD is also available in battery electric, and as luck would have it, one of those was being shipped out of the dealership as I was walking around my diesel demo. I live in Alabama. That's not something I see everyday, although the truck was headed to the West Coast.
Both the MD7 and MD6 are exempt from the 12% Federal Excise Tax (FET).
