14/08/2026
In the 5 months since we bought this truck, its been the source of so much frustration.
I want to love it, but I want to hate it too. Everytime I feel like I'm starting to like it, something gives me a reason not to again.
In saying that, I finally got the chance to take it for a lap the past couple of days to Brisbane and back.
Now this isn't the first Western Star I've driven in my career, but it is the first time I've driven one with a Detroit DD-15.
There is alot of criticism in the industry towards the DD-15 and there are also many operators who praise them.
I've always been a die-hard Cummins for life type driver, however, these past couple of days have impressed me. The DD-15 seems very responsive with plenty of power and torque. Places where my X15 might lug a bit and you think about giving it a gear, the DD-15 keeps powering through.
Both our trucks run the same gearbox and diff ratio and the Western Star leaves the Kenworth behind in some areas.
The Western Star is much faster off the mark and getting up to highway speeds, my only criticism really would be that it seems a bit heavier on fuel than the X15, which surprises me considering how many people have told me it should get better economy than the Cummins.
As far as the truck itself goes, its a typical Western Star, has its good things that I like compared to Kenworth and also some points I don't like as much.
If I ever bought another one down the track it would definitely be a bit of a decision on which way to go in regard to engine choice, where as before driving it this week I thought hands down the choice would always be Cummins.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it, but time will tell if I stay happy with it.
