The first chance for most Kiwis to get up close to a new Kenworth K220 came just over two years ago, either at the 2023 Bombay Truck Show or a few months later at the Wheels at Wanaka launch event.

Fast forward into 2025 and the stylish new generation Kenworth cab-over is already a fairly familiar sight at work on Kiwi highways.

New Zealand Truck & Driver has set out to sample a range of the K220 variants – our first Giti Tyres Big Test experience coming in September 2023 with the Pyramid Trucking 6x4 Aerodyne tractor towing a B-train flat deck and following up in July last year with a new Williams & Wilshier logger, an 8x4 Flat Roof sleeper model.

Our third experience welcomes one of the headline upgrades from the K220 programme. The first K220s equipped with the new Eaton Cummins Endurant XD Pro 18-speed automated transmission are now arriving in New Zealand.

The rollout of the new Kenworth K220 model range is now in full swing, and we are seeing them on the road in a broad range of applications.

Our very first test on the new generation was done back in September 2023, and since driving that 6x4 Aerodyne tractor unit test with Pyramid Trucking we have also tested the flat roof Williams & Wilshier 8x4 logger.

The difference with this 8x4 2.3 Aerodyne belonging to Douch Transport is the new automated transmission, which is the latest Eaton Cummins Endurant XD Pro 18-speed designed to deliver better gearing and lower fuel consumption.

Also new on this truck – compared to the other K220s we have tested – is the addition of the Kenworth air suspension on the cab.