International CXT The Biggest Pickup Out There
September 3, 2005
By JIM MATEJA, Chicago Tribune It's not often you get to test-drive a vehicle in which one of the necessary options is a garage. But that's the case with the world's largest production pickup truck, the 2006 International CXT.
How big is it? The wheelbase on the all-wheel-drive CXT is 50 inches longer than that of a full-size Chevrolet Silverado's and its overall length dwarfs the Silverado's by 61 inches.
The reason your option list must include a new garage is that the CXT stands 9 feet tall, a foot higher than a typical garage door.
We tested the 2006 CXT at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago at the start of a cross-country effort by International Truck and Engine Corp. to bring its offerings to customers.
The company, based in Warrenville, Ill., is the operating unit of Navistar International Corp., which some may remember as International Harvester.
The CXT offers a choice of a 7.6-liter, 300-horsepower, turbocharged 6-cylinder diesel or a 9-liter, 310-horsepower turbocharged 6-cylinder diesel. Both engines come with 5-speed automatic transmissions.
Although vehicles this big aren't required to carry an EPA mileage sticker, the CXT gets about 8 to 9 miles a gallon with either engine.
The CXT is for those who tow yachts, a trailer full of cars or heavy construction equipment, such as bulldozers.
In the test run, found the CXT surprisingly nimble in even the tightest turn. It took only light effort on the steering wheel to move quickly left or right.
Once you're in the cabin, the vehicle is actually cozy. That's because the cabin sits on an air suspension system to keep jolting to a minimum. And the driver's seat has its own suspension system.
The back seat is more than spacious. You can stretch your legs as far as they'll go and still not touch the front seats. And the seat is big enough to double as a bed.
But to get into the cabin, you have to pull up on a metal handle and climb two steps.
Whatever folks who buy cars enjoy, those who buy a CXT do as well, even more so. It comes with cupholders - and an optional refrigerator between the front seats.
International says the amenities you can add to the truck are limited only by the imagination and the wallet, from the traditional power sunroofs and DVD entertainment systems to flat-screen TVs and rear-mounted cameras.
Standard equipment, though, is not as extensive as it is in cars. You get air suspension cabs, air suspension seats, polished aluminum wheels, anti-lock brakes, power seats.
But you don't even get air bags, neither front nor side, because the government does not require them on commercial-grade trucks.
<img src="http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/4807/cxt24pk.gif" border=0>
Edited by - old chief on Sep 03 2005 11:54 AM
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