Sterling's class 4/5 bullet revealed
INDIANAPOLIS -- Rounding out its now very full truck lineup, Sterling unveiled the new Bullet cab-and-chassis model yesterday here at the National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show. It will be available at select Sterling dealerships in late fall of this year, including some 20 Canadian outlets. Based on the Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 models introduced two months ago, the Bullet is a class 4 or 5 truck targeted at vocational markets like construction, landscaping, municipal services, utility, and pickup and delivery. It differs from the Dodge only in cosmetics and options packages. Among those cosmetic differences, the Bullet is unique in offering Alcoa aluminum wheels. In introducing the Bullet, Mike Delaney, senior vice president, marketing, of parent company Freightliner LLC, said there are two kinds of buyers in this growing market niche -- the "pickup-centric customer who is more like a consumer and is swayed by brand and looks, and the business-oriented heavy-truck type for whom a truck of any size is simply a tool." Dodge dealers will appeal to the former, he said, while Sterling will attract the latter. The new truck joins the low-cabover class 3 Sterling 360 introduced last year to round out the company's medium-duty range. In fact, it's the only truck-maker to offer a complete line of class 3-8 vehicles, notes Matt Stevenson, director of light commercial vehicles for Sterling. Standard features on the Bullet include the Cummins 6.7L ISB engine with exhaust brake, a power take-off prep package, and just one rating -- a healthy 305 hp and 610 lb ft of torque at 1600 rpm. A Mercedes six-speed manual transmission is standard, with an Aisin six-speed double-overdrive automatic optional. Axle ratios offered are 4.10, 4.44 and 4.88, while axle ratings are 7000 lb up front and 13,500 lb at the rear. The Bullet can be spec'd with two-or four-wheel drive. The truck is offered as a regular cab (123-in. BBC) in four wheelbases or as a quad cab (143-in. BBC ) in two wheelbases with optional snow plow and towing packages. The industry-standard 34-in. wide frame is said to make for easy body builder upfitting. It‚s rated at 50,000 psi. The Bullet comes with GVWR ratings of 16,500 to 19,500 lb for both the regular and quad cab, with a GCWR of 26,000 lb.