After seeing its on-highway siblings get refinement after refinement and update after update, Freightliner's M2 and SD models are getting their due.
Both models were on deck for a refresh but Covid put their debut on the post-pandemic back-burner. So, Freightliner next year will roll out its new Plus series – enhanced versions of its M2 and SD models, including the M2 106 Plus, M2 112 Plus, 108SD Plus and 114SD Plus. The M2 debuted in 2002 as a replacement to the FL Series and the SD followed in 2014. In the years since, the workhorse models have avoided noticeable design overhauls, and from the outside the Plus series doesn't really look like a redesign/update has taken place at all.
There are some subtle tweaks to the truck exterior. The grille louvers and air intake covers on the M2 have a notable Cascadianess about them, but other than that, the interior and tech get the most attention.
Enhancements to the Plus Series interior include three new trim levels; from basic wipe and wash vinyl to plush and premium and a few extra inches of travel for the driver’s seat, among other things.
Attention to driver comfort is a design cornerstone of every on-highway tractor, but it's only recently gotten similar traction in the vocational and medium duty segments as heavy truck OEMs search for a more automotive feel.
"We're tying to make sure the driver comes right out of their pickup truck and goes right into that pickup truck type feel," Steve Mignardi, Daimler Truck North America vice president of on-highway market development said, noting the company is seeking a seamless transition from a driver's personal vehicle to their work truck.
I took Freightliner's pre-production Plus lineup through various courses at the American Center for Mobility in Detroit and, indeed, the interior of the new Plus series gets a very automotive focus in its search for that leap from pickup to commercial truck.
