Mack Pioneer’s a gentle bulldog

Bulldogs are a misunderstood breed. They look tough and are, and they can appear ferocious. But they are usually friendly, gentle creatures.

Toughness is why British troops conferred the “bulldog” nickname to Mack trucks sent to Europe, along with American doughboys, during World War I, more than a century ago. Mack Trucks, the company, appreciated the compliment and eventually adopted the Bulldog as a trademark and a model for its hood ornament.

Gentleness is not something that I’ve associated with Mack trucks themselves until now, with the new Pioneer tractor. It is as smooth and quiet as anything I’ve driven and maybe better in those respects than most others, at least as far as I could take it. That was on the builder’s 3/4-mile oval demonstration track in Allentown, Pa., during a pleasant day in August. Round and round we went, first bobtail and then with a moderately loaded 53-foot van, enjoying a cushy ride and conversing in normal tones with my passengers.

They included Blake Routh, Mack’s senior on-highway product manager, and Bob Dolan, who works at the company’s Customer Center that’s surrounded by the track. Dolan, a professional driver for more than three decades and now an on-site guide, explained some of our subject Pioneer tractor’s operating features, of which there are many. Basics included a new-for-2025 MP-13 diesel, this one rated at 515 horsepower and 1,900 lb-ft, a 12-speed mDrive automated transmission, and a 76-inch integrated sleeper with a folding bunk and table to add walk-around room.

The long-nose Pioneer replaces the Anthem in the over-the-road highway segment, Routh explained. The Anthem has been redesigned as a medium-length regional tractor, though it will still be available with sleepers. A glance at the Pioneer’s nose and cab lines confirms that its emphasis is on advanced aerodynamics. These contribute 8% of the 11% increased fuel economy versus the outgoing model; the other 3% comes from engine improvements. The steeply sloped nose aids forward vision, giving a cabover-like view of what’s ahead.

The steps are easy to climb, and all grab handles are inside, where they’ll stay clean and tend to induce body movement toward the interior. The interior appointments are posh, the leather-covered seat is very comfortable, and vents in the doors extend HVAC-produced air to the driver’s side. The cab is 8 inches wider than on the previous model, yielding a spacious feel and ample room to work and live.

The steering wheel and column can be adjusted by stomping on a pedal near the firewall. I found the electric-over-hydraulic Mack Command power steering was easy on my arms, and I noted that the wheel returned to center after any turn. The system removes shock and twisting motion from rough and uneven pavement, and it counteracts sidewinds.

The clean-burning MP (for Mack Power) diesel was more than up to this day’s easy task, and the mDrive shifted quickly and smoothly. Dolan showed a feature enabled under the control stalk’s M-for-manual setting that moves the truck along in slow-and-go traffic – the bane of drivers saddled with manual transmissions and clutch pedals. There are several other electronic functions gathered under an Advanced Driver Assistance System that are meant to guide, slow and stop a truck and to keep it and its driver out of trouble.

A real convenience is a monitoring system that watches air pressure in each of a rig’s tires and displays the numbers on the center screen when that function is called up. My favorite feature, though, is a pull-down sun shade to the driver’s immediate left. It’s completely mechanical and will be invaluable when the sun’s over there early or late in a day. I’ve seen this on only one other truck: a Mack-branded medium-duty cabover when Renault of France owned the American builder in the early 1990s.

The Pioneer is infinitely better than Macks I first drove, like the old R and F models, more than 40 years ago, when durability was the priority. And it’s a serious improvement over the previous Anthem long-hauler. It should boost Mack’s ability to compete for sales in the over-the-road market with anyone, even the highly regarded models from its sister company, Volvo. Maybe that Bulldog hood ornament ought to be restyled with a warm smile. LL