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In the world of trucks, size matters. This is especially true when it comes to trucks that were originally meant for the military. The Hummer was the other way around, as it was a vehicle that was based on a military vehicle, the Humvee. Despite that though, the Hummer is tiny compared to International’s MXT.

An International MXT truck driving over some rocks.
The International MXT | Navistar via Getty Images

Big enough for the military

The MXT, which can stand for either “Most Extreme Truck” or “Military Extreme Truck”, was originally designed for the military, according to TFLTruck. The MXT, which was produced between 2006 to 2008, was probably too extreme for the military. Compared to the Hummer, the MXT was simply larger in every way.

In fact, even compared to modern heavy-duty trucks, TFLTruck says that the MXT is still larger, though not as capable as those modern trucks are. Compared to the Hummer, which was considered back in the 2006 to 2008 era as one of the largest vehicles on the roads, the MXT is a full foot taller than the Hummer is, and it’s 68 inches longer as well. That means that the MXT is almost seven feet longer than the Hummer is. 

The MXT was powered by a 6.0-liter V8 diesel engine which generated about 300-hp and about 530 lb-ft of torque, according to ScannerAnswers. This powerful diesel engine allowed it to tow over 14,000 lb of goods as well as haul over 5,000 lb of cargo in its massive seven-foot truck bed.

That said, this massive engine gave it a terrible fuel economy, which was expected. ScannerAnswers says that the MXT could only hit about 10 MPG, and this was one of the many reasons why it failed as a truck.

The International MXT: just bad for the economy

Unfortunately for International, the MXT was produced at a terrible time in the world. The 2006 to 2008 era just happened to be when the world economy entered a Great Recession. This Great Recession had a lot of effects on regular people as well as companies, but one of the biggest areas that got hit was the car industry. 

People just didn’t want to buy cars back then, and when they did, they wanted to save money and buy something fuel-efficient because fuel prices were very high. The terrible fuel economy of the MXT, combined with its massive price tag of about $100,000, meant that the MXT was simply not practical for the vast majority of Americans. 

That said, the Hummer was priced at around the same as the MXT was, and the Hummer also got a similarly terrible fuel economy. In addition to those two similarities, they were also similar in the sense that Americans rejected them during the Great Recession. That caused both of their automakers to ultimately cease production on these massive vehicles. 

The International MXT is still available

While International hasn’t made a brand-new MXT in over a decade, used MXTs are still available on the market. As with any used trucks, the prices will vary based on where you get it, the condition that it’s in, and a whole lot of other factors. That said, ScannerAnswers says that a used MXT can range from $50,000 to $100,000. 

And while much of that money went to its size and power, the MXT isn’t an uncomfortable work truck, either. Its interior is similarly large and it does have some premium features, though obviously not as much as a brand-new truck in the 2020 model year would have. However, most people may want the MXT for the bragging rights of owning a truck that’s 21 feet long, 91 inches tall, and 96 inches wide.