The engine itself was quite modern, a direct injection 11,150 cc (680 cu in) diesel V6 built by the Yaroslavl Motor Plant (who had also originally developed the preceding MAZ-200 truck) with 180 PS (132 kW) at 2100 rpm.

[1] The truck's design was also innovative, with a tilting cabin, which was still rare in the West as well.

It also had a number of features designed to make the truck operable under the arduous conditions found in Siberia.

The tractor-trailer versions MAZ-514, -515, and -516 continued to be built as late as 1981, with the same upgrades as the succeeding MAZ-5335.

Models intended for heavier loads have an eight-cylinder version called YaMZ-238 with 240 PS (177 kW).