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MERCEDES-BENZ ACTROS
Page 49
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How it works
Cynics have suggested Mercedes was forced to develop an automated shift system in the late eighties because its manual synchromesh transmissions were too heavy and unwieldy to he of any practical use.
It's true Mercedes was the first to the market with an electronically controlled gearshift. in the shape of its then-revolutionary EPS transmission. In those days, although Mercedes used electronics to look after the gearshift, the clutch pedal was retained and the driver had to make all the shifts himself. EPS was an acquired taste which left many drivers spitting and spluttering until they got used to it.
Mercedes transmissions have moved on since those pioneering days and are now a good deal less problematic.The system has full automatic functionality, there's no clutch pedal and the reliability has been greatly improved.
A small control unit in the armrest of the seat comprises a main lever with buttons either side of the head and another lever at the front. A switch changes between auto and manual. On start-uphold in the left-hand button on the lever and push the stick forward:111e start-off gear will be engaged and off you go. Pressing the button is an important safeguard as it stops you engaging the start-off gear by mistake.
For manual override, flick the rocker switch on the gear console and push the main lever fore and aft for two gear steps—or use the flipper lever at the front of the stick for single shifts. As with most of these systems, you can fine-tune the gear selection in auto mode without coming out of the automatic programme.
On the road
Thankfully for Mercedes it has a new automatic transmission on the way, because its current offering has been completely outclassed by the competition. In fact almost the only kind thing we can say about Telligent is that the installation of the gear control in the armrest is the most logical location. We wish the rest would follow suit, rather than persevering with cluttering the engine tunnel, or worse still the steering column, with yet another control.
The Mercedes package is also excellent in terms of brake blending, with the engine, brakes and transmission working together to give superb braking performance.
But for the rest, such has been the rate of change in the market that it's now distinctly old fashioned. Most obviously, the gearchanges lack smoothness.
On the short test route we avoided using the manual override to get us out of trouble, though on a number of occasions in auto it struggled to pick the right gear for the situation. This was particularly evident at roundabouts — braking down hard, then accelerating away left the system feeling too ponderous for our tastes. There's no low-speed manoeuvring option so when it comes to moving around the yard it can't match the opposition.
Knowing there's a new transmission just around the corner,we're reluctant to come down on the Actros too hard. But for Mercedes' sake we hope the new Powershift box is a huge improvement on the current offering.