1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164 
• The latest Mercedes-Benz advert for the 1733 tractor which
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
appeared in last week's Commercial Motor raises two questions in the Hawk's inquiring mind: firstly, how much did the company have to pay Frank Bruno and Barry McGuigan to stand in the same pair of boxing shorts; and secondly, how long will Mercedes persist with its latest marketing gimmick — the flat torque curve?
Of course, any HGV benefits from a decent spread of torque, and Mercedes is undoubtedly right in its attempt to tune its engine for useful torque rather than for peak power. But come on chaps, drawing a torque 'curve' with a ruler really isn't playing the game.
As any driver will tell you, no real engine can put out exactly the same torque over a 600rprn band, so unless the German giant (normally so fastidious about its technical information) can show the Hawk an engine on a dynamometer which does just that, could it
please put its ruler away and concentrate on more practical matters?