SUMMARY
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And the winner is...the Mercedes-Benz Actros. There is no doubt that the Mere took the victory on the strength of its performance and fuel economy. As soon as the initial road route data was revealed, it was obvious that it would have to put up a pretty poor showing in the subjective elements not to win. Not only was it quicker to the tune of 13 minutes, but it achieved this while consuming less fuel and with fewer gear changes. It also put up a strong showing in the safety category, thanks largely to its all-disc EBS brake set-up.
If the Actros performed best in the categories closest to the guvnor's wallet, the battle for driver's favourite was conclusively won by the Scania, but not by enough to give it overall honours. Scania's intention was to show that Euro-3 engines need not carry a fuel economy penalty, and it almost pulled it off—the final figure, just one-eighth of a mile per gallon shy of the Actros, is certainly no disgrace.
Perhaps Renault's new common-rail contender was just too new, and needed more loosening up to give its best. The Renault engine felt strong, but the clocks were not convinced. Again, the fuel consumption (just two litres more than the Scania over the whole route) carries no shame, but where the Renault shone was in the productiv ity section, where its light weight and low cost gave it a distinct edge.
If this test does nothing else, it reinforces the fact that there are few poor trucks on sale in Europe, just many different ones. With characteristics as diverse as the nations that produced them, each has strengths and weaknesses that matter differently to different operators. But for simply getting the job done the home team's victory was entirely justified.