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Til S SEASON'S BLACK
Page 62
Page 63
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Let's be honest, no one needs 600hp. But if you really must have the most powerful wagon in the truck park it's time to sell your 602hp Volvo FH 16 and buy a 603hp Mercedes-Benz Actros 1861.
power-hungry truckers keen to display the ultimate status symbol — a badge with a 6 at the front of the power designation —have had only one option so far: Volvo's FH16. But now, for 15 lucky UK drivers at least, the choice has doubled.
Mercedes-Benz has joined the 600hp Club with its Actros 1861 Black Edition, the limitedproduction range-topper unveiled at last autumn's IAA Show at Hanover.After months of pestering CM has become the first magazine to drive it on British roads.
The specification takes a normalActros Megaspace and adds a few refinements. Outside is a high-gloss black paint job, finished off with chrome fittings including mesh grille covers. Side skirts and special mirrors which owe more to coach design than truck enhance the aerodynamics. Xenon headlamps. roofmounted air horns, aluminium air tanks and Alcoa alloy wheels complete the effect.
Star of the driveline, of course, is the 16-litre V8 engine, uprated to deliver 603hp (450kW) at 1,800rpm with 2,700Nm of torque at 1,08Orpm.These numbers are lkW more and 100Nm less than the Volvo 610 which will make no perceptible difference on the road, but does make this technically the new king of the hill. Although 2,700Nm is technically the peak torque, the curve is so flat that at least 99% of that figure is available from 1.0001,20Orpm, and at 1,700rpm, there's still a stump-pulling 2,500Nm on tap.
In fact 2,700Nm is an artificial peak, being the practical limit for a current conventional gearbox, so Mercedes softens the blow by handing control of the gearbox to the electronics of the Telligent Autotrans unit.
The rear axle is a heavy-duty hub-reduction item. The other major chassis change is an eight-tonne front axle with 11.75in wheels and 385/55 R22.5 tyres.The electrics have 220A h batteries and a 100A alternator to keep on top of power demands.A feature introduced at the last Actros facelift is relocating the air tanks to the rear of the chassis,making room on the left for a second 650-litre fuel tank.
All this would count for nought without a decent driving environment, and the Black Edition doesn't disappoint.The interior is also predominantly black. Even the wood trim is the black maple that characterises many M-B cars.The air-suspended cab uses black leather where possible, including the seats which feature longitudinal damping for the driver.
Other interior features include automatic air-con, electric sun blind, leather steering wheel cover with airbag and a glass tilt-andslide sunroof. Beneath the lower bunk are two pull-out drawers, the top one hiding a fridge and fold out table.
Standard transmission on the Black Edition is the automated 16-speedTelligent AutoTrans. The transmission controls are mounted on the armrest.The main lever on top makes whole shifts, while the secondary paddle at the front gives a single split each time you nudge it.
A rocker switch at the rear, marked A and M. switches modes.Taking temporary manual control in A is j ust a matter of flicking the paddle, leaving the electronics to regain control at the next suitable point.There's no kickdown as such — any demands for more power are handled through normal channels. In fact with a green band that starts at just 700rpm and extends to 1,700rpm. much of the need for gear changing is eliminated. It feels unnatural to let an engine drop that low, but you soon get used to it.
Being effectively a German-spec truck, the 1861 Black Edition is only available as a 4x2 tractor which will probably rule it out for Special Types operators.
The first UK example has been sold to GruppeM Racing, a high-profile Porsche racing team in Hemel Hempstead and not untypical of the likely market.
One major feature that will affect the 1861's appeal to UK operators is that it is only available in left-hand drive. However, many potential buyers will use it for international work, so that should be a relatively minor issue.
At CM we get plenty of practice driving lefthookers, but not in the UK. Motorway driving from the wrong seat is easy enough, as long as you sit back far enough to see around the truck in front (a safety benefit in itself). But on narrowerA-roads extra concentration is required to avoid running across the centre line.The greater proximity of passing hedgerows seems to produce a reflexive action to keep further away.
The only real safety issue is approaching roundabouts or junctions at an angle, where there is a potentially lethal blind spot to the right. Fortunately a highly convex secondary mirror covers a good 90% of the side view,but care is still needed.
If you're expecting a truck that feels like it has over 600hp, the Black Edition is not for you.The torque delivery is so smooth that it's only when you realise how much speed you've picked up that you appreciate just how much power you're sitting on.A rather unscientific test of acceleration on a flat-looking section between two of Milton Keynes' many roundabouts gave a 0-80ktn/h time of just 41 seconds.A more scientific test on the Volvo saw it complete a 0-80 sprint in 39.6 seconds.
Another standard feature is the Voith retarder, which is a conventional gearboxoutput hydraulic design, unlike the Aquatarder,currently the sole preserve of MAN. It eliminates the need to touch the service brakes in most situations.And the big tyres on the 8,000kg front axle don't appear to have an adverse effect on the ride or steering. •