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5th April 2001, Page 20
5th April 2001
Page 20
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ACTROS

IN BRIEF

Price as tested: £40000 (ex-VAT).

Engine: 11.95 litres, 428hp (315kW).

GCW: 38 tonnes.

Payload as tested: 25.050kg.

Average speed: 64.3k/mph (39.9mph).

Average fuel consumption: 8.35mpg (33.811t/100km).

The Mercedes Actros is establishing itself as an allrounder: thrifty enough to earn its keep with a fleet but comfortable enough for discerning owner-drivers. With a roomy cab and power options extending up to 571hp it's also ready to play with the big boys on top-weight transcontinental work. Margins being tight and getting tighter, a used example must be worth considering. Should you have an Actros on your wish list? We put an 18month-old 2543LS 6x2 through its paces to find out.

lifter suffering a couple of hiccups at the start of its production run the Mercedes Actros has been winning the confidence of fleet operators and owner-drivers alike. Now Madame Actros Clairvoyant (see Mercedes' lverts) confidently predicts that its trucks, fit1:1 with the Telligent management system, ill reduce costs and downtime by accurately redicting service requirements.

The earlier second-generation examples 7e finding their way onto the second-hand tarket and when it comes to residuals Mercs ave always been considered a safe bet. But )u're only as good as your last truck, and if a agon fails to cut the mustard reputations )unt for little.

So is the Actros ageing gracefully? Tap into ie Mercedes-Benz web site and you'll find lenty of examples of satisfied Actros users. Prominent among these is an Abbey Road inks driver voicing concern about a new fleet F 2540s based on hearsay, only to have his !ars quashed within a week.

Company dogma it may be but the new Amer at PJS Transport agrees (see New wner). The i8-month-old truck was adversed at £40,000 (ex-VAT). years of the SK Series. When it arrived the Actros range brought with it new technology and new techniques for the driver to cope with. Models are available from 18 to 44 tonnes; tractors come with 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4 configurations and a choice of four cabs. The V6 engine has four options from 313-426hp, with three V8 ratings, from 476 to a rangetopping 571hp for top-weight operations.

CM has put a V-reg 1999 6x2 Actros 2543LS through its paces. Our example has a Euro-2, t2-litre VG DI diesel producing 428hp (3r5kW) at L800rpm with 2,000Nm 0,4751b1t) of torque on tap from r,o8orpm. It features the Telligent electronic engine management system and a G2rr-r6 speed synchromesh rangechange box with splitter and a pre-select capability.

V417 DND was registered on 9 September 1999 by Suttons & Son and worked mainly out of St Helens hauling tankers nationwide. The company operates about 500 tankers and more than 2,000 tank containers. Four-fifths of

Wg. the tractor fleet is Mercedes. The zoo,000km on the dock seems about right for its relatively short life. So far its service history shows no major replacements apart from an oil filter at r6o,000kms and a good number of light bulbs.

Bottom line

The tricky section along the A483 is littered with tight bends, narrow roads and traffic lights, so to produce a good figure here in wintry conditions is impressive. The Actros recorded 7.66mpg from the starting point at the BP Station at Hinckley to the refill point at Ross-on-Wye.

After filling up with coffee, pasties and diesel we joined the M5o, put on the cruise control for the final leg back to Hinddey and returned a very respectable 10.14mpg—the overall figure was 8.35mpg. The only hold-up was in the morning rush-hour on the A5 section round to the MIS.

We ran at 38 tonnes with the 7,450kg Adios 6xz pulling a triaxle Fruehauf Speedliner curtainsider weighing in at 5,5ookg—giving a payload of 25,o5okg.

With 428hp under foot, the Actros produced respectable results through the tricky section and enhanced its long-distance reputation on the trunking routes but it's worth bearing in mind that this V-plated Actros is just entering the prime of its life.

On the road

This model is specced with the owner-driver in mind rather than a fleet, but large operators should not dismiss more powerful trucks because long-distance performance like this can harmonise cost efficiency and driver satisfaction. The Adios coped well with the twisty A-roads in the Welsh section of our test route but a 6x2 tractor with a non-steer mid-axle is not really built for repeated manoeuvring. At times the midaxle fought against the front axle at low speeds in tight situations (which pretty well describes the entire A483) and the resulting scuff is likely to have an effect on tyre life.

One of the first things Actros drivers have to come to grips with is the Telligent pre-select gearbox. Anyone who has driven an Actros with this system will have their own theory and opinions. Moving up the box can be done via the paddle at the front on the gearbox (one movement for a half-gear) or by nudging the gear lever forwards.

We found it easier to move up the box with the paddle and back down in complete gears using the gearlever. From takeoff in 2H we found that moving up the box in three halfgear steps was the easiest way to 5H; from there you play any tune you feel appropriate. All this is done with the ro-second window on the pre-select.

Whole-gear changes at around 1,500rprn mark drop revs to about r,roorpm where torque is still plentiful. Regardless of the style you use, this transmission is relaxing to use, with far less effort than a traditional gearbox.

Around the anti-Ann Robinson-campaigi section of the route the Actros was more thai capable of lugging down to 9 oorpm at th peak of a hill while maintaining its momen turn. Down the other side with the exhaus brake in the yellow it held 70-80km/h in choice of 7 L/I-1.

On dual carriageways and motorway 428hp is more than enough power to sit bacl. stick on the cruise control and turn the radi. up (ahhh, Mark and Lard...Steve Wright...Th Archers—what choice we CM roadtester have). Acceleration is quick and responsiv. through the gears, getting you up to optimun speed sooner rather than later.

Cab quality

The Actros long-distance cab is described in the brochure as being "ideal for drivers on long trips away", and with such a short history you won't be surprised to learn that the interior has lasted well.

CM is in general agreement with Mercedes' marketing types, but if you're away five days a week a flat-floored version will always win hands down. The engine hump offers handy storage for everyday items like paperwork, tacho charts and pens, but you have to clamber over it to get to the bunk Despite Sir Chris Bonnington expeditions from the driver seat to the bunk, the blue carpet shows no signs of wear and tear but until recently the protective plastic covering applied on the line was still attached. The walnut dash veneer, a sure sign of the r99o's car-wannabe mentality, has worn well but it will he interesting to see how this dates a vehicle in the years to come.

The good news for nomad truckers is that there's plenty of space, with 1.92m of headroom despite the lack of a flat floor.

The storage is well designed too, with plenty of space above the windscreen with two lockers and a pull-out lockable box under the bunk. The electric windows are operated from the centre but electric mirror control is restricted to the main one on the passenger side. Three drawers around the centre dash contain two ashtrays and a radio.

CM verdict

The Actros is a familiar sight on our roads but with competition as tough as it is, used-truck buyers are looking for proven longevity and good fuel economy. Our fuel figures indicate that economy is well up to par, but we'll have to wait a few years to see how well the Actros performs in later life.

Wear and tear issues aside, the Actros per

formed well. Good handling, easy acceleration through the gears and a comfortable cab means a driver won't be disappointed if his boss buys a second-hand example, and owner-drivers are bound to see the Actros as a viable option too.

It's already starting to become a bit of a veteran, and while the Actros may not see the production life of the SK series, it's set to establish itself as a reliable front-runner in its own lifetime.

• by Kevin Swallow


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