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Mercedes-Benz Actros
gets a face lift
It’s called the ‘New’ Actros, but, in truth, ‘revised’ is a more appropriate description. When Daimler launched version three of its high end tractor unit earlier this year, it claimed that a total of 37 changes had been made, but, with very few cosmetic differences aside, version three looks very much like version two.
Oliver Dixon travelled to the Czech Republic to put it to the test...
 That is not to say that version two was anything to be ashamed of; far from it in fact. After some well-publicised teething problems with the original Actros, launched in a hail of new technology some twelve years ago, Mercedes-Benz got right down to producing a truck that was certainly deserving of being spoken of in the same breath as any of the other traditional high-end European marques.
Once upon a time, this was Miteleuropa, but then came the First World War, and a wholesale redrawing of the map. Then, as WWII moved out, then so did the Great Game move in, forsaking the hills of the Hindu Kush for somewhere a bit closer to home; for fifty years, this was where West met East, a land rich in intrigue if poor in most everything else. Here too is a land rich in modern literary motif; 50 kilometres over there is where le Carre had Jim Prideaux mown down by Karla’s bullets. Sixty kilometres in the other direction, and it’s all about Harry Lime. And, just for a bit of closure, thirty kilometres in that direction is where, in November 1990, the Czechoslovakian nation – as was – decided that enough was enough, communism was yesterday’s news and a day trip to Austria seemed like a good idea. They went, and so, ultimately, did the Cold war.
Funny where one’s mind wanders when the truck you’re driving has both adaptive cruise control and lane guard. We’ve just driven fifty kilometres south from Bratislava, and, just as in yesterday, we’re having some difficulty accounting for our time. At the helm of the new Actros, it sort of slips underneath you, a sensation that isn’t that far removed from flying insofar as you are aware that you are moving, making progress and the like, but in a manner that is so remote, so effortless that it feels almost as if the world is passing you, rather than the other way around. We’ll return to the philosophy later; first, let’s return to Prague.
 Cool Cab
It is stinking hot. And we mean, seriously stinking hot. Dallas Fort Worth – which yesterday was 101 degrees - seemed cool in comparison. We’re a thousand miles from the sea, the air is moving at the speed of a payment by return and the prospect of climbing into a tin box that has been sitting here for the past hour is one that does not appeal. The engine is off, which means the air con is off, which means that we’ll just dive in, twist the key, crank up the Freon and give it a minute or two.
But, rather strangely, the cab is as cool as a magistrate’s welcome, a result of the stored air system that allows drivers to sleep in something approaching normal temperatures. This is something of which we approve.
As is the general ambience of the new Actros’s cab. Luxuriously appointed about sums it up; if Prague stinks of heat, then this truck positively reeks of quality; gone is the wood trim, and in its place is brushed aluminium inlaid into a business like, but far from busy dash design. It is the sort of design, and finish, that would not look out of place in one of the higher end MB cars that always seem to get to park right outside he front door of the hotel. Very, very nice.
Powershift
You know the score with Powershift II, but we’ll talk about it anyway. MB’s constant mesh transmission comes with electronic actuation, meaning that, technically speaking, it’s an Automated Manual Transmission, but rather a good one. We push the lever forwards, dip the throttle and head towards Budapest.
This is good; very good indeed. Up to a steady 90 kph, on with the cruise control, one hand on the wheel, another on the coffee cup. Cigarettes are close to hand, the sun is behind us and within 10 miles, we begin to wonder why we ever stopped doing this for a living. Driving does not get much better than this.
Back to earth with a bump; the Czech Republic is a fully-fledged member of he European Union, and with such things comes such things as the Czech version of Vosa. And a very sneaky portable weighbridge, which, despite the best efforts of the operator, fails to get us up into the collar feeling zone. Sprung from durance vile, we pull over to pass a Saipa-built Iranian registered FH12, which is wheezing up the hill in a manner suggesting a significant amount of shopping in the back. In the grand scheme of things, probably better we than he at the checkpoint, and so we give him a wave, prod the throttle and bank the karma. Just another day in transport.
It’s grey, and it’s empty, which means that it’s a border crossing. Go back twenty years, and these places were micro economies all of their own. Today, crossing from Slovakia into Hungary is a rather forlorn exercise. Road tax acquired, and we pass along the lines of the once bustling parade of agents’ offices. Today, the only real sign of a life is a bill board which, depending on the way you interpret it, is either suggesting caution with speed or getting one’s toe down. Hungarian is not a language that gives up its mysteries readily.
We celebrate the passing of another country by looking for something to do. The Actros is driving itself – or might just as well be – so we play about with the lumber support device in the driver’s seat. That done, we take a scan through the information panel accessed from the multi function steering wheel; this tells us we’ve done some miles today, but it doesn’t feel like it.
Smooth Suspension
Oh hullo – what’s going on here then? It seems that our leader prefers the road less travelled, and so we’re heading to Budapest via a rather more circuitous route than might have been anticipated. Off with the cruise control, off with the lane guard which begins to sound like the Shamen during one of their more frenetic phases as various white lines converge upon the magic eye’s retina. With a healing rhythmic synergy, we even get to use the steering wheel.
For a couple of hours, we push the new Actros around Hungary’s lesser-known roads. Up hill, down dale, once into a Tesco’s car park – no kidding – and over some road surfaces that might best be described as rural. This is where a truck begins to show its metal; after all, driving in a straight line along billiard table smooth roads is one thing, but making sense of what amounts to a ploughed field with a tarmac top is another. Suffice to say, the Actros comes through in one piece, as do our fillings, an observation that says much about the reworked suspension fitted to Merc’s latest.
Our Verdict
Two days, a large number of literary contemplations and a few hundred miles. That the latest incarnation of the Actros is a good truck is beyond doubt; to our mind, this is where the rest should be aiming. But we are left asking one question that remains unanswered – as yet. The new HDEP engine seems likely to arrive on these shores some time during 2010. How this truck performs with the new engine will be the ultimate test, but, until then, we suggest you enjoy the ride. There are few
better out there.
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