Fuel consumption reduced by up to 7% in addition to improved handling and driver comfort.
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - June 22, 2011
A new 2012 Actros on the dock.
Over the Road HD Trucks are on a constant improvement path as they continue to become more efficient, comfortable, safer, cleaner and quieter than ever before. And in Europe with the Euro VI emissions regulations soon to go into effect, the new Mercedes-Benz Actros not only meets the Euro VI limits but reduces fuel consumption at the same time.
The new Mercedes-Benz Actros
With a total investment of more than $1.4 Billion USD for the vehicle’s development, the new Mercedes-Benz Actros is the first truck to hit the road with a design that’s consistently in line with Euro VI requirements. Mercedes-Benz also invested more than $2.3 Billion USD for a new production location, equipment and tooling for the new Actros. The new offering has just one competitor, that being the predecessor in the form of the current Mercedes-Benz Actros MP3, of which more than 700,000 units have been sold to date making it the best-selling truck in Europe.
The new Actros has a new range of cabs, new engines, a new chassis, and a new design featuring eye-catching lighting units. The design reveals improved aerodynamic fine-tuning carried out during the 2,600 hours the model spent in the wind tunnel. The external dimensions of the cabs promise generous interior space for drivers to work, live, and relax in.
Fuel Economy -- Three to seven percent lower fuel consumption
Depending on its exhaust classification, the new Actros boasts either three to four percent (Euro VI), or six to seven percent (Euro V) lower diesel consumption than the current Actros MP3. This will likely make the new Actros the Euro VI long-distance haulage truck that most efficiently converts energy from diesel fuel into transportation performance in Europe.
Daimler is using the new powertrain generation from Mannheim for the Actros. The powertrain’s ultramodern technology, which includes the unique X-Pulse injection system, as well as exhaust gas recirculation, exhaust gas treatment with BlueTec SCR diesel technology, and a closed particulate filter, has been tried and tested by American and Japanese Daimler Trucks customers in more than 70,000 vehicles. Its reliability and great fuel economy have already helped Daimler brands to achieve major increases in market share in those countries.
The Market
Hubertus Troska, Head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks:
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“Although the European truck market still has not regained its pre-crisis level, we expect sales of trucks over six tons GVW to rise by at least 25 percent this year. That’s why we plan to increase global sales of Mercedes-Benz trucks by about 20 percent this year from their 2010 level of 135,000 units.”
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Enhanced reliability with up to 20 percent longer engine operating performance before an overhaul (740,000 miles) with minor maintenance intervals extended to as much as 90,000 miles. In addition, a cost reduction of up to six percent for the Complete service contract also help meet the current reality of owner/operators looking for improved fuel economy and lower total cost of ownership. As a result, the additional procurement costs for the Euro V version of the new truck can be recouped within two years. A similar result could be achieved with the Euro VI version if appropriate incentives are offered.
Handling
The new Actros is wider and more torsionally rigid with a new axle steering mechanism and a new steering system. Mercedes-Benz is also opening up a new chapter in safety systems through the introduction to the new Actros of the unique Proximity Control Assist system with a stop-and-go function that now automatically controls acceleration and braking in traffic jams - which makes things a lot easier when driving through cities or in stop-and-go traffic on highways.
Comfort
The interior of the new Actros has everything it takes to make an over the road trucker’s working day easier and also incorporates the results from the latest driver research studies. The latter have shown that relaxed drivers are not only much safer drivers but also use as much as a half gallon/day less fuel than other truckers. An ergonomic workstation and outstanding comfort right up to the best sleeping quality any truck can offer plays a major role. That’s why the railing with the control elements is built around the driver area in an easy-to-reach design. Examples of the various equipment possibilities range from the SoloStar Concept variant with a rounded corner relaxation area on the front passenger side to a driver seat with a massage feature and a level for precise adjustment of the bed position. The beds themselves can be as large as 7’-2” x 30” and come with a seven-zone cold-foam mattress that offers the great comfort of a high-quality bed at home.
New product range
Prospective European customers can begin ordering the new long-distance Actros from Mercedes-Benz on July 1, 2011; the production launch is scheduled for the end of September. The new truck program consists of semitrailer tractors and flatbed trucks in four output classes ranging from 421 HP to 510 HP and from 1,549 lb-ft. to 1,844 lb.-ft. of torque. There are seven cab variants with widths ranging from 7.5 to 8.2 ft.; five of these come with level floors the whole way through. Up to 11 different wheelbases are available with the two-axle chassis-cab.
12.5 million miles of prototype testing
The all-new pre-production Mercedes-Benz Actros was driven like no other truck before it. The model went through 12.5 million miles of real world testing from 104 degree Fahrenheit heat in the desert southwest of North America to - 40 degree Fahrenheit cold at the Arctic Circle, in tests on rough tracks and in practical trials on normal roads. A new Development and Testing Center was even built in Wörth to ensure top quality in the new truck generations. The current Actros has already proved its reliability so it makes sense that the new Actros generation should also remain true to the Mercedes-Benz pledge of “Trucks you can trust.”
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