Introducing the Actros
One of the most popular long-haul trucks among South African transport operators, the Actros is the flagship of the Daimler Truck Southern Africa range of trucks. It was named the 2020 International Truck of the Year and it arrived in South Africa on June 18 of the same year. It is produced in the company’s East London plant, which has been in operation for 60 years. (Back in 1962, the first truck – an L-series Mercedes-Benz – rolled off the production line.)
The truck in a nutshell
The Actros 2652LS/33 is regarded as the first choice in a long-haul truck tractor for a non-dangerous goods operator running at 56 tonnes GCM looking for maximum efficiency on national routes.
Exterior
While this is an undeniably good-looking truck, there is one exterior feature that I simply adore, namely MirrorCam. The Actros has no mirrors on the side of the truck; they are replaced by MirrorCam, which not only offers less wind resistance and fuel savings, but also offers the driver a much better field of view than conventional mirrors. The MirrorCam is mounted on the A-pillars and supports the driver with special distance lines for better estimating following traffic and in manoeuvring, cornering or changing lanes, for example. The absence of conventional mirrors considerably improves all-round visibility.
The Actros is the world’s first mass-produced truck to boast this feature. We love this feature because MirrorCam really does work far better than mirrors. It takes a couple of kilometres to get used to the cameras – and then you’re sold for life. Plus, MirrorCam doesn’t just make the driver’s life easier; it makes transport operators terribly happy too – because MirrorCam can cut fuel consumption by up to 1.5%. And, with the fuel price going through the roof, any feature that can lower fuel consumption is the best news ever.
In September this year, we will see a new and improved MirrorCam on the Daimler stand at the IAA; watch this space for more details.
Interior
The interior of the Actros is great; it is both plush and practical. All the finishes are very high-end and, as can be expected from an enormously efficient German designer, all the controls are exactly where you expect them to be. The truck’s interior received universal praise from the International Truck of the Year jury and it’s really not hard to understand why; it ticks all the boxes. I especially like the Multimedia Cockpit (it looks somewhat futuristic). Oh, and the bed is super comfortable; I test drove it too – and I could easily have nodded off. This feature is not to be sniffed at; a well-rested driver is a safer driver!
Drivetrain
The Actros 2652LS/33 is powered by the 15,6 litre OM473 six in-line engine equipped with a turbo-compound system that recovers up to 30kW of energy from the exhaust gas that would otherwise just leave the exhaust pipe as a combination of heat and noise. In addition to delivering more than enough power (drive it fully loaded; you won’t even notice it), this engine is good at slowing also because it is equipped with a high-performance engine compression brake, allowing for more downhill speed without compromising safety or control.
Speaking of downhill speed, that’s exactly what you’re guaranteed with the Actros, thanks to my second favourite feature: Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC). There’s no other way of putting it; PPC is amazing – because it pre-emptively accelerates and decelerates the truck for best fuel economy when running in cruise control based on the vehicle’s instantaneous position using 3D map data.
Yours truly isn’t the world’s greatest truck driver. Far from it. I don’t drive often enough and maybe I don’t have the necessary skills anyway. I certainly don’t have the patience that is required to be an economical truck driver. But I’m 100% confident that, thanks to PPC, I’m not half bad when behind the wheel of the Actros. That’s because the cruise control manipulates the throttle as if the truck were driven by an expert driver who knows a route intimately despite the truck never having travelled the route before. It can turn a novice or useless driver (enter exhibit A, me) into one who is both productive and fuel-efficient. Fuel savings of up to 5% can be achieved! Now that’s really smart.
Transmission
The power plant is matched to a 12-speed G281 transmission with an output retarder and a direct top gear that turns a pair of RT440 hypoid reduction rear axles with a 2.86:1 axle ratio.
Safety
The Actros 2652LS/33 is one of the safest trucks around. While the greatest safety feature of any truck will always be an alert, healthy and competent driver, driving with a good sense of anticipation and pre-planning, this Mercedes-Benz does also offer that driver a host of gadgets and tech to get him or her out of sticky situations. These include a driver airbag, Attention Assist (warns the driver if he exhibits fatigued driving behaviour), Lane Keeping Assist (a feature all professional drivers turn off; personally, I love it), Proximity/Distance Control (in order to maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle in front of you) and ABS (legislated).
Speaking of brakes, there is also Active Brake Assist 5 with pedestrian recognition feature below 50km/h. (This system warns the driver of a collision and, if the driver fails to react, then autonomous braking is applied when the vehicle realizes a collision is imminent, to hopefully prevent a collision, but at worst mitigate the severity thereof). Disc brakes on all wheels also reduce stopping distances compared to drum brakes in an emergency.
Finally, there is ASR (prevents wheel spin on loose or slippery surfaces) and Stability Control Assist (de-throttles the vehicle and selectively applies brakes when a vehicle enters a turn too quickly to try and avoid getting the vehicle into a skid).
Verdict
The list price for this Actros is R2 712 954 which, as we all know, is pretty meaningless (because discounts normally apply). It comes with a one-year unlimited warranty for the complete vehicle and a five-year/650 000 km driveline warranty. Our verdict? Quite honestly, any vehicle that wins Truck Test has been given the ultimate stamp of approval; following scientific testing, it’s been rated the most exceptional truck in South Africa. And that’s good enough for us!
