INGENUITY DRIVES ACTROS
MERCEDES-BENZ has launched the new Actros; the first ever truck in Australia with cameras for mirrors.
In fact, the new Actros is the first vehicle on Australian roads to replace traditional mirrors with mirrors – full stop. No carmaker has yet managed this technological feat, not Tesla, not Rolls Royce and not even … Mercedes-Benz. So much for the idea that truck technology has to lag behind that of cars.
The MirrorCam feature, which is not standard, but an option on the Benz heavy hauler, is the headline grabber for the updated version of the truck. That said, there are plenty of other improvements Mercedes-Benz says will ‘markedly’ reduce fuel consumption on a truck that became known in the industry as a fuel miser after its 2016 Australian introduction.
One key fuel saver is the Predictive Powertrain Control system that uses topographic map data to help the truck anticipate terrain and select the optimum shift pattern and engine response for maximum fuel economy.
The brains behind the brawn have been improved, but the Actros engine HDEP hardware remains largely unchanged. Every single Actros model is Euro 6-rated and the heavy versions run 13-litre or 16-litre with
