The 1997 Truck of the Year (IToY) competition saw a comfortable third win for Mercedes-Benz with the high-tech Actros.
Looking back, the Actros provided the concept for the modern-day truck with a host of new electronic features and engineering guaranteed to catch the judges’ attention with 76 votes, but Renault’s Premium scored a creditable 57, with a mere 12 votes going to Scania for the remaining classes of 1996’s winning 4-series.
The Actros project was initiated in principle in 1990, born of the realisation that the 1973 NG-derived cab had reached the limit of its potential, and full development started in 1992. With a £780m investment, the project had a very ambitious scope and every aspect the range was included, leading to new engines, gear-shifting, brakes and “Telligent” electronic architecture in addition to the cabs.
The design brief also included an ambition to reduce the parts inventory by nearly 75% across the entirety of the truck range, affording the manufacturer the economies of scale to provide operator value in a price-sensitive market. Lighter vehicles and longer service intervals – up to 120,000km in certain applications – were also designed in for competitive advantage.
Two new engines were introduced – the OM501LA 12-litre V6, rated at 313hp, 354hp, 394hp or 428hp, and the OM502LA 16-litre V8 rated at 476hp, 530hp or 571hp. The new engines featured unit injection and a much-improved engine brake, and with the V6 offering a considerable weight-saving over its 8-cylinder predecessor, and the big new V8 being compact enough to provide for a flat floor.
The new Telligent gear-shifting system was applied to the Mercedes 16-speed gearbox in two alternative forms. The standard shift used a short lever which was pressed forward or back to select shifts with a switch for spilt shifts. This system retained a clutch pedal, but the Telligent Automatic system offered clutch-less shifting, although a foldable “emergency pedal” was incorporated.
Electronically controlled disc brakes were standard all round and this was a first for a manufacturer, offering much-improved stopping distances over non-electronic disc braking. A new, lighter, four-bag air suspension was standard on the rear axle, and this too was electronically controlled to self-level.
The new cabs were a full 2.5m wide and offered a significant increase in space over the outgoing SK models. Offered in day, standard sleeper or high-roof sleeper specifications, the designers cleverly adapted the modular principle to also include the flat-floor MegaSpace option. Access, dash information and stowage space were all regarded as significant improvements, but the seat fabric – a curious 1980’s-like combination of red, blue and purple – caused some raised eyebrows.
Co-ordination of the 26 electronic sub-systems was undertaken by Mercedes’ own Control Area Network data-bus “CANbus” system whose Telligent brand name signified a combination of telecommunications and intelligence. Twent-first century trucking arrived with the Actros, and the IToY judges were going to hear plenty more from this German icon.
Words & Pics supplied by Richard Stanier. Credit IToY
The 1857 was the flagship Actros – the V8 engine developed 571hp with 2,700Nm torque and there was 1.9m of standing room in the MegaSpace cab.