Yes, simple big, naturally aspirated engine.
My problem with those Mercs was that they sounded like my Perkins V8. As described by Bill Keith of W Keith and Sons, Flookburgh. ‘A bag of nails, shaken’
The only V8 which sounded balanced to me was the Scania.
Having said all that, the Mercs seemed to perform OK, even in the extreme heat of the Saudi Sumer.
John