I was filling up the car the other day and a new actros pulled in for fuel. I walked over and asked the driver what it was like. He said “Hop in and have a look around”
I jumped in and thought where is the gear stick? He pointed out what I thought was an arm rest that thats the gear stick. He says that it is a pile of crap and is not driver freindly.The truck had a clutch but he reckons it would change into gears on it’s own . meaning he would put it into the gear he waned but it would go into something else. He also says that you have to look at the dash to tell you what gear your in and depending where your arm/ hands are on the wheel you may not know.
If he had said to me take it for a drive I probably would’nt even be able to start it. Why do truck companies make such driver unfreindly trucks?
Had to do an assesment in one yesterday, it was bad enough having some grumpy **** sitting there watching every move without having to deal with that box.
If you’re too fast on the change it doesnt slide in, as I found out
Get used to it after a while round town, and you can preselect you next gear which then selects on the clutch press. Also theres a ‘paddle’ below the gar lever that lets you shift up/down half a stage at a time.
Going to be driving them till Xmas now, so hopefully get the hang of the thing
Sorry guys but cant disagree more the actross is one of the more driver friendly trucks out there !
The box is very smooth as long as you dont try to jump to many gears and yes it will give you a wee beep and rattel if you try change to quick , honest after half a day you will find it so easy to use ,
The cab is very well layed out and has a good comfort level !
Fallmonk:
Sorry guys but cant disagree more the actross is one of the more driver friendly trucks out there !
The box is very smooth as long as you dont try to jump to many gears and yes it will give you a wee beep and rattel if you try change to quick , honest after half a day you will find it so easy to use ,
The cab is very well layed out and has a good comfort level !
SWraith:
One word springs to mind about the new Actros… Marmite… you either love them or hate them, I’m in the latter I’m afraid.
And just to prove SWraith’s point I love 'em. Very honest and straight-forward auto box.
Fallmonk:
Sorry guys but cant disagree more the actross is one of the more driver friendly trucks out there !
The box is very smooth as long as you dont try to jump to many gears and yes it will give you a wee beep and rattel if you try change to quick , honest after half a day you will find it so easy to use ,
The cab is very well layed out and has a good comfort level !
SWraith:
One word springs to mind about the new Actros… Marmite… you either love them or hate them, I’m in the latter I’m afraid.
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And just to prove SWraith’s point I love 'em. Very honest and straight-forward auto box.
used to be a semi auto and a full auto if i remember right. on the semi you nudged the lever forward or back and then dipped the clutch while the full auto was just that only with a clutch pedal folded up under the dash for emergency purposes. although i thought the more recent models were full autos. someone like fallmonk or ellies dad would know better. by the way how picky are some drivers nowadays,wouldnt drive this,wouldnt drive that,cupholders too small,dont like the colour of the seats,truck dosent steer and change gear itself etc.
glenman:
by the way how picky are some drivers nowadays,wouldnt drive this,wouldnt drive that,cupholders too small,dont like the colour of the seats,truck dosent steer and change gear itself etc.
I’ll drive anything given to me, bar the new '08 Actros.
beattun:
going on the original posters comments that sounds like an older actros, sounds like mine in fact, which is 9 years old
and theyre not at all driver unfriendly, nice little cruising machine to be honest
Glad you said that. The driver was a mult drop agency driver and added that the act was useless around town but may be ok for cruising down the autoroutes in Euro land. It was brand spanking with all the trimmings. Talking about the cup holder, another sore point it was at an angle so if you had a drink it would be on the floor in no time
beattun:
going on the original posters comments that sounds like an older actros, sounds like mine in fact, which is 9 years old
and theyre not at all driver unfriendly, nice little cruising machine to be honest
Glad you said that. The driver was a mult drop agency driver and added that the act was useless around town but may be ok for cruising down the autoroutes in Euro land. It was brand spanking with all the trimmings. Talking about the cup holder, another sore point it was at an angle so if you had a drink it would be on the floor in no time
Dont know where he gets this from we have about 20 actros’s all doing multi drops in towns with L/H cabs , with the teligent gear boxs
I can only speak for myself, but i think the new Actros is great motor, im on my second one and cant really think of anything i dont like about it. Ive had Dafs Scanias etc etc and think the new Mercs are as good as anything, especially the big roomy cab,mines a MegaSpace and im more than happy with it.
This crops up every now and again-love it,hate it… it’s choice i s’pose. I like the Merc, good on the hills and the most economical truck i ever drove.
The interior is second to none everything is first class.
The gears are a sore spot im afraid,you cant have your cake and eat it,a child can change gears in a Merc but he needs a little patience and alot of practice The telligent is a manual box with a pedal. Autotrans is the auto version with a fold away clutch(best avoided) and besides it is over 10 years old. Powershift is the new auto and its up there with the best of em,so Merc finally have a top class gearbox.
This is the way i look at it,i was in Liverpool today with afriend,he was lookin at on '04 R420 ,we took it for a spin and holy funk.The gears where pure s"+*! i would dread havin to mess about with that stick for 10 hours a day.
SWraith:
One word springs to mind about the new Actros… Marmite… you either love them or hate them, I’m in the latter I’m afraid…
Me too, but only because the retarder is pants ( a better one is available but not specced on our vehicles when ordered…cost I assume ) I also cant get comfy in the seat, the dash computer has a mind of its own and you need to be 7’ 6" to reach into the side bins from outside ! We run new Actros and 440 FH Volvos and I`d go for the Swedish baby every time…just personal choice…each to his/her own
I don’t think there is a modern truck out there today that is so misunderstood. Certainly regarding the transmission. Most drivers I’ve heard slagging the Telligent gearbox off in truckstops haven’t got a clue how to use it properly.
I think it is a fantastic piece of kit.
The updated model that has just been lauched looks absolutely fantastic to me Particularly the bunk that can be adjusted to compensate for parking on slopes. I’ve not driven one yet, however my last Actros (a ‘55’ plate) was one of the best motors to drive and to live in that I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a few.
I’d swap my 7 week old FH for an MP2 Actros (‘04’ plate on) without a second thought.
chippy:
He says that it is a pile of crap and is not driver freindly
Yep that just about sums up the entire truck, gearbox and changing mechanism is a total peice of crap, suspension system is to soft, feels like your going to tip over on everycorner, (fast or slow), seats are most uncomfortable than on any truck, even worse than a Daf
Something that i also found totally uneccessary is the clicking (relay) sound everytime you change gear, and when it does go in properly it’s click, click, click, click, click, click, bleeeeep, the most annoying ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ truck i’ve ever had the displeasure to drive, scores 1 out of a 100 for having rubber tyres and a roof
willie_mac:
Flying Fenman…How should the gearbox be used then ?
For a start - pre-select. Particularly when going up the box. Think about the next gear you are engaging before you do it. On the flat you should aim land the revs as close to 1080 rpm as possible when you change up, but not below 1080 rpm. Rev to 1800 rpm and then block change as many gears as you can to drop the revs down to 1080 rpm. Each half gear is worth about 200 rpm, so a gear and a half will drop you from 1800 to about 1200 rpm and that is about right. On the flat or a downhill I’d go for two whole gears when not too heavy. Uphill, I’d just shift up one whole gear unless on a very steep hill and/or when running heavy. You get the feel of it, but the idea is to make as few gear changes as possible.
You may find this diary I did of my Actros training worth a look?
Me too, but only because the retarder is pants ( a better one is available but not specced on our vehicles when ordered…cost I assume ) I also can
