On March 31st I was dragged kicking and screaming (nearly) from my 05 FH12 i shift 460 and given my new 2546 MB Powershift megaspace for April 1st.
Here are my views after driving it for a month.
4 steps to climb up instead of 3 and for a start I kept forgetting and half fell down several times.
Seat is more comfortable as is the overall ride.
Vision is much better,particularly with the mirrors,you do not have those horrible blind spots behind the mirrors that you get with the FH,although the wide angle mirrors are not quite as good as the FH.
Good to have armrests back again and where the Actros scores is the lower arm rest with gear lever on folds right back out of the way unlike the i shift even folded down got in your way.
Totally flat walk through floor,no hump like FH.
Mattress on lower bunk is a proper one like at home not foam.
top bunk is the widest and because of the angle and width when it is folded up you bang your head on it when getting out of lower bed.(Perhaps it’s true about the size of my head!).
The interior lights are much better.
Even though there are no lockers above the top bunk I have more storge space in the Actros.(because the top side lockers are so high I have to stand on wheel to reach into them!).
What about the nitty gritty?
As yet it does not pull as well as FH uphill.
The powershift works well but it is not quite an i shift.For instance pulling up Corley hill 44t it will change down to 11 then 10 then decide to go back to 11then 10.I always found the i shift would choose the exact gear it wanted.
Now the worst bit - downhill!!
We are now limited to 85kph (more later) and if you are in cruise control at the top of the hill as you go down the hill it will go into eco roll only as fast as 89kph then it will go back into gear and then slow you down to 85kph as soon as it can(watch out if you are in an FH eco rolling close behind!)
If you are on the accelerator top of hill doing 85 kph then lift off going down the hill it will eco roll to 89kph then go back into gear but providing you have remembered to press the switch on the dashboard (that resets to 5kph every time you switch off )up to the max of 15kph it will let the momentum of the vehicle keep going,I dont know if it will go up to 100kph as I don’t want overspeed yet.
Exhaust brake is crap compared to FH.Position 1 will change noise of engine,position 2 gives you more noise really no retardation until you apply footbrake then whoosh it downshifts and does ■■■■■■ but it is not smooth.The FH you could control your speed no problem with exhaust brake particularly if you pulled it back into position b.
Fuel consumption is better than FH.We pull 15ft high curtain siders that have the aerodynamics of a brick wall,mixture of light and full weights,and this month have avereraged 8.6mph.I have had over 10mpg out of it on 3 occasions light work and empty.The FH’s have been cut back to 85kph as well and the Actros is over half a mile to gallon better at this stage.
After a month which set of keys would I pick up if it was a choice ?----------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The ACTROS.
As an aside this 85kph limited speed debate,my view after a month is no problem.It is relaxing(not boring or sleepy),it does not add that much to journey times and when you see all these trucks going past you nose to tail,side by side I just think I am glad I am not in that lot waiting for a crash to happen.
I just wish some drivers would not take my mirrors off when they pull back in after overtaking me,after all it was their choice whether to start the overtake or not and sit in lane 2 all that while.Hell I even get Tesco’s overtake me now - am I bov v ered?
The end -so far.
nice read that.
my axor is limited to 84kph +51 mph on the satnav and i find my powershift behaves exactly the same as yours on hills.i would be interested to see if it downchanges on hills as fast as it does if the limiter was upped to 90kph.
the axor does,nt have the eco roll, but it has the hill start/roll back thing and the shunt button.
what did scare me though is the fact you can start the enginge via the gear lever.
i had my ignition on but was making up my bunk, i had the armrest and gearlever folded back and i leant onto and the engine started. scared the bejusus out of me.
really pleased you like your new actros , i think they are great trucks especially if you are spending all week away in them.
I was dissapointed you liked the actros, i’m in an fh all week 
Weewulliewinkie…Is it a high spinning engine, in other words do you have to keep revs up ? Also did you by any chance used to run out of Ayr for compaq computors?
disgo:
Seat is more comfortable as is the overall ride.
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I agree about the seat but the overall ride is crud you have no confidence in bendy A roads compared to a DAF or VOLVO
The steering is vague and distant at best and the lock to lock is ludicrous ive tried to count the revolutions but lost count, so when your having to do a difficult reverse manouver your arm is about ready to drop off by the time your finished
disgo:
Vision is much better,particularly with the mirrors,you do not have those horrible blind spots behind the mirrors that you get with the FH,although the wide angle mirrors are not quite as good as the FH.
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Agreed
disgo:
Good to have armrests back again and where the Actros scores is the lower arm rest with gear lever on folds right back out of the way .
I dont use the arm rests my self but they are well adjustable and comfy enough
The gear shift arm rest is an excellent feature though i agree
disgo:
Totally flat walk through floor,no hump like FH.
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Is a downside if you ask me and shows very little practical thought went into it
Why you ask … Simple… As soon as you open the drivers door the wind blows all the [zb] that has come off your boots or sarnies/biscuits or whatever right across the whole floor and that middle carpet is a ■■■■■ to brush off and i dont have a vacuum cleaner
If they had done what they did with the Scanias and 105 XF’s and left a slight step (about a couple of inches) then at least all the crud is contained within your drivers footwell and easy to brush out
disgo:
Mattress on lower bunk is a proper one like at home not foam.
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I cant sleep on the bottom bunk its just too narrow and cramped (unless you tilt seats forward) and to be honest i didnt find it too comfy when i tried it once in fact i gave up after an hour or so and got up and put all my bedding on the top and have stayed there ever since
disgo:
top bunk is the widest .
And very very very comfy but getting in and out is a cow and that stupid step thing that pops out is a waste of space “Hello Mercedes ever heard of a LADDER!!!”
disgo:
The interior lights are much better.
.
Agreed but i dislike the green ambient lights should be red i reckon
disgo:
Even though there are no lockers above the top bunk I have more storge space in the Actros.(because the top side lockers are so high I have to stand on wheel to reach into them!).
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Again agreed more space than i know what to do with and i like the fold out table in the top drawer
disgo:
As yet it does not pull as well as FH uphill.
.
And probably never will
disgo:
Exhaust brake is crap .
arn’t most these days
disgo:
which set of keys would I pick up if it was a choice ?----------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The ACTROS.
I’d sooner the keys to a Massey 35x to be honest (loads of space and aircon in summer and shower in the winter 
)
Some people are never happy,eh REEF 
Theres two types of drivers behind the wheel of an Actros. Driver one that does understand his machine and driver two who doesnt.
Click on’ the insider’ the 2544 roadtest. The guy that roadtested it claims the cruise control has a mind of its own 
it doesnt, thers two ways of using it and like some drivers he decided to do things his way and ended up lookin stupid
Unlike some,Merc have put alot of accesories on there trucks and all you need to do is become aware of them.Its up to you after that to decide wether you want to use them or not.
My 46 was hard to utilise on hills at the start but now i have the hang of it.
Disgo, i dont know if yours is 12 or 16 speed but mine is 12. At 90 kph the engine runs at 1280rpm.That means im producing around 390 hp. If i see a hill i go down to 11th gear which means i now spin at 1550rpm (445hp)
Now driver 1 and driver 2 can drive the same truck with the same load up the same hill and guess who’ll get to the top first.
When i started driving 10 years ago, i was a Scania man thru and thru. I thought Mercs were dirt and based this on speculation only.Nowadays i’ve seen the light 
I think a diary on the powershift is needed on here,coming soon
[Is a downside if you ask me and shows very little practical thought went into it
Why you ask … Simple… As soon as you open the drivers door the wind blows all the [zb] that has come off your boots or sarnies/biscuits or whatever right across the whole floor and that middle carpet is a ■■■■■ to brush off and i dont have a vacuum cleaner
If they had done what they did with the Scanias and 105 XF’s and left a slight step (about a couple of inches) then at least all the crud is contained within your drivers footwell and easy to brush out
Just pick the carpet up and give it a shake out of the door. Bit awkward i know but easier than brushing.
And very very very comfy but getting in and out is a cow and that stupid step thing that pops out is a waste of space “Hello Mercedes ever heard of a LADDER!!!”
There’s a bar running across the sun roof which i use to haul myself up onto the top bunk.
ellies dad:
Some people are never happy,eh REEF
Theres two types of drivers behind the wheel of an Actros. Driver one that does understand his machine and driver two who doesnt.
Oh i understand the machine alright ive been driving them for the best part of the last 2 years and while i accept that they have some very good well thought out points they also have some bad not so well thought out points, its not that i dont know how to drive it its just that i prefer some of the other marques
At the end of the day my post was all about my personal preference and observations alongside and in comparison to Disgo’s if you dont like it dont read it 
I really dont understand the point your trying to make maybe it’s just a feeble attempt to have a half arsed go at me?? 
DaiDap:
Just pick the carpet up and give it a shake out of the door. Bit awkward i know but easier than brushing.
That doesn’t work with my carpet ( my old 06 or my new 08 ) i think my carpets must have been made from recycled velcro
Reef:
ellies dad:
Some people are never happy,eh REEF
Theres two types of drivers behind the wheel of an Actros. Driver one that does understand his machine and driver two who doesnt.Oh i understand the machine alright ive been driving them for the best part of the last 2 years and while i accept that they have some very good well thought out points they also have some bad not so well thought out points, its not that i dont know how to drive it its just that i prefer some of the other marques
At the end of the day my post was all about my personal preference and observations alongside and in comparison to Disgo’s if you dont like it dont read it
I really dont understand the point your trying to make maybe it’s just a feeble attempt to have a half arsed go at me??
Definitely not having a go at REEF for the record
Sorry for using you as an example but, as you have a right to an opinion-i have a right to defend.
Nothing personal i hope REEF 
ellies dad:
Definitely not having a go at REEF for the record
Sorry for using you as an example but, as you have a right to an opinion-i have a right to defend.
Nothing personal i hope REEF
Fair enough E D i got the wrong end of the stick then nope nothing personal
I agree with everything you say…except…
disgo:
As yet it does not pull as well as FH uphill.
I bet you a large bacon n egg french stick and a cuppa tea it does. You probably just need to keep her wound up a bit more.
You looking for jockeys at the moment by any chance■■?
Really pleased you’re getting on well with the new truck.
The Actros MegaSpace is the ultimate motor as far as I am concerned. So user friendly and so comfy and easy to live with. Mine is ‘only’ a 2546 Long Distance, and I find being out all week in that no hardship!!
Generally (though not always), I find the only people who don’t like Actros are those who’ve not tried an MP2, or those who wouldn’t be seen dead in anything but a Scania Topline!!!
Or those that just don’t know how to drive one properly - like I didn’t used to.
flying_fenman:
I agree with everything you say…except…disgo:
As yet it does not pull as well as FH uphill.
I bet you a large bacon n egg french stick and a cuppa tea it does. You probably just need to keep her wound up a bit more.
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Nah i’m afraid i’m gonna have to agree with disgo here. Mercs just don’t pull - never have.
Even 20 odd years ago riding shotgun with my dad, whenever we came up
against the back end of a slow moving line of traffic, guaranteed there’d be a Merc at the front of it!
flying_fenman:
I agree with everything you say…except…disgo:
As yet it does not pull as well as FH uphill.
I bet you a large bacon n egg french stick and a cuppa tea it does. You probably just need to keep her wound up a bit more.
You looking for jockeys at the moment by any chance■■?
Really pleased you’re getting on well with the new truck.
The Actros MegaSpace is the ultimate motor as far as I am concerned. So user friendly and so comfy and easy to live with. Mine is ‘only’ a 2546 Long Distance, and I find being out all week in that no hardship!!
Generally (though not always), I find the only people who don’t like Actros are those who’ve not tried an MP2, or those who wouldn’t be seen dead in anything but a Scania Topline!!!
Or those that just don’t know how to drive one properly - like I didn’t used to.
You can have my topliner for a bowl of rice and a conker!
its cack. I`ve been in a megaspace but only driven one around the yard. They seem well designed inside(unlike the swedish bedford).
We all have different opinions of what is the best truck, now i’ll add my opinion. I drove a mega space to germany, best I was ever in for space and gadgets, drove a scania, best i ever drove to pull, cramped though.
Drove a eurotech, a pig to drive but pulled well.
Drove an sk 1844 to france, good room for the class of truck, bad to pull but was bullit proof.
An sk1635 - wouldn’t pull you out of bed, but loved the eps, was the first electronic gear change I drove, it was a 1987, well over a million on clock and never gave an ounce of trouble.
So my conclusion is that every truck has good points and bad points, none perfect, I’d love a truck with the a mega space cab, a scania 580 engine, and an actros box, and a daf engine brake !
It’s all down to preference and the sort of work your on.
The only way to get an Actros to pull is to wind it up in plenty of time. If you see the slightest hint of a climb get down a cog before it. I’m lucky 'cos I’m on the same route all the time, so I know where and when to get ready 