I Hvae been told that I am getting a new truck and assumed it would be another FH i shift but the rumours are going round that we may be getting some MB’s as well.
Not driven an Actros since a 51 plate,it had a foldaway clutch and the auto box was not good.
The Volvo auto is the best thing since sliced bread so my question is has anyone driven both lately,if so how does the Actros compare?
This post is to genuine auto drivers and not a debate from the die in the mud manual drivers please.
no comparison.the merc is a good box ( well i dont mind it ) its a bit slow you have plan in advance but i shift is best. as for trucks i would be bothered which i got. 
Disgo,
I think what’s best for you might depend on the type of work you are doing. For A-Road and around town work then I reckon that the Volvo has it hands down.
But for building site work, or muddy/off track, anything that’s not just “cruising” then latest MB probably has the edge.
At the end of the day, if you can get your boss to send you on either a Volvo or MB course on how to use your chosen 'box then you’ll get a lot more out of it anyway. With a lot of these things, learning how to use the gearbox properly, is 90% of the work done, as you’ll know how it thinks.
Look for Flying Fenman’s article on the course he did, in fact I reckon that might even have been MB thinking about it.
EDIT: - Just found it
Alex
The i-shift every day of the week sorry but its like going from a finely tuned gear change to a bag of old spanners. I dont think there is anything close to the i-shift put it in drive and let it do its job.
Volvo i shift without a doubt.
i shift is good box, but the new merc auto with no clutch is 100% better than that stupid merc box with the clutch it changes gears very prompt. all in all apart from the hard to use cruise control its a good truck. 
disgo:
The Volvo auto is the best thing since sliced bread so my question is has anyone driven both lately,if so how does the Actros compare?
Reckon this one’s got me name on it!!! 
I am lucky enough to have been on manufacturer hosted ‘train the trainer’ courses for both M-B (Telligent) and Volvo (I-Shift).
Firstly - both are excellent units so either way you are getting a decent bit of kit.
Volvo produce I-Shift and is a fully automated manual transmission. M-B produce Telligent which is available in both manual (with a clutch), and what they call ‘Auto-Trans’ (clutchless) versions.
If you get a Merc, you may well get a PowerShift 'box which is clutchless, and the newest of the two and operates in a very similar fashion to I-Shift. In fact M-B pinched the names for a few of the functions.
I’ve not driven a PowerShift but from what I’ve heard from those that have it is at least as good as I-Shift. I believe ellies dad has one too. I understand PowerShift has now replaced Telligent Auto-Trans, and may well be standard on the newly-revised Actros that is about to be launched.
Volvo I-Shift is excellent. Smooth, ‘on the ball’ and easy to live with. In my opinion, superior in every way to the AS-Tronic that MAN, DAF and Iveco buy in from ZF for their Automated Manual Transmission equipped vehicles.
I can only compare the M-B Telligent (which, remember, comes in both manual and ‘Auto-Trans’ guise) against the I-Shift and these are my opinions.
I-Shift is better than Telligent Auto-Trans - I-Shift is smoother and more ‘on the ball’ than than Auto-Trans.
M-B Telligent manual is excellent. In my opinion - the best manual 'box out there. But - you need guidance. I have met drivers who say they have been on one for three years, yet they don’t know about some of the tricks it can do. Cannot be fairly compared to I-Shift as it is not clutchless.
To sum up. If my work regularly took me into the middle of big towns and cities I think I’d appreciate an I-Shift. (Again, PowerShift sounds just as good but not driven one yet.) If not, I’d have the M-B Telligent manual. But I’d be well happy with either.
If you want to know anything more specific let me know. I got a bag full of books and DVDs from both manufacturers.
i shift was the best by far, the old Merc Autotrans was OK but slow, the new Merc Powershift is on a different level. Personnaly I don’t think there is anything to chose between them.
iv only drove a volvo fm with i shift and liked it alot for the few days i had it as for actros yet to drive full auto, i had a 57 plate actros other week with the clutch and gear box on arm rest took a while to get used to when stupid thing fired away telling me gear hadnt been selected. once used to it i liked it
flying_fenman:
Volvo I-Shift is excellent. Smooth, ‘on the ball’ and easy to live with. In my opinion, superior in every way to the AS-Tronic that MAN, DAF and Iveco buy in from ZF for their Automated Manual Transmission equipped vehicles.
Couldn’t agree more. Had a 07 MAN auto for a couple of weeks. Once you get it going it’s fairly good but you can’t ride it gentle - the only way to use it was foot to the floor. As for reverse … useless.
As for the Volvo v Merc. Haven’t driven the new Merc box but even though the Volvo is definately the smoothest of the two there is something about the Merc box that I like, whether with the clutch or without. It just felt more ‘sure-footed’.
Stan
Well i have an 1846 powershift 12. Ther are alot more gizmos on the merc than on i shift, however some of the functions overlap . For example driving on the limiter in 12 th gear your rpm is 1350(about 400-420 hp).
The following all have the same result
Turning on power mode
Kickdown on the accelerator
Both result in a cog down to 11 th gear your rpm is now 1650(about 456 hp) max power
The eco roll is probably gonna save frigall juice in the longrun but its really fast at re-engaging
The manouvering mode is a real gem.It’s so precise you couldn’t do better with a clutch.
The rocking mode i havent really used yet but it can only be useful.
On a personal note i choose this unit over a 480 ishift and although it won’t be as fast it has it in other ways. I have drove an autotrans merc and they were crap,crap,crap.
Whichever you get both are great but i am of the suspicion that volvos wouldn’t be so popular but for i-shift. Merc however had only the gearbox to master,and they have 
p.s. 12 gears are enough instead of 16 on the merc besides its 1000euro cheaper.