Feature: 2014 Mercedes-Benz Trucks Drive Day

As an introduction to the Mercedes-Benz truck range and indeed the Mercedes-Benz brand, a factory drive day is hard to beat

It's not every day I deliberately attempt to roll a truck and trailer. Nor can I recall the last time I was asked to force a van into a spin, or to trust a prime mover to brake for me as a car in front suddenly slams on its anchors. As for barrelling around a closed circuit in a sportscar, the calm, conversational tone of the pro driver behind the wheel in stark contrast to the blurring scenery, well – that was another 'pinch me' moment, too.

Yes, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz Trucks Drive Day Experience was full of surprises. Held at Queensland's Mount Cotton driver training facility and proving ground over August 14-15, the event saw 95 customers, dealers and staff treated to a memorable showcase of the Mercedes-Benz brand.

Presently an annual affair, the event sees attendees pass through in two waves over two days, with people rotating through four different 'stations' each day.

Andrew Assimo, National Sales & Product Manager, Mercedes-Benz Truck & Bus, says the motivation behind the concept is simple.

"These events allow our customers to understand what Mercedes-Benz offers as a product range," he says.

"There's perhaps a perception that we have a single-trailer focus but we have a hell of a lot more to offer than that, and certainly in our prime mover range. It's a matter of showing those products off and what better way to do so than with a load of trucks in the safety of a controlled environment."

It was also a great opportunity for Mercedes-Benz to introduce customers to its expanded line-up of internal staff – the company has undergone a significant transformation over the past six to 12 months, experiencing a major restructure and adopting a fresh approach to the Australian market.

According to Justin Whitford (pictured, at lectern), General Manager, Mercedes-Benz Truck & Bus, it's the dawn of a new era for the company.

"For the first time we've actually got the resources on the ground to do the job, which is exciting – it's a vastly different team," he said.

You can read more about the changes in trucksales.com.au's recent interview with Mr Whitford.

ROCK 'N' ROLL

The four stations each highlight a separate aspect of the brand and its products. My first port of call is the road circuit, assembled to showcase the flagship Actros family of prime movers. Here I could sample a variety of cab and engine configurations in single-trailer, B-double, tipper-and-dog and even road-train-double formats, guiding each over the interesting mix of corners and gradients Mount Cotton offers.

However, first I jump in an Actros 2655 mated to a 'stability trailer' – a curtain-sider fitted with 'stability arms' to prevent the trailer from tipping over. The trailer has been provided by leading driver training specialist DECA (Driver Education Centre of Australia) and it's usually used in its Rollover Prevention and Stability Program – a unique safety course offered by DECA at its Shepparton campus in Victoria.

The task? Build speed around the oval circuit and then wrench on the wheel to provoke a rollover. With some encouragement from Mercedes-Benz State Field Manager (Qld) Brett Couzens, I do as I'm bid and attempt to tip the world sideways. However, in this instance my efforts are thwarted by Telligent Roll Control – a standard safety feature ever ready to intervene.

It takes into account the camber of the road, the vehicle's speed and data gleaned from a steering angle sensor and a yaw-rate sensor. If the numbers don't add up the system initially reduces the throttle, but if things are really going pear-shaped it independently brakes the relevant wheels on both the prime mover and trailer to keep the rubber side down.

While I was expecting a bit of Terminator 2-style big-rig action, in reality the system is so refined its intervention is actually pretty subdued.

"People go, 'Oh, that wasn't very dramatic', but you don't want the drama," says Couzens.

Telligent Roll Control steps in before a real-life situation becomes a major incident.

The system is permanently on, a guardian angel of sorts, waiting to step in to protect the driver and what is, for road freight operators, a major asset.

It's one of a suite of 'Telligent' safety systems developed by Mercedes-Benz, both standard and optional, which ultimately seek to protect human life. A stability control package has been a standard feature on Mercedes-Benz trucks since 2010, while ABS brakes have been around for far longer than that. It's an electronic braking system too, also with traction control, while other standard features include hill-start assist, brake assist (which brakes the vehicle autonomously in the event of a collision), an ECE-R-29-rated cab and driver's SRS airbag, among others.

While the safety technology in the cars usually filters down to the trucks, that's not always the natural order of progression. "We've had some of these technologies in trucks before the cars," says Andrew Assimo, referring to the Brake Assist autonomous braking technology.

"Sure the cars advanced it more quickly, but it was first introduced in trucks."

ACTROS ATTACK

Disaster duly averted at the stability track, I turned my attention from the DECA rig to the fleet of Actros prime movers at the road circuit station. Each of the four available configurations of course had their own nuances, but it was more the prevailing overall themes that impressed – the quiet and exceedingly comfortable cabs, the logically placed controls, the array of clever features and the ease with which each loaded truck accomplished its task.

At the big end of town, the Actros 2660 made light work of the 70-odd tonnes of road train double it was hauling, the V8's 600hp and 2800Nm, 16-speed Powershift automated manual transmission and hub-reduction axles carrying the 36-metre rig with aplomb.

The Megaspace sleeper cab – Mercedes-Benz's largest – lives up to its name; it's spacious even a lanky 188cm sort like myself.

The road train double and then the B-double (the latter with Actros 2655 – as in 550hp – hauling 50 tonnes) gave an excellent insight into the Voith Retarder that's a part of Mercedes-Benz's optional safety pack. The safety pack is a $13,000 extra comprising Telligent Proximity Control (an adaptive cruise control that maintains a set distance between the truck and the vehicle it's following), Telligent Lane Assistant (a lane departure warning system) and the Voith Retarder.

The Voith Retarder offers auxiliary braking force of up to 3500Nm, with the extra assistance metered out over five progressive stages via a stalk on the right of the steering column.

Coming down the steepish hill to the main marshalling area, the road train double and the B-double both maintained steady constant progress down the gradient. Unlike some auxiliary brake systems you only have the Voith Retarder active when you need it – it won't skip-shift through the transmission if you don't – but it provides plenty of reassurance and takes a little of the strain out of driving.

The Powershift 2 12-speed automated manual transmission was also impressive, affording super-smooth and rapid shifts between ratios with barely a blip in forward progress. As several attendees who had never previously driven a truck remarked, driving an Actros was about as easy as driving your average car – just with a little extra weight and size!

After the road circuit it was on to the skid pan, where it's time for some fun behind the wheel of Mercedes-Benz's top-selling light commercial van, the Sprinter. Over a wet and greasy figure-eight course the expert steerers from the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy show us how the LCV's stability control, anti-lock brakes and traction control deliver a package that's virtually impossible to spin. It's clever stuff, and it works.

"These vehicles now think for you [in an emergency] and more importantly they think faster than you – it will engage [safety] systems before you've even had a chance to come off the throttle," says Guy Stewart, one of the Academy's senior instructors.

And for anyone who wasn't revved up by slinging a van around the course, a few follow-up laps as a passenger in an E400 Mercedes-Benz coupe, Academy staffer at the wheel, was the perfect remedy – a 245kW twin-turbo V6 can do that!

After a banquet lunch it was down to the Safety station for closer look at the many safety features incorporated into an Actros 2660.

The black box positioned low on the truck's front grille is actually a radar; it shoots out an arc of coverage for about 150 metres on a 45-degree angle either side of the truck. It detects other vehicles, people, animals and obstructions, working in conjunction with the brake assist and adaptive cruise control features.

The brake assist function will autonomously brake the vehicle to prevent an impending collision. It doesn't bring the truck to a complete stop but it's certainly sufficient for a driver to avert a potential disaster. I discover this for myself when a Mercedes-Benz staffer in a passenger car deliberately hits the picks in front me, the Actros instantly washing off speed.

Mount Cotton's main straight was just long enough to see the Telligent Lane Assistant in action. When active (the system can be switched off), a camera on the windscreen senses the contrast between the road and the white lane markings either side of the vehicle. When you drift over either of those lines, the speaker on the relevant side of the cab emits a loud rumble-strip sound, spurring the dozing driver into action.

DIRTY DEEDS

Rounding out the day is the off-road station, where a strop through the bush in a G-class Wagon and then a Unimog awaits.

The wagon is a prototype of the G Professional that will become available to the general public in the next year or so, and it's essentially very similar to the 3000-odd military-spec vehicles bought by the Australian Army. With centre, front and rear diff locks, a 1.2-metre fording ability and a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, this rugged workhorse is capable and robust – and compact enough to thread itself through places where a Humvee wouldn't have a hope.

The U5000 Unimog, meanwhile, is perhaps the ultimate expression of off-road capability. With 810Nm available at just 1200rpm and diagonal axle articulation of up to 30 degrees, it simply walks up major inclines. Tackling a metre-high step, in the cab it feels like I'm heading straight up in an elevator.

The vehicle is powered by a 4.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel mated to an automated manual transmission (eight forward gears, six reverse, high and low range) and reduction hubs.

The U5000 is the largest Unimog – it has a 12-tonne GVM but this can be increased to 14.1 tonnes. It's a special order vehicle, typically with a 12-month wait, but for any hard-core off-road application it's a force to be reckoned with.

The Australian Army has taken over 2000 Unimogs since the early ’80s but they've recently been replaced by MAN trucks. Apparently the tender was lost largely on price.

I want one, but that's a view not necessarily shared by my wife. Maybe she won't notice a camouflaged ex-Army model if I park it in the front garden…

I also had the chance to eyeball a new Mercedes-Benz Zetros, which was nearby on static display. It was the off-road truck's first public outing in Australia and it will be targeting predominantly mining operations in the next six or so months. You can read more about the new Zetros here.

AROUND THE 'BENZ

After a full schedule of all things 'Benz, the underlying message is clear: no matter that the application, Mercedes-Benz has a product to suit. The safety technology found across the broader 'Benz family is hugely impressive – this is clearly a company that gives safety the high priority it deserves.

The new generation of Mercedes-Benz trucks might be a couple of years away but that means the Actros family – and the Axor and Atego ranges not present at Mount Cotton – are now at their zenith. That means proven reliability and maximum development, now backed by the added expertise of an expanded Mercedes-Benz team. It was no wonder the operators I spoke to were impressed by what they saw…

So, just one question remains – how do you go about attending a Mercedes-Benz Truck Drive Day Experience? Unfortunately these days are 'invitation only' affairs but expressing your interest to your local Mercedes-Benz truck dealer is a great place to start. On a brighter note, Mercedes-Benz reports that, as it ramps up its efforts in Australia, it's hoping to increase the frequency of these events in the future.

If you're ever lucky enough to receive a 'golden ticket', you too could be pinching yourself through a Mercedes-Benz smorgasbord of cutting-edge automotive delights…

Feature: 2014 Mercedes-Benz Trucks Drive Day

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