Updated Actros engine on show at BTS23

Visitors to the Mercedes-Benz stand at this month’s Brisbane Truck Show (May 18 to 21) will see the brand’s updated Actros 13-litre engine, which Daimler claims offers fuel savings of up to four per cent compared to its predecessor.

The updated, third-generation OM471 engine boats a raft of minor improvements that collectively add up to a major gain, the company says.

Trucks fitted with the new engine have just started arriving in Australia.

The OM471 is bookended by 11-litre and 16-litre engines in the Actros range, and now features several key elements that have been redesigned to reduce friction and optimise combustion.

“The Actros has established a legendary reputation as a fuel economy champion and it is great to see further improvements being delivered for the popular 13-litre engine,” says Mercedes-Benz Trucks Australia Pacific Director, Andrew Assimo.

“Mercedes-Benz Trucks is pleased to continue delivering innovations that drive down the total cost of ownership and help our customers control costs in a challenging environment.”

Mr Assimo says the fuel efficiency gain in this new engine underlines the brand’s ongoing commitment to continuing development of diesel engines, in addition to the efforts Mercedes-Benz is making with new battery-electric and fuel-cell technology.

“Mercedes-Benz Trucks and many of our customers are very excited about advanced battery electric trucks such as the eActros, which produces zero local emissions,” he says. “We also think further advancements of our diesel internal combustion engine technology will deliver considerable fuel efficiency improvements and emission reductions across many fleets.”

Numerous refinements

In updating the OM471, Mercedes-Benz engineers refined the design of the piston recess geometry, cylinder head parameters and injection nozzles, while a new engine oil pressure control valve and new low-viscosity oil further aids fuel efficiency without impacting durability or service intervals.

These improvements allowed the compression ratio of the six-cylinder engine to increase from 18.3:1 to 20.3:1, enabling combustion with a peak ignition pressure of 250 bar.

Other changes include a new turbocharger and a new exhaust gas after-treatment system that helps the engine meet the strict new Euro 6e standard, while the latest Mercedes-Benz PowerShift Advanced Automated Manual Transmission is said reduce shift times considerably, further reducing torque interruption.