Mercedes-Benz Vehicles, Concept Cars, and the Mercedes Lifestyle

The Actros is a Mercedes-Benz vehicle with which you may not be familiar. The Actros is one of Mercedes’ commercial vehicles, a tractor trailer that was first introduced in 1996. The newest incarnation is also the vehicle that landed Mercedes in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The official title of the award is “most fuel-efficient 40 tonne truck,” and earning it was no easy feat. The qualifying truck was a standard issue Actros carrying 25 tons of cargo. The testing took place over a seven day continuous drive at an average speed of 80 kilometers per hour (approximately 49.7 mph). The drive was conducted on a test course in Nardo, Italy.

In the end, the Actros was found to have a fuel efficiency of 14.53 miles per gallon, a world record for a 40 ton commercial truck. In addition, the truck’s emissions were only 20.5 grams per ton of payload and kilometer. These results clearly demonstrate Mercedes’ ongoing commitment to environmental friendliness.

The tests were conducted under optimum conditions, and show the importance of properly maintaining vehicles. Expert analysis of the results shows that failing to keep tires properly inflated, to check fluids regularly or to perform all needed maintenance on any vehicle can have an enormous impact on fuel economy. In today’s world of rising fuel prices, that is a lesson that we all need to take to heart.

We would love to hear your thoughts on gas prices, the world record or Mercedes in general. You can also discuss these topics at Road Transport’s Big Lorry Blog. Green Car Congress is a great resource for analysis of reported statistics and discussion of the ways in which car manufacturers are greening their fleets.