With the sales launch of its new Mercedes-Benz SLT heavy-duty tractor
unit for the European markets, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is completing the
introduction of its new truck model series featuring Euro VI in-line
six-cylinder engines. The new family of Mercedes-Benz trucks for
heavy-duty transport is available for the first time as the variants
Actros-SLT with air suspension and Arocs-SLT with steel suspension,
while the Arocs is also alternatively available with all-wheel drive.
Responsible for the development and production of the SLT with
immediate effect is Custom Tailored Trucks (CTT), located in the
Alsatian town of Molsheim and managed by the Wörth truck plant. The Euro
III and Euro V versions of the Actros-SLT for non-European and overseas
markets continues to be manufactured by CTT partner Titan. The
Mercedes-Benz SLT is currently the only heavy-duty transport vehicle on
the market which boasts Euro VI certification, a turbo retarder clutch
as standard, and the Mercedes PowerShift 3 transmission with a special
“Heavy” transmission mode. The only available heavy-duty tractor unit on
the European market with Euro VI-powertrain to date is the new
Mercedes-Benz SLT heavy tractor unit with the OM 473 Euro VI-engine. The
most powerful variant of the new OM 473 Euro VI in-line six-cylinder
engine develops 460 kW (625 hp) and torque of 3000 Nm at 1100 rpm. At
the same time the new Mercedes-Benz OM 473 impresses with its economy:
even the most powerful unit of the new engine generation has been
thoroughly developed for low fuel consumption. The special features of
the new Mercedes-Benz OM 473 include a technical speciality, the
turbo-compound system. The term stands for a second turbine downstream
of the exhaust gas turbocharger.
The automated Mercedes PowerShift 3 transmission features a “Heavy”
transmission mode and is designed for high torque to handle loads of up
250 t. The SLT is the only vehicle in the field of competitors that has a
16-speed transmission and consequently the finest gear ratio spread in
the heavy-duty transport sector. The turbo retarder clutch is another
unique selling point of the new SLT. It functions as a wear-free
starting-off aid, while the retarder section functions as a brake, and
yet is lighter, more efficient and more compact than a torque converter
clutch. This means the SLT tractor unit has temporally unlimited
manoeuvrability and unrestricted low-speed driving and crawling
capability, meaning that the SLT boasts the greatest possible
flexibility in operation. The large quantities of heat developed are
dissipated by the high-performance cooling system behind the cab, both
in the three-axle and four-axle variants, of course. The cooling system
is concealed by elegantly designed flaps on the sides that give the
Actros or Arocs cab a distinctive and dynamic appearance.
Drivers of heavy-duty transport vehicles spend much of their working
time behind the wheel driving long distances – and taking many forced
breaks if the permit so requires. At other times they must feel their
way through tight town centres with their overheavy, overlong
tractor-semitrailer combinations, and finally, on the last stretch to
their destination, they become construction vehicle drivers who must
deliver a generator set or wind turbine over poor field roads. The cab
for the heavy-duty transport vehicle must be selected to meet all these
requirements. The Actros-SLT with air suspension is available with
GigaSpace or BigSpace cab; the Arocs-SLT with steel suspension, with
BigSpace (2.5 m) or StreamSpace (2.3 m) cab. Delivery of the basic
chassis for the Actros-SLT with air suspension and the Arocs-SLT with
steel suspension begins in December 2013. The all-wheel-drive variants
of the Arocs-SLT are available from April 2014.
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