It’s not all Bucks fizz and canapes at press launches, but
with truckies and vannies to the fore at the CV Show, Mercedes-Benz struck the right
note with a media breakfast ahead of the presentation by M-B Director of
Trucks, Sam Whittaker.
Served up in a bowl, as opposed to a plate, journalists were
treated to scrambled egg, bacon, wee sausages, and of course, no truckies’
breakfast would be complete without beans. All very tastefully done with white
napkins and flowers!
Although the new Actros was launched to the international
press last year, this was its first public show debut in the UK, and the first
time that many operators had seen it in the metal. Big? According to the boss, every
other truck cab currently on the market will fit inside their ‘Gigaspace’ tower
block.
This is not extravagance, nor is it in attempt to simply ‘outdo’
rival manufacturers, it is designed to give the modern truck driver, especially
the long-haul boys, decent working conditions and plenty of room for overnight
stops. It has a flat floor (i.e. no engine hump) nearly 7 feet of headroom
(2.13 mtrs) and the bottom bunk of the two is 750 mm wide. The inside of this
cab is like a bijou bachelor penthouse crumpet trap in chrome, leather and
wood - with a steering wheel.
Of
more interest to us is the ultimate M-B LCV, the Vito Sport-X. This is not just
a van, this is an S&M van (note deliberate use of S&M as opposed to the
other way round!) with a 3 litre V6 turbo-diesel churning
out 224 hp and 440 Nm of torque. It's good for 122 flat out, and has a Nought to 60 time of 8.3 seconds. It sits on 18 inch alloys and hides behind a discrete (!) Brabus front spoiler.
How stupid, but desirable, is that?
How stupid, but desirable, is that?
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