Daf for me… Personally think the Mercs are rubbish. Poor power & poor ride quality. Loads bigger cab on the Daf too.
Last couple of years, I have driven a 15 plate merc, and a 15 plate DAF, both with the 510bhp engine
Comfort, DAF wins
Fuel figures, DAF wins
Reliability, DAF wins
Storage space, DAF wins
Steering wheel adjustment, merc wins
Fuel economy in the DAF, 8.01mpg over 13,000 miles, in two months
Fuel economy in the merc, 7.3mpg over a similar period, doing similar work, pulling a bulker
My choice?
DAF
Just need to persuade my boss to buy me one now
shuttlespanker is pretty much spot on.
I drive both DAF XFs and the Merc Actros all the time (and Scania PGRT). I do not like the merc at all, comfort is crap and the worst thing, is that the gearbox doesn’t have a clue what it’s doing and gets confused at roundabouts.
DAF in my opinion is far superior than the Actros. Seems more solidly built and just a nicer truck overall.
Never hated anything more than i hate Actros…only looking at it makes my back aching…dont think even if you order airbags under cab it will improve dramaticaly…
drive with DAF (or MAN) is much more relaxing than screaming noisy Actross with rubbish gearbox…
cav551:
As always the performance of the local dealer can make all the difference. A poor dealer can turn a good vehicle into a nightmare while a good dealer can get the best out of a less than good vehicle for you.
Exactly this.
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I run 2 x Merc Actros’s (1 x 1845 and 1 x 2545) and am incredibly pleased with them. Bulletproof reliability, excellent fuel economy (11 mpg average on the 4x2 over 600000km) and great service from our local dealer. When it comes to getting a new Tractor unit next year it will definetly be another Merc.
newmercman:
cav551:
As always the performance of the local dealer can make all the difference. A poor dealer can turn a good vehicle into a nightmare while a good dealer can get the best out of a less than good vehicle for you.Exactly this.
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I’ve just had another incredibly bad servicing experience with my local Mercedes dealership. An Actros has been 8 days off the road for minor repairs that could have been done in half a day max. Various excuses offered when I could actually speak to someone, mainly shortage of staff. This dealership is the worst by a country mile I have ever dealt with, they treat their customers with utter contempt and it is now my mission to get rid of my remaining Mercedes trucks as soon as I can, I hate the trucks and the marque with a passion. I can go back to the dark days of British Leyland in the 1970s and the headless wonder engine range. Even though the vehicles were a disaster the dealers did their utmost to keep their customers supplied with vehicles that could do a days work.
In my experience there’s no middle ground with Merc dealers, they’re either exceptional or terrible.
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rsg1234567:
Or just for the hell of it and for eye catching purposes, import a rhd kenworth aerodyne “cabover” (paccar) or freightliner argosy (owned by merc) from Australia,
Probably more doable now that IVA can be applied to HGV’s as well as light vehicles. 
The problem is massive residual values and equally massive mileages.Probably best to buy the cheapest lowest mileage CAT 15 engined one available then run it for a year or two then ship it back and sell it for as much as possible. 
whelmic:
I run 2 x Merc Actros’s (1 x 1845 and 1 x 2545) and am incredibly pleased with them. Bulletproof reliability, excellent fuel economy (11 mpg average on the 4x2 over 600000km) and great service from our local dealer. When it comes to getting a new Tractor unit next year it will definetly be another Merc.
you obviously dont sit in driver seat…they are reliable no doubt about it, but drive like crap
LL79:
whelmic:
I run 2 x Merc Actros’s (1 x 1845 and 1 x 2545) and am incredibly pleased with them. Bulletproof reliability, excellent fuel economy (11 mpg average on the 4x2 over 600000km) and great service from our local dealer. When it comes to getting a new Tractor unit next year it will definetly be another Merc.you obviously dont sit in driver seat…they are reliable no doubt about it, but drive like crap
A a Merc can empty a cup of tea all by it self , no drinking required [emoji49]
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Which cab is fitted seems to make a difference to the Merc ride, the smaller the cab the worse the ride.
I had a couple on hire whilst waiting for my new one, the Bigspace was erm…lively. The smaller narrow cab was a neck breaker 
I’d already tried a Gigaspace before the order went in and seemed to remember the ride as ok, but after the hire motor experience I was a bit unsure and asked for the new one to be specced with front air suspension.
Nein 
, ze front air suspension not available on ze 6x2 unit
Anyway I’m pretty pleased with it, the Gigaspace ride is the equal of my old MP2 MegaSpace and that had cab air suspension, and fuel wise I see well over 2.5 mpg better economy 
…just don’t mention the dealers 
good luck…my back might be oversensitive after driving all kinds off Actros for 6years…
MB reps talks bs, they know their trucks are worst n the road suspensionwise. Dont think its such a thing as front air suspension in Actros, they just call their better version like that…and yes we have had 4x2 equiped with that…
Best you can get is Airbags at REAR of the cab, 99% of UK supplied truck got springs…saw few on Lidl contract Wolverhampton DC…can not remember company name tho
Must be something wrong with Actros, as even CF with springs drives much smoother tham any of them Actroses
I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering how you bad back guys would have coped driving lorries on springs, with no cab suspension at all and fixed seats.
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newmercman:
I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering how you bad back guys would have coped driving lorries on springs, with no cab suspension at all and fixed seats.
Empty or light running Clydesdale for one. That thing eventually smashed all the internals of my old Ferguson auto twin radio.Which I’d used for years in numerous vehicles without a problem before going on the council.
Although to be fair the Leyland WF was more comfortable than anything fitted with an Isringhausen and even a few other more modern trucks.Ze Germans are masochists.
newmercman:
I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering how you bad back guys would have coped driving lorries on springs, with no cab suspension at all and fixed seats.Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
we just getting soft now 
I stared off with a Scania 111 and C series ERF (day cab) doing nights out, but I still cry when I get a Merc
Roadtest both models you are interested in ,do some research on the local dealers that you would use then make your mind up …it may even involve a different brand
elsa Lad:
newmercman:
I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering how you bad back guys would have coped driving lorries on springs, with no cab suspension at all and fixed seats.Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
we just getting soft now
yes i would have been death by now for sure, but i believe always has been better and worst trucks. I would certainly not choose Actros now if i had to drive it…
LL79:
good luck…my back might be oversensitive after driving all kinds off Actros for 6years…
Just coming up to two years with it, no back problems yet
LL79:
Dont think its such a thing as front air suspension in Actros,
4x2 low riders have it and rigids with de-mount bodies.
Fleet where I work consists of 2 68 plate DAF 210s and Merc Antos rigid (among others) and by far the Mercs are superior in my opinion, more comfortable quicker off the mark and upto speed, the indicators dont knock off when you dont want them too, easier to switch into manual mode and use manual mode…