At the fair Retro Classics 2014 in Stuttgart stood this new Mercedes SLT tractor. The type is now 4163 SLT, the 6-cylinder engine produces 625 hp in this first version.

The front view shows the height of the truck. This is the Actros version that is equiped with the GigaSpace cab (the largest Actros cab), that already reaches nearly up to 4 meters. That's the reason why the flash lights have to be mounted at the lights bar, as they have no room at the roof. The Arocs version has got the BigSpace cab and will get the heavy and higher construction bumper for more ground clearance.

The first thing to notice with the new SLT is the very nice looking bumper construction. The heavy bumper with the coupling was designed to fit perfectly into the new Actros design. The air connections are mounted on both sides of the coupling.

The side view shows that this bumper only extends very little to the front of the truck.

The right side of the chassis is filled with the mufler. Since the Euro 6 models it has become so big that a short wheelbased SLT is not possible anymore, this is the shortest version for now. A raised mufler is not available currently. The exhaust pipe goes straight up from here and runs between the tower and the cab.

Above the mufler the tower is installed. This side holds the coolers, which is why the flap on this side has got some large openings to let the air through. Three coolers are mounted here. The largest in the back is a radiator for the engine's water. I couldn't quit find out the function of the 2 smaller units in front of it, but the half-sized looks like it cools the hydraulic oil and the very small unit in front is maybe for the air conditioning.

Here the Actros version was shown, that is the version meant for use on the road. That is why it is only available as 8x4 unit, the 8x6 units (and probably 8x8 as well) will be built as Arocs. This SLT has got air suspunsion on the rear axles.

A view on the newly designed tower. To the right we see the already mentioned coolers, driven by a large hydraulic cooling fan. At the bottom we see a large dieseltank and to the left stands the tank for the hydraulics. The rest of the tower is filled with air barrels and some hydraulic components. Unfortunately that leaves no usable space for a toolbox.

The truck is driven by a 625 hp strong 6-cylinder engine. Since the New Actros series the V-engine's are gone. There are only 6-cylinder line engine's available. This engine here is the OM473 with 15,6 liter capacity. Behind the engine hangs a Voith VIAB Turbo-coupling. This has got a heat-exchanger directly mounted to it, so no extra cooling is necessary in the tower. This coupling also acts as a retarder.

This SLT is equiped with a sliding fifth wheel. Also it has gotten an extra tow bar at the rear that holds a heavy drawbar coupling.

At this side the flap is complety closed. The design of the flaps fits nicely to the design of the New Actros series. This side of the chassis is filled with an Ad-Blue tank and the battery compartment, also leaving no room for a storage box.

Up till now the SLT's where built by Titan in Sulzbach, but from now on the SLT's will be factory built by Mercedes. Not at the large plant in Wörth, but in the CTT (Custom Tailored Trucks) plant in Molsheim - France.

Because of the very nice integration of all the SLT modifications into the design of the New Actros, I personally like this new heavy duty tractor very much.