It was big and it was green. It growled like a bear in need of a hot toddy and crawled through the woods on all fours. The low winter sunlight glinted on something shiny. Was it teeth or tusks, horns or hooves? None of those, it was glinting on a set of roof lamps.
As it swung round the trees into view, the badge on its chest proclaimed its heritage. The three pointed star meant only one thing, It was a Mercedes-Benz. Not just any M-B, this was a Unimog.
Many folk make wild and wonderful claims about the abilities of their 4×4 utility vehicles and pickups, and for sure, in many cases these claims are well substantiated, but they do have limits. Ground clearance and load capacity are the main ones, so if you want something a bit beefier, but more civilised than a tractor, then the Unimog is your man – or beast, or whatever.
Reading through the comprehensive, multi-page Mercedes press pack reveals the fact that there is a whole family of these beasts of burden, the U300, U400, U500 and the U20. There is a variety of engines too, delivering from 150 hp to 286 hp, depending on need, and two wheelbases.
Added to that, there is a vast array of further options all designed to ensure that owners and operators extract the best of the machine’s potential whether it’s carrying, pulling, pushing or powering. And therein lies its secret. The sheer adaptability of the vehicle.
This is a truck that can push snowploughs and power snowblowers in winter, or pull ploughs and carry timber in the summer. Telescopic cranes and baskets can be fitted behind the cab to enable power workers to reach overhead power lines and pylons, or draw bars and winches to drag trucks, tractors or other 4×4’s out of ditches and boggy holes.
At around 6 tonnes in weight (depending on final specification) the Unimog can carry six tonnes and pull much more. In fact, the Germans claim that it can pull up to 1,000 tonnes! This claim is based on their dual-mode Unimog variant which is fitted with a rail guidance system, based on two rail axles that are hydraulically lowered on to the tracks. Up to 100 of these dual-mode Unimogs are delivered to railway companies around the world each year.
On that point, maybe we should tell Richard Branson. A few of these Unimogs might just make a positive difference to his west coast rail line oerations!
I digress. Having read and digested this mass of printed material and pored over the diagrams there is no mention of a certain ‘word’ that Mercedes-Benz have omitted, whether accidentally or deliberately. This could be down to a couple of reasons. There are those who suggest that the Germans have no sense of fun and little sense of humour, so the omission of this word could be put down simply to the fact that they had never actually thought of it.
The word is – ‘fun’.
Honestly, this thing is a hoot to drive. First timers can be forgiven for chuckling like tickled toddlers on their first acquaintance.
The four step climb into the cab of the test-drive U400 is followed by sinking into the air-suspended seat and the forward view from the seat which is some 6 feet above ground level. And then there is the steering wheel, or there isn’t! It can be slid on a rail from side to side, so it can either be right hand drive for road use or left hand drive for edging along kerbs and gutters, hoovering up Sauchiehall street drunks and fish and chip papers.
And that’s just the start. The 6.4 litre straight six turbo diesel bursts into life at the push of a button and settles into a (far too quiet – but that’s a personal thing) throaty burble. Any of the eight forward gears is selected from the automatic ‘box by a simple push of a stubby lever, the handbrake is released by another lever and forward motion is enabled by the lightest touch on the accelerator.
Considering the course that lay ahead, second gear was recommended. After that, all the driver had to do was steer.
Normally the Mercedes-Benz 4×4 course at Wentworth Park in Yorkshire wouldn’t be too taxing for any 4×4 vehicle. It incorporated some muddy tracks, a water-course and a steep banking traverse, but after weeks of rain on already sodden ground, the ground was a mess.
The ruts were deep enough to lose a family car, the mud was as sticky as the wife’s toffee pudding while the water course looked like her oxtail soup, thick, lumpy and gloopy. In fact the Scots have the perfect word for such conditions – glaur!
The Unimog revelled in such conditions. At no time did it even threaten to stop, it just kept plowtering on. It didn’t falter once, even on the steep banking. The gradient was so steep here that the cab and driver were actually hanging outside the ground level wheelbase of the vehicle as it traversed the slope.
In the ruts, out of the ruts, across the ruts, the Unimog just went where it was pointed and inspired the driver with the confidence that nothing would divert it from his chosen course. It climbed over fallen trees and large boulders, ploughed through mud like quicksand and when pointed back on to the main road it provided a ride quality akin to a waterbed – although that was mostly down to the seat.
So a word of advice to Mercedes-Benz, stick the word ‘fun’ into the specifications and descriptions and you’ll sell many more. The Unimog is far too much fun to waste on council duties and work placements alone.
And the price? Yes, it’s a tad expensive for everyday use. But look at it this way, it’s cheaper than a ‘supercar’ but it will last much longer and take you to places it can’t. Admittedly it might look out of place in the Car Park at the Ritz, but the paparazzi will know you have arrived.
Mercedes-Benz Unimog U400 SWB
Specification: Agriculture
Wheelbase: 3080 mm
Max GVW: 11990 kg
Max GTW (HGV): 32300 kg
Standard Cab: Carbon Fibre / Single Day / 2 x Seats (optional Twin Passenger Seat available at extra cost)
Engine Type: MB OM906 LA Direct Injection / Turbocharged & Intercooled
Capacity / Output: 6 Cylinder in-line / 6370 cc / 238 hp (175 kw) / 850 Nm
Exhaust Emissions: Euro-5 / BlueTec
Gearbox: UG100 8 x Forward / 6 x Rev with EPS Telligent Shift / EQR (Electronic Quick Reverse)
Final Drive: Permanent 4×4 with Portal Axles & Positive Differential Locks
Key Options fitted:
- Michelin XM47 445/70 R24 Field Tyres & Rims
- Central Tyre Inflation & Deflation System
- Gearbox with additional 8 Forward and 8 Reverse Gears
- Transmission Oil Cooler
- Vario Pilot Left or Right Hand Steering
- Exterior Sun Blind on Cab
- Locking Fuel Cap
- Self-contained Dual Circuit Hydraulics System for Implements
- Hydraulic Cab Tilt
- PTO (Power Take Off) for Front Engine or Rear Gearbox
- Rear Working Lights & Rotating Beacon Supports
- Lengthened Mirror Brackets
- Digital Tachograph (Siemens)
- Air Suspended Driver & Co-Driver Seat
Approximate List Price to above specification = £140,000 + VAT