- Unimog celebrates 80 years with a wild luxury makeover built for any terrain.
- Show car gains a six cylinder engine plus premium leather and LED lighting.
- Mercedes will test it with customers before deciding on a production direction.
Mercedes’ mighty Unimog turns 80 this month and to celebrate the German brand is taking its mammoth utility into uncharted territory. Working with Hellgeth Engineering, it has created a show car that adds some luxury to the famously rugged all terrain tool.
This one-off blends the usual Unimog go-anywhere engineering with premium materials and flashy styling meant to impress on muddy trails or at very fancy hotels. Underneath the glitz, the core is still a U 4023-model Unimog with portal axles, a flexible frame and triple locking diffs.
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The big change is the new 7.7-liter OM 936 six-cylinder diesel engine which replaces the usual 5.1-liter, 228 hp (231 PS / 170 kW) inline four and delivers 297 hp (300 PS / 220 kW). Mercedes claims the six offers more traction and smoother transmission behavior while keeping the truck’s legendary off-road ability untouched.
Camera mirrors
The exterior strikes a balance between brute strength and boutique swagger. Borrowing cues from SUVs, it features several new add-ons and tweaks, including revised grille, bumper, and side sill elements, along with custom bed panels. Matte grey paint, 20 inch beadlock wheels and a unique LED headlamp package give it a modern edge too.
MirrorCam tech replaces traditional mirrors with digital monitors which Mercedes says helps both on trails and in tight urban spaces. It also conveniently lets the driver watch admiring onlookers stare in amazement without having to turn their head quite so far.
Inside, the four seat cabin gets high-grade leather, contrast stitching, LED ambient lighting and leather floor mats. It’s a surreal mix of luxury and utility, like a five star hotel suite bolted to a mountain rescue truck, though since Mercedes didn’t supply many interior shots we’re presuming it still feel more truck than limo.
Farm Roots
The Unimog started out as an agricultural vehicle in post-war Germany, and Mercedes didn’t take over production until 1951. Since then, it’s been used by by utilities companies, rescue services, the military and even race teams competing in the Dakar Rally, never with much concern about luxury,
But Mercedes insists this poshed-up Unimog is not just a styling exercise. The show car will be tested by a single customer next year to gather real world data for possible future development. If demand exists, the luxury beast could influence a new branch of the model family. For now, it stands as proof that there’s literally nowhere the Unimog can’t go.
