Autoblog

Click on the above image for a Zetros photo gallery

Mercedes-Benz chose the International Defense Exhibition Eurosatory 2008 in Paris, a show we don't normally attend, to introduce their new Zetros truck. The model pictured above is the Zetros 2733 A 6x6, offering permanent all-wheel-drive to all three axles and the ability to haul nearly 10 tons of equipment and supplies. If you just don't have that much stuff, Mercedes also offers the Zetros 1833 A 4x4, a two-axle derivative with a reduced load capacity. Both versions offer go-anywhere capabilities with exemplary off-road manners and the ability to be upgraded with state-of-the art armor for protection against mine and ballistic attack. While you'd expect the Zetros to handle like a wet noodle, the German automaker insists the Zetros has been designed with the driver in mind, adding "...the ideal seating position behind the front axle delivers intuitive car-like handling." Since we don't have a Zetros planned for an "In the Autoblog Garage" review, we'll just have to take their word on that.

[Source: eMercedesBenz]

Click image for photo gallery

If road- tripping with Granny and Grandpa in their greyhound-sized RV with a Saturn SL2 in tow doesn't peg your excitement meter, perhaps you're the kind of person who'd prefer to explore the road less traveled (or experience plain old roadless travel) in something like a Unicat expedition vehicle.

The Unicats resemble Dakar support trucks on the outside, but are fitted with interiors that look like they'd be right at home in a cabin cruiser. There's a reason the company refers to their rigs as "land yachts." Unicat takes the concept of RVing to its outermost extremes. For example, the Amerigo International 4x4 (above) has an operating range of 2,000 miles with a full fuel load and can handle almost any terrain -- rock, desert, water four feet deep, etc. -- while providing the amenities someone who just laid out $600,000 probably expects. For instance, there's a queen-size bed, a working galley, and a bathroom inside the big box behind the cab. redundant GPS systems help you find your way into and out of the middle of nowhere, and instead of a sensible Saturn sedan, the Unicats can be outfitted with any number of terrain-appropriate supplemental vehicles ranging from a dirt bike, to a quad, to a Zodiac inflatable boat. Since it's classified as an RV, you don't need a special license to drive the thing, either. Mahalo Daily's Veronica Belmont got a guided tour of an Amerigo International by Unicat CEO Avi Meyers, which you can watch after the jump.

We've also included galleries of a pair of the company's other offerings, the Amerigo Unimog 4x4, and our favorite, the Unicat EX70-HD / MAN TGA 6x6 -- a six-wheeled monster with a loft bedroom, hideaway storage for a quad, an espresso machine, and a dishwasher. If the Jawas didn't have Sandcrawlers, they'd be tooling around in one of these.

[Sources: Mahalo Daily, Unicat]

This Ford F-650 by DeBerti Designs is politically incorrect, environmentally incorrect and wrong in so many other unsettling ways, and yet it still attracts crowds like a naked Angelina Jolie doing jumping jacks in the middle of the Las Vegas strip. Based on the Ford F-650 that features six-wheel drive, the Deberti version has been stretched to seat six and adds six video screens to make it an even 6x6x6 (sign of the devil's truck!). The rear doors that allow access to the back two rows of seats are gullwings that we have been assured will provide no lift if opened at speed, while the front doors flip up Lambo style.

This mighty, mighty monster truck rides on an Air Ride Technologies air suspension to smooth out the F-650's on-road flow, though we highly doubt you'd feel anything under your tires smaller than an Aveo. A 330-hp Caterpillar engine and Allison automatic do what they can to move the DeBerti Designs F-650, and we wish them all the luck in the world.

Check out a full gallery of pics after the jump along with a full list of the Ford F-650 by DeBerti Designs' modifications.