Autoblog

The "jeeps" of Iceland: here there do be monsters

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:04:00 EST

Click above for high-res gallery of Iceland's "jeeps"

Not too long ago, we posted a bit about Iceland's "jeeps". This blogger has just returned from ten days in the North Atlantic with those very brutes, and they're every bit as massive -- and cool -- as they look. We even got to go for a spin in one, get a look at another one, and take pictures of a whole bunch more. What was it like? The same thing we said before: "big-wheel badness." Follow the jump for the story, and be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res images below.

Gallery: Iceland Glacier Trucks

Continue reading The "jeeps" of Iceland: here there do be monsters

The "jeeps" of Iceland: here there do be monsters originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Unicat Amerigo International 4x4 RV guided tour

Alex Nunez — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:12:00 EST

Filed under: Videos

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]

Gallery: Unicat Amerigo International 4x4 RV

Continue reading VIDEO: Unicat Amerigo International 4x4 RV guided tour

VIDEO: Unicat Amerigo International 4x4 RV guided tour originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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G500 not enough? Try the Unimog Black Edition

Dan Roth — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:33:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Work, Mercedes-Benz

If a G-Class Mercedes stirs dispassionate responses, there may still be a Mercedes for you. While the Gelandewagen is no joke in its own right, Daimler's own ultimate terra bully would roll right over it. Unimogs have been around for about fifty years, and were originally designed as go-anywhere, do-anything work trucks. The U500 Black Edition Unimog is still akin to a vehicular Chuck Norris, but luxed-up to the point that you'd hate to mar the blingy pedals with muddy boots.

England's BigLorryBlog had a chance to bruise the earth with one of these, and found it an object of workmen's desire. The U500 they sampled was not outfitted with any hard labor devices, so the ride was a bit bouncy, but nobody was complaining from the leather clad driver's perch with its own suspension. At €250,000, it's not cheap, but the good stuff never is. Here's what you say when someone questions your buying decision: "Buy the best, cry once. Now get outta my way before I make your Paseo scrap."

Thanks for the tip, Dan!

[Source: BigLorryBlog]

G500 not enough? Try the Unimog Black Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corners like it's on rails: Unimog dual-mode road-railer

Eric Bryant — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 09:32:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Etc., Work, Mercedes-Benz

We here at Autoblog love the Mercedes Unimog, despite its decidedly low-speed nature. It has to do with all that versatility - whether it's running a front-mounted snowblower, spinning a mower deck, or hoisting a lift platform, the 'mog has a way to get the job done. It's like a four-wheeled version of the Leatherman multi-purpose tool. And now, it can get all of those jobs done on railroad tracks as well, as DCX has announced a production version of the Unimog Road-Railer at the Innotrans show in Berlin.

Thanks mainly to deep ratios in the eight-speed transmission (all accessible in forward or reverse), three-differential locking AWD system, and a torque converter with a stall torque ratio (STR) of 2.5:1, this Unimog can move railcar loads up to 1000 tons. For hooking and unhooking with a single operator, the Road-Railer also has a radio control system that allows the operator to run the vehicle forward and backward from outside the cab. A buffer frame allows hits from 300 ton objects at up to 5 km/h without damage, and also gives the ability to move liquid-filled tanker cars. Hydraulic lifting cylinders, plenty of tool storage, and an optional three-phase generator are said to combine with the Unimog's renowned all-terrain capabilities to make it ideal for accessing derailed train cars and getting them back on the tracks.

We don't know what we'd do with one of these, but we still want one.

[Source: Gizmag]

Corners like it's on rails: Unimog dual-mode road-railer originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Sep 2006 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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smart forfun2 a monster good time

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:49:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Truck, Etc., Europe, Work, Crossover, Hatchback, Daimler

With the recent announcement that Roger Penske's UnitedAuto Group will be offering SMART FourTwos in the US in 2008, DaimlerChrysler has decided to have a little fun and show people what the SMART brand is all about. To that end they have married a SMART car to a Unimog chassis developed by Greek rally racer Stefan Attart. Although similar to a vehicle created in 2005, known as the forfun, the forfun2 has a much higher stance and manages to be cute and imposing at the same time.

OK, so it's no Smartuki, but it's still wacky enough to be entertaining. While the Smartuki replaced the SMART 3-cylinder with a Suzuki GSXR1000 mill that had been massaged to 180 hp, this beast is Unimog powered. Although only capable of 84 hp, the torque is impressive at 191 ft-lbs. The quarter-mile might be a challenge, but rocks, sand and MINIs should be no problem: full press release and additional photos after the jump.

[Source: DaimlerChrysler]

Continue reading smart forfun2 a monster good time

smart forfun2 a monster good time originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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