Batty Brabus beast

Newswheel staff :: 19 December 2005 :: Filed under Brabus, Mercedes Benz, Europe & UK

[Click on an image to view]

Brabus blings-out the Mercedes Unimog

The global new car market is becoming ever more niche-ified. But surely nobody expected a 11.9 tonne Brabus-tweaked Mercedes Unimog. Whatever next? An Alpina Schützenpanzerwagen half-track? An AMG Panzerkampfwagen Tiger tank?

Whatever, the Brabus Unimog U500 Black is for real – it’s on display at this week’s Dubai Motor Show – and it’s intended to be ‘the most outrageous car of its type in the world, with the ability to discover the most inaccessible parts of the globe’.

Brabus has completely revised the existing U500 throughout. Outside there are new panels, a huge stainless steel roll-over bar, 455/70 tyres on 24” rims, a powerful winch system and upswept exhausts, while inside there’s lashings of carbon fibre, alcantara, leather sports seats, a black leather-trimmed steering wheel, alloy pedals and plush carpet. Interior toys include the S-Class’ COMAND system with 6.5" screen, DVD satnav, CD auto-changer, two separately controlled air conditioning systems, tinted glass, a tyre-pressure control system and, not least, a belter of a sound system.

A 6.4-litre diesel pumps out 280hp with a mighty 811lb/ft (1,100Nm) of torque. This is hooked to transmission with both manual and auto modes and, we presume, a sophisticated 4x4 drivetrain. Unlike most vehicles from the Brabus stable, top speed is unimpressive at a decidedly radar-friendly 75mph, but at least you can load it up with 4.3 tonnes of luggage.

A standard Unimog U500 costs €140k (c. £93k). The Brabus kit adds a further €90k (c.£60k) to that. So, there you have it, the ideal school/supermarket run vehicle, assuming that home is in Cape Town, school is in Anchorage, the Vladivostok Waitrose is your preferred grocery store and you have over £150k to spend on a two-seater lorry.