See, in the UK, we traditionally use tractors for heavy-lifting and agricultural jobs, but the Unimog can do those and much, much more. Seriously, how many vehicles do you know that can morph from a watering can, into a giant Armco-cleaning toothbrush, then a fire engine, snow plough, muck spreader, crane, train, lawnmower and Hollywood superstar all through loosening a couple of bolts and disconnecting a few hydraulic hoses? With versatility like this, it’s pretty much the four-wheeled lovechild of a Swiss Army knife and Thunderbird Two.

But to test this unique tractor-cum-pickup-cum-sports-lorry that can be transformed into pretty much whatever the hell you want. We decided to do all those things. In one day. So click on to see how Unimog is the only car you’ll ever need and why it’s so useful. Especially when the zombie apocalypse comes. 

Sounds like a simple one, this. But one of the major benefits of the Unimog is that, unlike tractors and other traditional agricultural/working vehicles, you can drive it on the road at proper road speeds. Meaning you don’t have to pull over to let a train of irate drivers (who’ll scream rude words and point carefully selected fingers at you) past on a country road. And you can plod down the motorway. Plus, as the Unimog is classified as an agricultural/ forestry vehicle, it’s exempt from toll charges and can use the roads on Sundays and public holidays in Europe. Plus, the steering wheel, instrument panel and pedal cluster can be changed from left- to right-hand drive on a whim – perfect for when you take it on a booze cruise to Calais. 

Fed up with all the McDonalds detritus and litter that’s blown outside your house? No worries. Just lob on the sweeper attachment and you can spring clean your street daily. Just watch out for your neighbour’s cat, as these brushes stop for nothing. And that can get quite miao-y then splatty. A lot of the Unimog’s implements are run off either the front or rear (you can spec what you like) ‘PTOs’, or Power Takeoffs. That’s basically a posh word for a plug socket that supply either engine or gearbox power to drive whatever you’ve attached. Then you can pair it with hydraulics if you want to get more trick.

With a Unimog, the days of having to flick the choke and endlessly pull a piece of string to get a lawnmower going are over. And, if you have a normal sized garden, you can do yours and half your neighbours in one go. In about four seconds. Or a whole field in about 40 minutes. If you want Wimbledon-esque trimming precision, the Unimog can be fitted with EasyDrive, a hydrostatic drive system that allows you to make finite speed adjustments. It’s basically like expert mode cruise control that also allows you to manipulate the engine revs to power your blades and get them really spinning. Again, watch out for the cats. More potential splatty.

It’s winter. Which means that there’s a possibility that we may get half a millimetre of snow, which will cripple the country into paralysis. Well, if you have to get to work and worry about the weather, the Unimog can be fitted with automated gritters that can carry up to 4.4 cubic metres of anti-snow pebbles and can be mounted either on the Unimog’s tipper platform, or directly onto the ball points of the floor assembly. Plus, unlike other gritters, starting at just 2.15m wide, it can get to places normal ploughs can’t. And you can waggle the plough, in, out, up, down and to different fans and points. The Unimog can also be fitted with four-wheel-steering. But unlike an AMG-GT R, instead of just being able to improve the turning circle and agility, it also offers the ability to crab diagonally. Which is a truly odd experience in such a big thing.

Have you ever tried to rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time? Hard isn’t it. Well, try rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same times as doing quantum mechanics, playing the harmonica and yodelling in Japanese. Because that’s the level of skill it takes to operate these Mulag combination mowers. This frankly terrifying combination mower can flail, cut, mow and dig all at the same time and is operated by pedals a steering wheel and two joysticks at the same time. Visibility in the cabin is excellent as it is, but to make mowing jobs even more comfortable, the Unimog can be equipped with transferable steering, a swivel seat and a mowing door for more space and a better view. Saying that, you need roughly six brains to operate the thing. But when you do master it, you’re the Edward Scissorhands of roadside trimming. 

Struggle to get the star on top of your Christmas tree this year? Or want to hold an epic pinata party with a 40ft pinata of your favourite hated politician? Well, this crane is what you need. Run off the hydraulics, you have a giant switchboard to move it every conceivable way possible. It’s like a giant grabber machine in an arcade. Just capable of lifting a house, rather some crap prize. 

In the next week, the streets of the UK will be full of sad-looking balding Christmas trees just abandoned on the street or at your local park. But, if you’re feeling charitable, you can just sling a chipper on the back of a Unimog and turn Norweigian spruce to dust in seconds. Actually, it’ll turn most things to dust in that time. So watch out for your fingers. And your neighbour’s cat. 

Here’s a fast and dirty Unimog spotter’s guide for you. There are two main body styles; a smaller ‘mog that does lots of implement-y things, then a High Mobility Unit (codenamed UHE) that’s an extreme off-roader that doesn’t have implements, but can carry a load of any sort (disaster relief/generators/a lifetime supply of Dairylea Dunkers) anywhere in the world, on any surface. It can even be chucked out of a plane. These models are then recategorised further by the series number that signifies its weight capacity. This goes from 200 through to 500 Series and from 10 to 16 and a half tonnes. The second two digits of the model number indicate the horsepower. And from there you have over 1,000 permutations of Unimog you can build thanks to all the implements. But regardless of what you get, the ‘Mog is great at lugging things along. Depending on your spec, you can tow anything from 8 tonnes to 1,000 tonnes. Yes, really. The U 423 is Merc’s multi-purpose solution for the rail industry, and housing a 228bhp, 5.1-litre turbodiesel engine, it can use its 664lb ft (900Nm) of torque to tow along 1,000 tonnes of cargo. That’s one million kilos. The equivalent of hitching up 1,852 Caterham 310Rs in one long line. Crazy.