Being the founders of 4 wheel-drive system, Mercedes-Benz has always been in forefront to deliver the off-road enthusiast the ultimate robust off-roaders!
Mercedes unique offering in this segment the Unimog is the ultimate off-road machine money can buy! It has proven itself on various challenges & its capabilities are very well accepted by the enthusiast too, that why the Unimog is being awarded as the best off-roader and became 2010 Cross-Country Vehicle of the Year for the sixth consecutive year
Mercedes other stunning off-roader G-class won two off-road awards in Luxury Cross-country Vehicle & Classics categories. And the softer M-class won the second place in the Luxury SUV Categories.
UNIMOG
Off Road Award: Mercedes-Benz Unimog is 2010 Cross-Country Vehicle of the Year
* Readers of Off Road magazine have voted the Unimog the years best cross-country vehicle in the Special-Purpose Vehicles category
* Unimog takes first place with an outstanding 37.9 % of readers votes
For the sixth time running, readers of Off Road magazine have voted the Mercedes-Benz Unimog the years best cross-country vehicle in the Special-Purpose Vehicles category. The Unimog picked up the title of 2010 Cross-Country Vehicle of the Year Special-Purpose Vehicles Category after the December issue of the respected Munich-based all-wheel-drive magazine invited readers to vote for a selection of vehicles with off-road capability in a total of eight categories. The OFF ROAD Obelisk award was presented during a special gala evening held at Munichs Das Schloss theatre tent. Over 48,000 votes were cast to select the winners among the 97 vehicles nominated by the organisers. The Unimog was the top-scoring model among the special-purpose vehicles with an outstanding 37.9 % of the readers votes.
The eight categories for which readers where invited to cast their votes were Cross-Country Vehicles, Luxury Cross-Country Vehicles, Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), Luxury SUVs, Classics, Pick-Ups, Special-Purpose Vehicles and Crossover Vehicles. Among the special-purpose vehicles cross-country vehicles used for transporting loads and cargo in remote areas or as a basis for special bodies used by fire-fighters, expeditions and the military the Unimog easily led the field. Its signature product characteristics, such as its portal axles which provide outstanding off-road capability and its tremendous torsional flexibility combined with exceptional ruggedness and strength, came in for particular praise.
Produced at the Wörth plant since 2002, the high-mobility U 4000 to U 5000 Unimog range is the natural choice for difficult all-terrain operations far from roads and tracks. Its principal applications are in the domains of fire-fighting (especially in the context of forest fires), disaster relief, expedition transport as well as service and maintenance work in areas where access is difficult. As the saying goes: Unimog vehicles get through where others cannot even get in.
The Unimog U 4000 and U 5000 models are therefore the ideal complement to the all-terrain implement carriers which make up the U 300 to U 500 range and which are used principally by public service organisations and municipal contractors as well as in the construction and energy sectors, in intra-plant transport applications and for road/rail work. The latest addition to the Unimog family is the compact U 20, which was launched in 2008.
The legendary G-Class also emerged as a firm favourite with the readers: it was voted into first place in the Luxury Cross-Country Vehicles category. Another G-Class, in Edition Pur guise (produced in 2009 to mark the 30th anniversary of the model series) took second place in the Classics category with the same ranking being attained by the M-Class in the Luxury SUVs category.
Off-Road magazine has been inviting its readers to vote for the cross-country vehicle of the year since 1982.
G-Class
Press Release 2:
Stuttgart/Munich Mercedes-Benz was among the most successful
brands in the readers vote for the Off-roader of the Year 2010″ held by the motoring magazine Off Road. Within the portfolio the legendary G-Class was even able to notch up a double success: it won first place in the Luxury off-roader category, while the special EDITION.PUR model, which entered production in 2009 to mark the 30th anniversary of the G-Class, took second place in the Classic category. The M-Class achieved the same ranking in the Luxury SUV category. In the Special-purpose vehicle category, the multi-talented Unimog once again took its place on the winners rostrum.
These awards make the G-Class one of the most popular and highly acclaimed models in the world of off-road vehicles, as a look at the major awards received in recent years reveals. For the seventh time, the readers of Off Road have awarded the title of Off-roader of the Year to the G-Class, following its successes in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. In its 2007 and 2009 readers votes, the off-road magazine 4Wheel Fun declared the G to be the Superstar. Following its successes in 2003 and 2007, the readers of Motor Klassik once again voted the Mercedes-Benz G-Class the Classic of the Future last year. And no less than 14 times, readers of the motoring magazine auto motor und sport have voted the G-Class the worlds best off-road vehicle. In the special-purpose vehicle segment off-road vehicles used to carry loads and cargo into remote areas, or used as a basis for special-purpose bodies the Unimog clearly leads the field, with particular praise for its outstanding off-road capabilities combined with extreme robustness.
A full range: the current G-Class
The current 463-series G family has three body variants. The short wheelbase Station Wagon, the long wheelbase Station Wagon or the Cabriolet can be combined either with the economical V6 CDI engine developing 165 kW (224 hp) and 540 newton metres, or a powerful 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine with 285 kW (388 hp) and 530 newton metres. The top-of-the-range G 55 AMG, which is available only as a four-door Station Wagon, is powered by a supercharged V8 engine generating 373 kW (507 hp) and an impressive maximum torque of 700 newton metres. The G-Class continues to offer an outstanding synthesis of powerful drive and dynamic handling systems. In addition to permanent all-wheel drive with an off-road reduction range and the 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission, standard equipment includes the electronically controlled traction system 4ETS, the Electronic Stability Program ESP® and three differential locks that can be engaged at the touch of a button.
The special EDITION.PUR model, which has received an award in the Classic category, entered production in 2009 to mark the 30th birthday of the G-Class and is based on the G 280 CDI from the G 461 series. This long wheelbase Station Wagon is homage to the first-generation G-Model, and like its ancestor it is specially optimised for operation in the very toughest off-road conditions.
The trendsetter: Mercedes-Benz M-Class
As a trendsetter among todays SUVs, the M-Class owes its exceptional status to its characteristically dynamic and elegant design, as well as to a combination of excellent on-road/off-road performance, the ride and operating comfort of a saloon car and a high level of perceived value. Moreover, the M-Class has safety features that are unrivalled anywhere in the SUV segment. These outstanding attributes were duly rewarded by the readers of the motoring magazine Off Road.