The Unimog 405 is a vehicle of the Unimog-series by Mercedes-Benz, made by Daimler Truck Holding AG.The Unimog 405's manufacturer changed its name three times throughout the Unimog 405's development phase and production run, and split off its truck business in 2019. Originally, the manufacturer's name was Daimler-Benz. From 1997 until 2007, the manufacturer was called DaimlerChrysler, and from 2007 until 2022, the name was Daimler. Since October 2019, the truck business has been called Daimler Truck Holding. Daimler changed its name to Mercedes-Benz Group in 2022; Mercedes-Benz Group has since been a majority shareholder of Daimler Truck Holding. This article uses the contemporary manufacturer names. Developed in the 1990s, the Unimog 405 has been in production since 2000. Originally, DaimlerChrysler produced the Unimog at Gaggenau; in 2002, production was moved to Wörth am Rhein. The Unimog 405 is the implement carrier version of the Unimog and the successor to most previous Unimogs. Although retaining many characteristics typical of the Unimog, the 405's axle and chassis design concept with control arms instead of torque tubes marks a "paradigmatic change" in Unimog design.
The Unimog 405 can legally be classified as either a 7.5-tonne lorry (C1), a 40-tonne lorry (C), or agricultural tractor (T). It is produced alongside the heavy-duty, off-road lorry-like Unimog 437.4, which features a different technical design. The Unimog 405 has been made in three major variants: UGN (2000–2016), LUG (2007–2013), and UGE (since 2013). In total, 22 types of the Unimog 405 have been made, with two types (405.210 and 405.230) exclusively sold on the North-American market as the Freightliner Unimog U 500.
Unimog 405 types and model family
Throughout its more than 20-year-long production, the Unimog 405 has been developed into an implement carrier family that comprises various different variants, models, and types. In total, three different variants of the Unimog 405 were made. DaimlerChrysler originally introduced the Unimog 405 in the UGN variant (Unimog Geräteträger Neu; new Unimog implement carrier), which was succeeded by the UGE variant in 2013. From 2007 until 2013 the LUG variant (leichter Unimog-Geräteträger; light Unimog implement carrier) was made alongside the UGN variant. In total, 13,930 Unimog 405 of the LUG and UGN variants were made; the UGE is still in production (as of November 2022) and thus has varying production figures.
The model designation (i.e. the sales designation) of all Unimog 405 vehicles is a three-digit number with a U-prefix, e.g. U 318. The only exception is the LUG variant of the Unimog, which was sold as the U 20. In the model designation, the first digit is roughly indicative of the maximum permissible payload: 2: 7.5–9.3 t, 3: 7.5–10.2 t, 4: 12–12.5 t, 5: 15.5–16 t. Since the introduction of the UGE variant in 2014, the second and third digit have been used to indicate tenths of the approximate engine power output in DIN-PS. For example, an Unimog U 318 is a UGE variant with a engine, and may be classified as a 7.5-tonne lorry. There is one exception to this; the U 300 model was sold as the U 290 model in some markets.
The UGE model designation scheme includes the U 427 and U 435 models. These designations are also used as the series' designations for the Unimog 427, a predecessor of the Unimog 405, and for the Unimog 435. The aforementioned Unimogs 427 and 435 are different from the Unimog discussed in this article, the Unimog 405.
The types''' designation in Unimog 405 is indicative of frame length (and thus wheelbase), the engine model, as well as the maximum permissible axle load. It consists of a six-digit number that begins with 405 and ends with a types' number. For instance, the Unimog U 318's types' designation (3000 mm wheelbase, OM 934 LA engine, low-payload axles) is 405.104. Compared with previous Unimogs, the 405 has a different axle concept, with different designs for low (U 2xx, U 3xx) and high (U 4xx, U 5xx) payload models. The types' designation scheme comes with different types's designations for different payload options. For instance, the 405.2xx types' designation is only used for high-payload U 5xx models. The types' designation also allows determining the Unimog 405's variant.
Types, variants, and models overview
Types' designationModel designationVariantEngineWheelbasePower outputProduction figures (2000–2016)Comments405.050U 20LUGOM 904 LA2700 mm110 kW, 115 kW, 130 kW1.123Production ceased405.090U 216, U 218, U 219UGEOM 934 LA2800 mm115 kW, 130 kW, 140 kW405.100U 300UGNOM 904 LA3080 mm110 kW, 130 kW, 170 kW1.593Production ceased405.101U 290, U 300UGNOM 904 LA3080 mm110 kW, 115 kW, 130 kW1.487Production ceased405.102U 400UGNOM 906 LA3080 mm130 kW, 170 kW, 205 kW2.531Production ceased405.103U 400UGNOM 904 LA3080 mm130 kW, 175 kW, 210 kW2.495Production ceased405.104U 318, U 319UGEOM 934 LA3000 mm130 kW, 140 kW405.105U 323UGEOM 934 LA3000 mm170 kW405.110U 327, U 427, U 429, U 430, U 435UGEOM 936 LA 3150 mm200 kW, 210 kW, 220 kW, 260 kW405.120U 300UGNOM 904 LA3600 mm110 kW, 130 kW, 170 kW294Production ceased405.121U 300UGNOM 904 LA3600 mm110 kW, 115 kW, 130 kW135Production ceased405.122U 400UGNOM 906 LA3600 mm125 kW, 130 kW, 170 kW, 205 kW1.147Production ceased405.123U 400UGNOM 904 LA3600 mm130 kW, 175 kW, 210 kW707Production ceased405.125U 327, U 423, U 427, U 429, U 430, U 435UGEOM 934 LA3600 mm170 kW, 200 kW, 210 kW, 220 kW, 260 kW405.200U 500UGNOM 906 LA3350 mm170 kW, 205 kW457Production ceased405.201U 500UGNOM 906 LA3350 mm175 kW, 210 kW740Production ceased405.202U 527, U 529, U 530, U 535UGEOM 936 LA3350 mm200 kW, 210 kW, 220 kW, 260 kW405.210U 500UGNOM 906 LA3080 mm194 kW29Production ceased; sold as Freightliner Unimog U 500 (2002–2007)405.220U 500UGNOM 906 LA3900 mm170 kW, 205 kW468Production ceased405.221U 500UGNOM 906 LA3900 mm175 kW, 210 kW570Production ceased405.222U 527, U 529, U 530, U 535UGEOM 936 LA3900 mm200 kW, 210 kW, 220 kW, 260 kW405.230U 500UGNOM 906 LA3900 mm194 kW154 Production ceased; sold as Freightliner Unimog U 500, 2002–2007Figures of UGN and LUG according to Unimog engineer Achim Vogt Brabus Unimog U 500 Black Edition
In December 2005, Mercedes-Benz presented the Brabus Unimog U 500 Black Edition at the Dubai Motor Show. The Brabus Unimog U 500 Black Edition is a luxury version of the Unimog, heavily modified by Brabus. It features chrome bumpers, exhaust tips, an all-black exterior, new body panels, and a giant steel rollover protection bar. The interior panels are made of carbon fiber, and the upholstery is made of alcantara, leather, and luxurious cloth. The windows are tinted. Many interior parts – such as the infotainment system, sound system, and steering wheel – were also used in the contemporary Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the W 220. Although based on the U 500 model, the Brabus Unimog U 500 Black Edition has the maximum permissible mass rating of the Unimog U 400, which is 11,990 kg. It is equipped with the 205 kW version of the OM 906 six-cylinder engine and the automatic shifting option for the gearbox; the top speed is 120 km/h. In late 2005, Mercedes-Benz announced that the Brabus Unimog U 500 Black Edition would be put into series production if demand for the vehicle existed. One year later, German news paper Die Welt wrote that six Unimog U Black Edition were sold, with three being in production. The total production figure was said to be not greater than ten.
404-based 405.110
In the 1950s and 1960s, former Daimler-Benz AG used the Unimog U 405.110 types' designation for a prototype of an armoured personnel carrier, based on the Unimog 404 chassis. Although bearing the same fundamental design principle, the 404-based Unimog 405.110 is technically very different from the modern Unimog 405, and thus not included in the Unimog 405 family.
History
1994 – 2000: Development phase
The planning of the Unimog 405 project began in 1994. According to Unimog engineer Carl-Heinz Vogler, a market analysis showed that Unimog customers demanded a more dedicated implement carrier version of the Unimog. At Daimler-Benz it was decided to make a forward-control vehicle with reduced off-road capability but improved implement carrier capabilities. This marks a paradigmatic change in Unimog design. The new Unimog series was supposed to have four options for mounting implements: In front, in back, on the bed, and in between the axles. Also, the new implement carrier Unimog, which would later become the 405, was planned to have a much more sophisticated single- or dual-circuit hydraulics system than previous Unimogs. Eventually, in 1996, the board of directors and the works council agreed upon developing and producing the new Unimog series at the Mercedes-Benz-Werk Gaggenau. Original development was carried out within 39 months, from 1996 until 2000. Former DaimlerChrysler developed a product requirements document together with selected customers and equipment manufacturers. Key points were, among others, increased driver comfort and functionality, one-man operation, increased payload, tractor operation, road-rail operation, compatibility with existing tools, and increased economy. DaimlerChrysler engineers used computerised design tools such as CAD, FEM, as well as driving dynamics and road simulation in the Unimog 405's development; previous Unimog series – such as the Unimog 406 – were mostly developed with conventional (i.e. largely non-computerised) engineering methods.In his 2016 book "Unimog 406 – Typengeschichte und Technik", Unimog engineer Carl-Heinz Vogler describes that 3 m² drafting tables were used in Unimog 406 design, cf.
2000 – 2007: Introduction of the UGN
In March 2000, the Unimog 405 was officially presented to the public as the new Unimog implement carrier (UGN). Series production of the U 300 and U 400 models commenced in April 2000; the U 500 model followed in February 2001. In 2002, the Unimog 405 was introduced in North America as the Freightliner Unimog U 500 for the 2003 model year. During summer that year, production was moved from Gaggenau to Wörth am Rhein. On 26 August 2002, the first Unimog 405 – a U 400 – rolled off the Wörth plant's assembly line. DaimlerChrysler designed two types specifically for the North American market, the 405.210 short wheelbase type and 405.230 long wheelbase type. They have about 500 parts that are different compared to the German Unimog 405 types, most notably, an OM 906 engine tuned to comply with US emissions regulations. In 2007, the Unimog 405 was discontinued in the United States. In total, 183 units were made.
2006 – 2014: Changes to the UGN and short-lived LUG
2006 brought changes to European motor vehicle legislation which eventually resulted in the Unimog 405 being updated. To comply with the then-new Euro IV emissions standard, the Unimog 405 was equipped with a selective catalytic reduction catalyst. DaimlerChrysler incremented the types's designations by one, e.g. the 405.100 became the 405.101.
In September 2006, the Unimog U 20 was presented at the 61st IAA-Nutzfahrzeuge in Hannover. Series production eventually commenced on 23 October 2007, and the first U 20 was delivered in January 2008. Daimler discontinued the Unimog U 20 in 2014 when the Euro VI emissions standard came into effect. It was succeeded by the U 216 and U 218 models, which are slightly bigger in size.
2013 – present: UGE