The 406 was the first Unimog designed with a proper cab from the start — Daimler-Benz built an entirely new industrial press just to stamp its panels.
Median 34 hp across 66 similar cars
Lead trim: Unimog U65 4.6 OM 312 diesel (64 hp) · up to 83 hp
Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406406 · 1963–1989
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe 406 was the first Unimog designed with a proper cab from the start — Daimler-Benz built an entirely new industrial press just to stamp its panels.
The Unimog 406 is the first medium-duty Unimog, built by Daimler-Benz in Gaggenau from 1963 to 1989 (37,069 units): a 2,380 mm wheelbase and more than twice the engine power of the 401, with a heavy-duty truck engine rather than a car engine and the downswept frame of the 404, planned from 1960 because customers wanted a more powerful Unimog than the 411 (whose 25 kW engine was thought too weak) as German agriculture mechanised. There were eleven types in four models (U 65 to U 84) with a closed two- or four-door cab, as a cabrio and as an OEM "half" Unimog lacking the rear part; in 1964 the pre-combustion-chamber OM 312 diesel was replaced by the direct-injected OM 352, and disc brakes followed in 1973. Many enthusiasts regard the now highly collectible 406 as the classic Unimog (the last drum-braked 1973 406BT being the most desirable), and more than 70% of all Unimogs are painted "Lorry green" (DB 6277). Engines are straight-six diesels: the 4.58-litre OM 312 (65 PS) and the 5.675-litre OM 352 (70, 80 and 84 PS), with a UG-2/27 gearbox in 6/2 or 2 × 4 / 2 × 2 forms; it is related to the 416, 421, 403, 413, 426 and 419.
Collectors Spotted in the Mercedes-Benz Unimog Lineage
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Trims & Figures
4 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unimog U65 4.6 OM 312 diesel (64 hp) | 1963–1964 | 4.6 L Inline-6 | 64 hp | 155 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Unimog U70 5.7 OM 352 diesel (69 hp) | 1964–1966 | 5.7 L Inline-6 | 69 hp | 171 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Unimog U80 5.7 OM 352 diesel (79 hp) | 1966–1968 | 5.7 L Inline-6 | 79 hp | 177 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Unimog U84 5.7 OM 352 / OM 353 diesel (83 hp) | 1969–1989 | 5.7 L Inline-6 | 83 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
The Unimog 435 wasn't built for farms or fire departments first — it was developed in 1975 specifically for West Germany's Bundeswehr, as the military successor to the Unimog S 404.
The Unimog's now-iconic 'edgy' bonnet wasn't always there — it debuted in 1974 on the first heavy-duty Unimog, the U 120 of the 425 series, and Mercedes-Benz has kept that same hard-edged look on Unimogs ever since.
The 406 was the first Unimog designed with a proper cab from the start — Daimler-Benz built an entirely new industrial press just to stamp its panels.
The 411 shipped with a crash gearbox (no synchro) even after Mercedes gave the smaller 404 a synchromesh box — drivers had to double-clutch until synchromesh became optional in 1957 and standard in 1959.
Of every Unimog variant ever built, the 404 S sold the most: 64,242 units between 1955 and 1980 — the best-selling Unimog in the whole lineage.
The 401/402 update gave the Unimog its first Mercedes three-pointed star on the hood, replacing the ox-horn emblem the earliest models wore.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
When Mazda's E2000 — the truck that became the Titan — launched in January 1964, the factory was tasked with building 1,900 of them a month.
Swaraj Mazda built this truck under license in India from 1985, and the plant survived name changes all the way to SML Isuzu.
Indonesia built this pickup for 28 years with no successor, the last one leaving the Jakarta line in January 2019 after 324,960 units.
Suzuki's first-ever diesel engine, fitted to the Super Carry, is so small that it isn't able to power an air-conditioning system at all.
A right-hand-drive DJ-3A was built so postal drivers could reach roadside mailboxes without leaving the seat.
The Power Wagon name and civilian pickup design were derived directly from the WC-series military trucks Dodge built for World War II.
Suzuki kept the L20 Carry at the exact same 21 hp as its predecessor but still called it progress — the gain was a patented Cylinder Crank Injection lubrication system, not more power.
This generation of Titan quietly became the ancestor of two other trucks entirely: it was license-built by Kia as the Kia Titan in South Korea, and formed the basis of the Australian Ford Trader.