Oh, how beautiful Portugal is

The last expedition of “Lost Cultures, Forgotten Heroes” with a Unimog took the team to a beautiful European destination: Portugal. Available for this was a 231 hp test vehicle finished in almandine red metallic, a U 4023 with a spacious motorhome body from bimobil. The vehicle dimensions of 7 x 2.48 x 3.60 metres gave the bodybuilder plenty of opportunity to create clever storage solutions. And it is impressive: the scales read 9.8 tonnes.

In addition to a fording depth of 1.20 metres and a ground clearance of almost 50 centimetres, the Unimog has sufficient approach and departure angles. Even steep uphill climbs of 45° present no problem thanks to its reduction gear.

Technical aids include a reversing camera and the associated screen mounted in the ceiling area on the passenger side. The clearly laid-out, well-structured dashboard puts all controls within easy reach.

Notable: an unusually generous sense of space with lots of headroom in the cab. In addition to ample space behind the seats, there is also a practical storage compartment between them. Alternatively, a third, non-sprung seat can be ordered.

The Euro 6 four-cylinder OM 934 engine, delivering 900 Newton metres of torque from just over 5.1 litres of displacement, starts with a sonorous sound. Gears are pre-selected using the selector lever of the automated 8-speed manual transmission. The vehicle also offers the option of selecting gears using the gearshift paddles or, for difficult driving situations, switching to completely manual operation using the clutch. To do this, a lever above the clutch pedal is pulled, the pedal folds down and is immediately ready for use.

With a light press of the accelerator the Unimog is already moving. From Munich it covers roughly 600 kilometres on the motorway towards the Ruhr region.

The Michelin XZL 365/80 R20 tyres on the two-piece Hutchinson aluminium rims with beadlock only really start to hum at 90 km/h. At this speed the engine impresses with its smoothness, and thanks to cruise control the journey is completed entirely stress-free. With the tyre and transmission combination, speeds of around 110 km/h are theoretically possible.

The next day: the second stage through France! Almost toll-free, we travel on country roads through the hinterland. Here the U 4023 shows its dynamism during load changes. We drive through small, tranquil villages in the gearbox’s manual mode. Although this doesn’t shorten shift times, it gives the driver the opportunity to decide when the actual gear change should take place. This helps, among other things, to prevent an unexpected loss of torque. That is particularly advantageous on hairpin bends, on inclines and when descending.

An expedition vehicle driver is sure to attract wide-eyed passers-by – including numerous photos that die-hard Unimog fans repeatedly take of the Mog.

After three days of comfortable travel in an elevated seating position, the destination is reached. In Portugal the Unimog can demonstrate its full range of capabilities: it travels over gravel tracks past old mines, remote settlements and through breathtaking landscapes. Secluded beaches are easily reached with all-wheel drive and engaged front, centre and rear differential locks. The selector switch for this is conveniently located on the dashboard.

In deep sand the tyre pressure must be quickly reduced via the TireControl plus tyre pressure control system to avoid losing traction. Three preset modes (road, sand and rough terrain) with corresponding speed recommendations are available; if the recommended speed is exceeded the display issues a corresponding warning. For particularly demanding situations the tyre pressure can even be adjusted manually while driving. The pressure of all tyres is shown on the central display.

Over the following days, the Portugal expedition with the highly off-road-capable Unimog travels through small fishing villages and remote landscapes to beautiful beaches. Pure nature.

As a conclusion, Lost Cultures notes in the logbook: "The U 4023 is the ideal platform for a true expedition vehicle. With its wheelbase of 3.85 meters, it is extremely off-road-capable — as long as you respect the laws of physics. During the test drive, the Unimog consumes about 21 liters per 100 kilometers despite varying terrain. In every driving situation, the driver is in control at all times; however, the lateral support of the seats could be improved and a second armrest could be provided for the passenger. In any case: driving pleasure guaranteed!"