Looking for a Niche? DaimlerChrysler has just the tool for you. Last year, the company rolled out its medium-duty all-terrain vehicle, the Unimog U500. The unveiling was actually an encore introduction — the first occurred in 2000 — designed to redefine the Unimog's intended purpose on the North American vehicular landscape.

Four years ago, company executives and product literature boldly touted the truck as the ultimate recreational toy, featuring leather interior, GPS navigation systems and high-end stereos — "in case you'd like to spoil yourself," gushed one brochure at the time. Environmentalists and automotive journalists, of course, immediately assailed the idea of a 20-foot-long, six-ton SUV. The outcry stunned marketing managers, and they quickly tried to redirect everyone's attention toward the Unimog's commercial capabilities. But before their revised efforts had stirred the collective imagination of truck buyers, the economy started tanking. The combination of bad publicity and poor timing convinced company officials to shelve the project until prospects improved.

Now the truck's back and sporting a message that emphasizes vocation over vacation. This strategy has great potential because the Unimog is, and always has been, a solid workhorse.

First built in the late 1940s, the Unimog (short for universal motorgerät, or universal motor equipment) was designed to serve German farmers as both truck and tractor. It offered tank-like construction, all-wheel drive, deep gear reduction, high ground clearance and good frontal visibility. The bulk of early Unimog sales went to European military forces. The genetics of these venerable old hulks are apparent in the family's latest offspring, the U500, one of three newly redesigned models, and the only one available in the U.S. and Canada.

From a distance, the U500 is almost toy-like in appearance, a caricature of truck design: huge windows in a stubby, bulbous cab mounted atop a relatively short frame that rides on deep-lug monster tires. This is the sort of thing children imagine when they dream of trucks — all the more so since brightly colored plastic replicas started showing up on toy store shelves around the world.

Up close, however, the vehicle projects a much different image. It is brutish and rugged in a manner unmatched by any production vehicle this side of the Alps. You can easily envision one of these machines scaling the side of some barren, ice-flecked granite peak, flanked by awestruck mountain goats, or perhaps churning through a dense, steamy jungle bog, wheels half buried in reddish, watery muck.

The truck's capabilities were recently displayed outside of Salt Lake City, at a product demonstration and test drive sponsored by Freightliner, the Unimog's North American corporate godparent. About a dozen models were on hand, half of them fitted with implements suited for a range of specific applications. There was a snowplow, a grader, an excavating shovel, an overhead crane, a sweeper, even a fire and rescue platform. One unit was running a chainsaw, drill and high-pressure water pump — all from hydraulic attachments mounted above its front bumper. The obvious theme for this event was versatility: one Unimog for many jobs, as long as you have the right attachments.

Nearby was an obstacle course of abrupt knolls, sharp corners, steep ravine-like paths and sand as light and fine as moon dust. The terrain would have rendered any normal vehicle useless, but it presented little challenge to the test "Mogs," piloted by people unpracticed in the art of off-road driving. The trucks grunted up and down the hills, clung to the sides of ridges, shook tightly across choppy surfaces, easily wheeled around hairpin turns, never spun out. Everyone raved about performance.

Afterward, an assembled troop of journalists piled into four Unimog units and headed toward the Wasatch Mountains and a scenic, narrow two-lane road leading to Park City, roughly 30 miles east, and 5,200 feet above our starting location, the parking lot at Freightliner of Utah.

Concrete is not the truck's favorite surface. It handles well enough, but its highway manners are, well, truck-like. It is taller than 79 percent of the surrounding traffic, and its front axle, located several feet below the driver's seat, is not ashamed of sharing intimate details of the roadway's surface. The signals aren't intense, but you're aware of their presence. This is not, and is not meant to be, a Lincoln Town Car.

The cab is airy, spacious and squeak- and rattle-free. But, it doesn't shield occupants from the high-pitch howl of deep-lug tires spinning at 70 mph, the truck's top speed. Dual cooling fans, mounted to the frame rails just behind the cab, add to the chorus when their assistance is required. The combined sound isn't harsh or excessive, but it is enough to drown out large portions of a Bach minuet.

All of this misses the point, however. Judging the Unimog's interior sounds is like critiquing the taxiing characteristics of a Lear Jet. The truck is intended for a landscape than hasn't been packed and paved. It's a modern-day workhorse, offering an abundant HVAC system and comfortable seating for three. As we climbed higher into the Wasatch Range, the trucks' performance became more impressive. Eventually, our windy, two-lane route changed from asphalt to gravel, and the concerns we'd had about interior decibel levels or seat fabrics disappeared, replaced by a newfound admiration.

The Unimog has a lot to offer anyone needing to tackle a variety of chores. Its durability is legendary — most of the Mogs built since the early — 50s are reportedly still in use — its versatility is unsurpassed and (with the larger of two models available) it is strong enough to carry more than 17,000 pounds and pull 45,000 pounds. The base price is about $90,000. For a little more, you might still be able to get the leather interior and high-end stereo system, just in case you'd like to spoil yourself.

Tech Specs - Unimog U500

Engine: Mercedes-Benz MBE900, 230 hp or 280 hp
Transmission: Mercedes-Benz 8-speed with standard electro-pneumatic Telligent gearshift system
Wheelbase: 132-inch or 154-inch
Gross vehicle weight: 26,000 pounds and 33,000 pounds