Freightliner, the nation's biggest maker of 18-wheelers, plans to start selling a four-wheel-drive vehicle that dwarfs even the largest SUVS now on the road, according to a Feb. 21 story by Keith Bradsher in The New York Times. Based on a German military transport, the vehicle, called the Unimog, makes even the Hummer look small. The Unimog stands 9 feet 7 inches tall, almost 3 feet taller than the tallest current SUV. Its front seat, mounted 6 feet high, is reached by a three-step ladder. The Unimog is 20 feet long and 7 feet wide, more than a foot longer than the Ford Excursion, the longest SUV on the market now. It is nearly 2 feet wider than a typical car, and 3.5 inches wider than even General Motors' Hummer, which is based on an American military transport. The Unimog is so wide that, by federal regulation, it must carry truck marker lights across the top of the front and back, according to Bradsher. Most remarkable is the Unimog's weight: 12,500 pounds. That is more than two Chevrolet Suburban SUVs or four Toyota Camry sedans. The company says the vehicle gets about 10 miles to the gallon of diesel fuel, less even than the most fuel-hungry SUVs and pickups. "You don't need roads," says the cover of the Unimog sales brochure, "when you can make your own." The vehicle will sell for a base price of $84,000. Freightliner will start taking orders for the Unimog in October, with manufacturing to begin in January, according to Bruce Barnes, the Unimog marketing manager at Freightliner, which is owned by DaimlerChrysler AG. Freightliner will sell the Unimog mainly in suburban markets, regardless of region. Freightliner hopes to initially sell 1,000 a year, with only 250 going to individuals -- well-to-do off-road enthusiasts and people who simply like to drive noticeable vehicles. The rest will go to fire departments and businesses that plan to adapt them for civic and commercial use. Barnes said production could be increased if the vehicle is a success. Freightliner describes the Unimog as an off-road vehicle, but it is not a true sport utility. The $84,000 base version will somewhat resemble a pickup with enormous front and side windows to help drivers see the traffic below. Unimog is short for the German "universal motor Geraet," which Freightliner translates as "universal engine-driven apparatus." Customers may equip vehicles with a covered pickup bed and jump seats, and many other options are available, according to Barnes. "Leather interior, GPS navigation systems and high-end stereo systems are all available -- just in case you'd like to spoil yourself," the Unimog brochure says. Walnut interior trim, "mood lights" and even a vertical exhaust pipe, just like the exhausts on real 18-wheelers, are also optional. The Unimog is exempt from most federal safety, air pollution and fuel economy regulations because it exceeds the weight cutoffs for such rules. It will meet federal air pollution standards for medium-duty trucks -- standards that are much more lax than those for cars. Freightliner is studying whether the Unimog can meet the more-stringent rules that California has set for trucks sold in the state, according to Bradsher.