The world’s toughest RV, built onto a Unimog U500 chassis by Global Expedition Vehicles, is being discontinued. But, there’s two left, so well-heeled survival enthusiasts had better hurry. We’re just relieved to see we can still get airbrushed graphics on the sides; no RV should be without them.
Both of GXV’s remaining Unimog stock are powered by 6.4 turbo diesels powering all four wheels through a 16-gear transmission. That powerplant give the Unimog legendary go-anywhere ability — it can run on anything from Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel to ditch water — but is ironically responsible for killing US imports. New US emissions regulations require the fitment of both a particulate filter and a catalytic converter. Not only would that cat kill the ‘Mog’s drink anything ability, but would also require the fitment of a five-foot long canister, something there simply isn’t space for. As a result, the official importer, Freightliner, has pulled the Unimog from the US market, killing these RV conversions.
The Unimog makes a particularly capable platform for an RV due not only for its off-road ability, but also its peerless quality and on-road refinement. GXV takes both attributes and accentuates them fitting marine-spec components that will never corrode and triplicate electrics in 12v, 120v and 230v. Combine both with a solar panel-recharged 510 Ah gel battery and you can understand why these vehicles are so popular with the global adventure set: they can rely on them to work in any condition, something that can literally be life saving.
Fans of go-anywhere RVs needn’t despair however, should you fail to grab one of the two remaining vehicles, GXV has plans to base its future range on the Military-spec Western Star 4900 SA, a vehicle that comes in 4x4 or 6x6 versions and can be outfitted with any Military upgrade including snorkels or even Unimog tires (giving it 20-inches of ground clearance. That vehicle comes stock with 450 HP and the ability to haul anything from logs to a battle tank or, in the near future, the baddest extreme survival RV ever made. [GXV via Squob]
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