We here at Fun Trucks Friday appreciate the great outdoors as much as anybody, and we try to get away from the city and into the wilderness as often as we can get away with it.
The journey is much of the fun, especially if the destination is remote and difficult. And then there’s the hiking and hunting and otherwise the pleasure of not being in the office.
But when it comes to roughing it, what’s the point of suffering after a long, wonderful day of fresh-air exertion? Arctic tents and sub-zero sleeping bags are great gear if your only other option is to sleep on the bare ground, and if you have to hike to your favorite hide-away, or, at best, rely on what your 4×4 pickup can carry.
But suppose the maker of the world’s greatest off-road commercial truck decided to put a studio apartment on the back?
Meet the Mercedes-Benz Zetros, RV edition.
The formula, as described by the M-B PR department: the traction and ruggedness of the standard Zetros truck + the stability and technical brilliance of a Hartmann Spezialkarosserien body + the luxury of a Hünerkopf-equipped interior = “a super-home on wheels.”
The Zetros, which debuted recently at Europe’s leading RV trade show, combines the extreme off-road ability of a Unimog with the load-carrying capacity of a heavy-duty truck.
In terms of capabilities, the concept is founded on permanent all-wheel drive, high ground clearance, 16.00 R20 off-road singles, no fewer than three differential locks and a two-stage transfer case. The truck is powered by a 326hp 7.2-liter diesel
As a result, the Zetros can ford 4 feet of water, traverse a boulder field and climb some serious slopes.
(And the FTF staff can confirm these claims: Along with photos of the RV concept, the slides above include images from our visit last year to the test track in Germany where we took a spin in a Zetros and a Unimog dressed in their more typical work clothes.)
The walls, roof and floor of the Zetros are made of one-piece, galvanized and plastic-coated panels, and the camper features an electrically powered slide-out with a carbon-fiber outer skin and pneumatic seals.
A spacious L-shaped seating arrangement with kitchenette is complemented in the central section by a bathroom with washroom and toilet plus a separate hot-water shower cubicle. A roomy double bed at the rear rounds off the accommodations.
Planning to play hooky for quite a while? The tanks hold 80 gallons of water and 160 gallons of fuel.
Torn between a hunting weekend and some big ballgames? This Zetros is equipped with a satellite dish and internet, along with a big screen tv and Bose sound system.
But you don’t have to run the diesel to generate electricity (and noise around the camp): A lithium-ion battery pack and solar cells provide intrusion-free power for all those gadgets.
