As the world of overlanding and long-distance off-road touring grows, so do the number of wild, over-the-top creations designed to cater both to the buying whims of the super-rich and the aspirations of everyone else. You and I, for example, will almost certainly never be able to afford a $1.5 million all-terrain recreational vehicle like the six-wheeled monster seen here…but there’s somebody out there who can, which means we get the chance to stoke our daydreams with visions of vanishing into the wilderness behind the wheel of this beast.
This Pacific Rim jaeger of an overlander goes by the tortured name of “Unicat Individual Expedition Vehicle MD56c MAN TGS 6×6,” so like those giant movie robots, you may want to give it a snappier name for casual conversation. (We’re leaning towards “Metal Thunder.”)
Regardless of what it’s called, this Unicat‘s specs leave even impressive purpose-built overlanding trucks like the EarthCruiser EXP looking weak by comparison. It’s based on a six-wheel-drive MAN TGS truck chassis with the body attached via kinematic main and flex mounts. It also comes packing a low-range transfer case, front / center / rear differential locks, and a 12-speed automatic transmission connecting the wheels to a 540-hp turbodiesel engine.
That engine is mighty, but it can run for a long ways, thanks to a stunning 259-gallon fuel tank that gives the truck a claimed range of more than 2,000 miles on a tank. You probably won’t go quite that far if you’re off-roading, but you still won’t have to worry about being stranded by a lack of fuel — or, for that matter, by a lack of grip, thanks to tubeless tires with a central inflation system.
1,850 watts of solar panels connected to a 24.6-kWh lithium battery setup help give it a claimed endurance of weeks away from people, as do the 159 gallons of fresh water it can carry. Rear-view and 360-degree cameras make maneuvering a snap, in spite of its length of more than 18 feet and width of more than eight feet. (You can see more of the very, very comprehensive tech specs here, if you so choose.)
Inside, there’s a full dry bathroom (none of that wet bath action here), a heated queen-sized bed in a master suite towards the back, an accommodating kitchen that features a fridge/freezer combo offering nearly seven cubic feet of space, an induction cooktop, a microwave, a dishwasher and drawers outfitted with custom dividers to keep your dishware unbroken.
Up front lies a table with seating for six, which can be converted into a second, almost-queen-sized bed. Oh, and the yacht comparison wasn’t just tied to the Unicat’s size. Like a superyacht, the interior is replete with teak; the wood covers the countertops, the floor, even the retractable staircase.
Speaking of those yacht comparisons: did we mention this Unicat can accommodate its own tender? Yup, much the way giant boats have smaller vessels that can zip off on other missions, this 6×6 has a space out back where you can place a side-by-side ATV or a pair of motorcycles. Granted, you’ll have to supply that yourself, but something tells us that if you can afford the $1.5 million price tag of this big ‘Cat, you can probably drop a little more on a Polaris.
Likewise, while this Unicat is for sale in Germany and based off a truck that isn’t sold in the United States, we feel confident that anyone with the resources to buy this could find a way to bring it over to America. At least…we’re gonna imagine that we could.