Do you love to travel the world with a full bathroom, a comfy bedroom, and a decent kitchen? Then look no further than this impressive expedition truck—the EarthCruiser. The formidable 4×4 is designed to take its occupants from the city streets to sand dunes or anywhere you want to go on the planet.
The 2020 EarthCruiser overland camper sleeps four and has a 140-inch wheelbase with exterior dimensions similar to a midsize pickup truck. An optional Dual Cab body style with a 169-inch wheelbase is also available, and just recently became available to order. In the Dual Cab configuration the EarthCruiser measures 289 inches long from bumper to bumper, but both versions offer 11.3 inches of ground clearance and a reasonably good approach angle thanks to the short front overhang that comes with its cabover design. Additionally, you can get the EarthCruiser as either a fixed-roof FX model or a more spacious EXP pop-top variant. If you have global aspirations, know that the EXP version is designed to fit inside a shipping container when its roof is lowered (from 82 inches down to 59 inches) so it can more easily be sent anywhere in the world.
Lance Gilles and his wife Michelle Boltz founded the company in Australia in 2008 after building their first dream machine and receiving requests from friends and neighbors. The company moved its HQ to Bend, Oregon, in 2013 and the new EXP will be assembled there or in Sydney, Australia. “Typically, we build around 30 per year,” the company tells us, and each one takes approximately three and a half to four months to complete. All of EarthCruiser’s vehicles are custom built, and the current starting price for a 2020 V-8 EXP is $370,000.
The rugged rig utilizes a Mitsubishi Fuso commercial truck platform with a two-speed transfer case. It rolls on heavy-duty 17-inch wheels wrapped in Toyo Open Country M/T 37-inch rubber. For brakes, the EarthCruiser has 14-inch vented discs and heavy-duty, dual-piston calipers with ABS, and there’s a 16,500-pound electric recovery winch in case the approximately 14,000-pound truck gets stuck. Under the hood, the EarthCruiser packs a GM-sourced 6.0-liter Vortec V-8 engine that produces 297 horsepower and 361 lb-ft of torque. (A four-cylinder turbodiesel is available upon request.) The V-8 engine mates to a six-speed automatic transmission.
The EarthCruiser EXP has three 160-watt solar panels on its pop-up roof and 720 Ah of lithium-ion power storage. The flexible canopy is made of tri-layer, marine-grade material with clear vinyl windows all the way around; each window also has bug and privacy screens. The truck can carry 84 gallons of fresh water and offers 60 gallons of fuel capacity. The rear bumper is fitted with three hitches for motorbikes, while other custom racks are available to order. Additionally, three external storage locker boxes and optional roof racks are available to carry canoes, kayaks, and other gear.
Inside, this rugged camper features Scheel-Mann Vairo captain chairs, a center console with four cupholders, a large box with four USB power sockets, and three 12-volt accessory sockets. There’s also a mini wine cellar located in a drawer beneath the bed. EarthCruiser has built over 177 vehicles in the last 10 years, and deliveries for the new EXP models are expected to begin in the fall. Who’s down for a road trip to Patagonia and back again? We sure are.
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