Torsus Praetorian: A New Rank Joins the Overland Scene

As the overlanding genre continues its meteoric climb with each mega-build striving to outdo the previous, there is one vehicle that is unlike anything else: the Torsus Praetorian.

If you’re lost right now as to whether we’re talking about Roman history or overlanding, don’t fret; we’ll break this all down. Torsus, based in the Czech Republic, is a relative newcomer to heavy-duty vehicle scene. The company launched in 2008 and specialized in fleet sales of legacy automotive brands to government contractors. A few years later, in 2012, it began upfitting vehicles on its own. And then in 2017, the company underwent a full 180-degree shift into off-road vehicle manufacturing with the start of research and design of its first vehicle, the Praetorian.

The Torsus Praetorian has been designed as a bus or cargo carrier for use in open-cut mines or on safaris deep in the bush. However, it can also be converted into the world’s most off-road-capable overlander. This monster off-road machine measures 28.6 feet long, 8.4 feet wide, stands 12.6 feet tall, and sports a 165.3-inch wheelbase. It has a curb weight just a few pounds shy of 30,000 and offers 7,700 pounds of payload carrying capacity.

The massive Praetorian is based on a MAN heavy-duty truck chassis and is powered by the company’s 6.9-liter D0836 six-cylinder turbo diesel engine. Among the smallest in MAN’s lineup of truck engines (the company’s D3876 displaces 15.3 liters), the D0836 produces a modest 285 hp at 2,200 rpm. The engine offers a max torque of 848 lb-ft and it holds that peak from 1,200 to 1,750 rpm. The engine redlines at 3,000 rpm. The Praetorian is speed-limited to just 65 mph—though much faster in something this large sounds horrifying.

Power is routed through a 12-speed automated manual transmission, which can be operated in either fully automatic or manually selected modes. A two-speed transfer case offers true low range gear reduction of 1.6:1. The center, rear, and front differential can all be locked.

Torsus says the Praetorian will climb a 33-degree incline and traverse a 33.5-degree slope. It will wade through water 27 inches deep. It has a 28-degree approach angle, a 22-degree departure angle, and a 41-degree breakover angle. It rolls on humongous 365/80R20 Michelin XZL tires that are 43 inches tall (and cost more than $2,000 apiece).

Praetorian prices in Europe start at the equivalent of about $250,000, with an RV version costing considerably more once you factor in the price of the third-party outfitting. While this all sounds amazing, we can’t get too excited quite yet. Despite strong interest from customers in the United States who are longing for the ultimate overlanding RV, the Praetorian is not available for sale in the U.S. and may not ever be, although stranger things have occurred. Torsus has said that it is working on the issue. So, fingers crossed?

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