German off-road motorhome builder Unicat has offered a new small but more maneuverable truck than the one offered last year which was MD77h 6×6. The new MAN 4×4-based MD57 can climb, crawl over rock, sand, mud, and the smoldering ruins of dystopian cities, and keep the riders in a cozy and fully equipped, marine-inspired cabin.The MD57 is not a latest creation since Unicat offers base truck packages from Volvo and Mercedes as well. This version has a distinctly outfitted living module with MAN’s TGM 18.340 4×4.
A 6.9-litre common rail diesel six-cylinder engine gives up to 335 hp and 922 lb-ft of torque out of the four wheels spread front to back by a 177-in wheelbase. This engine operates in concert with a 12-speed TipMatic transmission. The truck has the centre, front and rear differential locks. This truck is designed to explore the barren, off-grid earth for days and weeks at a time. It has 640-litres of fresh water split between two separate tanks and keeps its 630-Ah/24-V AGM battery bank charged with a 1620-W solar system. When there is no sun, there is a 2-kW gas generator which delivers the backup power.
A centrally located command centre houses controls for the electrical system. The battery and solar system can also be monitored remotely. To help occupants survive any kind of weather, the MD57 truck has a diesel heater/hot water boiler and a roof mounted air conditioner. The total length of the truck is 29 feet. 18.7 feet of which is occupied by the fiberglass-sandwich walled living module on back. There is a comfortable kitchen area, bedroom, convertible dining area and fixed rear bed.
Unicat has added wood flooring and has applied teak veneers to the furniture. The countertop is made of stainless steel. There is also an oven, a microwave and a fridge in the truck. Towards the driver cab pass-through, the bathroom is split into separate compartments for the Sealand porcelain flush toilet and tiled shower. There are a sink, mirror, cabinets and a towel dryer/heater. The back of the cabin is filled out by a double bed behind the U shaped dinette, which can also convert into a second bed.
There isn’t a robust entertainment package in the MD57 truck but it has a Bose 5.1 surround sound system and is also wired for TV and internet. There is a washer/dryer also included in the motorhome. In the driver’s cab, there are two primary climate-controlled seats. There are also two extra folding seats which can be converted into lying area. There are rear-view cameras, GPS navigation system, and Alpine audio system with Bluetooth connectivity, a CD player and a MP3 playback as well.
The MD57 weighs 12300kg when it is filled with water and fuel and has a vehicle weight of 13900kg. There is a lot of storage inside and out to help put the extra 1588kg to good use. There is hydraulic-life spare tire/storage box platform on the back and large storage box with a dual bike rack. Unicat tells that the MD57 will be sold for approx US$655K. The optioned-out model featured in photos carries an $815K price tag.