Australian company SLRV Expedition Vehicles’s new Commander 8×8 RV may have just redefined how extreme an overlander can be. The 8×8 is a custom-built, two-story luxury overlanding rig that sleeps up to 10 occupants. It’s the optimal vehicle for traversing the Outback with your family of eight…or rolling around the corner to Starbucks for a flat white.
SLRV based the build off an off-road capable Man TGS 8×8 with all-wheel-drive. The engine delivers 480 horsepower and 1,646 lb-ft of torque; its 12-speed transmission can be shifted automatically, or using a manual mode. It also has a two-speed transfer case, four locking differentials and an adjustable air suspension.
The first floor features a private master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and dinette. The roof lifts to create a second story that sleeps six, and offers a pop-up TV. An additional king-size bed can be lowered over the dinette area to provide the full 10-person sleeping capacity.
This beast is designed to go completely off the grid — which involves some impressive logistics. It can hold up to 264 gallons of water, and can isolate it in different tanks if you want to bring in creek water for washing and laundry while keeping your potable water supply separate.
Power comes from either lithium-ion batteries charged by solar panels, or from the engine and a diesel generator. It can hold up to 264 gallons of diesel fuel.
Of course, all this wasn’t easy — or cheap. The build-out for the Commander 8×8 took about six months. Per Curbed, the total price tag will wind up being between $1 million and $2 million, which makes even the carbon fiber overlanding-ready EarthRoamer LTi seem cheap. Though if you consider how expensive a yacht that sleeps ten would be, that price starts to seem a bit more reasonable.
