Planning your escape for the next global pandemic? You just found it. Recently debuted in Germany, the Turkish-built Crawler Otag 600 is the latest untethered all-terrain expedition vehicle to wander its way out of hiding. It packs family-size living amenities and a mobile office into a riveted, battlefield-grade shell that rides on a rugged MAN 4x4 chassis. It even has an available full-length terrace on the roof. It costs about as much as a house, so homeowners might need to trade in so they can escape disease and demographics on a dime.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already forced (or firmly encouraged) many people to work remotely. With the Otag 600, these same people can both live and work remotely, whether on a short trip or on the road full-time. The expedition camper is 100 percent customizable and has been initially designed as both a mobile office and roving home. In fact, the latter is basically what the model name means.
"In ancient times of the East, OTAG meant the mobile homes that are set up and settled firmly on the ground for temporary accommodation," Crawler explains.
Separating the Otag 600 from expedition rigs from the likes of Action Mobil or Unicat is its exoskeleton-framed, riveted aluminum body that has a downright industrial or military vibe. The Düsseldorf 2020 show model has the available exoskeleton expanded into an optional roof-length deck that can blow up clifftop views or perhaps create a perch for hand-feeding giraffes on safari (we don't really recommend the latter). Access comes courtesy of the extendable ladder strapped to the rear, and the deck itself sets up and folds down electrically for convenient, hassle-free use.
Inside, the Otag 600 is a neatly divided space built for finding the right life/work balance on the road and out in the wild. The basic four-sleeper layout comes anchored by a rear 190 x 185-cm (75 x 73-in) bed. The dinette just inside the large picture window transforms over into a 180 x 170-cm (71 x 67-in) bed just inside the large picture window.
The Otag's L-shaped kitchen comes loaded with a full range with oven and three-burner stove, standing-height 152-L fridge, sink, and loads of overhead and under-counter storage. A simple slide-out kitchen with sink and dual-burner stove is an option for outdoor cooking.
Across the way from the fridge is a long worktop that serves as a mobile office. It includes drawers on both sides and easy access to electrical sockets on the wall below the command center and thermostat.
Most RV makers rely on the dining table to double as a desk, if they think about working from the road at all, so it's interesting to see a manufacturer offer a dedicated office space. With this additional work space, two people can enjoy individual office areas during the day, a parent can get up early/work late and have a desk even if the dinette/bed is occupied, and there's just more flexibility all around for working on the road.
The Otag also includes a single-room dry bathroom with a long, narrow shower closed off by a folding glass door, a cassette toilet and a fold-away sink. Water is contained in a 500-L fresh tank and heated via an LPG-fired Truma Combi air/water heater. The electrical system includes a 440-Ah gel battery, solar panel and inverter.
Crawler's options list doesn't include quite the level of home-like luxury we've seen from some other expedition vehicle brands (e.g. Apple TV and washers/dryers), but it does offer a variety of optional add-ons for stepping up comfort and capability, including a microwave, 24-in TV and sound system, BBQ grill and air conditioner. It also includes various cargo carry solutions like a rear ATV/UTV lift and bicycle carrier.
Otag 600 pricing will vary according to custom layout and options but starts right around €138,000 in Germany after VAT, according to Crawler's website. Price is for the motorhome box alone and does not include the base truck. The initial 600-cm (236-in)-long box is built atop a MAN TGM 18.290 4x4 to create a 9,600-kg (21,160-lb), 890-cm (350-in) expedition truck, but Crawler says it can also build around other 4x4 truck models in the same class.
Crawler started out in the domestic Turkish market and has been working hard on global expansion this year. Its main distribution network is concentrated in Europe so far, but it also has distributors in other regions, including the United States and Australia. US Otag 600 pricing starts at $130,000, but Crawler tells us it will be focusing first on its smaller campers for the US market, leaving the Otag to be built and imported to order. It manufactures its camper boxes and caravans at production facilities in Kocaeli Kartepe, Turkey.
Source: Crawler Global
