Ever wonder what a Sprinter 4x4 off-road camper van would look like if you shrunk it down? It'd look something like this Suzuki Every show van from Outclass Cars. Outclass gives Suzuki's pint-sized people-mover a suspension lift, off-road components from bumper to bumper and a sleeper-style interior conversion to make it one of the smallest, most efficiently packaged micro-campers you'll see this year (or any year). Not only will this van attack the usual dirt trails and sand dune playgrounds, it'll squeeze its way through narrow canyons and step lightly over barely-there ledges that leave other off-road vans backing up and retreating to safety.
Tokushima-based Suzuki 4WD customizer Outclass Cars designed this flashy, little off-road camper van as a Tokyo Auto Salon showpiece. It displayed it at the 2019 show before revising it further and showing it again at this year's show in January. The project started off as an adorable Suzuki Every, a Japanese microvan that measures a mere 134-in (340 cm) bumper to bumper, more than 4 feet (122 cm) shorter than the fifth-gen Mitsubishi Delica that makes a mean off-road mini-camper van itself.
Purposeful or not, Outclass's retro styling brings to mind a few Hollywood classics. The bold side stripes on dark paint (green, in this case) are reminiscent of the A-Team van and the KC Daylighters sticking up off the bull bar invite visions of Marty McFly's Toyota pickup, though neither feature is an exact replica. Outclass also swaps out the stock rectangular headlamps for Jimny-style rounds and drops a horizontal grille in to visually enhance the sense of width and strength, lessening the lankiness brought about by lifting the tiny van. The ruggedized front bumper design includes a winch.
Moving on back, Outclass adds some tubular steps for getting up into the lifted van. A hitch-mounted spare tire and jerry can carrier sits in back of the ruggedized rear bumper, helping the tiny van haul the essentials when wandering off road.
Below those retro-rugged good looks, Outclass gets its hands dirty by adding a fully adjustable off-road suspension that gives the van its tippy-toe stance with help from beefy Maxxis Buckshot Mudder tires. Skid plates protect vital components.
Inside, Outclass avoids any temptation to go overboard, sticking with a very straightforward sleeper van configuration. The custom-upholstered bed folds down over the rear seats, first into an L-shaped sofa/single-person mattress, then into a double bed. Interior crossbars stretch across the width of the cabin, serving as fishing rod holders in the demo model but also potentially useful for hauling other gear like skis or surfboards, even with four people filling the seats and the hardshell roof-top tent (RTT) taking up the roof. That two-sleeper pop-up tent is accessed via a rear door ladder, completing the four-person adventure micro-camper.
The van was designed as a show vehicle, but nothing appears to be so complex or outlandish as to be impossible to replicate ... if you happen to be in Japan and in need of a tiny all-terrain sleeper van. The short video below shows the pre-RTT 2019 van getting to it as a solo adventure camper, and if you want a closer look at some of the features, Outclass' 9-minute walkthrough has available English subtitles.
Source: Outclass Cars
