Automotive

Bimobil EX 435 puts Unimog muscle to work exploring the world

Bimobil EX 435 puts Unimog muscle to work exploring the world
The Bimobil EX 435 puts its water-crossing capabilities to work
The Bimobil EX 435 puts its water-crossing capabilities to work
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With 19.7 in of ground clearance and 31.5 in of fording capability standard, the Bimobil EX 435 is ready to traverse all types of wet and rough terrain
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With 19.7 in of ground clearance and 31.5 in of fording capability standard, the Bimobil EX 435 is ready to traverse all types of wet and rough terrain
The EX 435 keeps occupants organized with a wardrobe, storage lockers, drawers and more
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The EX 435 keeps occupants organized with a wardrobe, storage lockers, drawers and more
The lifting bed stores above the dinette and drops down when it's needed
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The lifting bed stores above the dinette and drops down when it's needed
No need to make the bed in the morning, just raise it out of the way
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No need to make the bed in the morning, just raise it out of the way
No need to make the bed in the morning, just raise it out of the way
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No need to make the bed in the morning, just raise it out of the way
After the bed is lifted, the dinette can be used for dining, sitting and lounging
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After the bed is lifted, the dinette can be used for dining, sitting and lounging
The EX 435 is a fairly compact motorhome, but it does fit a dry bathroom inside
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The EX 435 is a fairly compact motorhome, but it does fit a dry bathroom inside
The door straight ahead on the left is the driver cab pass-through
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The door straight ahead on the left is the driver cab pass-through
The two-part kitchen area includes a cooktop, oven, sink and refrigerator
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The two-part kitchen area includes a cooktop, oven, sink and refrigerator
The EX 435 offers a cozy cabin for two people
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The EX 435 offers a cozy cabin for two people
With five windows and three skylights, the great outdoors is never too far away
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With five windows and three skylights, the great outdoors is never too far away
The Unimog 4023 chassis brings off-road advantages like portal axles, a standard tire inflation system and torque tube suspension, creating an excellent base for an off-road adventure motorhome
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The Unimog 4023 chassis brings off-road advantages like portal axles, a standard tire inflation system and torque tube suspension, creating an excellent base for an off-road adventure motorhome
Bimobil introduced the EX 435 last year and showed it this month at the CMT show in Stuttgart
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Bimobil introduced the EX 435 last year and showed it this month at the CMT show in Stuttgart
Wherever you want to go, the Bimobil EX 435 will take you there and spend the night
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Wherever you want to go, the Bimobil EX 435 will take you there and spend the night
WIth an air intake pipe at the roof and torque tube suspension, the Unimog 4023 comes with standard fording capabilities
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WIth an air intake pipe at the roof and torque tube suspension, the Unimog 4023 comes with standard fording capabilities
Bimobil uses an aluminum-foam-plywood sandwich panel construction on the walls and roof of its cabin
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Bimobil uses an aluminum-foam-plywood sandwich panel construction on the walls and roof of its cabin
Bimobil's EX 435 doesn't come cheap, but few expedition vehicles do
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Bimobil's EX 435 doesn't come cheap, but few expedition vehicles do
The Unimog 4023 driver's cab gives the EX 435 a particularly strong, rugged face
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The Unimog 4023 driver's cab gives the EX 435 a particularly strong, rugged face
Journeying over land in the Bimobil EX 435
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Journeying over land in the Bimobil EX 435
The €280,000 Bimobil EX 435 invites adventurous husband and wife teams and other duos to explore the world
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The €280,000 Bimobil EX 435 invites adventurous husband and wife teams and other duos to explore the world
Journeying over land in the Bimobil EX 435
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Journeying over land in the Bimobil EX 435
The EX 435 joins a full lineup of Bimobil expedition trucks built atop various base vehicles
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The EX 435 joins a full lineup of Bimobil expedition trucks built atop various base vehicles
Thanks to its Unimog structure, the Bimobil EX 435 will breeze over obstacles that other trucks wouldn't touch
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Thanks to its Unimog structure, the Bimobil EX 435 will breeze over obstacles that other trucks wouldn't touch
The Bimobil EX 435 puts its water-crossing capabilities to work
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The Bimobil EX 435 puts its water-crossing capabilities to work
Bimobil EX 435
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Bimobil EX 435
The Bimobil EX 435 puts its water-crossing capabilities to work
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The Bimobil EX 435 puts its water-crossing capabilities to work
View gallery - 26 images

One of the latest expedition vehicles to hit the road and deep, deep backcountry, the EX 435 from Germany's Bimobil is ready to prowl Earth in search of adventure and scenery. With its combination of Bimobil's tough-but-cozy living structure and hard-nosed Mercedes Unimog 4023 underpinnings, the EX 435 promises to roll over and rip through any and all types of terrain standing between you and destinations the world over.

Germany's Bimobil already offers a full line of expedition vehicles built on base vehicles like the Mercedes Sprinter 4x4, Iveco Daily 4x4 and Mitsubishi Fuso Canter 4x4. The EX 435 adds an option built atop the Mercedes Unimog.

We see a fair number of expedition vehicles here at New Atlas, and few look as rugged and ready as those built on Unimogs. And we much prefer the hard-jawed look of the 4023 "extreme all-terrain Unimog" over the long, droopy face of the U 216 - U 530 range. We'd say the 4023 cab proves the perfect complement for the hard lines and angles of Bimobil's camper module.

Wherever you want to go, the Bimobil EX 435 will take you there and spend the night
Wherever you want to go, the Bimobil EX 435 will take you there and spend the night

When it comes to venturing out to distant campsites and exploring areas days from the beaten track, the 23-foot-long (7-m-long) EX 435 benefits from the exceptional capabilities of the Unimog below. This is a vehicle that Mercedes builds up not for joy rides down gravel roads and smooth dirt, but for trekking through deep snow, into flood zones, and over trackless-stretches of rattly, rutted and off-camber earth, to get hard, gut-wrenching work done.

Riding on a 151.5-in (3,850-mm) wheelbase, the Unimog under the EX 435 powers its four wheels with a 228-hp 5.1-liter BlueTec four-cylinder and electro-pneumatic transmission with eight forward gears and six reverse gears. That engine puts out up to 664 lb-ft of torque.

The Unimog's all-wheel drive, front and rear differential locks, and available off-road gear group help in navigating rough terrain. Portal axles lift the vehicle structure up for a 19.7-in (50-cm) ground clearance, which remains unaltered during the EX 435 conversion. The torsional flex of the welded ladder frame, combined with the torque tube axle suspension, provides up to 30 degrees of axle articulation, allowing the Unimog to devour uneven terrain. The driver can quickly adjust tire pressures for changing conditions below, using the standard central tire inflation system.

The Unimog also comes standard with 31.5-in (80-cm) water fording capabilities, which can be upgraded optionally to 47.2 in (120 cm).

The EX 435 offers a cozy cabin for two people
The EX 435 offers a cozy cabin for two people

In short, the Unimog 4023 chassis gives the EX 435 the terrain-eating chops to master virtually everything short of vertical rock walls and oceans. From there, Bimobil takes what's rugged, mean and utilitarian outside and makes it bright, comfy and well-equipped inside.

Bimobil's standard wall and roof panel construction consists of a sandwich of water-resistant plywood inside, foam core and enameled aluminum outside. Those panels are welded in place with a perimetric frame. The floor has an aluminum frame, foam core and fiberglass underside.

Bimobil makes very efficient use of the space within the EX 435's camping module, offering a kitchen, bathroom, convertible dinette and plenty of storage. In place of a simpler folding or stowaway mattress, Bimobil opts for a lifting, 59 x 78-in (1.5 x 2-m) bed that rises up to the ceiling when not in use. When it's time to retire for the night, the bed lowers and rests over the compacted dinette area.

No need to make the bed in the morning, just raise it out of the way
No need to make the bed in the morning, just raise it out of the way

The kitchen area includes a dual-burner cooktop and sink, continuing on the other side of the entry door with an oven and 110 L compressor fridge. The bathroom is a proper dry bath containing a shower cubicle and a separate area with 19 L cassette toilet and sink.

The EX 435 offers storage all around the interior. There's a central wardrobe, multiple drawers and dinette area storage. Three exterior-access lockers add more space. Primary cabin access is through the side door with electric step, and there's also a pass-through between the Unimog driver's cab and the camping cabin.

In terms of systems and capacities, the EX 435 comes with a 210 Ah auxiliary battery, three 12 V sockets, five 220 V sockets, a 300 L fresh water tank, 100 L waste water tank, Truma Combi diesel heater and 10 L boiler.

Unimog-based expedition vehicles tend to carry supercar-like prices, and the EX 435 is no exception. It starts at €279,590 (approx. US$300K), which gets even more expensive when you realize that, despite its hulking size, the 435 is designed to carry and sleep only two people.

Bimobil debuted the EX 435 at last year's Abenteuer & Allrad (Adventure and All-wheel) show and showed it again at the CMT Stuttgart show, which wrapped up earlier this week.

Source: Bimobil (German)

View gallery - 26 images
3 comments
3 comments
ddavel544
All those photos, and not a single shot inside the ...cab. smh.
Gerwalk
I like the idea of the bed rising and lowering as needed, freeing up more interior space. that would be a good idea to try on a tiny home on a trailer.
ljaques
Uh, huh. THERE's your Tiny Home, dudes and dudettes. Just add solar. And at $320k, it's only a bit more than most THs go for today. ;)