The Mercedes-Benz Unimog always makes an impression. That becomes even truer when the stout-jawed U418 variant shows up painted in Rover green carrying what appears to be a truck-sized beer barrel or treasure chest below a rooftop tent. But what this wondrous creation actually is is a woody "micro-expedition vehicle" with pop-up roof and smart, fully connected living space meant to climb, crawl and wade through Mother Earth's most treacherous before burrowing down for a night or more.
Even in a 360-degree CMT balcony gallery loaded with extreme overland motorhomes and trailers, the Unimog "Puccino" (Hoo-ah!) from German expedition vehicle builder 4Wheel24 stood out. Like, you couldn't even scooter or sprint past without stopping dead in your tracks to make sure your eyes hadn't betrayed you. It's an arresting piece of engineering that combines one of the most visually rugged vehicles the world over with a unique natural wood cabin.
Based on the low, short dimensions and unconventional materials of its rear module, we thought for sure the Puccino was just some kind of agricultural transport truck or artsy show project when we first walked upon it. The pop-up on top initially appeared to be a stock Autohome two-person hardshell rooftop tent, likely just bolted on to give the 4-wheeler just enough RV cred to look natural at one of the world's largest camper shows.
But when we dug into the rig a little further, we realized the oversized, steel-belted geometric beer barrel on back was actually a specially developed motorhome module with a fully integrated electric pop-up roof and a snug but complete living space inside. It's really quite an interesting alternative to the massive Action Mobils and Earthroamers of the world and a rather out-there creation, even for a company that specializes in extreme fiberglass and wood-composite expedition vehicles like this baby blue 6x6 bad-ass:
In developing the one-off Puccino, 4Wheel24 strayed away from its usual painted composite "Mox" motorhome construction, showcasing the timeless power of raw wood and galvanized steel. It sought to match the classic 1994 medium-duty Unimog 418 with a motorhome module offering life-sustaining essentials in a small enough form as to not diminish the vehicle's inherent all-terrain mastery.
The exposed steel frame adds strength and structure to the spruce body while also tying the vehicle's look together with a green paint finish matching the cabin. The particular shade of green was chosen as an homage to classic Land Rovers, designed to lend an immediately recognizable off-road look while working as a smooth, natural contrast to the wood body. 4Wheel24 even made sure to go with matching green wheels and a white pop-up roof shell to complete the vintage Land Rover Series/Defender styling.
Even more so than any Land Rover, the Unimog is a highly capable off-road machine built to go where most vehicles wouldn't try. This particular example comes powered by a 315-hp 4.2-liter turbo-diesel and includes a permanent all-wheel drive system with locking front, center and rear differentials. It spent its working life getting things done for an electric company and is now welcoming some much-deserved world travel in retirement.
Instead of tasking the 'Mog with lugging around a large, luxury-loaded apartment box, 4Wheel24 created a micro-sized motorhome optimized for keeping weight down, center of gravity low, and vehicle size compact and maneuverable. The unit sits close to the height of the cab so as not to grab and pull tree branches or scrape up against low overhanging rock that the cab clears with ease.
Given that compact ride size, the pop-up roof becomes essential for turning the low-riding wood pod into a livable space. The reason it looked like an Autohome rooftop tent upon first glance is because it is – an extra-large Maggiolina hardshell adapted into an RV roof that's surely lighter and smoother to operate than a big hunk of roof wood. 4Wheel24 has added in an electric motor system to automate the entire process of opening and closing.
Interestingly, while it uses a tent as the basis of its pop-top, 4Wheel24 has done away with the integrated bed, using the system to simply increase interior volume and airflow while expanding standing height up over 2 m (6.6 ft). Unlike its wedge-style Columbus series, Autohome's Maggiolina RTT lineup features roofs that open straight up, offering the full volume of a box. When converted into roof form, that extends standing height across the full interior.
4Wheel24 notes that the motorhome can be used with the top down, but really just for sleeping at that point. Still, it's a good capability to have for those times you might just need to grab a quick couple hours of sleep without setting up a full camp. The angled-in translucent polycarbonate panels along the upper sides provide some natural light for this use case.
The Puccino entry door opens up with the tap of a fingerprint scanner, a system that also recognizes an accompanying chip key. To avoid the onslaught of backlash that would undoubtedly follow from the "keep it simple, stupid" overlanding hordes, 4Wheel24 makes sure to include a backup hard key system for no-fail redundancy. The company originally planned a drop-down hatch door with integrated steps but ultimately went with a basic swinging door and a step ladder for entry.
Inside, the tiny 2.6 x 2-m (8.5 x 6.6-ft) floor plan is roughly half filled out with the double bed, making strategic space usage essential. The kitchen is located on the driver's side opposite the entry door, bringing along a Wallas diesel ceramic cooktop, countertop space and an under-counter 60-L compressor fridge. The vessel sink is located on the smaller block just next to the doorway and works with a long sprayer that doubles as the shower for use atop the entryway shower floor.
The wraparound privacy curtain helps close off that shower space when in use and also works with the toilet, which slides out from under the sink. 4Wheel24 had initially planned on installing an all-new Clesana X1, but since that wasn't ready in time for the build, it used a different auto-wrapping dry toilet from LooSeal.
Cabin heat comes by way of a 4-kW heating system, and the diesel cooktop delivers air heating as a backup option. A Bluetti power system with 6.3-kWh lithium battery, inverter and 480 watts of solar charging provides electricity, and a Flextronic Vanbase control system brings lighting and electronics control to one's smartphone. Of course, there are also hard switches. The rig carries up to 250 liters of fresh water from camp to camp.
4Wheel24 brought the completed Puccino to last month's CMT show in Stuttgart, where it determined to either sell it on the show floor or take it back to HQ and hold onto it indefinitely as a company vehicle. The rig wore a windshield sticker price of €189,000 (approx. US$223,000). In addition to its work building the cabin, 4Wheel24 upgraded the driver's cab area with heated seats, upgraded upholstery and more. It also added in an Atego front grille for a more modern look and a tire pressure system with air hoses at the corners.
Source: 4Wheel24
