Bruder rattled the outdoors with an earthquake of a debut when it introduced its EXP-6 off-road camping trailer back in 2016. A whole new level of Australian caravan, the EXP-6 is a composite-shelled hunk of galvanized steel with an interior elegant enough for the daintiest travelers. Now Bruder is coming at the market with something even bigger and badder (but equally comfy), its all-new EXP-8 flagship. The company's largest trailer to date brings the same level of unwavering toughness as its smaller "bruders" but in a more spacious package that supports four-season off-grid living with a powerful solarized electrical system and onboard water purification.
Bruder has been teasing the EXP-8 ahead of an official October premiere, and while it hasn't released every last detail, it's revealed enough to give a good feel for what the EXP-8 is all about. The company sums it up by saying that the new model takes all of the best characteristics from the EXP-6 and repackages them for all-out four-season global expeditions. Backroading your way through the Arctic or mountain-goating up high-alpine passes in the dead of winter? This is the trailer you want behind your bumper.
Much like the EXP-6 (and the EXP-6 GT and EXP-4), the EXP-8 is visually all Bruder, with gray-and-black composite, raw angles and dual shocks peeking out from behind the notches of each of its four 37-in mud-terrain tires. Those mono-tube remote-canister shocks belong to Bruder's own air suspension system, known for bash-absorbing smoothening and at-camp leveling. The composite body is fully insulated with closed-cell foam, and the roof has been engineered to hold up to heavy snow for those nights when Mother Nature unleashes white fury on unsuspecting slumberers.
With a side door in place of the EXP-6's rear entry hatch, the EXP-8's floor plan gets reversed. The proper 60 x 80-in (153 x 203-cm) queen bed occupies the rear of the trailer, while the bathroom is all the way up front, next to the 188-L fridge/freezer and storage closet.
Between those ends, the kitchen and dining lounge stand across from each other in the center of the interior. The dining lounge relies on a slide-out table and L-shaped sofa, while the long kitchen block includes a dual-burner induction cooktop, sink, and long countertop. At the end of the block, a 12-bottle holder keeps wine secure and ready to uncork. The EXP-8 does not give any indication of having an available indoor/outdoor kitchen setup like the EXP-6, likely to shore up its four-season robustness, but it does have a large dual-layer window right behind the cooktop for inspiring views.
The EXP-8 earns its four-season rating with an included diesel heat and hot water system, ducted air conditioning and fans. Like previous Bruder models, it also includes a pressurized air filtration system to keep the dust outside and interior air fresh and clean.
The EXP-8 fully unplugs from the electrical grid by carrying its own 12.5-kWh (1,000-Ah) battery pack hooked up to a 1,600-W solar array. It provides ample power for plugging in with a 5,000-W inverter and spread of AC, 12V and USB outlets. A touchscreen power management system provides fast control and monitoring.
In a Facebook teaser, Bruder mentioned a reverse-osmosis water system that would allow EXP-8 owners to pull water from natural sources and purify it into drinking water, thereby ensuring that explorers don't run out of potable water.
We'll look to dive into additional specs and dimensions when Bruder hosts the full world premiere of the EXP-8 next month, hopefully with some video of it getting thrashed around the Australian Outback on the hitch of a Land Cruiser or Rover. One important piece of information we have been able to find using Bruder's online quote tool is the trailer's staggering AU$241,500 (approx. US$177,000) price tag. That seems like a crazy amount to spend on a camping trailer when you could get an entire off-road camper van or truck for the same, but judging by how quickly it's expanded with additional models and markets, Bruder doesn't seem to be hurting for buyers.
We don't have EXP-8 video just yet, but you can see the EXP-4 and EXP-6 rolling, bouncing and skidding around the dirt in the short clip below.
Source: Bruder