New MFC21 from Sportsmobile

[westyss]

More product debuts

There are going to be many exciting new products at the show this year that you won't want to miss. Here are just a few.

New MFC21 from Sportsmobile
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Even though they’re still rare in the U.S., overland vehicles based on separate cab/chassis 4x4 trucks are recognized as superbly practical in Europe and elsewhere. With an efficient turbodiesel engine mounted under the driver’s compartment, there’s far more space within a given wheelbase to build a fully-self-contained, completely modular camper unit. The resulting combination is fuel-efficient, comfortable, and astonishingly capable, and can be built to fit in a shipping container for far-flung adventures.

The hugely-respected—and internationally serviced—Mitsubishi Fuso platform will be the basis for a brand new model from America’s own Sportsmobile, debuting at the 2012 Overland Expo. According to Alan Feld, the camper will be completely self-contained, with full standing headroom throughout, an enclosed bathroom, hard sides for security, and a covered, elevated porch area for mud-free outdoor shelter in inclement weather.



I am usually the last to find out the latest news so I am surprised to see that no one has mentioned this, was it already known that Sportmobile was using Fuso's for a new camper? I never saw evidence any where and then I got this email from Overland news with this pic!
So pop up camper, hard sided, looks like the door is on the pax side, looks to be a similar type of construction to mine maybe (panels joined with corners ) Anybody with any other info on these?

[EarthCruiser]

USA-EC-Australia.jpgEarthCruiser-Mnt-Bachelor.jpg

This is great news seeing the Fuso platform being considered by SM. EarthCruiser (and many others here) think they're ideal for the US.

[haven]

This is fascinating news!

Why a cab over engine truck like the Canter? You get an 8000 lb payload rating, a chassis suitable for a 12 to 15 foot camper, on a vehicle that has a 134 inch wheelbase and a 44 foot turning circle. A Ford F450 with comparable capacity has a 188 inch wheelbase and a 54 foot turning circle. Fuso has a presence in something like 150 countries.

The new Mitsubishi Fuso Canter is quite a bit different than the FG140 4x4 that is familiar to many ExPo readers. The engine is completely new, a 3.0L turbodiesel four cylinder. The new Canter has extended service intervals to 18,000 miles, reducing expenses and downtime. The Canter has an impressive 5 year, 175,000 mile drivetrain warranty.

Now for the bad news: The Canter 4x4 is available only in single cab, no crew cab model is imported to USA. The engine uses diesel exhaust fluid injection to meet USA emissions rules, so don't expect to drive to Central America without making some modifications. (Fuso is a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, so the Canter uses Bluetec technology.) And the only transmission is 6 speed automatic, without a low range in the transfer case. 1st gear is quite low, but not as low as the FG140's manual transmission in 4-low.

Even with the small displacement engine, the Canter will probably give you 12 to 15 mpg. And the engine produces a maximum of 295 ft lb of torque. So if you plan to be burning up the Interstate to the Donner Summit every weekend, you'd be better served by the F450, which has 800 ft lb.

The Canter is priced about the same as the F450, close to $50K.

[chromisdesigns]

Can you give us an approximate cost (range, base price, or whatever you have) of a US spec Earthcruiser from the Bend factory?

Regards,

Bob

[Overland Hadley]

I am usually the last to find out the latest news so I am surprised to see that no one has mentioned this, was it already known that Sportmobile was using Fuso's for a new camper? I never saw evidence any where and then I got this email from Overland news with this pic!

Same here.

After I got the email I did a google search and came up with nothing. So it looks like the first hard information might be at ExPo.

[gjackson]

It is brand new, and rumor has it that there may be one at Overland Expo!

cheers

[chromisdesigns]

There is this thread from last November, which quotes a price of about $220,000....but that may have been to get one imported from Oz.

The company has some info on their web site about US production, but no prices. I saw a post from the company guy in Oregon saying they are definitely going to be at Expo with one, maybe two units.

[gjackson]

Both Earthcruiser AND Sportsmobile will have their Fusos at Overland Expo.

cheers

[chromisdesigns]

Anyone at Expo have pictures and/or info (price?) on the new Fuso-based vehicles from Sportsmobile and Earthcruiser USA?