Code Name KiraVan: Ultimate Mercedes-Benz Unimog

By Arison Knapp - November 9, 2015

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There have been custom vehicles doctored for the apocalypse, tornados, war-zones, off-roading, and long-term living, but never to this extent. Co-Founder of of the international design firm Applied Minds and former Head of Disney Engineering, Bran Ferren set out a couple years ago to build the ultimate globe-traversing recreational vehicle for him and his now four-year old daughter Kira. His plans are to travel to African deserts, active volcanoes, and rainforests in South America, all in the KiraVan.

His imagineering interests and professional background brought a multitude of tech from many industries to make the most capable, comfortable, and technologically advanced land yacht ever. Just recently his team of skilled technicians completed enough of the project to show it off at the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas last week. Let’s take a look at the key features that make this wonder extraordinary.

The KiraVan is a fully-custom Mercedes-Benz Unimog U500NA tractor cab that has been extended and reinforced with a 5th wheel trailer housing five-star hotel-quality living quarters. Applying power to all four or six wheels with electric-assist is a hulk-sized six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine creating a solid 260 HP and a massive 700 lb-ft of TQ. Using a a couple fuel tanks that can hold up to 170-gallons of diesel, the KiraVan can travel close to 2,000 miles until it needs fuel again. Just the range alone speaks to the hearts of many world travelers.

Once you look around the Unimog tractor and trailer composite construction, it’s time to step inside the cabin to find the high tech screens littered throughout. Active touch screens assist pilots and passengers with the height of tech for rescue safety, aerospace communication, and in-cabin tuning of the vehicles’ mechanicals and electronics for the ultimate in off-road ability. Along with all types of cameras, thermal imagery and weather stations for current surrounding conditions make this vehicle perfect for out of bounds excursions. My favorite are all the knobs and dials for adjusting the powertrain and suspension, which allow the pilot to find the right harmony of speed, traction, and comfort.

Creature comforts don’t end at the Unimog’s tractor cabin, they extend into the Trump-style rear trailer. The living quarters house a full kitchen with a microwave oven, plus more cooking innovations. The bathroom is fit with an on-board sewage system, toilet, shower, and sink. What a delight to never have to stop when you’re stuck next to Mt. Everest and can’t find a bathroom. Finishing off the quarters fit for the Donald is a pop-up penthouse that raises the roof of the trailer and gives the KiraVan a full-bodied command center look when posted up in the middle of nowhere.

We’ll be sure to follow along the KiraVan adventures and future features, seeing as Bran says he’ll never stop innovating for the future apocalypse or a side trip to the Sahara Desert.