Going my way or the highway? Torus has taken the wraps off the world’s toughest, off-road bus — the Torus Praetorian.
The Czech-based manufacturer operates from a purpose-built factory in Slovakia, with international sales to customers in heavy industry, utility and government service sectors.
The iconic Praetorian is built to conquer the most extreme terrains around the globe.
Capable of safely carrying up to 37 people, climbing a 65 per cent incline and wading through water up to 900mm deep, the company boasts there is nothing that will stop the bus from getting to its destination.
Available in many versions, Praetorian can be used in roles from adventure tourism to the military front line.
The 4×4 off-road bus is based on an upgraded, heavy-duty MAN chassis.
It is powered by a six-cylinder MAN diesel engine with 213kW and 1150Nm of torque, as well as a heavy-duty 4×4 off-road transmission.
From Michelin XZL off-road tyres specifically designed for emergency response and tactical vehicles to the military-grade elastomeric coatings engineered for maximum durability and impact resistance applied to body parts, no detail has been overlooked.
The new Praetorian has been upgraded following extensive customer feedback from all four corners of the globe.
“At Torus, we live by and set the highest standards for ourselves and our world-beating 4×4 buses.” CEO Vakhtang Dzhukashvili.
“Our mission is to ensure our 4×4 heavy duty buses conquer the world’s most daunting driving environments, safely transporting people and equipment to locations no other vehicle could ever reach.
“Achieving this requires rigorous attention to detail coupled with our obsession with delivering nothing but the best.”
With sales outlets and service and maintenance points across Africa, Australia, Europe and South America, the Praetorian was already comfortably at home in some of the hottest temperatures on the planet.
Upgrades include all-new LED headlights, with roof-mounted lights also offered for even greater levels of visibility and safety.
The industry-leading 21.52kW aircon system can cool down a full bus of 35 occupants from 60 to 30 degrees in just three minutes, and to a comfortable 20 degrees in under 15 minutes.
In fact, the aircon unit can even be used to keep keep the engine cool should it, for example, be in danger of overheating when climbing sand dunes.
To enable the Praetorian to cope with extreme cold, Torus has equipped the vehicle with a Cello heating panel.
This flat, wall-mounted heating panel essentially generates radiant heat by mitigating cold airflow.
Even when the temperature outside drops to -10 degrees the combination of side wall insulation heating panel raises the temperature inside the vehicle to 20 degrees, requiring 19 percent less energy to do so compared with a conventional heating.
Praetorian’s ability to climb snow-covered mountains, wade rivers and cross rock fields does not come at the expense of occupant comfort.
The positioning of the driver’s seat has been realigned, providing better side mirror visibility, while passengers now have even more space between seats.
The passenger seats have also been upgraded, with the introduction of individual monitors in the back of each seat to facilitate the integration of personal media devices.
Additional occupant comfort takes the form of new, efficiency-enhancing insulation materials in the vehicle walls and roof, which provide superior heat retention in cold conditions and help keep the vehicle cool in hot weather.
Praetorian will also be the first vehicle in the field equipped with fully mechanical doors in the middle section and rear swing doors.
This will provide an unmatched versatility offering in fields such as leisure, camping, safari and tourism, and enable customers to create a vehicle that meets their needs and desires perfectly.
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