Arctic Ford F-Series expedition camper is a mini mansion on 6 wheels (2024)

We wrapped up a gorgeous, albeit a bit windy and dusty, weekend at this year's Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona on Sunday. Easily the biggest story at the show – literally and figuratively – was the major European brands establishing US-specific operations and models. The Bedrock XT2 is a particularly interesting example as it's the work of two of such brands – Iceland's Arctic Trucks prepares the specialized six-wheel F-550 chassis, while Austria's Krug Expedition crafts the ultra-premium, all-season alcove motorhome.

Between its beefy F-550 cab, stretched composite motorhome module and six-wheel chassis, it's hard to recall exactly what first caught our eye about the 27.5-foot-long (8.4-m) Bedrock XT2, though considering it was wedged quite snugly between neighboring vehicles and exhibits, it was likely that light gray motorhome box standing tall above the pack.

However, the Bedrock's six-wheel chassis is what really made it stand out as something unique in a field of mostly two- and four-wheelers. So that's where we'll get the conversation rolling.

We've looked at a number of Arctic Trucks' balloon-tired polar-grade truck and SUV conversions over the years as they were out braving the fierce conditions of the Arctic and Antarctic to set a total of 10 world records and travel hundreds of thousands of miles through conditions in which most vehicles wouldn't last a few.

Possibly Arctic Trucks' most impressive platform is the Toyota Hilux-based AT44 6x6, and when it established North American operations in Cheyenne, Wyoming back in 2022, Arctic decided to Americanize that platform via an F-350 chassis, creating the US$250,000 AT44XDS as one of two models it offers over in the new world. It upgrades to an F-550 chassis to handle the extra weight of the Bedrock XT2 build.

Krug explains that the extra axle is valuable in better balancing the weight of its motorhome box, preventing rear axle overload, improving departure and breakover angles, and spreading out ground pressure to a separate set of Continental MPT 365/80R20 tires. The truck comes standard as a 6x4, with an unpowered but hydraulically braked rear axle, and can be upgraded to a 6x6 for buyers who want power at all wheels.

Arctic Truck's eight-link rear independent air suspension gives drivers control directly from the cab, allowing them to quickly match to the conditions on the ground. A tire pressure adjustment system offers that same type of at-the-wheel control of tire pressures. Power comes growling out of Ford's 330-hp 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 diesel and filters through a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Though it's prepared by Arctic Trucks, the Bedrock XT2 underpinnings aren't as polar-specific as the company's typical build. You'll notice those Continental tires don't bulge out the same way as the 44-in Hakkapeliitta snow balloons it co-developed with Nokian, bringing more balance for the type of on- and off-road driving combination that this style of go-anywhere expedition RV is made for.

Moving on up from chassis to living quarters, Krug has put its expertise to work on an exceptional motorhome. We prefer the look of its usual behind-cab boxes, especially with safari graphics, but there's no arguing with having a semi-private king-size (76 x 80-in, 193 x 203-cm) bed over top the cab with a secondary convertible 70 x 76-in (178 x 193-cm) bed as part of the rear dinette design.

Plus the interior fittings inside the 2.4-in-thick (6-cm) GRP/poly foam sandwich walls is far more refined than your average cabover truck camper. We walked away quite impressed with the interior and its wood-veneer furnishings throughout. Buyers will be able to select their own wood and leather upholstery colors, but the show model had a light straw-like wood tone that brightened the space up and concealed the 271-L standing fridge/freezer, a rather fancy Vitrifrigo unit designed for boats.

Krug opts for a smaller L-shaped kitchen sandwiched between the bathroom and dinette in order to create a larger bathroom with partial divider between the dry separating toilet and shower. The compacted size doesn't make the kitchen any less capable of putting a top-notch meal together, though, as it packs in a dual-zone induction cooktop, full oven with integrated microwave, stainless steel sink and flip-up counter extension. The drawers have everything neatly organized and secured in built-in dividers.

Krug keeps the interior comfortable with a standard Truma Combi diesel air and water heating system and available Nomadic Cooling air conditioner. Buyers will also be able to upgrade to a hydronic heating system with underfloor heat.

The Victron electrical system centers around a 1,980-Ah lithium battery bank, which wires to a 4,000-W inverter and 1,450-W solar panel system. Also included are an emergency jumpstart feature for the F-550 and a wireless worldwide monitoring system.

The onboard water system comes complete with dual-filtration hardware comprising a three-step pre-filter and a Purion 1000 UV lamp that can kill dangerous microorganisms right down to tiny viruses. The Bedrock carries 450 L of fresh water and 225 L of gray water.

The Bedrock XT2 also has a retractable 32-in smart TV behind the dinette, a 24-in smart TV in the cabover, and a Bang & Olufsen audio system in the Ford cab. Options include 5G and/or Starlink satellite connectivity and an expansive slide-out dual-folding outdoor kitchen with Kenyan electric grill, sink and electrical connection.

Krug hasn't published an exhaustive price list for the Bedrock XT2, but the company quoted a cool $690,000 for the debut model shown at Overland Expo. That's certainly not cheap, but when you consider its combination of Arctic Trucks-built six-wheeler chassis and luxurious Krug-outfitted interior, it should be quite competitive against existing US options like EarthRoamers.

Source: Krug Expedition US, Arctic Trucks US