Megatron - New turnkey expedition vehicle from Supertramp, Elevation Off Grid (EOG) and Liquid Spring
- Thread starter Chadx
- Start date
I'm curious as well. But then, a rig this size isn't really intended to be a rig for overhead-branch-strewn trails. No way to fit a rig like this on our local mountain trails. Like all these types of rigs, more of an open space or desert rig.
Supertramp crew did Fins N Things on the way home from SEMA. There are some short videos on insta, but as stories, so not shareable.
Still haven't seen any interior photos or videos, so wondering if the interior was not yet ready for SEMA. Probably soon, though.
Still haven't seen any interior photos or videos, so wondering if the interior was not yet ready for SEMA. Probably soon, though.
waveslider
Outdoorsman
Just dropping in to mention that the one of the reasons so many people sell their rigs after 2 years is due to falling for marketing like "TurnKey Expedition Vehicle". If you buy one of these (and actually use it) and haven't figured out that "TurnKey" is a euphemism for "TurnWrench" then you are in for a big surprise.
While the build quality can, and does, vary greatly from one manufacturer to the other, the reality is there is no "turnkey" expedition vehicle and setting up prospective owners in this manner (which all of the companies do to one degree or another) does them a disservice.
For my part, I'd love to see manufacturers focus their design smarts not only on build quality but also ease of access, ease of repair, and keeping things clean and labeled and maintainable. There's a couple out there that do a good job (in my opinion) on this - notably EC here in the US and the Bliss builds I've seen also indicated that things will ultimately fail so let's make it easy to fix (a common maritime ethic)
While the build quality can, and does, vary greatly from one manufacturer to the other, the reality is there is no "turnkey" expedition vehicle and setting up prospective owners in this manner (which all of the companies do to one degree or another) does them a disservice.
For my part, I'd love to see manufacturers focus their design smarts not only on build quality but also ease of access, ease of repair, and keeping things clean and labeled and maintainable. There's a couple out there that do a good job (in my opinion) on this - notably EC here in the US and the Bliss builds I've seen also indicated that things will ultimately fail so let's make it easy to fix (a common maritime ethic)
I submit that if that is the case, that those buyers do understand the definition of "Turnkey". Turnkey simply refers to the unit being a complete, ready-to-drive rig rather than the owner buying a pickup, then sourcing suspension, bumpers, winches, etc. from other manufacturers and having those installed, then sourcing a camper from another manufacturer and having that installed, etc. Turnkey means it is already compiled into a ready to use rig.
This is similar to the auto manufacturers offering a turnkey "offroad" or "overlanding" pickup that comes with winches, bumpers, skid plates, high quality suspension, better wheels, larger tires, etc. Turnkey simply means that a laundry list of desirable add-ons come from the factory already installed (and are included in the warranty).
It saves the buyer time of coordinating all those separate installs and likely expense because you are not disgarding items to replace with another brand or spec item.
Once purchased, it's just like any other camping rig (owner-built or manufacturer built) in that it will need maintenance and repairs over it's lifetime.
I 100% agree regarding there being widely-varying degrees of build quality and maintainability across the industry. If the Megatron is anything like Supertramp's Flagship LT model, it will be well thought out, robust and easy to maintain and repair. But we won't know until they unveil the interior and the details of the buildout.
Supertramp just released around their 70th Flagship LT camper and they are constantly refining the design and coming up with new ideas. They are also great about ingesting input from owners, and potential owners, and incorporating updates immediately (rather than waiting for model year changes like assembly-line camper manufacturers). And, they constantly add to the list of available options. I expect the Megatron will receive the same treatment.
This is similar to the auto manufacturers offering a turnkey "offroad" or "overlanding" pickup that comes with winches, bumpers, skid plates, high quality suspension, better wheels, larger tires, etc. Turnkey simply means that a laundry list of desirable add-ons come from the factory already installed (and are included in the warranty).
It saves the buyer time of coordinating all those separate installs and likely expense because you are not disgarding items to replace with another brand or spec item.
Once purchased, it's just like any other camping rig (owner-built or manufacturer built) in that it will need maintenance and repairs over it's lifetime.
I 100% agree regarding there being widely-varying degrees of build quality and maintainability across the industry. If the Megatron is anything like Supertramp's Flagship LT model, it will be well thought out, robust and easy to maintain and repair. But we won't know until they unveil the interior and the details of the buildout.
Supertramp just released around their 70th Flagship LT camper and they are constantly refining the design and coming up with new ideas. They are also great about ingesting input from owners, and potential owners, and incorporating updates immediately (rather than waiting for model year changes like assembly-line camper manufacturers). And, they constantly add to the list of available options. I expect the Megatron will receive the same treatment.
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Semiquixotic
Member
Really curious about dimensions, and interior of the habitat buildout. It looks to be reasonably shorter (a good thing) than other F550 based offerings.... I also wonder about the front glass. Forest roads would always be a concern, and not to underestimate how much stuff gets thrown up during regular highway driving.
Rock chips for sure, but it might be cheaper to replace the front window than to repair the carbon fiber glass. Ha.