Torsus Praetorian 4X4 Off-Road Bus Updated

Jason R. Sakurai
by Jason R. Sakurai

Torsus’ Praetorian, heavy-duty, off-road 4X4 buses, has announced a number of technical advances. These rugged off-road buses are made to cross some of the most inhospitable terrains on earth.

Updates include LED lights, an advanced air conditioning system, passenger door, and pneumatic footsteps, a new fire system, and improved interior features.

Built to transport up to 35 passengers, a Praetorian can cross water up to three feet deep, according to the manufacturer.

Named after the Roman empire’s bodyguards, Praetorians are based on a MAN chassis. Power comes from a six-cylinder MAN diesel with 289 horsepower and 848 lb-ft of torque. Backed by a 4X4 off-road transmission, with Michelin XZL off-road tires, Torsus claims it can climb a 65 percent incline. A durable synthetic exterior coating provides impact resistance.

Torsus replaced the halogen headlights with WAŚ LEDs. WAŚ supplied W149 driving lamps, and 991 Signal SL roof and side-mounted work lights for 360-degree illumination.

Sold in Africa, Australia, Europe, and South America, the Praetorian works in the world’s hottest temperatures. These regions see outside temperatures as high as 122° Fahrenheit, and 140° Fahrenheit inside the bus.

Working with Webasto, Torsus improved the air-conditioning system. The A/C cools down the bus from 140° F to 86° F in three minutes, and 140° F to 68° F in under 15 minutes, such is its reported efficiency.

Torsus redesigned the Praetorian’s passenger door to comply with EU safety regulations. Pneumatic extending and retracting footsteps, and entrance bars provide ease of entry. An emergency evacuation system integrated into the doors, feature release buttons, and hatches. Do hatches refer to how you exit the vehicle if there’s a rollover?

Praetorian’s BlazeCut fire suppression system activates if there’s a fuel tank fire. System coverage extends to the engine compartment. Torsus added fire-resistant materials, fabrics, and fire extinguishers.

Driver’s seat visibility has been improved. Passengers have more space between the upgraded seats. Monitors in each seat allow the use of mobile electronics. New insulation materials in the vehicle walls and roof, and improved window sliders reduce energy consumption.

To handle extreme cold, the Praetorian has a Cello wall-mounted heating panel that generates radiant heat. Even if the outside temperature drops to 14°F, the heating panel will raise the temperature to 68°F, while using 19 percent less energy than conventional heating systems, according to Torsus.

Adventure tours, military operations, and other applications use Praetorians.

[Images: Torsus]

Jason R. Sakurai
Jason R. Sakurai

With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.

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  • Lou_BC Lou_BC on May 07, 2021

    Make a cool camper van

  • FreedMike FreedMike on May 07, 2021

    "Torsus’ Praetorian, heavy-duty, off-road 4X4 buses, has announced a number of technical advances." Wow, the vehicle itself announced "a number of technical advances"? How very advanced of it.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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