Meet the world’s most hardcore off-road bus

Travelling by bus can be a mixed bag. You’ll either glide quickly to your stop, or you’ll be stuck next to someone unfamiliar with deodorant.

You’re also trapped on normal, Tarmac-clad roads. But what if there was a bus that could take you up a volcano without breaking a sweat? Meet the Torsus Praetorian and Terrastorm, buses built for the end of days.

Torsus is the brainchild of Ukrainian Vakhtang Dzhukashvili. It was founded in 2014 and development of its first vehicle, the 35-seat Praetorian, began in 2017. And it’s quite the monster.

All four wheels are powered by a 12-speed 6.9-litre MAN diesel six-cylinder motor offering more than 840lb ft – adequate to tear over almost any terrain.

Thanks to an intense amount of engineering, it can wade up to 680mm and climb 65% inclines without issue. Should it encounter rocks, lumps or bumps, its all-round air suspension is equipped to keep the ride as smooth as physics allows.

Dzhukashvili says that the inspiration to make something quite so hardcore came from the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2014.

He explains that what should have been a safe corridor out of conflict turned into a shooting range, and because of the state of the roads, regular buses couldn’t handle the terrain.

“Our idea was that an off-road bus would at least give them a chance… Without that, you don’t have one,” he says.

“Then we started putting things together – the transportation of people in aid programmes, the Ukrainian war, militaries, mining.” He adds that it’s neither an armoured truck nor a specific military vehicle, but it can be used by the forces should they wish.

The latest Praetorian is a hard thing to miss, especially when presented in bright yellow. It’s tall, wide and long, and its tyres are so large they could probably house a young family.

It’s pleasingly spacious inside, so passengers will be comfortable as they’re driven across whichever terrain is between them and their next stop.

From the hot seat, it’s a mass of buttons, switches and things that will get fans of both off-roading and commercial vehicles going.

To drive, it’s pretty easy. Its 12-speed ’box can be switched up via a paddle shift, the driver’s seat is damped so you won’t get bounced out of it if you hit a rut too quickly, and its wheel is pleasingly massive.

Even when the going gets apocalyptic, it will take most things in its stride. Steep inclines, so long as you’re in the right gear, are no problem – and don’t worry about puddles. Ever.

Torsus’s prowess didn’t go unnoticed, but its halo vehicle was deemed too big and, because it needs special licences, too impractical for some use cases.

Which is where the wonderfully named Terrastorm comes into play. Based on a Volkswagen Crafter/MAN TGE 4Motion, its 2.0-litre diesel motor delivers a slightly less intense 174bhp and 302lb ft compared with its big sibling but it’s almost as capable. You don’t need to do any extra tests to drive it either. 

During the recent floods in Italy, you might have spotted a lone ambulance on the news battling through deep flood water to help people: that was a Terrastorm.

You can configure your Terrastorm to hold 20 passengers – ideal for taking workers around places like mines – or you can turn it into a mobile laboratory, an off-road portable crane or even a drone command centre. If you tell Torsus what you want, it will make sure you get it.

Dzhukashvili’s company is adaptable by design. “We’re young and still small,” he says. “That gives us the freedom of speed. When we developed our first vehicle, we did it as a concept study, went to the market and got their requirements. Our sales and marketing are linked to our engineering.”

The smaller Terrastorm feels no less capable than the Praetorian. The controls will be more familiar to car drivers and its torque is more than adequate to pull you up surprisingly steep inclines.

You can be a rank amateur and it will do everything you ask of it.

Torsus’s mission is to make sure people can safely get around and work in some of the world’s most hostile environments.

Its vehicles have saved lives, helped search and rescue crews find missing people, and taken others on holiday to hard-to-reach places. You can even book one to take you on a trip up Mount Etna.

The 77 to Waterloo has never looked so pedestrian.

By Alex Goy