Benchmark Vehicles AWOL is an off‑roading campervan

Something like the specimen you see here – the Benchmark Vehicles AWOL. Loosely based on a Mercedes Sprinter, the AWOL gets you and the family from one remote corner of the globe to another in consummate comfort while keeping you watered, fed, clean and rested. 

Built by the good folks at Benchmark Vehicles based in Portland, Oregon, USA, the AWOL makes its first trip solo, sent to offroad camper specialist Iglhaut Allrad in Germany, who prepares it for all off-road eventualities.

The Mercedes is gone over with a fine tooth comb, the Germans adding a permanent four-wheel drive that splits power evenly between the front and rear axle, includes high and low gears and has front, centre and rear locking differentials. Bash guards protect the setup from particularly knarly terrain.

Grip comes via a set of hardcore-looking Roambuilt Executive 17-inch wheels with huge BF Goodrich mud terrain rubber, and an onboard compressor means you can quickly raise and drop pressures.

The suspension, meanwhile, is treated to a 280mm lift and uprated with Bilstein coilovers at the front and Fox shocks at the rear. As a result, the AWOL can wade depths of up to 450mm. 

Back in the US, the AWOL's six-cylinder, 3.0-litre diesel engine gets tuned for more power – stock, it produces 190PS (140kW) and 441Nm (325lb ft) of torque – providing plenty of oomph to get you out of sticky situations. And, if that doesn't work, there is always the bumper-mounted Hammerhead winch and heavy-duty recovery shackles to fall back on. 

The final exterior touches include roof bars (and a ladder to reach them), Land Rover Defender-style exterior holdalls and enough additional lighting to illuminate the Super Bowl.

While you'll love the exterior for its ruggedness, the interior is all about luxury. You get brown leather seats, tables and surfaces made from walnut wood, a custom XL bed and a three-person bench that converts into another bed.

Hungry? No problem. You get a powerful induction hob for all your culinary needs and a Nespresso coffee machine to spark you back into life after a (not so) quality sleep out on the road. 

Although getting a good night's sleep might not be the problem it is in some campers – as well as being insulated with four-season Havelon wool and decked out with insulating curtains, the AWOL cabin has a heater and an Air Deluxe roof fan. There's even an exterior shower to get yourself freshened up in the morning.

The beauty of owning a campervan is, of course, that you can travel the world on a relative shoestring, which presents a 'slight' problem for the AWOL – it retails for $500,000 or £393,000, and that's before you've paid to bring it over here.