There’s just something cool about taking a Mercedes off-road – I mean, can you really get much better than driving a $100,000 G-Class through rough terrain? I didn’t think so. But alas, there are still some places the G-Class can’t take you, and for those places, Iranian engineer Siyamak Rouhi Dehkordi has the answer. He’s created a design study he’s calling the Mercedes-Benz Hexawheel Concept, and with it, he’s introducing a concept he believes will offer a much improved and much more extreme level of off-road driving.
The premise is simple: ants (along with various other insects) benefit from an articulated design, meaning their various body sections can move independently of one another. Compare ants to say, a tortoise, which has a fixed body and moving legs (i.e, the same design as a traditional car/SUV), and it’s clear that the ant benefits from a much greater degree of agility on various terrains than the tortoise. Applying this concept to his design study, Dehkordi created the Mercedes Hexawheel, which utilizes a similar articulated design.
Up front, the Mercedes Hexawheel has a short, main seating compartment for up to three people, while the rear storage area is connected via a hinged, hydraulically regulated joint. As a result, the Mercedes Hexawheel’s wheelbase length is substantially reduced, allowing the front half to navigate obstacles independently of the rear. Also present is an all-wheel drive system providing power to each of the Hexawheel’s six wheels, and a diesel engine mated to a flexible hydraulic power transmission system.
The end result is a vehicle that can climb the most varied of terrains, while still providing an impressive amount of cargo carrying ability. Would it work in the real world? I’m no engineer, so I have no idea. Either way, it’s an impressive design, and the level of detail Siyamak Rouhi Dehkordi has put into Mercedes-Benz Hexawheel Concept really is remarkable. Check out the Mercedes-Benz Hexawheel Concept gallery below and you’ll see what I mean.
Source: Mercedes Benz. Thanks to Car Body Design for the pics.
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