Toyota hauls a load of trucks and SUVs to SEMA with an overlanding theme
“At Toyota, ‘Let’s Go Places’ isn’t just a tagline. It’s a driving force behind everything we do.” So says Lisa Materazzo, group vice president of Toyota Marketing. In the case of this roundup of trucks and SUVs at the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, “places” apparently means as far off the beaten path as you can get. There’s a clear push into the burgeoning overlanding market, in which owners take their off-road vehicles and customize them with bits and pieces designed to let them operate as self-contained as possible. Think rooftop tents, luggage racks galore, big wheels and tires and even refrigerators and cooking kits.
Without further ado, here are the off-roaders:
Toyota Trailhunter Concept
We’ll start with the most innocuous-looking vehicle that Toyota brought to SEMA (gallery at the top). The Trailhunter Concept is based on the Tundra pickup truck, and it previews a new trim that Toyota says will be put into production at some point in the not-too-distant future. The truck features “a Trailhunter-specific suspension setup, skid plates, roof rack, bumpers, lighting, refrigerator, rooftop tent and more,” says Toyota. We’re not sure how much of that will make its way into production, but we expect Toyota dealers will be keen to offer factory aftermarket gear to overlanding enthusiasts.
The Ultimate Overlanding Sequoia TRD Off-Road
Continuing the overlanding theme is the “The Ultimate Overlanding Sequoia TRD Off-Road.” Created by the publishers of 4WD Toyota Owner Magazine, this three-row SUV benefits from a 3-inch lift kit courtesy of ToyTec coilovers, shocks and coil springs on all four corners, Camburg KINETIK upper control arms and 6061-T6 billet aluminum rear trailing arms. A full set of bronze 706 Bead Grip Method Race Wheels wear LT285/75R17 Toyo Open Country M/T tires. Underbody protection comes from CBI Offroad skid plates, rock sliders, front bumper and rear bumper. A full set of off-road recovery gear also lives onboard.
Sequoia TRD Pro Adventurer Concept
Sensing a theme here? Jeff and Jessica Westcott, founders of Westcott Designs® in Phoenix, Arizona, pieced together the Sequoia Pro Adventurer Concept using their own Westcott Designs lift kit that provides 3-inches of front and 1.75-inches of rear lift. Camburg Racing Kinetik upper control arms, Camburg Racing rear billet lower and upper trailing arms and a set of 17 x 8.5-inch Innov8 Racing Inc. G400 wheels with LT 37×12.5R17 Nitto Recon Grapplers A/T tires make up the rolling stock, while a Rigid Industries 20-inch light bar, 6-inch fog lights, a 6-inch ditch light and six Rigid Industries 6-inch ADAPT lights seems like more than enough lighting for whatever nighttime driving duties the builders had in mind. Westcott Designs rock sliders, CNC billet D-rings, rear hatch ladder, low-profile roof rack and modular hitch-mounted rack add protection and utility, a Go Fast Campers roof top tent and a pair of Trek bikes bring sleepy time and play time together as one. Finally, there’s a pretty excellent retro-inspired graphics package.
Simba Sequoia and Orion Tundra
This pair of off-roaders was designed and built by Clay and Rachelle Croft, co-founders of Expedition Overland and producers of the popular “Expedition Overland” (X Overland) television series. The pair of vehicles will be featured on future episodes of the show. Simba the Sequoia gets an Icon Vehicle Dynamics 3.0 CDEV (compression damping electronic valve) suspension system, a custom Covert front bumper fitted with a WARN VR 12,000-lb. capacity winch and a custom rear steel bumper with dual swingouts. The same company provides underbody protection, while an Alu-Cab Gen 3-R hard shell rooftop tent offers sleeping arrangements for two occupants.
The Orion Tundra is a 2022 Limited model — interestingly not equipped with a TRD package. Suspension bits include ICON Vehicle Dynamics 2.5 Series extended travel coilover shocks up front and ICON Vehicle Dynamics 2.5 Series Omega bypass rear shocks. The crew fitted a CBI Offroad Fabrication Covert front bumper with a WARN Zeon 12S 12,000-lb. capacity winch; CBI Offroad skid plates, side steps and rock sliders; and an ARB differential axle breather. A Rigid Industries light bar, fog lights and rock light kit add the appropriate brightness. A full-size Alu-Cab canopy camper system with a Webasto Evo 40 heating system are important additions since the truck will spend its time in cold weather, and an Alu-Cab 13.2-gallon water tank, an ARB twin compressor and a National Luna 40-liter refrigerator add overlanding capabilities.
Patriot Campers FJ49, LC79 Supertourer and LC79 6×6 Megatourer
And now for something completely different, but actually, still kind of the same. Hailing all the way from Australia, there’s way too much done to each of these Patriot Campers machines for us to cover here, so suffice it to say that they are nowhere near stock. The FJ49 is based on a 1977 FJ45 Land Cruiser that formerly served as a mining truck. The LC79 Supertourer started life as a Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series GLX that saw its frame extended 11.8 inches. Finally, the Megatourer also began as a 70 Series but has been modified so heavily you might not recognize it. It’s got a whole extra axle, for starters, but pretty much nothing here looks stock. See for yourself in the image gallery above.
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