Toyota is getting ready to launch a trim called Trailhunter aimed at overlanders. So, it brought a booth full of cool overland concepts to SEMA 2022.
With icons like the 4Runner, Tacoma, and Tundra, Toyota is no stranger to the off-road and overlanding scene. But it doesn’t have any offerings aimed directly at that growing group who want to drive and camp almost anywhere. It will soon, though, with a new line called Trailhunter.
To show off the first in a new line that will be heading to dealers and then trails next year, Toyota brought a wilderness worth of concepts, including three forbidden fruit Land Cruisers, to the SEMA Show.
Toyota Trailhunter Overland Concept
The Trailhunter Tundra might not be the most interesting-looking of the SEMA concepts, but since it is the one that’s production bound, it has most of our attention. The concept comes with a Trailhunter-specific suspension, skid plates, and a roof rack.
There is a rooftop tent mounted to the bed rack, and the Trailhunter has a fridge, lighting, and new bumpers. It’s a mix of parts that will be included on Trailhunter and parts that will be sold separately as OEM accessories.
“Trailhunter trucks will come straight from the factory equipped to meet the needs of overlanding enthusiasts,” said Toyota marketing VP Lisa Materazzo. “These trucks will be developed in-house by our engineering teams and will be the most capable OEM overlanding solutions designed to meet Toyota’s legendary quality, durability, and reliability standards.”
Toyota says we can expect terrain protection as well as “load-bearing performance and storage functionality” on Trailhunter trucks. Expect more details next year as it joins the Toyota lineup alongside TRD Pro models.
Expedition Overland Brings Simba & Orion
Two of the Toyotas at SEMA come from Expedition Overland and co-founders Clay and Rachelle Croft. The video team built the Simba Sequoia and Orion Tundra to help take them to new remote locations and are already using them to film.
Simba gets an Icon Vehicle Dynamics 3.0 CDEV suspension system to add capability and handle the weight of the crew’s overlanding and camera gear. CBI Offroad Fabrication built a new Covert front bumper and fitted it with a 12,000-pound Warn winch along with aluminum skid plates and rock sliders for underneath.
Maxtrax recovery boards are attached to the spare tire, and there are Rigid Industries lights everywhere.
Orion the Tundra gets Icon 2.5 series extended travel front shocks and bypass rear dampers. CBI provided another front winch bumper, skid plates, side steps, and rock sliders.
This one is a mobile production studio, so it has a Redarc battery management system, two 200W solar panels, and a pair of Battleborn lithium batteries. An Alu-Cab canopy camper system with a Webasto Evo 40 heater keeps the crew warm and cozy when sleeping or working.
Three Land Cruisers From Patriot Campers
Patriot Campers showed off three of its Aussie-style rigs in Toyota’s booth. The first one is the FJ49, built on a 1977 Land Cruiser. Added patina and retro looks hide a modern 4.5L turbodiesel V8 heart along with 79 Series Land Cruiser 4×4 systems.
Oh, they snagged the modern AC system too. Patriot also built the custom exo-cage that helps complete the package.
Patriot’s LC79 Supertourer is based on a 70 Series Land Cruiser pickup, with the frame stretched 11.8 inches to fit its Supertourer rear body. The new body gives the truck a kitchenette with a slide-out fridge. It has a pop-up tent, air compressor, and a water tank big enough for longer expeditions.
Then there’s the Megatourer. Patriot Campers beefed up a 79 Series Cruiser to fit a third axle. The company swears it is a real off-roader, not just a show truck, and it has more ground clearance — helped by portal axles — and a beefed-up engine to help make sure of it.
Jmacx Offroad Solutions helped build the 6×6 and its air ride system. Two Brown Davis diesel tanks let the Megatourer bring 127 gallons of fuel with you to help make sure the expedition never stops.
All three of these Patriot Campers builds will be in the U.S. for one year, under a special use permit, and will tackle some big adventures while here. First up is the Rubicon Trail, with Baja and Moab also on the calendar already.
Westcott TRD Pro Adventurer
Westcott Designs has a Sequoia of its own for the Toyota booth. It’s called the TRD Pro Adventurer, and it transforms the big SUV into something quite cool.
Westcott’s own lift kit adds 3.0 inches of height in the front and 1.75 inches in the rear. Camburg racing parts including upper control arms help manage the 37-inch-tall Nitto Recon tires underneath. Rigid Industries lighting, including six Adapt lights, are attached using Westcott Designs brackets.
A GFC roof tent and two Trek bikes give you somewhere to stay and something to do in the wilderness. Or you can use the hitch-mounted rack to bring along toys like a Jet Ski. It’s a beefy rack, and it shows off the Jet Ski’s TRD-stripe paintwork.
4WD Toyota Owner Magazine Sequoia
The last Toyota overland build shown off this year at SEMA, but certainly not the least, is this Sequoia from the publisher of 4WD Toyota Owner Magazine. Working from a TRD Off-Road Sequoia, the team added ToyTec coilovers for a 3-inch lift.
Camburg upper control arms and rear trailing arms beef up the rest of the dirty bits. Skid plates, rock sliders, and bumpers from CBI protect the Sequoia.
If you get stuck, it comes with a Warn winch and Maxtrax traction boards. This beast gets Rigid Industries SR LED lights, a Prinsu roof rack, and an Autohome Airlander Plus roof tent.
Toyota Trailhunter Future
Sure, we’re very unlikely to see many of the really cool parts on these concept builds be sold at Toyota dealerships, But, we can expect a line of overland-focused Trailhunter parts and trim-level packages to come out soon on Toyota 4×4 vehicles. And no, we sadly will not be seeing new diesel or 70 Series Land Cruisers coming to a Toyota dealership near you.
Also, did you notice there were no Tacoma concepts this year? We did, and we expect to see the next-generation Tacoma be revealed soon, likely with a Trailhunter version shown off at launch.
For more on Toyota’s Trailhunter trims, stay tuned here and on Toyota’s website.
