Toyota’s engineering team behind the all-new Tundra and Sequoia took a stroll through the grounds of Overland Expo West 2022. On their walk, they spied hundreds of Toyotas from all generations and styles. Of all the cool rigs they spied, the team chose eleven (why choose just 10?) of their favorites.
In no particular order, here are the best Toyotas from Overland Expo West 2022, as chosen by the Tundra and Sequoia engineering team.
1. First-gen Sequoia
The woman who owns this mean rig got it on trade for her car. She got it on trade, straight up. It has more than 240,000 miles on the 4.7-liter V8. As the engineers said, “It’s just getting started.” The engineers loved the front bumper, which was apparently custom made for the truck in Las Vegas.
2. FJ60 Land Cruiser
The owner of this rig wasn’t around, but the engineers were excited to see an obviously well-used and well-loved FJ60 out on the trail. The owner has outfitted it nicely, without going overboard. All-terrain tires, ARB front bumper, WARN winch, snorkel, rock sliders, rooftop tent, and awning make this a capable, albeit undoubtedly slow, overlanding rig.
3. FJ Cruiser
The couple who owns this tidy and nicely outfitted FJ Cruiser bought it when they lived in Chicago. They eventually bought property in Georgia and drive down south and back to Chicago, as they built up their new home. Now settled in Georgia, they got into overlanding a few years ago.
READ MORE: 2022 Toyota Tundra: How We’d Build It
This was their second Overland Expo; East 2021 was their first. The couple plans to tour through the Southwest after Overland Expo West 2022. We wish them luck in their journeys and we know their awesome FJ Cruiser will keep them rolling for another 250,000 miles.
4. Third-gen Tacoma
The livery on this third-generation Tacoma caught the engineers’ eyes. Then they homed in on the bumper. They couldn’t find a brand name for it. So, they figure it was custom. Regardless of whomever made the front winch bumper, they did a great job following the Taco’s body lines. The roof rack, awning, sliders, and snorkel don’t hurt either.
5. Third-gen Tacoma
Talk about a fully outfitted third-gen Tacoma, the engineering team was drawn to this fine specimen for its Alu-Cabin in the bed. Geared up with all the essential accoutrements, the owner obviously spared no expense building up this Taco — and it shows. It’s an impressive build that’s begging to spend some more time in the backcountry.
6. Second-gen Tundra
The Tundra engineers had to pick a Tundra for their list of the best Toyotas at the show, right? And this beauty does not disappoint. With a rooftop tent and fridge, there’s almost nothing this Tundra doesn’t have. It made for quite the camp scene. The engineers didn’t get to meet the owners, but they wish they could have congratulated them on an outstanding build.
7. Fifth-gen RAV4
Initially trepidatious to choose a Toyota without a ladder frame, the engineers eventually came around to this RAV4. That’s because it was obvious that this twee Toyota get used in the backcountry — whether it was designed to be used that way or not. They were amused by the oversized wheel and tire combo the owner opted for. The roof rack and road shower were icing on the cake.
8. Fifth-gen 4Runner
“This guy must really like Baja Designs lights,” one engineer joked. They then surmised the owner must work for Baja Designs … that or they spent a pretty penny lighting up their 4Runner, which — if we are honest — has just about every accessory one can get for the fifth-gen 4Runner.
READ MORE: The 2022 Tundra Gets Lifted and Trail-Ready
More than bolt kit to it, you can tell the owner uses the rig. This made the engineers happy.
9. Third-gen Tundra
This was the first really built-out third-gen Tundras the engineers stumbled upon. And they liked it very much. It’s loaded up with the latest from C4 Fabrication, including front and rear bumpers and rock sliders. The engineers really approved of the front bumper’s relocation of the front radar. And they especially loved the clean lines of the rear bumper. The non-factory color, a nod to previous Toyotas, was a nice touch, too.
10. Third-gen Tundra
Much like the 2022 Tundra above this one, the engineers were excited to see another built-out version of their baby, the all-new Tundra. This one is a different take on a similar idea. Though, the engineers worried the bumper blocks the front radar, which could disable the Toyota Safety Sense system.
CBI, the maker of the bumper, reassured the engineers, saying: “We have worked with Toyota corporate as well as the entire CBI off-road engineering team to come up with a front bumper that does not affect the front sensor or the Toyota safety sense features on the new 2022 Toyota tundra,” said Nathan Wright of the CBI Engineering Team. “We have put in over 3000 miles of on road testing and hundreds of hours of simulated computer testing to confirm that the CBI front bumper does not affect any functionality of the front sensors on the new Tundra. Furthermore we are working directly with Toyota on a few projects and providing them with CBI front bumpers. Their requirement of course was that there was no negative affect on the Toyota safety sense features, which there is not with the CBI front bumper.”
Expedition Overland’s 2022 Tundra
Last but not least, the engineers also had to highlight the Expedition Overland 2022 Tundra build. Like a Tacoma highlighted earlier in this post, XO’s third-gen Tundra has an Alu-Cabin on the back, along with many, many other upgrades, including a suspension from ICON. The engineers are very excited to see this truck in action in future XO films.
