Overlanding is the kind of ambiguous term that people have started to abuse lately, so every time somebody leaves the asphalt and spends more than an hour there, they claim they're overlanding.
In reality, this type of activity should be taken a lot more seriously, and there are some people who've made a career out of it. Think Andrew St. Pierre White, for example, a guy from Australia who's traveled the world over while making very little use of its existing road network.
So, what is overlanding? Well, the simplest of definitions implies that you need to cover long distances before laying any claim of doing that, hence the reason why most overlanding rigs tend to have tents on their roofs, spare tires, room to carry stuff around, and usually one or more jerrycans. It's because you never know what you're going to find and how long you're going to be out there.
It's also highly unlikely you'll find and service centers for your vehicle, so reliability tends to play a huge role in vehicle choice. That makes Toyotas the number one option, but if, for some reason, you want to overland with a little more style, you can always look at Toyota's more upmarket sister brand, Lexus.
The Lexus GX 460 is a dinosaur, and while that's not exactly a compliment in most cases, it does mean it's a simpler machine, and therefore more reliable. This one, however, has been built by Lexus Canada as a one-off concept car to showcase how the roughly $70,000 body-on-frame SUV can be turned into an overlanding beast with just a few aftermarket upgrades.
The interior is left untouched, which means you get the usual restrained, old-school luxury you get with all the older Lexus models. On the outside, however, the GX 460 Overland Concept doesn't resemble anything that's ever worn the "L" badge.
It's hard to tell what catches the eye first; the massive tent/awning/shower booth combo mounted on the roof, the aggressive off-road tires complete with black wheels, the lifted suspension, or the completely modified front bumper with winch and skid plates.
All the weight added up top coupled with the suspension lift make the GX 460 a weird experience on the road but considering it's not exactly quick thanks to its 4.6-liter V8 engine producing 301 horsepower and 329 lb-ft (445 Nm) of torque, the fact it tends to sway in the bends shouldn't really be a problem.
It's actually the off-road/overlanding gear that deserves to be analyzed and how well it's been implemented on such an unlikely vehicle if we're being honest. Well, it turns out they've done a pretty good job if two people with no experience had no problem unfolding everything, though everyone who's ever put up a tent knows that's not the hard part but folding it back into its tiny bag.
The Lexus GX 460 Overland Concept can't be bought, but anyone interested can either look at all the companies involved in the build (there are stickers on the side) and get in touch with them directly, or just give Lexus Canada a call and ask for support. However, we do believe you can get much better rigs for the price of this build (probably in the $90,000 region). You could also skip overlanding altogether and use the money to go on regular vacations for the rest of your life.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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