New Hot Wheels Premium Set of Five Cars Looks Like Off-Road Heaven

I'm sure Mattel has more of these vehicles than drift cars in its portfolio. So, if you plan on starting a collection based on machines that look great in the wild, there are plenty of options. I need to do a deep dive into the world of Hot Wheels Off-Road collectibles soon, as it may help some of you find suitable castings. And the latest Car Culture set could provide a strong start.

It is the sixth mix for 2023 and the 50th since the series started in 2016. I want to remind you of some of the exciting off-road-ready castings featured in this series before. The first one that comes to mind is the Ford F-250 that showed up in 2016 alongside the Subaru Brat. In 2019, Mattel came out with an entire Desert Rally series, the most exciting of which was probably the '88 Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

Fast forward to 2020, the Wild Terrain mix gave us the Police-themed '85 Ford Bronco and four more collectibles. I'll leave some of the other 4x4 castings for another story, as plenty remains to discover. Let's get straight to the latest release, which can have up to six items inside if you're lucky enough.

2005 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

The 2005 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is the highlight of this mix, as it's a brand-new casting for Mattel. Mark Jones designed this one, adding to the long list of Hot Wheels Toyotas I recently showcased in a different story. The new Prado features a simple grey finish with colored stripes on the doors. It's rolling on black Real Riders 8-Dot wheels and even has a spare one in the back.

I wonder if you can detach that to use on a different casting? There are plenty of details to marvel at, including the six off-road lights integrated into the bull bar and roof mount. The windows are tinted, and, as with all Premium Hot Wheels these days, you get painted headlights and taillights for added realism. Land Cruiser fans will be happy to learn that Mattel has selected this casting to be the Chase model for the new Off-Road mix, which means a second variant can be found in select cases, given you're lucky enough.

It will feature a black paint job with white and grey stripes, but it's interesting to note that it will also have different wheels. The 5-Spoke Modern rims will have Off-road tires, as you'd expect, and this iteration will likely sell for $50 to $100 on online markets. So your best chance to get one for the regular retail price is to buy five to ten cases of 10 collectibles and hope at least one of them is hiding the Premium treasure.

2018 Toyota 4Runner

The '18 4Runner is the second and last Toyota in Mix 6 for 2023; we've seen this casting before. It first appeared in the Boulevard collection in 2021 in a strange mix with a 1997 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR and a Volkswagen Kafer Racer of all cars. It featured a plain, Super White finish and Off-Road Real Riders 6-Spoke Mag wheels back then. The casting returned for 2022 with the same wheels but with a black paint job and yellow, orange, and red trims.

Mattel used it again that same year to celebrate the model's 40th anniversary, so I'm finally happy to see a new design. The new Voodoo Blue finish looks better than the First Edition model, but it's less fun than the 2022 iteration. I guess this is an excellent choice if you own a 4Runner or are a fan of the model, but otherwise, I wouldn't bother picking it up from the store. But then again, my collection is mainly built around sports cars, so I'm outside the target audience here.

1993 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

The 1991 Mercedes-Benz G-Class casting first appeared in the 2019 Fast & Furious: Furious Off-Road set and looked fantastic in Flat Green. Mattel upped the ante in 2019 with a Period Correct collaboration on this casting, which I've seen listed for as much as $400 on eBay. The plastic hardtop added to the excitement, and I'm happy the diecast manufacturer pursued this direction.

You don't get moving parts with Premium Hot Wheels like it used to happen, so I'll take any add-on that can quickly come off when you want it to. The last time we saw this G-Class casting, the world faced a global pandemic. The 2020 Boulevard release in Metalflake Silver is my favorite iteration so far. Earlier this year, I walked into an IWC Schaffhausen Boutique in Zurich to admire their products, and I'm sure this theme is quite popular among Hot Wheels collectors.

The new release features a black-on-black finish with some basic decals. I've only recently discovered that IWC's CEO, Chris Grainger, is a diecast enthusiast, too, and I'd love to set up an interview with him one of these days so I can show you his collection.

Big-Air Bel-Air

You don't even need to look at this model to realize what it's all about. The Big-Air is one of many Bel-Air castings and has only been around for a few years. In time, it may come close to its Gasser sibling's legendary status, but it's not likely it will ever surpass it. But both collectibles share the same father figure/designer: Brendon Vetuskey. Even as a basic casting, the Big-Air Bel-Air was phenomenal in its 2020 Rod Squad release.

Sporting a Matte Gray-Blue finish, the BAJA5 wheels almost gave it a Premium look. Mattel developed five more variations before upgrading the casting to Toy Fair status. I'm not a fan of the orange-black color combo on that one, and I certainly wouldn't enjoy paying between $200 and $500 for one, but that's just me. If you ignore this release, the new Car Culture iteration would be the first Premium appearance of the Big-Air Bel-Air.

With the two-tone white and powder blue paint job and lifted suspension, it almost looks like something that came straight out of the SEMA Show. It's probably the best variation of the off-road monster so far. And even though it uses the same wheels as the rare Toy Fair release, it's not the same old BAJA5 design again. Let's get this straight: these are great rims, but we've already had ten Big-Air Bel-Airs with them on by now.

Range Rover Classic

Dmitriy Shakhmatov designed the Range Rover Classic for its 2021 HW Hot Trucks release. Once again, the BAJA5 wheel design served as the workhorse for this casting for five different iterations. Until now, this Hot Wheels Range Rover has never had a metal base or Real Riders wheels. The 55th Anniversary release wasn't all that good, but you can forget all about it now that this new Car Culture model is coming up.

The racing livery looks on point, and you can almost imagine this car taking on a miniature version of the Dakar Rally. I love how yellow, orange, and red blend together with the black bottom part of the casting. Mattel has added just the correct number of decals to avoid overcrowding, and you also have to pay attention to the wheels. The Range Rover Classic is the only collectible in the new mix to feature a 10-spoke rim design.

But the Off-Road tires would have been even more excellent with Michelin lettering on their sides. Maybe it's just that I love yellow cars, but if I were to choose only one car from this new mix, it would probably be this one. However, it would be a tight battle between it and the G-Class.