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    • 5 cool Toyota concept cars that will make you want to venture outside
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    5 cool Toyota concept cars that will make you want to venture outside

    Online Niel Posted on

    In the past few years, accessories and landing gear sales exploded as more and more people began to gravitate to the Great Outdoors. This is good news for Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)which puts on a spectacular show every fall to highlight unique constructions and ornaments that range from the tame to the wild.

    this year, Toyota presented an impressive set of 10 concept cars to celebrate the twin pillars of adventure and performance. The brand says these dream vehicles will spark the imagination of its fans, and the upside is increased sales and feedback on future development. It’s also a major investment: SEMA brings in more than 100,000 attendees each year, and building a booth takes a lot of thought and a lot of money. Basically, SEMA is the Big Game of the aftermarket.

    It’s hard for me to pick a favorite, although I’m leaning towards the Dakar Rally-inspired RAV-X concept and I can imagine going through the sand in that thing. Here’s a rundown of my favorites from concepts built on a Tacoma, RAV4, GR Supra, GR86, Tundra, Land Cruiser, 4Runner, and a 1994 drift truck.

    Suprabird Tribute

    I’m starting with Suprabird because it has the best name. Created with a GR Supra, Toyota fitted it with a custom body kit, coated it in Petty Blue, and added a cold air intake and custom cat-back performance exhaust. Dedicated to the late, great NASCAR champion Richard Petty, the Suprabird was designed with Petty’s 1969 Superbird in mind. Rolling on custom 19-inch wheels wrapped in performance tires, the Suprabird is a fitting tribute. As a one-off, you can’t order one of these concepts, but you can get a Hot Wheels die-cast replica. (Psst, Santa…)

    Ultimate Tundra Tailgate

    Someone at Toyota decided to build a tailgater’s dream truck out of a new Tundra. Five 55-inch waterproof TV screens are mounted on a custom enclosure that juts out of the truck bed, working in tandem with a state-of-the-art JBL sound system, and a 185-square-foot canopy shades the entire setup. Fans could live there for an entire weekend on chicken wings and chips and never set foot in the packed stadium. An on-board generator provides power for the televisions and the built-in satellite communications system that broadcasts all the sports channels.

    Tacoma TRD ProRunner

    a pickup truck in a hilly landscape
    Image: Toyota

    Channeling a mix of desert racing culture and NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson’s past as an off-road competitor, this Tacoma truck modified for racing has an armored underbelly and plenty of TRD parts. It’s built around a roll cage with multi-point racing harnesses and features Fox QS3 internal bypass shocks with remote rear reservoirs and TRD upper control arms to dampen the ride. Both the driver and passenger sit in the Toyota new IsoDynamic Performance seatswhich can be adjusted to the desired firmness. Beneath Jimmie Johnson graphics and the iconic yellow, orange, and red stripes from off-road legend Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s Baja trucks, this Tacoma is painted in TRD’s exclusive 2025 “Mudbath” color. Let me mess it up and we’ll see if it fits.

    GR86 Rally Legacy

    a sedan in the desert
    Image: Toyota Larry Chen

    In the pictures, the GR86 Rally Legacy concept looks like a cartoon car in all the best ways. Reminiscent of the Celica GT-Four rally car from the ’80s and ’90s, this build is a combination of a 2024 GR86 chassis and an engine/4WD from the GR Corolla. Engineers added custom dampers and control arms for better handling, and the steering rack was adjusted for a proper fit. In the end, the result is a 300hp rally car that looks like it would be great to throw around the corners.

    RAV-X

    a light SUV car
    Image: Toyota

    The humble RAV4 was launched in 1996 as a bloated little crossover with rounded edges and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 120 horsepower. In 2024, the RAV4 is still a top seller, but it’s never seen a shape like this. Senior engineering manager Jakin Wilson calls it a “halo concept vehicle for the RAV4 range,” which basically means they’ve pulled out all the stops. For this build, the team started with a RAV4 plug-in hybrid that delivers 302 horsepower. A custom suspension raised the crossover’s height by two inches, and raised front and rear skid plates improved ground clearance, a must for off-road exploration. A rear spoiler and aerodynamic vent give the RAV-X a much tougher look that would be right at home in the challenging Dakar Rally.

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