The Six-Figure Dirt Habit

Apr 29

The floor at Cruise Moab 2026 was a land of giants, and seeing these builds in the flesh has me questioning my entire driveway strategy. When you're staring down a 200 Series sitting on 40-inch tires, everything else starts to look like a crossover. That 200 is absolute pure muscle—a solid-axle legend that makes a massive footprint look easy.

But then, the new tech starts calling. I’m currently caught in a four-way mental tug-of-war:

The LC 250: The new Land Cruiser is sleek, but seeing it with the Dissent Off-Road armor package completely changes the stance. It’s the perfect blend of modern tech and "I can still take this through a rock garden."
The LX700h on Portals: This is the fever dream. Taking the hybrid power of the new LX and putting it on portal axles? That’s top-tier engineering and ground clearance that dreams are made of. It’s the ultimate "go anywhere in a tuxedo" build.
The GX 550: There is just something about those sharp, boxy lines that hits the 90s nostalgia perfectly. It’s aggressive right out of the box and looks like it belongs on a technical trail.
The 200 Series on 4Ds: As much as I love the new stuff, the reliability and sheer presence of a 200 on 40s is hard to beat. It’s a proven platform that refuses to quit.

Decisions, decisions. One thing is for sure: the bar for "overland-ready" just got moved a lot higher this year.