Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2022 Issue When selecting a vehicle platform to explore Australia’s wild and remote corners, the list of iconic badges is staggering. Over the years, the Aussie market has been blessed with virtually every platform and model of serious 4×4 ever produced. After years of dreaming,…
Category Archives: Featured Vehicles
Feature Vehicle :: Dirt Sunrise’s 1990 HDJ80 Land Cruiser with Maltec Conversion
Choosing an overland vehicle can be like an episode of Indian Matchmaking: you want a unicorn, but your matchmaker insists that meeting 60 to 70 percent of your criteria is more realistic. You want butterflies fluttering in your stomach, to develop a trusting relationship, and have the coolest winch, lights, and bumper. But sometimes, the…
Ram 2500 Overland Build :: AEV Dualsport XP Suspension, Salta HD Wheels, General Grabber A/Tx Tires
Two important questions that I’ve asked myself throughout my Ram 2500 overland truck build are Will this upgrade add utility, and Will this upgrade enhance capability? Utilizing this decision-making framework is generally straightforward, but when it came to making changes to the suspension, I felt some uncertainty. I was interested in creating more wheel well…
Pon Steyn 4X4 – Where Classic Land Rovers are Reborn
If you are a Land Rover Defender Classic fan, you will have noticed that over the last few years, more and more of these vehicles are being restored and sold internationally, some changing hands for ludicrous amounts of money. As someone who has traveled the planet and lived in a Defender for more than a decade, I…
The Sunroamer Sunrader 4WD Camper Shines
Retro, compact 4WD Toyota campers are as desirable today as Sophia Loren was back in 1956—the curves, attitude, bone structure, and heritage are what drive us wild about this legend of yesteryear. The old Toyotas aren’t too shabby either, while some are cooler than others. The Sunrader “micro-mini motorhome” was manufactured by the Gardner-Pacific Corporation…
Feature Vehicle: GoPlay.Outside Land Cruiser
The beauty of attending overland shows is, occasionally, if you are willing to leave the main event and take a stroll to where the travelers swap stories, you may stumble across something special, something new. Something which drops your jaw at the audacity of creative thought, concept, design, and build quality. Michael Choi and…
Massively Improved 2023 Toyota Sequoia for Overlanding
Massively improved 2023 Toyota Sequoia threatens Chevy Tahoe dominance (Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Tim Esterdahl of Pickup Truck + SUV Talk for covering this important new model. Our team member was sick during the launch, and Tim saved the day.) The setting was perfect. Heat in the mid 90s, 3 inches of rain overnight…
Feature Vehicle Interior :: 4×4 Panda’s 1998 Puch 290 GD Mercedes G-Wagon
Many overlanders find that much of the fun begins once the shifter is secured in Park. For Austrians Birgit and Klemens (known online as 4×4 Panda), their 1998 Puch 290 GD Mercedes G-Wagon is the vessel that transports them to trailheads, crags, and ski hills, where they mountaineer, ski tour, and rock and ice climb….
Is the new Silverado ZR2 the best overland half-ton?
“Chevrolet raises the bar with the most capable half-ton, full-size truck ever sold in North America.” Change can come from the most unexpected of places, the passion and commitment of a few individuals shifting the course of an organization. We witnessed that in the early 2000s with the Jeep team launching the Rubicon, and…
Ram 2500 Overland Build :: SPod Bantam X and Touchscreen Controller Installation
When I started researching how to install aftermarket lighting in my Ram 2500, I was very quickly overwhelmed with information. I was also discouraged to learn that making a small mistake could present a myriad of problems for the many computerized systems found in my vehicle. As someone with DIY ambitions who wants to understand…
Hummer EV: Futuristic Features, Monster Power
Bearing down on the steering wheel and settling into the seat of the Edition One Hummer EV, I prepared for the sensation of rapid acceleration that was about to be unleashed. My left foot was firmly planted on the vehicle’s brake pedal while my right foot simultaneously pressed the accelerator to the floor. A humming…
Is the new Hummer EV a Super Overlander?
The GMC team calls the new HUMMER EV a Supertruck, and the moniker is no doubt fitting. The vehicle boasts unimaginable specifications for a high-clearance 4WD, like 0 to 60 in 3 seconds, 11 second quarter mile, and 1,000 horsepower from three electric motors. For off-highway travel, the numbers get even more impressive, with 13…
Impact Overland :: Ford Transit 250 Cargo Van
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2021 Issue. I wake up to the van swaying in the wind like a gentle nudge from Mother Nature, letting me know it’s time to start the day. I wasn’t surprised; we are in some of the windiest latitudes of our planet, so it…
Feature Vehicle :: Girl Gone Glamping’s 2014 Ram 3500 w/2016 OEV X10 Camper
Lindsey Kszos was sitting in the Philadelphia airport, celebrating the sale of her Airstream and half-ton GMC with a glass of wine and a lobster roll, when she received an unexpected call. Months earlier, Lindsey found a build thread on Expedition Portal congratulating “Kevin,” the first owner of a 2016 Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV) X10…
IVECO Daily 4×4: Marcus and Julie Tuck’s Overland Vehicle for Softies
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Fall 2021 Issue. Photography by Richard Giordano We’re parked in a dry riverbed within the Ghost Public Land Use Area of Alberta, Canada, where Marcus and Julie Tuck have kindly opened their home to us for the evening. A chill autumn wind howls outside, but we’re…
Acela Straya: A New High-mobility 4×4 Cab-over Truck for North America
*Editor’s note: The original title of this article was changed to avoid confusion surrounding vehicle capability. Acela calls the Staya the most capable class-5 cab-over truck in North America, according to their press release. Truck classification takes into account GVWR as well as other factors which may include permit requirements, DOT number regulations, maintenance needs,…
Feature Vehicle :: Overland Vagabond’s 2016 Ford Ranger w/Custom Geocar Camper
Photography by Richard Giordano When Marcel took his wife, Chiara, out for dinner one evening back in 2015, she knew something was up. “A boat or a car, that was the question,” she laughs. “I didn’t know which one, but I knew something was coming.” Marcel’s proposal was eventually revealed—he wanted to drive around the…
Feature Vehicle :: Alika Vaquer’s VW T3 Syncro
The Volkswagen T3 Syncro (or Vanagon Syncro) is widely regarded as the ultimate overland rig. Characterized by insane power and torque and Rolls-Royce-esque refinement, the T3 Syncro is impervious to rust, offers unmatched all-terrain capability, a bulletproof engine, gearbox, and drive train, can achieve upwards of 55 mpg, and is conservatively 10 times more reliable…
Feature Vehicle Interior :: Troopy Girl’s Land Cruiser VDJ78
Scrolling through Marlee Calabro’s @troopygirl Instagram account is like a soothing balm for the nervous system. Often parked on sugary sands with aquamarine waters in the background, her white Land Cruiser VDJ78 Troop Carrier’s interior is so clean, so minimalist, and so well-laid-out that it has inspired the interior design of a handful of Troopy…
Featured Vehicle :: 1968 Volvo Valp
The first time I set eyes on Rick Schamper’s 1968 Volvo Valp, I was left speechless. Forget unicorns, the Loch Ness Monster, Mokele-mbembe, or Bigfoot; this is the only mythical creature that matters. Rick said it best: “It’s like a caricature of a car, like a cartoon character.” And he’s absolutely right. I’m not sure…