I don’t swing many dead cats, but if I did I couldn’t do it without hitting a Toyota Tacoma. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind, the most ubiquitous vehicle at this year’s Overland Expo West was Toyota’s midsize pickup. While I did spot a few unmodified specimens, most were festooned with add-ons from bumpers to flatbeds topped with lavish campers.
If there was a close runner-up to the Tacoma, it was likely the plucky truck’s sibling, the Toyota 4Runner. What was in surprisingly low attendance was the once commonplace Jeep Wrangler. Not to say they were in short numbers, but they definitely were not as noticeable. After walking the show repeatedly, covering a dozen miles, I would wager the Tacoma, 4Runner, and Tundra were by far and away the brand with the largest owner group.
It will be interesting to see where this leads in the coming years. One thing is for certain, Toyota is missing the boat by depriving the U.S. with access to the Hilux.
