Toyota Land Cruiser ROX concept is an homage to open-air off-roaders of the past

The new Toyota Land Cruiser already features a retro-inspired design, but what if it offered an open-top, open-air driving experience like off-roaders of the past, including the original Land Cruiser from the sixties? Well, this is what it would look like.

The Land Cruiser ROX concept is a one-off creation for the 2024 SEMA show in Las Vegas, although that doesn’t mean the Jeep Wrangler can sleep easy because Toyota admits this mini monster truck “can easily be envisioned as a future production model”.

It might look like Toyota just took a tin opener to the latest Land Cruiser, but the ROX concept required more than 50 per cent of the car to be modified and fabricated. Toyota even went to the length of creating new stamping tools to produce custom body panels and components.

New additions include custom fabricated front and rear bumpers with towing eyes and skid plates, plus there are also “skeleton” doors with open lower sections, and new rocker panels designed to offer better ground clearance. The ‘Spring Green’ paint colour was used by Land Cruisers of old, in another nod to the 4x4’s heritage.

There’s also an independent suspension system from the firm’s TRD racing division that provides a four-inch lift in ride height, plus huge flared wheelarches that were necessary because the car’s track has been widened by eight inches at the front and rear, and to accommodate the off-road tyres and 18-inch, one-piece machined billet wheels. 

The custom front-to-rear sliding soft-top allows passengers to enjoy as much of the outdoors as possible, while the interior features ‘Heritage Orange’ leather upholstery and trim, while the door panels have integrated safety kits and storage nets for other gear. And if there’s not enough space in the truck bed, there’s also a custom roof rack.  

Would you like to see the Toyota Land Cruiser ROX concept go into production? Let us know in the comments below...