LAND BRUISER

TOUGH COUNTRY NEEDS TOUGH TRUCKS, AND THIS LC200 IS AS TOUGH AS THEY GET

- DAN EVERETT

THERE’S a side of Australia most don’t ever see. Perched up in their high-rise apartments in the guts of cities all along the eastern seaboard, the average Joe has no understanding of what lies beyond the city lights. They’ve never seen the endless kilometres of corrugations. Couldn’t fathom the idea of hours between fuel stops, let alone days. The concept that a marked road may be nigh on impassable, requiring winching, sawing and technical driving ability to master it, is so foreign to them you may as well be describing a Mongolian odyssey. But for those with red dirt in their veins it’s a part of life; it defines not only their entire concept of adventure, but the very vehicles they build to tame the great outdoors.

With his sights set on serious remote touring, Luke knew he’d need a serious 4WD to get the job done, and with a Lifestyle Campers Reconn R2 ready to hook up to the back, a modern dual cab wasn’t going to cut the mustard; it’d need a bit of serious get up and go as well. Enter a stunning Merlot Red 2020 LC200 GXL, one of the toughest 4WDs on the market in factory form, and even tougher again after Luke had KDT Automotive Solutions spin its automotive wizardry on it.