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This episode of the Off Road Podcast is Sponsored by WARN, Patriot patch, Colby Valve, and 4Patriots.

Tonight, Aaron screws around, Coy gets wired, & Ben fights 50 five year olds

Welcome to the off-road podcast. A podcast about everything off-road. We cover the news, review products, and interview people in the off road industry.  Your hosts tonight are Aaron, Coy and my name is Ben.  Welcome to the show.

Coy – learns about rv plugs and auto industry plug

Aaron – Finished drying in my shop.  Screwed on the last of the trim and caulked some holes.

Ben – 

This week in review was brought to you by 4Patriots.  Have you ever been concerned with the shelf life of the food you take camping?  Since you are a listener of the podcast we know you at least keep some emergency food stashed in your rig.  4Patriots sells a variety of survival food & equipment that pair great with the off road & adventure lifestyle.  Use code “FRN” & get 10% off of your 1st order.

We’ve got another giveaway coming up!  Write in to us with something that you would like on your off-road Christmas list.  We’ll be reading the entries on our Christmas gift exchange episode on November 20th and will be reading them on air picking some at random and sending you some gifts from our sponsors.

Patriotpatch.co 

We also want to thank our sponsor Patriot Patch. Head over to Patriotpatch.co and check out their selection of great patches, shirts, cleaning mats, signs , and stickers.  You can also join the patch of the month club for 15 bucks and receive a patch, matching sticker, and artist proof each month.

Our patches $13 shipped in the US for one and $10 for any additional.  Or $10 picked up from us in person.  Just send us a message through any of our channels and we can set you up with a Paypal link.

News brought to you by Colby Valve

• Clean Technica – BLM Shuts Down Several Trails in Moab
  • The Bureau of Land Management’s office in Moab, Utah, recently announced that it’s closing a significant portion of the trails in the area. This, of course, is a decision sure to enrage the off-road community and please environmentalists, but there’s a deeper technology issue at play that the Bureau of Land Management isn’t really considering.
  • I’m going to start with a basic overview of what BLM’s doing, why they’re trying to be sneaky about it, and what they should be doing to actually manage public lands near not only Moab, but other places popular with off-road adventurers

• First off They Intentionally Buried Lead

• The Bureau of Land Management just released a press release at the end of the week, and it also did its level best to bury the news that it’s closing around ⅓ of the trail miles near Moab, Utah.
• For those unfamiliar, Moab has become a global off-roading destination, and the town’s name basically means “off-roading” in several languages these days. If you tell anyone you’re going to Moab, it’s known without any further discussion that you’re either going to go wheeling or go ride your bike.
• But, if you read the press release, it’s hard to tell what BLM’s even talking about. Normally, one would think that this press release is a product of incompetence and not malice, but I don’t think ChatGPT under the direction of a drunk could produce something so uninformative. The only accessible and easy to understand sentence in the whole press release was near the bottom, and reads in part: “96% of the Jeep Safari routes remain available for off highway vehicle use.” That was the only clue that the release had anything to do with trail closures.
• Whoever is behind this at BLM knew the decision would get a lot of people mad, and they know their building in Moab has glass windows and walls to deface, plus they’re probably worried about their personal safety and the future of their careers. Some of the Facebook comments suggesting that people dig up the home addresses of BLM employees show that I’m not being sarcastic or exaggerating. People really are big, big mad about this.

• It takes some work to get details, but if you click several links deeper, and dig through a bunch of badly-named PDF files, you finally find this:

Show picture

• Clearly, this didn’t manage to fly under the radar of the off-roading community. After picking through the documents and finding out what all BLM had decided, Patrick McKay of the CO Offroad Defenders Virtual Crew said:
• “There’s no other way to say this. This travel plan is the worst defeat motorized recreation has suffered in decades. SUWA won. Moab is lost. Almost every major trail west of Moab is closed, including Day Canyon Point, Hey Joe Canyon, Mashed Potatoes, Ten Mile Canyon, Hell Roaring Canyon, Mineral Canyon, Hidden Canyon, 7-Up, two of the three overlooks on Deadman Point, and many more. Poison Spider, Golden Spike, 7 Mile Rim, 3D, Buttes and Towers, Hell Roaring Rim, and Metal Masher will stay open but that’s about it.
• “All motorized access to the Green River except for county B roads is closed. Most overlooks on the rims of Labyrinth Canyon, 10 Mile Canyon, Taylor Canyon, and South Fork 7 Mile Canyon are closed. For no other reason than the fact the BLM decided to completely reverse course and prioritize non-motorized recreation everywhere there is anything remotely scenic, contrary to the express direction of their own resource management plan. I thought this would be bad, but I never dreamed it would be this bad.”
• The Salt Lake City–based Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), on the other hand, was very happy with BLM’s decision.
• “Visitors will finally be able to experience stunning Labyrinth Canyon without the noise, dust, and damage that accompanies motorized recreation,” said Laura Peterson, staff attorney with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “For too long, the BLM has prioritized off-road vehicle use at the expense of Utah’s incredible natural and cultural resources. The Labyrinth Canyon plan represents an important step forward to guide the management of Utah’s public lands and reduce the impacts of off-road vehicle routes in this area.”
• To people unfamiliar with today’s off-roading issues, this probably looks like a typical case of people with big trucks in a policy and legal battle with environmentalists. But SUWA did manage to identify an important part of the issue in its press release:
• “New ORVs are faster, louder, and more capable of reaching into remote areas than ever before. Labyrinth Canyon is no exception: the area has seen a dramatic increase in motorized recreation over the past decade, with ORV noise and dust disproportionately impacting the majority of public land users.”
• And if you dig through the angry Facebook comments dragging BLM for this decision, you’ll find a similar sentiment from some of the off-roaders. Instead of vaguely talking about off-road vehicles being “faster, louder, and more capable of reaching,” they call out the “side-by-sides” as the problem that led to these closures.
• off-roading probably all looks the same to many readers, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you think about it a bit, there are mountain bikers, mountain bikers on e-bikes, ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, Baja trucks, stock 4x4s and SUVs, rock crawlers, and even influencers in “mall crawlers” there to get pics without really taking a trail on. All of these different off-roaders drive wildly different vehicles in a broad variety of ways.
• There are people like me, who are out there just to see the sights and maybe climb some small rough patches. I get the bikes off the rack to go where the crossover can’t go. There are people looking to wheel until something breaks and take on the most wild obstacles. There are people looking for straightaways where they can go really fast, but they slow down in the curves and for obstacles.
• And then, there are the “side-by-sides,” or UTVs. Some UTVs are meant for slow-going fun on rough roads, but others are built for maximum speed over any terrain. These can be a lot of fun, but they tend to anger environmentalists, outdoor relaxation types, and other off-roaders all the same. They kick up tons of dust, tear up the trails, and go around corners so fast that people on dirtbikes and bicycles can get run over.
• Most other off-road enthusiasts come from a background that values protecting the outdoors for future generations to also enjoy. It’s common to see off-road clubs go out on runs specifically to look for trash to pick up, to care for trails, and to encourage people to not tear up nature beyond the existing trails. Many off-roaders built their own trucks up, and they aren’t going to do anything stupid on purpose to destroy their pride and joy.
• But, from what I’ve seen, the side-by-side crowd tends to be party animals, tearing through the desert or forest with music blasting and with cheap LED light sticks flashing and changing colors. While many of them aren’t bad people, many of them seem to throw trash, drive at unsafe speeds around blind turns, and otherwise show that they don’t care about themselves, other people outdoors, or the environment. They didn’t build the vehicle up or do much to earn it, and thus don’t value it the way other segments of the off-road community do.
• These vehicles became popular during the last 10–15 years, and they’ve become the perfect excuse for land managers, under pressure from groups like the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (that isn’t even based in southern Utah), to close off access to all motorized users.
• But, as the off-road community often points out, closure isn’t management. Instead of managing public lands to protect them, they’re closing them off to everyone in a vehicle, responsible or not. This one-size-fits-all policy bans someone carefully and methodically driving a Jeep Wrangler 4xe in electric mode just the same as the owner of a side-by-side who’s out there to go 80 MPH and tear things up while trash blows out.
• Technology and thinking can solve these problems, and there’s a role for electric vehicles as part of the solution. In fact, not only Tesla, but Jeep, Ford, GM, and everyone else either has or is about to release an electric truck or SUV. Jeep even has prototypes that it’s been testing in Moab with an electric motor paired with a manual transmission to make it appeal more to old-school enthusiasts.
• If speed is the issue, limits need to be set and enforced. If going off trail is the problem, those going off trails need to be punished. If noise is the issue (noise IS an issue in town), they can require mufflers. If pollution is the issue, trails in more sensitive areas can be limited to electric vehicles, e-bikes, and bikes. If trash is the issue, a combination of enforcement and volunteer cleanup days (that off-roaders already do) can alleviate that issue. It’s a policy cafeteria, and land managers can put what works well on their plates.
• At absolute minimum, the closed trails should at least be open to e-bikes, if not all EVs capable of going down them.
• These reasonable approaches have the benefit of not enraging the public, so real good can be done for the long-haul. But, when knee-jerk reactions to a new form of motoring (the side-by-sides) lead to things that affect responsible visitors to the outdoors, it’s a guaranteed recipe for political blowback that will lead to even less regulation than public lands started with the next time Republicans get in power.
• In other words, heavy-handed one-size-fits-all bans and closures are actually worse for the environment in the long run. But, short-sighted environmentalists and lazy land managers don’t seem to have the social skills or strategic foresight to know what they’re doing, but will howl and cry when their f-ing around leads to finding out after a future election.
• Instead of acting like they’re the boss, they need to remember that they’re public servants and act like it.

Main Topic powered by WARN

First of all, all of this information has been compiled from about 15 news articles.  We hope that it is all correct and that we will be passing it on to you as factually as possible.

Outside:

• 3 trim levels to choose from:
  • Land Cruiser 1958
  • Land Cruiser
  • Land Cruiser First Edition (only 5,000 will be made)
• Base & top trims get round headlights while middle tier gets rectangular headlights
• The 1958 gets a plastic-heavy front fascia that should be cheaper to replace than the Land Cruiser and First Edition’s painted bits.
• The old Land Cruiser’s downward-folding tailgate is gone in favor of a more conventional liftgate.
• the 1958 edition gets two-tone paint and a “TOYOTA” front grille like the FJ40
• The First Edition has a roof rack
• Compared to the Land Cruiser 200, the new model is 4.4 inches narrower and 1.2 inches shorter
• All models also come standard with off-road recovery hooks at the front and rear
• Skid plates are found under the radiator, engine, and gas tank, and there’s a tiny appetizer plate of armor beneath the transfer case.
• Opting for the First Edition Land Cruiser adds rock rails for the sides
• Toyota has over 100 accessories at present, which Toyota says will grow with time. For now, the list includes recovery gear, rack attachments, outdoor sporting equipment carriers, and more.

Interior:

• Only sold as a 5 seater
  • In other countries, the Land Cruiser will be sold as a seven-seater.
  • For this reason, there are cup holders, usb ports, & air vents behind the 2nd row.
  • Rather than delete the cupholders, vents, and charging ports in the trunk, Toyota opted to save costs and leave them in.
  • Toyota also left the tip-and-fold second-row seats in place, allowing easier access into the third row that isn’t there. Again, installing a different rear seat wasn’t worth the complexity and cost.
• All models come with LED fog lights, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel as standard.
• Mid tier adds Softex imitation leather upholstery with heated and ventilated front seats and a 14-speaker JBL premium sound system.
• The flagship First Edition gets genuine leather
• Every trim gets keyless start, though remote start from Toyota’s mobile app is locked behind a subscription.
• Base model has an 8” touchscreen display that runs the latest Toyota infotainment. The two upper trims and there’s a 12.3” display running the same software.  All come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
• Every LC gets adaptive cruise control, lane centering, automatic emergency braking, lane departure prevention, and blind spot monitoring.
• The mid-tier also includes a head-up display, a digital rearview mirror, and a sunroof.
• All trims come with a 2400-watt AC inverter for powering accessories

Chassis:

• Codenamed J250
• Same TNGA-F platform as Lexus GX and Overseas only 300 series LC
• The ladder frame is made of high-strength steel with blanking and laser welds, which makes it more rigid than the Land Cruiser 200.
• It has a newly-developed double-wishbone setup with two twin-tube shocks at the front and a multi-link setup with coil springs at the rear. 
• Electric power steering is standard, as are 17-inch disc brakes at every corner.
• Approach/Departure/Breakover/Ground Clearance 31/22/25/8.7”
  • 2023 4runner TRD Offroad: 33/26/20/9.6”
  • Bronco: 43/37/26/11.5”
  • JLU: 47/40/27/12.9”
  • Defender 110: 38/40/29/ up to 11.5”
• The 200 Series Land Cruiser beats the 2024 LC in approach angle while falling one inch short in the departure department.
• All trims come standard with all-season tires
• The mid & top tier models comes with electronic front sway bar disconnects
• Tire size
  • 1958: 245/70R18 (31.5“)
  • Mid: 265/70R18 (32.6”)
    • Optional 265/60R20 (32.5“)
  • 1st Edition: 265/70R18 (32.6”)
• 18-inch wheels are standard, but you can upgrade to 20 inches
• The spare wheel is stowed neatly underneath the vehicle.
• Tow rating had dropped from 8,100 lbs to 6,000 lbs
  • 2023 4runner TRD Offroad: 6,200 lbs
  • Bronco: 4,500 lbs
  • JLU: 3,500 lbs
  • Defender 110: 8,200 lbs
• Curb weight: 5181 lbs

Drivetrain:

• The 5.7-liter V8 is gone, and in its place, we find the I-Force Max turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four Hybrid
  • Toyota has been making hybrid engines for more than two decades
• 326hp & 465tq (available from 1,700 rpm)
  • 2023 4runner TRD Offroad: 270/278 with N/A V6
  • Bronco: 270/310 with I4 turbo or 310/400 with V6 turbo
  • JLU: 270/295 with I4 turbo or 285/260 with N/A V6 or 470/470 with V8
  • Defender 110: 395 hp with 3.0 hybrid i6 406 lb-ft torque
• Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive, Two-Speed Transfer Case
• 48-hp electric motor mounted within the eight-speed automatic gearbox.  It’s powered by a 1.87kWh NiMH battery pack
• All trims get an automatic limited-slip center differential and locking rear diff
• All Land Cruiser models will come standard with low-speed crawl control & downhill assist
  • Low-speed crawl control is like cruise control.  It does the throttle & braking so all you have to do is steer
• The flagship First Edition is Multi-Terrain Select, which will offer a few different settings for a variety of terrains, including mud, rocks, and sand (read elsewhere it was mud, dirt, & sand).
• The top two trims also get a Multi-Terrain Monitor, which projects images of the trail in front of, beneath, and along the sides of the vehicle to help you place your wheels
• Toyota says 27 MPG combined (200 series gets 14)
  • Bronco: 17 MPG
  • Wrangler 4xe: 20 MPG (49 MPGe)
  • 4Runner: 17 MPG
  • Defender 110: 19 MPG
• Toyota is considering plug-in hybrid, fully electric, and hydrogen fuel cell-powered variants.
• The Land Cruiser’s TNGA-F platform wasn’t designed to house a battery pack or hydrogen fuel cells.

Pricing:

• Starting mid $50k
• Competes with:
  • Land Rover Defender 110 (Starts at $62k)
  • Ford Bronco Badlands with the 2.7 EcoBoost (Starts at $55k)
  • Jeep Wrangler 4xe (starts at $52k)
  • Toyota 4Runner TRD Offroad (starts at $44K)
• The 2024 Land Cruiser will be built in Japan and will arrive in the USA in the spring of 2024

Next Week:  Gun Talk with the AR15 Podcast

Closing Statements

Thanks everyone who listens to us weekly and also to those who watch us live on YouTube.  We really appreciate you.  Please share us with your friends and help us grow.  God bless America!
Don’t forget to visit Patriot Patch and join the Patch of the Month club. Check out our Gaia affiliate link for up to 40% off. Also, don’t forget to head over to Warn, Colby Valve, and 4Patriots to see all of their great products. We are a proud part of the Firearms Radio Network. Got a question or comment?  Send it to us through our Linktree account or by searching for Off Road Podcast.  Also, you can listen to us live at overlandradio.com Mondays at 7 pm Pacific.  When off-road please remember to have fun, tread lightly, and be safe and courteous. Thanks for listening.