Lifted Toyota Alphard Off Road Overland Van from Tokyo Autosalon

Space for sleeping, camping gear and other amenities matters a lot in overlanding, that’s why vans often have the edge over traditional SUVs. The vehicle we’re showcasing today is most definitely unfamiliar to those who never visited Asia, but people in the know can identify a 3rd generation Toyota Alphard packed with top of the line overland style upgrades.

At its core a Toyota Alphard is a luxury minivan built to haul families and executives around cities in Japan and Southeast Asia (there’s even a Lexus variant of this van called LM300). Nothing in its image, except for the all-wheel-drive, suggests that it can be used for off-roading, but its owner saw it differently. After lifting his van almost 7 inches, fitting proper all-terrain tires, and adding all the must-have overland accessories he unlocked the full adventure potential of this platform.

Key Mods:

• 7 inches total lift (6-inch body + 1-inch suspension)
• 30″ off road tires
• Full exterior armor and KC HiLites lighting setup

The Build

As I mentioned above, a Toyota Alphard is just a regular on-road unibody minivan with an available all-wheel-drive option, and pretty good 2.5L or 3.5L engines that provide enough power to haul whatever is inside your van. Except for the standard features like vehicle stability control, traction control, and hill-start assist, it doesn’t really have any dedicated off-road tech. The quite low ground clearance of about 6.2 inches in stock form along with very low approach and departure angles posed some challenges on the way to it becoming a truly off-road worthy vehicle.

List Of Modifications

Suspension

• 6 inch custom spacer lift kit
• 1 inch suspension lift

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Wheels

• Delta Force Overlander Wheels (Made for Landrover Defender) 20inch 9J
• 265/70R16 Toyo Tires Open Country R/T

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Exterior

• Kurl Racing Front bumper
• Kurl Racing Aero hood
• T.S.C original bumper armor guard
• Toyota Hilux side guard step
• Bumper cut with iron spare tire hitch bracket

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Lights

• Full KC Hilites LED lights

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Overland Gear

• Rhino Rack Batwing Awning
• Maxtrax xtreme recovery boards
• Roam cases
• 4WD controller

Build Summary

Tom-san’s Alphard looks and feels like a very capable adventure machine. The sheer interior space makes it a comfortable overlander where you can sleep and cook inside without building out a kitchen in the trunk or climbing into a roof top tent every night. That’s the real advantage this van has over traditional SUV builds.

In terms of the foundational off-road capabilities Alphard sits on the same level with good unibody AWD crossovers like the Acura MDX or a Subaru Forester, but with a huge advantage in interior space. Although, the modifications done by it’s owner truly set it apart in terms of performance off the paved roads, that’s why it’s been such an attention-grabber on 2026 Tokyo Autosalon where it was on display.