XPLORE Tacoma is Ready for Adventure
You may remember Venchurs Inc. from our 2011 SEMA covervage where we highlighted the Red Jacket Firearms JK8 as one of our favorite vehicles of the show. Venchurs (also called VWerks) has been around for almost 30 years in one way or another, but is just now getting into supplying different OEMs with various types of outdoor adventure packages.
Their most recent endeavor is the new XPLORE Toyota Tacoma that will be offered in four different, progressive stages, where each package increases the capability and fun-factor of the vehicle, as well as the price. These packages will be available at the dealerships nationwde, along with similar packages for the FJ and 4Runner.
The packages include a Stage 1 setup that features a leather interior and various TRD parts and accessories. Stage 2 offers black aluminum wheels, BFG tires, Bilstein adjustable shocks, and a custom cat-back exhaust. Stage 3 is more serious with an ARB roof rack, roof-top tent, recovery gear and options like IPF lights and a Warn winch. Stage 4 is basically a built-to-order vehicle with everything and anything you want that needs to be built at either they're So. Cal or Michigan facilities. As you might imagine, pricing will vary depending how much and what you want, but expect Stage 1 to be a few thousand dollars, while Stage 3 and 4 can get well north of $10,000.
Each XPLORE vehicle comes with a one-year pass to the nation's National Parks and to they're quarterly lifestyle journal. We like the concept and it will be interesting to see if this gets popular or if it will stay a novelty. From some of the early production units we've seen, Venchurs does quality work but we're not sure how big the market is for more expensive specialty packages that you can only use when you have vacation time, assuming you're not a backcountry ranger.
For more information on national parks, go to www.nps.gov. For information on Venchurs, go to their website. And for more information on the various types of XPLORE vehicles being offered, you can go to www.XPLOREvehicles.com.
