Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Land Rover vs Toyota: Which overlander?

Any idea what percentage of independent overland trips use Land Rover's vs Toyota's?  Read on to see what percentage of overland trips use Land Rover's vs Toyota's vs other vehicles.
Here are a few interesting statistics from The Africa Overland Network pages.  
Please note that these stats are generated from the independent overland websites listed on The Africa Overland Network.  Although they offer an interesting read, please keep in mind that not all overland travellers keep an online journal and I certainly have not captured all the overland websites that have been created to remember an independent overland trip.

Total Trips currently listed on the website (In-active websites excluded):
Total Trips
Africa
409
Americas
24
Asia
56
World
57

The trips are split between the following vehicle types:


Type of Transport used:
Bicycle
23
4.22%
Campervan
16
2.94%
Ford
2
0.37%
Hitch Hiking
4
0.73%
Isuzu
1
0.18%
large Truck
18
3.30%
LR101
6
1.10%
Land Rover Series / Def / Disco
227
41.65%
Mitsubishi
5
0.92%
Motorbike
55
10.09%
Nissan
16
2.94%
Range Rover
4
0.73%
Toyota
141
24.85%
Unimog
10
1.83%
Other
28
5.14%

The Toyota has gained popularity as an overland vehicle.  These statistics show how they compared to Land Rover's (Defender, Series & Discovery).  i.e. up to 2005, about 30% of trips used Toyota's.  This increased to 40% over the last five years.

Comparing the Land Rover to Toyota’s used between the following dates:
Specific Vehicles
2000-2005
2006-2010
Land Rover
74
159
Toyota
33
107
Total of Both Vehicles
107
266
Land Rover as a % of total
69.16%
59.77%
Toyota as a % of total:
30.84%
40.23%





2000-2005
2006-2010
Other Vehicles (excl motorbikes;bicycles)
26
83
Total Vehicles
133
349
Land Rover as a % of total
55.64%
45.56%
Toyota as a % of total
24.81%
30.66%




The stat above shows alternative vehicles (excl motorbikes, bicycles, LRs and Toyota's) compared to the main choice.  Land Rover has lost about 10% over the last five years whilst Toyota has gained an additional 6%.  This essentially means that overlanders are beginning to choose alternative vehicles to the standard Land Rover or Toyota.  These include Nissan, Ford, Campervans, Taxi's and even a Rolls Royce.


The two vehicles split per year:
Over the last ten years, I noticed that 2009 was a bumper year for overland travel – this could be from a number of reasons:
Majority of overland trips that report via the internet has increased due to easier internet access whilst travelling or, its just become a very popular way of independent travel.

The use of the Toyota as an overland vehicle has steadily increased when comparing the two main brands of choice: Land Rover or Toyota. 
The current list of overland trips starting in 2011 use Toyota as the vehicle of choice (list will expand during 2011).



Specific Vehicles per year
2000
2001
2002
Land Rover
6
11
6
Toyota
1
2
4
Total of Both Vehicles
7
13
10
Land Rover as a % of total
85.71%
84.62%
60.00%
Toyota as a % of total
14.29%
15.38%
40.00%



2003
2004
2005
Land Rover
15
17
19
Toyota
5
8
13
Total of Both Vehicles
20
25
32
Land Rover as a % of total
75.00%
68.00%
59.38%
Toyota as a % of total
25.00%
32.00%
40.63%



2006
2007
2008
Land Rover
28
19
26
Toyota
17
12
18
Total of Both Vehicles
45
31
44
Land Rover as a % of total
62.22%
61.29%
59.09%
Toyota as a % of total
37.78%
38.71%
40.91%



2009
2010
2011
Land Rover
48
38
5
Toyota
32
28
8
Total of Both Vehicles
80
66
13
Land Rover as a % of total
60.00%
57.58%
38.46%
Toyota as a % of total
40.00%
42.42%
61.54%

In summary, if you are starting your planning phase of your overland trip, rest assured that no matter which vehicle you choose, it will get you on the road and onto your dream trip.
So, here's a thought:  Choose something different!  

Additional Reading:
Who Needs a Road: The Story of the Longest and Last Motor Journey Around the World

Footnote:
Source: The statistics represented here are only a sample of overland trips currently listed on The Africa Overland Network website.  Majority of these trips are Trans-Africa based and are generally from English speaking nations.

Updates:
04/01/11 - Added 1x Toyota to the 2011 departure list

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