I find this to be a very interesting (and entertaining) discussion. I rarely stumble into the jeep section but when I do there's usually something to grab my attention. Today it was this. So if the "regulars" in here don't mind an outsider's opinion I'll leave mine. My comments are based solely on the question posed by Scott about whether or not the Brute should be considered the "Ultimate" overland vehicle available in the US for the US.
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First and foremost I feel I should pull back the curtain a bit on myself and my own bias and preferences purely for sake of transparency and context. I am a shameless Toyota fan. I have owned several Toyota 4WD vehicles over the years and they have just been my personal favorite. Everyone has their own favorites and that's fine and just because a Toyota may be my favorite that doesn't mean that it is the best for everyone.....but it probably is.
But I've also owned Jeeps and a Land Rover Discovery. There were good things about those but none of them did for me what the Toyotas have done.
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So, to answer the question at hand, if I were looking at an alternative for the Brute as the Ultimate overlander for the US it would be a Double Cab Toyota Tacoma. Here are my reasons, which are based on my own experience, and I like to consider myself someone who does actually step away from the keyboard and get out there. Probably not as often as some but definitely more than most. Some will want me to consider some fullsize 4WDs in this discussion but IMO the size becomes a deterrent. There are just places that a fullsize is too big for to be considered the "Ultimate" overlander.
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The Tacoma (doublecab) offers a strong and durable chassis and axles with stock suspension capable of a vast majority of overland type terrain. Available locking diff. An extremely reliable motor with adequate power to handle not only the terrain but also the weight of extra gear/equipment. It also has a comfortably sized cabin that can handle 4 adults easily, or two adults and ample room in the rear seat area for gear that you want to keep out of the elements. From my point of view it is very difficult to argue the benefits of a functional truck bed on an overlanding rig. It could be an entire discussion on its own talking about all the different ways a truck bed can be utilized. But rather than get into those details, let's just agree that for this discussion it is a major selling point of an "Ultimate" overlander. With that as a baseline, by adding some of the standard upgrades that are common such as suspension upgrades, slightly larger rubber, some trail armor, now we've got what I call an extremely formidable overlander. It performs extremely well in all terrain types. It can rock crawl, and also go fast through the rough stuff thanks to a great IFS setup. It's no accident that my current offroader (and daily driver) is a double cab Tacoma, albeit a slightly older version. I truly see it as the "Ultimate" for me. It offers so many of the benefits of a full bodied SUV for gear storage, passenger room and protection from the elements but also has the rugged functionality of a truck with the truck bed. Add to that an extremely tough and reliable drivetrain (which lets face it, should be a high priority for an overlander) that isn't likely to leave you stranded and I believe its a hard one for anyone to argue shouldn't be in the discussion about the "Ultimate" overlander. Here's mine.
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So now we look at the Brute in comparison. The Brute has many (if not all) of the same key features that I mentioned with the Tacoma. Similar seating/cargo room inside the cabin. A tough and durable chassis, axles and suspension. Locking diffs. Powerful drivetrain that has a high level of reliability. The noted benefit of the truck bed. Room for gear inside the cabin. Now we add the same type of modifications with some suspension upgrades, bigger rubber, bumpers etc and we have a similarly capable overlander which could also be argued is more capable than the Tacoma with the low gearing of a Rubicon and the locked solid axles. It can handle any terrain type, although maybe not at the same speeds that are possible in the Tacoma. But what you give up in speed you make up for in the rocks with solid axles. Seems like a mostly even playing field overall.
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But now you add one more feature that may be small for some but for me I think could tip the scales in the Brute's favor. One of my favorite vehicles I've ever owned was my 1976 FJ40 Land Cruiser. I won't go into all the reasons I loved the 40 so much but suffice it to say it was outstanding. One of the things that made the FJ40 a complete joy was pulling the top off on a cool summer evening for a drive through the desert. That experience with an open top vehicle is just fantastic. The Tacoma will never have that as great as it is in just about every category important to overlanders. However the Brute gives you that option.
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So, I know this will continue to be a pissing match for some, but I think Scott may be onto something and I don't think I can find a reason not to agree with him that the Brute may very well be the "Ultimate". But since I will likely never be in a position to own one, I can have 99% of what the Brute offers with a Toyota Tacoma which would be my #2 choice as the "Ultimate" overlander.
Edit: last comment.....as for overlanding being possible in much more basic vehicles. Nobody will argue that. But it never hurts to be overly prepared. I would rather have a rig fully capable of handling anything I encounter even if I never find those challenges. I don't want to find myself in a situation where I have say "I would go that way, but I can't get my rig there" because that's where the adventure ends instead of continuing.
