Let me preface this by saying that, before arriving in Iceland, I was completely unaware of the car culture there. That quickly changed during the drive from Keflavik Airport to our vacation rental in Reykjavik. Had I known what to expect beforehand, I would have been better prepared to gather content for the blog. As a result, this post showcases vehicles I randomly came across while exploring Iceland with my wife and son during our 12-day vacation.

Let’s kick things off with the less-than-impressive Kia X-Ceed, which was the rental we picked up from Lotus Rental Car near the airport. It was unattractive, generally uncomfortable to drive, desperately needed an alignment, and had a broken rear driver-side door. However, it was one of the cheapest options available and offered decent mileage.

During the 40-minute drive from the airport to our vacation rental, I noticed quite a few trail-ready vehicles on the road. By the time we reached Reykjavik, it was clear that Iceland had a serious car culture, seemingly centered around “Arctic Trucks.” I was completely unprepared for it. Armed with only my phone, I made the best of it, capturing every interesting car and truck I came across.

One of the first parked vehicles I managed to photograph was this 90-Series Land Cruiser Prado. I’ve always found the various Land Cruiser models confusing to keep track of, but this was a 90-Series Prado—a model that was never sold in the U.S. It was sitting on what looked like 35-inch tires, a size that turned out to be pretty common in Iceland. The pop-up camper setup was also a frequent sight.

After Land Cruisers, the Jimny were probably the second most popular builds I spotted. They’re also a popular rental vehicle since they’re allowed on the F-Roads—rough mountain roads that require capable off-roaders. This JB43 was parked on the street outside our place and, like many of the others I saw, was clearly being used as a daily driver.

The Hyundai Terracan was a model I’d never heard of before. It came equipped with a turbo diesel 4-cylinder under the hood and looked fairly decent from the rear…

From the front, however, it was atrocious—it looked as though someone had grafted the front end of an old Elantra onto it. Encountering models we don’t get in the U.S. is always interesting; sometimes it feels like we’re missing out, but definitely not in this case.

Even if I had researched car culture in Iceland beforehand, I never would have expected to see a late '60s Mercury Cougar—especially one in excellent condition that appeared to be a daily driver, at least during the summer months. I can’t imagine these handle well in the snow.

Parked in front of the Cougar was a Ford E350 that looked ready to tackle F-Roads. Surprisingly, there were quite a few of these around, and as it turned out, this was one of the more modest examples.

I believe this was a D22 Navara with a 3-liter turbo diesel under the hood. While the U.S. did get a version of this truck called the Frontier, the diesel engine wasn’t an option. One thing I noticed was that most of these builds retained the factory front bumpers, sometimes modified, with additional features like bull bars. It made me wonder if there are regulations in place that prevent owners from installing full plate or tube bumpers.

The LC120 Prado is another model that was never sold in the U.S. It shares the same platform as the Lexus GX470, which is also an extremely capable off-roader. However, while the Lexus came loaded with luxury features, the Prado was simpler and sportier by design. It also offered a 3-liter turbo diesel engine, whereas the GX featured a V8—because, well, "Murica."

This one was particularly interesting—a Swiss Sauer 2DM military truck with a large camper conversion on the back. It’s essentially an "earth roamer." The plates didn’t appear to be Icelandic, but we did see a few other massive trucks that had clearly been shipped in for exploring Iceland. I would have loved to chat with the owner, but unfortunately, I never saw it again.

I came across this 90-Series Prado early one morning while walking to Sundhöllin, one of the public pools near our rental. It was rough, well-used, and looked like it had spent plenty of time tackling F-Roads. Based on the faded "turbo intercooler" sticker on the side, I assumed it was running the 4-cylinder diesel engine. The jack mounted on the back and the snorkel up front were pretty standard equipment for vehicles like this.

Quick side note: Pool culture in Iceland is a big deal. Every town, including Reykjavik, has public pools—Reykjavik even has multiple. These pools feature heated pools and hot tubs, and I spent many mornings at Sundhöllin, sitting in a hot tub on the outdoor deck while it was 50 degrees and rainy. It was a pretty amazing way to start the day. Beyond the public pools, Iceland also has countless geothermally heated hot springs, which we visited often throughout our trip.

I spotted this Land Rover Defender 110 just around the corner from the Sauer truck. It was the only one I saw that looked relatively unmodified, which made it stand out in stark contrast to some of the heavily customized Defenders I came across.

We came across this Defender 110 while walking near the Alþingishúsið, Iceland’s parliament house. It was the first heavily modified one I’d seen on the trip.

I don’t know much about Land Rovers, but they definitely have a great look. This one was clearly trail-ready and outfitted with all sorts of equipment.

There were plenty of Hilux pickups from every generation around as well. This 6th-gen model looked well-used and, unlike its Tacoma equivalent in the U.S., came with a 2.5-liter diesel engine.

After a couple of days in Reykjavik, we hit the road. Our plan was to drive from Reykjavik in the west to Höfn in the east, exploring all the South Coast sights along the way. While driving the entire "Ring Road" (Route 1) around Iceland is a popular choice, we opted to spend less time driving and more time exploring. In late July, the sun doesn’t set until midnight, giving us plenty of daylight to make the most of our adventure.

’m trying to avoid turning this into an “Iceland is amazing” post, but I have to share a few videos and pictures. At one point, we pulled off Route 1 to stretch our legs, and I captured this quick video. The scenery along the entire South Coast is breathtaking. At one moment, it resembles the mountains of Nepal; then, you find yourself driving along black sand beaches. Suddenly, it feels like you’ve landed on another planet, with moss-covered lava fields stretching as far as the eye can see. Then, you reach the glaciers, and the landscape transforms yet again. It’s truly unbelievable.

Just outside of Selfoss, we made a quick pit stop at an N1 station, where this Y61 Patrol was parked outside. These were never sold in the U.S., which is a real shame. I’ve always been a big fan of the Patrol and would probably have a tough time deciding between one of these and a Land Cruiser.

This E-350 was also parked outside and was a stark contrast to the more modest example I mentioned earlier in the post. It was surprising to see so many of these vans built for tackling glaciers.

Apparently, there are at least 10,000 waterfalls across Iceland—and I can believe it, because after a while, you almost stop noticing them. I took this video in Skógar at Skógafoss, one of Iceland’s more popular tourist attractions.

While at Skógafoss, we encountered an impressive Monterra 6x6 expedition vehicle built by Acela out of Bozeman, Montana. Owned by an American-British couple, this vehicle has traversed various parts of Europe, including some remote islands. You can follow their adventures on Instagram and YouTube under the handle @endless_trail_expeditions.

This J80 Land Cruiser was my favorite vehicle of the trip and was on display in front of the Samgöngusafn Technical Museum in Skógar. It took me a while to actually make it into the museum because I spent so much time examining this Land Cruiser. It had placards in the windows detailing its history, including all the upgrades and when they were made.

Eventually, we made it to Vík, one of the larger towns on the South Coast. We had dinner at a brewery there, and this Y61 Patrol was parked across the street in front of what appeared to be an auto shop. It was clearly built for tackling glaciers.

I noticed these CTIS (Central Tire Inflation Systems) on several trucks, but like this one, none of them were connected. They use a swivel fitting that allows the driver to inflate or deflate the tires from inside the cabin. When in use, they have an air line running through each fender to an air tank inside the vehicle.

While walking around Vík, I came across Katlatrack, a tour company that offers ice cave and glacier tours. I ended up chatting with one of the drivers, who showed me how the CTIS worked and pointed out some other interesting details. If I remember correctly, their 7-door F350 was a $200,000 investment.

Here’s another quick shot of the scenery—I think I took this on the way back to Reykjavik after leaving Höfn. I really regret not bringing a good camera for the trip.

Between Vík and Höfn, we stayed at a hotel called Smyrlaborg. Glacier Journey had several of their vehicles parked out front as they prepared to head out with a group of tourists. Fords were definitely the most popular choice among the tour companies.

With that being said, their more serious tours, such as the ones through the Vatnajökull glacier, are conducted in this Patrol. I borrowed the last two pictures from their website to show the Nissan in action.

I came across this 90-Series Prado while we were touring the Golden Circle. By that point, I’d probably seen at least two dozen of these on 35-inch tires.

Of all the Land Cruiser models and variations I always thought these were the best looking. I kept seeing Arctic Trucks stickers, tires and mud flaps on lots of these builds. After we got back home I was kicking myself because I googled it, and they’re a builder and based out of Reykjavik. I would have loved to have visited their shop. Maybe next time.

I’ll wrap this post up with one more 110 Defender with a nice camper on the back. We saw this one parked outside of Hammsvik hot springs.

Iceland was easily one of the most incredible places I’ve ever visited. The weather was perfect, the scenery was breathtaking, the food was fantastic, and discovering the car culture was an unexpected treat. We definitely plan to go back—and next time, I’ll be sure to bring a good camera!