KC Hilites has been a big off-road brand for decades—you’ve probably seen its signature yellow smiley-face-guy “Daylighter” lamp covers at some point. These days, it’s better known for high-end LEDs. But next month, it’s launching a light-integrated roof rack system called “Platform One” with an aerodynamic design and some cool features.
I’ve already been sniffing around a Lexus GX to be my next exploration rig, and this rack having a fitment option for that truck is nudging me just a little. Nah, you’re right, I’m too cheap to leap … but a boy can dream.
Anyway, the KC Platform One was trotted out for the public at Overland Expo just a couple of weeks ago. There, company reps showed off a few vehicle fitments, calling out T-shaped track slots on the exterior, interior, and top to attach all kinds of accessories, plus an integratable power block for neat wire management. The side lights will have amber and white modes. What I really like about the rack’s look is the long front wings that will let you integrate a bar of round lights, mounted much lower than most other racks would.
There are already a handful of well-made and clean-looking racks out there, from companies like Prinsu and Front Runner (heck, some are even compatible with KC’s lights), but I dig the way the Platform One seems to hang the lights a little farther forward over the windshield. The tall fascia on the side is a little novel, too—it has a somewhat aero look to it.
I’ve run a few KC lights on my vehicles, and I’ve been happy with their performance and aesthetic. I crashed one directly into a rock at a hillclimb race last summer, and it still works. I like the brand’s modern-take-on-old-school look.
YouTuber Adventurous Way of Life uploaded a little walkaround with Taylor Ulrich from KC at last month’s overland show to give you a better look:
Or if you just want the cinematic sizzle reel:
KC seems to be billing the “system” functionality as the main value proposition here—Platform One promises tidy integration of lights, electronics, a solar charger, and whatever else you want to carry on your truck’s head.
Speaking of value, this rack’s price won’t be announced until July 15 when it becomes available. KC is not the most expensive aftermarket lighting company, but it’s up there. A 50-inch Gravity Titan round light bar, which looks to be what you’re seeing on display in those videos, is almost three grand alone. I bet the Platform One rack rings up in the $1,500 neighborhood before you add the lights and wiring that make it special.
As with all car mods, whether or not it’s “worth it” comes down to how much coin you have to blow. If you’re banging around in an old Montero like me, save your four-figure splurges on tires. But if you can drop $80,000 on a new GX550 Overtrail, I mean, this is probably just another payment, right?
Initial fitments will be for the Toyota Tacoma, 4Runner, and new Land Cruiser, Lexus GX470, GX460, GX550, 2015+ Ford F-150s (and second-gen Raptors), F-250, and F-350 Super Dutys. I wonder if Bronco and Wrangler will be added to that list at some point—the removable roofs on those vehicles might make rack engineering a little more involved.
And if you’ve read this far and are now wondering what “KC” stands for, it simply references the founders’ names in a slightly abstract way. In 1970, the company was started by Peter Kim Brown and his wife Carol, who retrofitted aircraft lights into truck-friendly housings for off-road applications. So the “K” is for Peter’s middle name, and the “C” is for Carol.
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