Toyota Land Cruiser - Everything You Need to Know | Up to Speed

(clashing metal) - From the scorching plains of sub-Saharan Africa to the brutal cold of the Arctic Circle, this vehicle has traveled all over our green Earth. It is a shining beacon of utilitarian belief in perfected practicality. So lower the tire pressure, lock the differentials and put them in low gear. It's time to get off the road! This is

everything

you

need

to

know

to get up to

speed

on the Toyota Land Cruiser! (8-bit style music) And we're going on a hike! (magic chime) I'm at the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah, surrounded by the most strategic collection of Land Cruisers in the world.

In the world! With nearly every model represented, it's clear that the Land Cruiser is one of the most diverse and influential vehicles in all of automotive history. Have you ever heard of it? The Land Cruiser is Toyota's oldest model. Starting production in 1951 with the BJ model. It was a military vehicle produced in Japan for American use in the Korean War. After the armistice agreement in 1953, the "war" was "over", but Toyota wanted to continue making the BJ because it made them a lot of money. But they couldn't just send a basic warfighter out into the world and expect to sell large numbers, so Toyota redesigned the workhorse, with more comfortable seats and a softer suspension.

This "new model", called Model 20, included both the gasoline-powered FJ20 and the diesel-powered BJ20. This Land Cruiser was extremely important to Toyota. In fact, it is possible that without it they would not exist today. That means no Supra! No MR2! No Hachiroku! Toyota had been manufacturing cars in Japan since 1936, but did not sell them outside the country. After the war, Toyota started looking abroad, but there was a problem. The most important markets already had their own passenger cars. However, the FJ was as good, if not better, than the American Jeep. So what they did was they shipped the FJ and the BJ to overseas markets and then they put their new passenger car, the Crown, alongside them.

The reliability and capability of the Land Cruiser gave Crown credibility. Within Toyota, this was called the Land Cruiser Strategy and Toyota implemented it around the world. Thanks to the Land Cruiser, the Toyota range was considered a credible option. Okay, quick rest. I'm going to say a lot of numbers and letters in this episode and it may seem confusing, but it's not. This is what they mean. The first letter is the engine. F means you have a straight-six gasoline engine, B is a four-cylinder diesel engine, and H means your Cruiser has a six-cylinder diesel. J is Toyota-Talk for Land Cruiser.

Most people say it means Jeep, but Toyota has never officially confirmed it. The number after the J is the body style. Models 40 to 42 have short wheels, 43, 44 and 46 have medium wheels, 45 and 47 have long wheels, both available in troopy and truck. So when you hear someone say FJ44, it means it's a six-cylinder, 40-series petrol Land Cruiser with a medium wheelbase. See? Easy! In 1960 the first update to the FJ line was produced, the Model 40. Yes, it looked quite similar to the Model 20, but the 40 was better in every way. Toyota had refined its construction techniques, so the frame and body were stronger.

The FJ40 also had a low-range gear that made off-road use much easier. And the Model 40 had more horsepower, 125. You might say, "Gee, James, that doesn't seem like much," and you're right, but horsepower isn't that important for off-roading. silly. It's all about torque! The next update of the FJ was in 1967. The Model 55 FJ. It was basically a truck for the Outback. Some versions could seat up to nine people. That's more people than there were in my eighth grade class! The Model 55 is probably the most modern of all Land Cruisers and earned the nickname Iron Pig. Because some people thought it looked like a pig made of metal.

The Model 55 marked the transition in thinking about utility vehicles. Yes, they can be used to work in remote locations, but they can also transport people! Like the truck, people were beginning to see that the Land Cruiser wasn't just for work. He was also destined for life. The paradigm shift was complete when Toyota abandoned the Land Cruiser Model 60 in 1980. It was still the unstoppable off-roader that people came to

know

and love, but now there was a luxury model. The GX had a sunroof, power mirrors, and a more comfortable interior. Toyota knew that customers preferred the Land Cruiser to the Land Rover and that it had to be better if they wanted to compete.

The most critical component was the Land Cruiser's solid front axle. It's a solid front axle. In heavy vehicles, the wheels are connected with a solid beam. It is stronger than independent suspension and perfect for transporting things. The simple nature of solid axles made them more reliable. Which is exactly what you want when you're in the bush! There are fewer components to break, so if something goes wrong, it's easier to fix. Plus, a solid shaft allows you to get great flexibility, bro! However, solid axles are not good for handling and are not as comfortable on the road.

To solve this, Toyota put softer springs on the Land Cruiser, allowing them to have even more flexibility. Which made them even better off road. Good job, Toyota. The Land Cruiser continued to be modernized with the Model 70 launched in 1984. Small adjustments were made to further improve the now legendary off-roader. The body panels were thickened by one millimeter to make them more durable. And the styling was updated to give it a more domesticated look. If the 1980 Model 60 marked the Land Cruiser's transition from a utilitarian focus to comfort, the 1989 Model 80 was a total commitment to luxury. Toyota knew that most people weren't going to take the latest off-road Cruiser.

That for most people in America, the Land Cruiser was a family car. - ♪ And I can sing loudly ♪ - But the Land Cruiser didn't care, because he was still a bad explorer. It didn't matter if the Model 80 eventually gained safer features like anti-lock brakes and airbags, because in 1996, the Land Cruiser gained the ultimate in off-road cred. The Dakar rally is one of the most demanding races on the planet. Spanning from Granada, Spain, to Dakar, Senegal. Navigating city streets, sand dunes, and some of the most treacherous terrain on Earth. Toyota entered two Model 80 Land Cruisers in the unmodified diesel class.

That means they didn't modify them. And guess what? They won! Toyota would come back in 2001 and win again! And if that wasn't enough, they won again in 2005. Oh, still not enough? They came back in 2014 and won again! It goes without saying, but you can't stop a Land Cruiser. In 1998, however, the 80 series was replaced by the Land Cruiser 100. By now, everyone knew that the Land Cruiser was the best. We all knew it. It circulated like a cloud on roads impassable for smaller vehicles. He could maneuver over the most unforgiving terrain and he wouldn't die. - Hashtag, invincible! - It's so reliable, like a durable four-by-four, that the United Nations passed a resolution to use it as your field vehicle of choice.

Toyota made the best even better. They developed a new 32-valve V8 that produced more horsepower, better mileage, and reduced emissions. And while in some markets they released a 105 series that carried over most of its features from the 80 series, including solid front and rear axles, the 100 series we got had quite a few innovative features. The front suspension was a double wishbone independent suspension and the steering was now rack and pinion. This Land Cruiser was designed to look more like a passenger car than its rugged, rugged predecessors. To further improve ride comfort and steering stability, it had hydraulic ride height adjustment and Toyota Electronic Modulated Suspension, or Skyhook, TEMS.

Which made it work better if for some reason you were driving on paved roads. In 1999 it gained traction control and in 2002 the Land Cruiser introduced new technology that allowed drivers to see in the dark. Like a cay-ett! Night Vision uses headlight projectors to emit near-infrared light, then a camera captures the reflected radiation, a computer processes it, and projects a black-and-white image onto the windshield. I'm serious! They did this! This is a Bruce Wayne thing! Although the Land Cruiser 100 continues to evolve on the path of luxury passenger vehicles, there are still users abroad who must drive it off-road.

To meet the

need

s of Australia, Africa and other harsh environments, Toyota is still launching the Land Cruiser 105 series. As much as it takes on an aura of luxury, the Land Cruiser is never far from its roots as an off-road vehicle. The latest version is no different. The 200 series is one of the most capable SUVs, let alone luxury SUVs, you can buy today. It's a beautiful monster. Introduced in 2007, the 200 series pioneered features like downhill assist control, off-road anti-lock brakes and CRAWL. All in caps! Which is basically cruise control for the trail, using some weird computing, it basically drives itself.

Despite its overtly luxurious appearance, the 200 series is still one of the best over

land

vehicles in the damn world. Since its inception, the Land Cruiser dominated the harsh

land

scapes of untouched countries, but the landscape has changed. Today, the Land Cruiser dominates the automotive landscape. Looking down from his elevated and luxurious position, like the king of the mountain. And those hostile and unexplored environments? Well, it still dominates there too. Say hello to the baby king. Thanks for watching Up To Speed, what's your favorite off-road story? Share it in the comments below. I want to say a huge thank you to Greg Miller and everyone at the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum for inviting us and letting us look around, this place is amazing, and if you're in the Salt Lake area you should definitely visit. !

If you're lucky, he'll be here and you'll be able to learn a ton like I did. Come here, take a photo, tag me and Jonah and I'll send you something. Strange. Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe and share. I love you.