The Toyota Land Cruiser is one of the best selling offroaders of all time and with a variety of vehicles it is easy to lose track of how it has evolved over the past century. Unlike other vehicle manufacturers, the Landcruiser doesn’t have a set unique design signature which it needs to conform to with every generation (take for example the BMW dual grill which is it’s unique signature on all BMW vehicles). In a way, it is good as it means that each generation of Land Cruiser has the freedom to evolve in a design standpoint to the current market trend.
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However if we look at the vehicle history (in the diagram above) we can see three distinct vehicle lineups. The Land Cruiser initially started off as a Jeep replacement for the Japanese government in World War II in 1941. After the war, Toyota then evolved the Land Cruiser and sold it to the general public as the BJ20 (not shown in the diagram).
Finally in 1940, Toyota released the new FJ40 which would go on to revolutionize the automotive industry in terms of its performance off-road, vehicle longevity, the ability for it to do anything, anywhere and seal Toyota’s image for reliability and durability. The FJ40 came in a station wagon and a ute version for other industries (such as agriculture etc).
This is where the Lineup slit in two where one line focused on consumer comfort in a station wagon form while the other line focused on other industries such as mining, agriculture and more. Subsequent generations of the Land Cruiser improved the station wagon to make it more spacious and family / people carrying oriented without compromising its offroad capability. With every new generation of Land Cruiser in the main lineup, the station wagon got the update whilst the heavy duty workhorse stayed the same for the most part with the FJ40 ute.
In 1984, Toyota introduced the 70 series which would go on to become a legendary offroader. The 70 series was an important point in its lineup and is still important to today. The 70 series wagon was the latest in the main station wagon lineup whilst the ute version replaced the FJ40 ute. At the same time, the 70 series also introduced a new lineup known as the Light duty lineup or the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. This lineup had more emphasis on comfort compared to the rigid offroaders it provided and was aimed to compete with the newly introduced Mitsubishi Pajero. The Prados would go on to become an important seller being regularly updated (usually one year after) the main lineup got an update.
Interestingly though, the 70 series ute has been and is still is the main go to vehicle in the heavy duty lineup as a workhorse for many industries. It’s simplistic, rugged and tried and tested form has proven to be the true image of what a Land Cruiser is. It’s incredible reliability and excellent strength is why the 70 series is found in every corner of the globe, from UN missions to Safari vehicles. From farm utes to military vehicles in evolving nations. Seeing a 70 series over the horizon usually meant a sign of hope. In 2008, the 70 series got a facelift as well as a new V8 engine option that is shared with its 200 series sibling. The heavy duty line up now includes the Wagon and the Troopy alongside the ute variants. The 70 series today has the same features from the A pillar back as what was offered in the 80s.
Whilst the 70 series is an incredible vehicle, another vehicle that is worth mentioning is the 80 series. It is being said that the 80 series was created during Toyota’s finest era. With engineer’s truly making a vehicle that no other vehicle could compete with. The engine block alone was designed and engineered to last upto 900,000 km on the clock. It is also the last Land Cruiser to have a solid axle front and rear. Subsequent generations went with a Independent front suspension with the rear remaining as a solid axle (The 70 series that is still produced till today does have a solid front and rear axle). Truly an incredible vehicle, the 80 series has proved itself time and time again along with upholding the Land Cruiser badge and even taking it to new heights.
I created this document to help understand visually the interesting history and how all the current lineups are linked to each other. Please note that the write up on the history of the Land Cruiser and it’s current lineup is for the Land Cruiser in a global market and not the US market.
The PDF is free to download for you to use.
One of the reasons as to why I highly praise the 70 series Land Cruiser is because I got to travel to remote regions in it and experience the Australian outback. We travelled through some of the most remote regions, through corrugated tracks and this 70 series Land Cruiser did not let us down in any way at all. It was a joy to drive and made the whole adventure that much more special knowing that we will get there and back. It had confidence in every kilometer it travelled.
Ananda Sai Gallery 