Toyota Motor Corporation

 

Toyota Land Cruiser always has a special place in every off-road lover’s heart. And there are many good reasons for that. It’s a legendary SUV that always ticked the right boxes. Japanese manufacturer Toyota understood what the need was in the community and directed the model towards it.

We tried to explain how the Toyota Land Cruiser saga started in the first part of our series. Now, let’s take a look at how they progressed throughout the 80s and 90s. In this era, already very off-road capable Land Cruiser became better and started to develop more towards the comfort.

 

1984: The Land Cruiser 70

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At the beginning of the 1980s, the J4 was getting a little old, after all, it was already more than 20 years old. So the workhorse was given a major overhaul and the no legendary J7 was created.

The different customer requirements presented the engineers with a difficult task when developing a new generation of the Land Cruiser. Some expected an uncompromising commercial vehicle, others a comfortable all-wheel drive vehicle suitable for everyday use. 

For this reason, two different versions of the Land Cruiser appeared in 1984: The "Heavy Duty" with leaf springs was a thoroughbred workhorse, the "Light Duty" with coil springs and rich equipment was aimed at customers who valued comfort. 

Its purpose was still simply defined: work under the toughest conditions. Reliable. Durable. Cheap. The J7 was sort of the J4, just rejuvenated a bit. But it still remained a stoic, unobtrusive, and extremely reliable work tool.

In 1984, the J7 was introduced to replace the J4 in soft top and hard top (fabric top, removable fixed top), pick-up, 3- and 5-door closed SUVs and side-inside rear seat models. It had solid axles guided on handlebars and coil springs for better driving characteristics. 

For many years, the J7 remained largely untouched. It didn’t even have coil springs until 1999 and in 2007 a new, more modern front. It is still built in this form today, almost 40 years after its debut.

 

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The J7 is used in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia for relief organizations, medical care, people and goods transport, personal security, and any other application that requires a vehicle that provides pure capability, performance, and durability with no frills. 

The lighter version of the Land Cruiser received the Toyota 22R 2.4L gas engine, as well as the 2L and 2L turbodiesel and 2.4L diesel engines from the Toyota Hilux. In addition, a 4-litre gas engine was also available, which over the years has been converted to electronic direct injection.

Equipped with an almost indestructible and hopelessly underpowered naturally aspirated diesel engine, it is a beast of a machine. It also has important off road things like a snorkel, cyclone, second diesel filter, and water separator. All of that with power windows and central locking, can you believe it? 

The J7 was sold as the Toyota Bundera or Landcruiser II in some markets and later as the 70 Prado/Prado 70 . The 70 Prado was very popular and was later developed into the Prado 90.

And so the J7 in its various versions will continue to do its work and will be a reliable tool for likes of the United Nations, Doctors Without Borders (MSF). A specific end to the J7 era has not been announced or foreseen at the moment.

 

1984: The Land Cruiser 70 "Bundera-Light Duty"

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When the J4 was slowly getting on in years and Toyota was working on a successor, it was already noticeable that customer requests were constantly expanding. It was no longer possible to reach all target groups with the previous range of models without making unwanted compromises. 

Consequently, the decision was made to split the new J7 series: the robust, leaf-sprung workhorses recognizable by the fenders and the free-standing indicators were joined by somewhat more comfortable siblings with all-round coil springs and tailored to European tastes.

The "Light Duty" was born. It was a vehicle that was designed from the outset for passenger transport and was the cornerstone for the "Bundera / Land Cruiser II" and from 1990 "Prado" series, which was continued in parallel from now on. 

The J7 Light Duty struck a chord with buyers and fueled a veritable boom in the off-road vehicle market. And it paved the way for its hugely successful successors through to the current Land Cruiser J15 which is still called the "Prado" in most markets.

 

1990: The Land Cruiser 70 “Prado-Heavy Duty”

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In 1990, the J7 Heavy Duty made the transition to a lifestyle vehicle with car-like comfort features with a significant facelift: the front became rounder, the equipment richer, the engines significantly more powerful.

The 3-liter turbo diesel 1KZ-T introduced with the facelift was exactly the machine that the small Land Cruiser was missing. Finally, the necessary power was under the hood to put the "small" Land Cruiser at the undisputed top of its niche without making compromises in the field. 

And finally, there was also a five-door. The slightly rounded face suited the J7 so well that the Heavy Duty took up this shape with its facelift in 2007 and has carried it successfully to this day.

 

1990: The Land Cruiser 80

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At the end of the 1980s, the Land Cruiser Station Wagon was back: the J6 was undoubtedly a great car, but you could clearly see its origins in the 1970s. Its successor, the J8, changed the station world in a similarly radical way as had happened with the division of the J7 series a few years earlier.

The Land Cruiser, which came onto the market in 1990, had nothing to do with the commercial vehicle image of its predecessors. The focus of the developers was clearly on luxury and comfort. This can also be seen in the equipment options.

In addition to heat-insulating glazing, the J8 was available with central locking, electric windows, separately adjustable heating for the rear, air conditioning and leather upholstery, among other things. Large-volume diesel engines with up to 170 hp and a straight six-cylinder gas engine with up to 205 hp provided the propulsion.

The new one now also had coil springs all around, its body had been designed on a computer for the first time and depending on the version, there was also permanent four-wheel drive, ABS and airbags.

 

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Add to that a range of large-capacity engines that were impressive, and the luxury station was complete. The J8 undoubtedly had the best chassis that Toyota had developed to date and it was positively tough on the track, extremely easy to twist off-road, and comfortable and stable even on fast, civilized paths.

The J8 is the successor to the J6, built from 1990 to 1997. The luxury version Lexus LX was also based on this for the first time . The J8 is seen as a turning point for more of everything: more luxury, especially for the European or Japanese market, and more off-road capability.

It was the best compromise one could make without compromising too much. That's what made it so popular, and not just among regular buyers: the J8 was the most stolen vehicle in Europe at the time of first production. One reason why good specimens are hard to find these days.

 

1996: The Land Cruiser 90

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In the mid-1990s, Toyota found it somewhat difficult to deal with the new SUV competitors entering the market: the market had only really got going with the Prado, but it was also the supplier with the oldest vehicle concept.

Mitsubhi Pajero used this gap and rushed in with force. Toyota countered this with the J9 series, the first completely independent Prado. As with the J8, there was a radical design change that produced a round, softly sculpted body.

However, the change under the chic dress was much more radical. The new Prado had lost its rigid axle at the front and was now wobbling through world history on individually suspended axles. Enthusiasts hated that idea and the scene howled because of this loss, the new one was now completely and completely effeminate.

Well,the J9 didn’t disappoint anyone when it was released and did not need to hide from its predecessor. It was still just as good as an off roader but nevertheless, it was not granted a particularly long era.

The range of engines included a 3.4 liter V6 gasoline engine with an output of 131 kW (178 hp) and a 3.0 liter R4 turbo diesel that delivered 92 kW until 1999 ( 125 hp) and from August 1999 120 kW (163 hp). The engines are available with either a 5-speed manual transmission or an automatic transmission. In 2002, the Land Cruiser 90 was discontinued.

 

1998: The Land Cruiser 100

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The Land Cruiser scene had just digested the Prado shock when the next disaster struck them: the J10 presented in 1998 also had a “independant suspension” at the front, meaning it was hung up individually. Ironically, the "big Land Cruiser", the epitome of off-road power! But the break was not quite as brutal as with the J9.

The independent wheel suspension regulation only applied to those markets in which there is traditionally less bush or desert. In all other countries, the J10 could also be purchased as a "heavy duty" version J105 with two rigid axles - but not with the large turbo diesel, which particularly hurt the Australian market. A purely strategic decision to prepare the target group for the inevitable disappearance of the front rigid axle.

On the other hand, its softer sibling, the J100, had all the conveniences that could be squeezed into a body at the end of the nineties. Luxury, leather and electronics as far as the hands could reach. And for the first time there was also a V8 gasoline engine.

The J10 was built from 1998 to 2007 as the successor to the J8. A total of two engines were available for the J10. Among the gas engines, the 4.7-litre V8 with 173-175 kW (235-238 hp) was the top model, the 4.2-litre R6 diesel unit had an output of 150 kW (204 hp), in the HZJ 105 only 96 kW (131 PS).

The V8 engine is only available with an automatic transmission, the diesel engines are available with a 5-speed manual transmission or an optional automatic transmission. All  Land Cruisers since this model are equipped with air conditioning as standard.

 

Protecting a Toyota Land Cruiser

 

Toyota Land Cruiser with the Hilux is probably the only almost indestructible vehicle offered by the automotive industry. It is even great in the toughest conditions Africa has to offer. Also, Top Gear UK made a great experiment on the Toyota Hilux and you should watch it to understand how tough these vehicles actually are.

However, they still need good care and protection if you want them to look like they just rolled out of a dealer all the time. Coverking makes it easier for you by custom making everything you will ever need for protection of both in & out of your Land Cruiser.

Check out the Coverking’s catalog and choose your new vehicle cover, dashboard cover, seat cover and everything in between. If you specify your model right, they will create the best fitting custom made accessory you need.

Land Cruisers also have a very high seating position and flat, large windows. It’s always a good idea to get a custom sunshade because leaving your SUV under the sun for a while might make the interior too hot to get in and drive.

 

Resources

 

Coverking Links

 

Tankut Basar

Tankut Basar is an ARA (American Rally Assoc.) Racing Driver and an FIA Bronze Category License Holder. His passion for driving began with karting like most racers. He started racing internationally at the age of 22. Tankut loves everything car-related and will keep enjoying the drive until the end.

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