Is the Land Cruiser the best in the world?

You too, huh? See my next post

 

Got 300,000 miles on my 1985 Camry - WITH THE ORIGINAL CLUTCH!. Top that!!!

 

Plenty of Domestic sedans will go over 200K without issue. The domestic trucks and suvs routinely do it(while also being a better vehicle than the Toyota offerings).
Toyota quality was worth a premium a decade ago-today? Not so much.
The last magazine comparo I was involved with was using a new RAV4 as a support vehicle-what a miserable, cheesy device. Terrible panel gaps, crappy plastic eveywhere, rattles and a generally dismal product. The assorted photogs, writers and gophers all remarked at how Toyota quality had diminished substantially over the last few years in many of their products. In many cases, the competition has caught and surpassed the efforts from Toyota City.
At the end of the comparo, the discussion turned to the similarities between Toyota(currently) and GM of a decade or two ago. Outsourcing, rapid increases in production and breakdowns in the process all contributed to dropping quality. Toyota, in many cases, is living off their past glory and a customer base that is blindly buying their products without serious comparison(also like GM's customer base years ago).

Also, not true. Even most of the quality surveys back the longevity of domestic powertrains. I'm not referrencing "30 day quality", but long term eval of drivetrains and hvac systems. The domestics over the last 50 years have led far more of these catagories than the Asian brands.

 

I have a 2000 Landcruiser. I bought it beacuse the LandRover Dealership published a book "The Authoritative Guide to Sport-Utility Vehicles" in order to show how superior the LandRover was. Well after carefull analysis of all the data I concluded the Landcruiser was the superior vehicle. I have ~ 160k mile on it, never been in a garage for Colorado winters, change the oil every 5k or so, change all fluids every 3 years, t-belt @ 90k and tires. It has been bullet proof. Only repairs: 3 coil packs over the last 2 years, new brushes in the starter (urghh mounted on top of the V8 under and in back of the intake manifold)..... The locking differential and the 9.8" ground clearance gets me anywhere I want to go. My only complaint you can warp the front rotors in a heartbeat stopping this thing. Oh Yeah windshieds 2 or 3 but if you live in Colorado you add full glass to your insurance anyway if it is not broken it is pitted or about to be broken.

 

Emphasis on "under warranty"! I have a 2008 Range Rover Sport Supercharged and I love it! However, it will be traded just before the warranty runs out.

 

Parts for neither are a problem here in South Africa. The amount of old 'Series' LR's on the road here is staggering in comparison to LC's. Lots of Disco's too.
Had a 500km ride in a full-house top of the line Cruiser a few years back and hated it. The weekend after, the owner got stuck in the mud with it, no doubt because he didn't understand how to operate it.
Give me a Disco or RR anytime.

 

What's "top of the line?" There have been significant changes in the last few series of Land Cruisers. 100 series? 105 series? 200? The model year would help here.

Regardless of what top of the line model you're describing, there is no 4x4 out there that's NOT going to get stuck in some type of mud. I don't care what kind of traction aids a vehicle is equipped with, nothing in today's market pertaining to a 4x4's suspension is going to get you UNstuck from mud. That's what winches and recovery straps are for.

You didn't mention what type of tires the Cruiser was equipped with either, as this is a big factor over standard equipment tires. Not a deciding factor, but a factor nonetheless.

I have no quarrel with LR lovers as they're entitled to what they like, but as an avid Land Cruiser fan, the specifics shouldn't be overlooked, especially when someone is looking to invest in one.

Just my .02

 

Well I can tell you exactly why all that stuff went wrong....

It's because it wasn't (in my best thundering voice) traaaaaail rateeeeed........pffft. lmao.

 

Quote from another forum:

Here in Tanzania, Toyota is king. You do still see hundreds of landrovers, but there's 3 toyotas to every landy.
The safari companies have mostly moved over to cruisers, for all the reasons you've mentioned.
The roads are so rough here that the riveted landy bodies rattle apart!

But I was talking to a safari company owner the other day.
"We all use cruisers as they are more reliable, stronger & more comfortable. But we all have, or are friends with the owner of, a landrover. Because sooner or later you'll get stuck, and only a landrover will be able to pull you out!"

 

No idea what the type-designation was, it was the most expensive model available in Oz and especially imported into SA. Yes, everything will get stuck in the mud eventually, but the mud in this case was 2 or 3 inches, not feet.
I hated it because it was all way too plasticy, like in an airplane, and the ride way too cushioned, giving a false sense of security on normal roads. The thing was fast allright, but nowhere near an SC RR.
From that car we got back into my friend's Landy diesel pick-up, and all was well again.

I know, it's all subjective...

 

best of both worlds, land cruiser with better off roading capability.
my 07 FJ cruiser TRD
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

+1....I own a 1996 FZJ 80 with electric selectable lockers front/center/rear and it is a truely amazingly capable vehicle.
My friends are amazed at where we can take it, compared to their tahoes/suburbans etc etc....
I know a lot of vehicles can be modded to perform well offroad, but mine is bone stock except for 33" tires and it really does the job.


doug hunt

 

Well, my uncle's Olds Cutlass did... 300,000 actually. Still ran fine after the 300K mark, but you couldn't drive it anymore after the truck plowed into it.

My dad's old Olds Custom Cruiser hit the 200K mark with no rebuild, and ran just fine thank you very much, as have other previous American sedans in our family. I think it has something to do with maintenance, but I could be wrong.

As for a good SUV, I'm partial to these...

Shiny Side Up!
Bill
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Andrew St. Pierre, who hails from South Africa and one of the most highly respected authorities on 4x4 capabilities, centered on expedition travel/overlanding.

Here, he compares 2 of what are considered the 'gems' of the overlanding subculture.
Land Rover Defender 110 vs. Land Cruiser 76 series

Video is in 2 parts. Not meant to be definitive. Just shows the comparison between the 2 very capable icons.

cheers

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptiE501ZdwM[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMhOhT5nwZk[/ame]

 

Thanks everyone for the great comments on this thread. Although I'm not in the market, this is an eternal question for me and made only murkier by watching Top Gear pit a Toyota vs. Rover on expedition.

On to my point, I think someone closer to Rob Lay than me (perhaps a moderator) should seriously propose changing the name of the site to Suburbanchat. He might go for it.

LOL

Best,
Dave

 

He is certainly right about the Defender 110 is for skinny people. Would love to import a new one, but no-go, maybe 2012 rumored back in North America.

 

probably

 

In its era, the Jeep Wagoneer was indeed the king. 4-doors when the competition (Bronco and Blazer) were primarily 2-door models. Hard to find a good one now though.

 

The white picture I posted is mine. It's not in bad shape for a 22 year old vehicle! I have a list of things to repair and replace of course, but a step at a time it's getting better and better.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill