LC used to come with 29" and 30" tires. They were not rock crawlers. They didn't go 100 mph. They were built for a purpose, to last, to be dependable, offer all you needed and nothing you didn't....in the name of getting you there and getting you back with minimal fuss and perform a variety of jobs, hard jobs. Not just a 40" tire rock crawler.
Been sitting for 10 years in a field? Pour some fresh gas in and push start it and carry on.
They can call the modern stuff 'land cruisers' if they want, but they are so far from the heritage, the marque, the lineage, the storied history, the ruggedness that its just a marketing name now. Toyota's idea of 'heritage' is bronze wheels and a $300 yakima rack.....something that no other LC ever had. How do you say....lame?
Now its "my screen is glitchy" or "my 10 way air suspension is broken" or "my rear AC isn't working"
Typical revisionist LC history imo.
I was into Cruisers when the 80 was still sold new, it's paper specs against competitors was no different than today. 40 & 60 owners were completely critical of EFI engines, coil suspension, the bubbly looks, leather, power everything, etc. The same happened for the 100, the same happened for the 200... and here we are with folks calling the last one the
"Pinnacle of "Land Cruiser" in the States?". Hardly shocking.
We race a 200/570 in the stock class of the Baja 1000. Stock control arms, stock diffs, stock CV's, stock steering rack, stock engine, trans, t-case, etc. The chassis (100% stock, no reinforcement allowed) is extremely stalwart and we have phenomenal parts life out of those very stock components. The Canguro rig has 30-35? desert races under it's belt, zero work to the motor, trans or t-case. There is a 0% chance an 80 would survive the same type of off-road conditions for a few races let along 30-35. I love the 60, 70, 80, etc, drive and own them all and they shine in the right places. But to say the 200 is "so far from the.... ruggeness" and "just a marketing name now" is quite laughable. Get out and spend some time around the world. The 200's pretty well known for it's ability to go all the same places the 80, 100 and 200 go... with a bit more speed and capacity.
I'll offer another data point. We drove Land Cruisers around the world through some of the most austere conditions and routes, Canning Stock Route, Skeleton Coast, Road of Bones in Russia, etc. The VDJ7x fleet we had was fantastic and left us wanting for little. We often discuss what we would do differently and what vehicle we would take if we could do it again... a near unanimous vote for the 200 Series. Many of us were/are 200 owners now. I love the 7x but the 200 is that much faster, comfortable, spacious... oh and would have no problem going all the same places we drove the 7x's. I still love the 7x and enjoy traveling in my own but it's not the end-all Land Cruiser.
Now its "my screen is glitchy" or "my 10 way air suspension is broken" or "my rear AC isn't working"
Yes, true. But it's not
"my knuckles are falling off", "my axles are leaking", "my head gasket is blown",
"my Cruiser can't do the speed limit up Parley's" or
"my frame is cracked at the panhard or steering box" 
They
all have their issues, the 200's just let us be picky about them.
www.lexus.com
forum.ih8mud.com
