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Couldn't find a "Bad Reads" thread or I would have posted this there

Audi AI:TRAIL quattro: Off-Roader of the Future
The Audi AI:TRAIL — Audi concept car 2019 and the great outdoors rolled into one

The Audi AI:TRAIL — Audi concept car 2019 and the great outdoors rolled into one | audi.com

In the concept car Audi AI:TRAIL, Audi focused on futuristic design, autonomous driving, electric mobility — and close ties to nature.

www.audi.com

 

[blatant]

The Last of the V-8 Overlanders

For most drivers, the Toyota Land Cruiser is the worst possible car. But for a very small number of you, it might just be the best truck ever.

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INDEFINITELY WILD
The Last of the V-8 Overlanders
For most drivers, the Toyota Land Cruiser is the worst possible car. But for a very small number of you, it might just be the best truck ever.

Dec 5, 2019
Toyota only sells about 3,000 Land Cruisers a year in the United States these days. That’s less than 1 percent of the volume of something like the RAV4 or Camry. The current model was launched way back in 2008 and is significantly slower, less spacious, and uses more fuel than any of the three-row SUV competition, which all cost less money, too. So why did my fiancée and I just buy one? Let’s start with why the Land Cruiser is wrong for a lot of people and then move onto the things it gets very, very right.

Downsides to the Toyota Land Cruiser
Weight: The Land Cruiser weighs 5,815 pounds. To put that in perspective, the Toyota Tundra pickup, which has the same engine, starts out at 5,170 pounds. Something like the larger, more spacious Ford Expedition weighs 5,443 pounds.

Fuel Economy: The Land Cruiser averages 14 miles per gallon, according to the EPA. We’ve been getting ten. You can thank that weight and the simple 5.7-liter V-8 it shares with the smaller Tundra for that. The bigger, faster Expedition averages 20 miles per gallon.

Design: I mean this in terms of pleasing the eye; inside and out, the Land Cruiser looks more like a Highlander than a luxury SUV. The exterior is utterly forgettable, while the interior suffers from parts-bin switchgear and a heavy reliance on silver-colored plastics.

Infotainment: Our 2020 Land Cruiser has what has to be the most outdated infotainment system still on sale in 2019. There’s a nine-inch touchscreen, but its resolution is poor, and it doesn’t include Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. That means you’re left with Toyota’s own navigation program, which looks like it was developed in the mid-2000s. The system can sync with our phones using Bluetooth, in order to play music and make phone calls, but can’t display any details of what you’re listening to on its screen or control anything but volume. It also lacks the ability to communicate with your phone when you’re away from the vehicle, so you can’t use your phone to remote-start the Land Cruiser.

Third-Row Space: The first and second rows of seats in the Land Cruiser are extremely spacious and comfortable, even when filled to capacity. The third row? Not so much. Because the full-size spare is mounted underneath the vehicle between its frame rails, there’s no room for the third row to fold into the floor. Instead, it splits in the middle, and both halves fold up to the sides. Sitting back there also feels like sitting on the floor, and as far as I can tell (and I’m six foot two), there are approximately zero inches of legroom. There’s no room behind the third row for luggage when it’s in use, and the seats impair cargo space significantly when folded up.

Price: The Land Cruiser starts at $85,315. The only option is a $2,220 rear-seat entertainment system, plus a special Heritage Edition that fits fancy wheels and some badges, for a total price of $87,645. There’s no way to get around that being an extremely large sum of money, particularly when you consider that this model has been around for almost 12 years and that it can’t even connect to your phone properly.

LandCruiser-Interior
That leather is as nice as you’ll find in a Range Rover. The rest of the interior isn’t. (Photo: Toyota)
What the Land Cruiser Gets Right
Durability: Where any other Toyota is designed and durability-tested to fulfill a 15-year service life of typical on-road use, the company builds and tests the Land Cruiser to ensure it can survive 25 years of constant off-road use in good condition. Unlike virtually every other vehicle on the market, the Land Cruiser is not built down to a price, it’s built up to this requirement.

Serviceability: Because the Land Cruiser is fitted with the relatively simple and very common 5.7-liter V-8 from the Tundra, we’ll be able to find parts for it at every auto store in North America (and on many other continents). And any auto shop will have experience working on that power train. Ever waited a week for a part to get shipped from another country while you and your vehicle are stranded at a small mechanic’s shop in the middle of nowhere? I have, but that will never, ever happen with the Land Cruiser.

Ride Quality: Take one of the strongest ladder frames ever created, bolt a body on top with vibration-isolating rubber dampers, then fit the highest-quality suspension system your company knows how to make, and you’re going to get a truck that rides like a bank vault floating through the air. This is one area where the Land Cruiser’s immense weight helps. Due to the high sprung-to-unsprung weight ratio, the movement of the wheels, tires, and rear axle has remarkably little influence over the vehicle’s body. That’s why this live-rear-axle vehicle rides better than alternatives fitted with independent rear suspension.

Vision: It’s fashionable right now to design cars and trucks with slim glass houses—that’s the portion of the vehicle wrapped in windows. But what looks cool on the outside translates to incredibly poor vision from the inside out. The Land Cruiser may not be trendy, but you can see out of its huge windows and windshield unimpaired, and that helps you navigate everything from city traffic to off-road obstacles with total confidence.

Features: The buttons on the Land Cruiser are pulled out of of an economy car, the silver accents are all plastic, and the infotainment system is awful, but the compromises stop there. The center-console storage bin? That’s a powered fridge you can use to keep drinks or snacks chilled. It’s big enough for a bottle of champagne. The cubby where the ashtray used to be? That’s a capacitive charger you can use to power up your Apple Watch. The steering wheel? It’s heated. This SUV features every electronic driver aid possible this side of autonomous driving. The big touchscreen displays obstacles when you’re off-road. Jeeps do that, too, but the Land Cruiser shows you what’s to your sides and rear as well as what’s in front of you. I have it set to do that on the road, too, any time we go below five miles per hour. I could go on, but the list would end up longer than this article. As I explained to my fiancée, Virginia, if it’s a thing, the Land Cruiser has it. And unlike most other vehicles, it won’t be a thing that will break.

Traction: The Land Cruiser is fitted with full-time four-wheel drive. That means it nominally operates in all-wheel drive, but at the push of a button, you can lock the center differential and put it in four-wheel drive. That center diff is a Torsen design, which splits 40 percent of its torque to the front axle and 60 percent to the rear in normal driving. Should one wheel break traction, it can redirect up to 75 percent of that torque to the axle with the most traction. On a paved road, in the kind of winter weather we’ve been having here in Montana, that’s the best arrangement possible. It allows the truck to find traction as we drive on constantly varying surfaces. Locking the center diff splits torque 50/50; this achieves more traction than even a best-possible all-wheel-drive system like this one can, but it can only be employed in slippery conditions. On top of that, there’s also a traction-control-based system that tweaks individual brake calipers to mimic the function of locking axle diffs, and even an off-road cruise-control system that manages traction for you while maintaining a constant (very low) speed.

Articulation and Angles: Sway bars transfer force from one side of a car to the other, helping to control body roll in corners. That’s a huge help in high-speed corners on the road but limits wheel articulation off-road. So disconnecting those sway bars on dirt helps your wheels stay in contact with the driving surface. Only a very small number of the most capable off-road vehicles are equipped with disconnecting sway bars. And unlike other solutions, Toyota developed a system for the Land Cruiser that is entirely mechanical and automatic to connect and disconnect them, meaning it’s much more robust than the electronic alternative. In action, you never need to think about it; on the road, the vehicle corners flat, but over uneven obstacles, your wheels are capable of dropping further beneath the truck. This system pairs with what are extremely impressive approach, departure, and breakover angles for such a large SUV, along with a very short wheelbase, to grant the Land Cruiser off-road ability rivaling that of smaller, less refined vehicles, like a Jeep Wrangler.

Lighting: Every lighting element that I’ve been able to find, inside and out, is LED. For stuff like the brake lights and interior lights, that means I’ll never have to replace a bulb. Up front it means the stock headlights are the best stock headlights I’ve ever used. They have an incredibly wide spread of totally even, smooth coverage and project nearly as far down a dark road as an aftermarket lighting system.

LandCruiser-Front
Most SUVs like to pretend they can go off-road. The Land Cruiser is actually designed to go off-road, every day, for 25 years and still be in good shape at the end of all that. (Photo: Toyota)
Why We Need One
Where we live, in Bozeman, Montana, weather conditions are extreme and unpredictable. The nearest NOAA radar station is 175 miles away, in Great Falls, and can’t penetrate the mountains surrounding it, so there are effectively no trustworthy weather forecasts for the area. Blizzards can happen any month of the year, and we drive off-road every single day to take the dogs for a hike, visit friends, and just get from point A to point B. The road-critter situation here is very real and very dangerous.

And that’s just here at home. We also drive all over the West Coast, from southern Baja to northern Alaska, while carrying all the camping gear you’d expect, plus three big dogs. Heck, just between people and dogs, we load the truck up with 555 pounds every time we leave the driveway.

I can’t think of a vehicle that can tackle all those challenges together, and do that not just for a few years but for a few decades. In fact, a stock Land Cruiser can’t either, which is why we’re modifying it. Another thing that’s great about these things? Off-road accessories are widely available, and there’s a solid knowledge base around getting the most out of this platform.

LandCruiser-seats
The third row is borderline useless and eats up valuable dog space when folded. We’ll remove it and fit a cargo barrier that will keep the mutts off the leather, while protecting all vehicle occupants in a crash. (Photo: Toyota)
What We Plan to Do
This is going to be Virginia’s daily driver. This SUV gives her the ability to drive around Montana, or anywhere else, in total confidence that she won’t get stuck, break down, or have her truck disabled if she hits a deer. So we need more traction, the ability to self recover, and protection against those aforementioned road critters as well as common off-road obstacles. And we intend to achieve those merits without ruining what makes the stock Land Cruiser so good in the first place. I’ll cover these changes periodically in future articles, hopefully informing your ability to create trucks that are also peerlessly capable off-road but which remain refined and safe on highways.

Tires: We put the best-possible winter tires on the Land Cruiser the same day we bought it. Those are the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2’s, which are purpose-built for heavier vehicles like crossovers and SUVs. They’re already inspiring a huge amount of confidence. While driving on sheet ice at 5 A.M. the other morning, I had to perform an emergency swerve at 35 miles per hour to avoid a drunk driver. The tires only broke traction momentarily, remained controllable while sliding, and are the reason I was able to avoid crashing a brand-new vehicle. We’ll keep those on until the snow clears, then fit a larger set of all-terrain tires for summer but make sure they’re small enough that the spare fits in the stock location.

Wheels: To make sure those larger off-road tires clear the fenders and sway bars, we need wheels with more offset. But wheels built for off-roading tend to add a ton of weight in pursuit of the necessary strength. I’m going to run a set that carry no weight penalty, to avoid sacrificing the truck’s ride and handling.

Suspension: The Land Cruiser is 74 inches tall, and our garage has 77 inches of clearance. For that reason, and because we want to keep on-road handling as safe as it is in stock form, we plan on running a zero-lift suspension system. So why run one at all? Because high-quality aftermarket suspension systems are capable of offering better body control and improved ride quality both off-road and on. They’re also designed to handle long periods of at-the-limit performance without overheating and losing their ability to provide control as a result.

Protection: Because it builds its bumpers to the strictest vehicle-safety standards in the world, and because it’s been doing that for over 40 years, ARB makes the highest-quality aftermarket bumpers. I hit a 200-pound kangaroo with one at about 85 mph, and there wasn’t a scratch on the truck. I can’t imagine using anything else for our Land Cruiser. The company also makes a really nice rear bumper that foregoes the usual swing-out tire carrier. I don’t want to deal with the hassle of opening a swing-out just to load the dogs into the car, and this thing adds protection without getting in the way. We’ll also replace the plastic side steps with real rock sliders, to protect the sides of the vehicle from a common off-road injury, and fit an aftermarket skid-plate system to guard important parts like the sump, transmission, and fuel tank from damage. All of these modifications will also improve the truck’s angles. A hitch-mount swing-out will bolt on and off, giving us the ability to carry additional fuel, a Hi-Lift jack, Maxtrax, and other bulky essentials outside the truck without adding weight or un-aerodynamic racks to our roof.

Lights: Even as good as the Land Cruiser’s stock lighting system is, quality off-road lights are brighter. These are essential for where we live, to help us spot animals with enough time to safely avoid them and to illuminate tricky trails at night.

Traction: The Land Cruiser’s electronic traction system is very good and very easy to use. I imagine it’ll be our go-to most of the time, but I still want to add locking axle differentials for those rare circumstances when nothing else will do. We’ll regear the truck when we fit those lockers, to retain the performance and fuel economy with the larger tires and added weight.

Recovery: The ARB front bumper will give us the ability to add a winch, along with those driving lights. Winches are another accessory that are rarely used but irreplaceable in extreme circumstances.

Interior: I plan to remove the third row entirely and fit a strength-rated cargo barrier that bolts to the Land Cruiser’s frame behind the second row. This will give us the space necessary to comfortably haul around all our dogs and also help keep them and us safe in a crash. I plan to leave the rest of the interior stock to avoid compromising the vehicle’s versatility or adding unnecessary weight.

Roof: Putting giant tents and stuff on your roof is dumb. So we’ll skip doing that and maybe even shave the stock roof rails and antenna to gain a little extra fit-in-the-garage space.


Why It’s the Last
According to my my old colleague Jonny Lieberman, Toyota will stop selling the Land Cruiser in the United States in 2022. The rest of the world will see an all-new design that year, and it’s possible that we may get the Lexus version of that vehicle. Other reports (and common sense) suggest that Toyota also plans to stop using the 5.7-liter V-8 in those next-generation Land Cruisers and the next Tundra, replacing it instead with a twin-turbo V-6 and probably a hybrid gasoline-electric power train, too. While undoubtedly faster and more fuel efficient, it’s unlikely that those future vehicles will be as simple, durable, and easy to work on as the current truck. If this were a BMW or a Land Rover, more power and better fuel economy would outweigh the value of simplicity. But this isn’t a BMW or Land Rover. We didn’t buy one of those because the things that make them so nice for other drivers mean they don’t meet our needs for a genuinely hard-use truck. Due to an ever increasing pressure to improve fuel economy and fulfill the luxury expectations of high-end SUV buyers, it’s unlikely that Toyota will ever produce a vehicle like this Land Cruiser again. And that’s why we plan on keeping this thing forever.

 

[blatant]

2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition Review: This Aging Star Still Matters

We don't need an appearance package to remember how great the Land Cruiser is.

www.thedrive.com

2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition Review: This Aging Star Still Matters
We don't need an appearance package to remember how great the Land Cruiser is.
BY KYLE CHEROMCHADECEMBER 17, 2019

• NEW CARS

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The Japanese have a word—kuchisabishii—that describes the 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition well. It's best understood as the term for when you eat something not because you’re hungry but because your mouth is bored. The Heritage Edition doesn’t need to exist, same as Toyota doesn’t really need to sell Land Cruisers in America anymore given our paltry share of the international sales pie. Yet it does, and it’s damn tasty either way.


That’s not to directly compare one of the world’s legendary SUVs with empty calories. As equipped in the American market, the 200 Series Land Cruiser is a fairly brilliant truck, melding its rugged heritage and superlative capability with a sensible approach to modern comfort. Even if an $86,710 sticker price might shock when you step back and see a gussied-up UN vehicle, consider that Mercedes-Benz has been pulling the same thing at twice the price with the G-Wagen and making out like a bandit for decades. Toyota’s low-volume Cruiser business here in the States still generates around $279 million in revenue annually, and that's without counting the Lexus LX. If you do count the LX, the revenue total for Toyota was $710 million in 2018. Not exactly peanuts.

TOYOTA
But given its formulaic, three-squares approach since the 200 Series launched in 2007—one trim, one option, no marketing—it's easy to see why Toyota whipped up the 2020 Land Cruiser Heritage Edition. It's nominally a minimalist adventurer appearance package accented by bronze BBS wheels and a Yakima MegaWarrior roof basket. More than a decade into the current series (Land Cruiser generations move on geologic time scales), it's also the closest the world's largest automaker has come to a bored-mouth snack involving its most iconic vehicle.


Again, this isn't a bad thing at all. The opposite, in fact. The Heritage Edition looks great, drives great, and is great. It just doesn't feel like it's meeting a vital need the way the regular Land Cruiser does, nor does it scan as a gluttonous blowout truly celebrating its six decades of production ahead of an uncertain future. Kuchisabishii.

TOYOTA
The 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition, By the Numbers

• Base Price: $86,710
• Powertrain: 5.7-liter V-8 | eight-speed automatic transmission | full-time four-wheel drive with low range
• Horsepower: 381 hp @ 5,600 rpm
• Torque: 401 lb-ft @ 3,600 rpm
• Ground Clearance: 8.9 inches
• Off-Road Angles: 32° approach | 21° breakover | 24° departure
• Cargo Space: 53.5 cubic feet | 82.8 cubic feet with the second-row folded
• EPA Fuel Economy: 13 mpg city | 17 mpg highway | 14 mpg combined
• Quick Take: Get the Heritage Edition or don't—what matters is that you get a Land Cruiser, period.

When Trucks Were Boxy
The Toyota Land Cruiser has changed as much as anyone would over sixty-odd years, and the four-door, roofed 200 Series stands worlds apart from the pokey 1958 FJ25 that Toyota shipped over back then as the first Land Cruiser sold on these shores. (By the way, that two-door convertible model survives in unrestored condition at the excellent Land Cruiser Heritage Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah.) The "base" 2020 truck will look familiar to everyone—its design has gone unchanged since a 2015 facelift, and its profile has been with us since 2007. Good thing it's a handsome, blocky fella, with a drawn-out grille to accentuate its 78-inch width and a noticeably upright greenhouse.

An untrained observer could mistake it for a Toyota Sequoia, that other three-row, V-8, body-on-frame SUV in the American lineup, except the Sequoia is more than ten inches longer, bigger in every dimension, and also it's not a Land Cruiser and never will be. We digress. As mentioned up top, the $2,330 upcharge for the Heritage Edition nets the following exterior tweaks: 18-inch bronze BBS wheels, darkened chrome trim on the grille, deleted running boards, a Yakima roof basket, a sweet retro badge, and a paint choice of Midnight Black Metallic or Blizzard Pearl.

TOYOTA
Adding the roof rack, removing the running boards, and swapping in smaller wheels make the biggest visual impacts. It's a conservative upfit, no doubt. But the simplicity is still compelling. $87,000 compelling? Different discussion.


Land Cruiser Puts Comfort First
Fitting for a truck that's more common in war zones than American driveways, the interior is laid out with dutiful practicality, all straight lines and big buttons and analog gauges. Cabin comfort is one place where we're glad to leave the old Land Cruisers behind, and Toyota relies on materials like wood and semi-aniline leather to soften the UN Peacekeeper experience for domestic buyers, plus extras like heated and ventilated seats and a center console refrigerator—sorry, "cool box."

TOYOTA
The Heritage Edition comes with black leather, bronze contrast stitching, all-weather floor mats, no third row, and no cool box for maximum storage. (Toyota reasons that you'll bring a real cooler along anyway, what with the 53.5 cubic feet of space back there without the far back seats.) Don't look for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in that nine-inch touchscreen, however.

TOYOTA
There are typically two complaints lobbed at the Toyota Land Cruiser interior: it's boring, and it's too fancy for what the truck actually is. To the first camp, we'll just point out that the Land Cruiser was not built to impress you. It doesn't have an art degree because its utilitarian buyers around the world still don't care. And to the second critique, the truck as it exists in America 2019 isn't marketed to you. Toyota knows you and a few other ragamuffins want a downmarket Land Cruiser. But that's not what it's trying to do here.
Driving the 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Off Road
The 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition is less about going further off-road than looking better in the process. That's not a problem when the base truck is as otherworldly durable as a 200 Series. When you write a check for $87 grand, what you're paying for is the million-mile engineering needed to take the Land Cruiser safely to the globe's toughest and roughest edges. We're not exaggerating; much of the vehicle is designed for a 25-year service life. Everything from suspension components to window glass is thicker and stronger and utterly overbuilt compared to flimsy modern crossovers or even the full-size pickups we hold dear as Americans.

TOYOTA
Sheer toughness and a solid rear axle will only get you so far—pretty damn far, but there are limits—so the Land Cruiser also has a low-range transfer case with a center differential lock, multi-terrain AWD settings, off-road cruise control, and a system that brakes the inner wheels for an off-road pivot-turn. It runs in a permanent 4HI mode with a 40/60 front-to-back torque split that can vary as needed. Lastly, Toyota's Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System automatically adjusts the sway bars to provide excellent wheel articulation without ruining on-road handling. You can feel the KDSS loosening things up as you bounce off the pavement, shift into low range, and start climbing your first rocky hill.

TOYOTA


With 8.9 inches of ground clearance and off road angles of 32° approach/21° breakover/24° departure, the 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser isn't the most out-and-out capable crawler in the lineup. That honor belongs to the 2020 4Runner TRD Pro, as does woeful technology and a dated five-speed transmission. True to its name, what the Land Cruiser represents is the cushiest, safest way to conquer mountains. It made quick work of both the demonstration off-road course Toyota set up in the hills outside Eagle Mountain, Utah and an extracurricular detour over a challenging rock pile.

TOYOTA
As the most expensive vehicle Toyota sells in America, though, it had better drive well on the road. The trucky Land Cruiser does what it can. Its 5.7-liter, 381-horsepower V-8 (shared with the Tundra pickup) pulls strong with a decent grumble, though peak torque doesn't hit until 3,600 RPM and you'll notice the delay in higher gears. It doesn't help that the eight-speed transmission sometimes feels like it's taking a wild guess when you put your foot down, dropping too far for having over 400 lb-ft of torque on tap or pausing before slamming into the correct gear with an audible thud.


So, not all roses. But apart from that the 2020 Land Cruiser rides like any other large SUV—heavy, tall, and reassuringly soft—despite its antediluvian construction. KDSS also works on pavement as a hydraulic stabilizer system to limit body roll, so it's composed in turns and a peaceful long-distance rig overall. The only thing to really warn about for daily driving is the abysmal fuel economy: 14 miles per gallon combined. Even a 24.6 gallon tank feels small.
The Past and Present
Even in cases like this, where the historic connection is clear and unbroken, automakers often try to keep a least a little daylight between present-day models and their older counterparts. It makes sense: Old cars are cool, and generally new cars are not. Put them in the lineup, and what should be a proud evolutionary timeline often ends up looking like a March of Progress parody ending in a fat man.

TOYOTA


That's why it was a surprise when Toyota arranged to borrow five historic Land Cruisers from the Salt Lake City museum collection for us to drive alongside the 2020 Heritage Edition. Sprung for the day was a 1977 FJ40, a 1977 FJ55, a 1984 FJ60, a 1991 FJ80, and a 2004 UJZ100. All stand as key stages in the Land Cruiser's growth from a military runabout to a globe-stomping status symbol.

TOYOTA
1977 FJ40 Land Cruiser (Production: 1960 - 1983)

TOYOTA
1977 FJ55 Land Cruiser (Production: 1968 - 1979)


That humble FJ40, even with its unlined interior, barn doors, and scepter of a four-speed shifter, has leather bucket seats and soft springs to deliver a surprisingly comfortable ride. (If you can get past the racket from the 4.2-liter straight six engine at speed, that is.) The "Iron Pig" FJ55 debuted as one of the few four-door family SUVs in 1967, and even if it shared its platform and powertrain with the FJ40, it was still designed to advance the Land Cruiser's mission. Its successor, the FJ60, brought the first fully-insulated and modernized interior, though the SUV market was starting to simmer in the 1980s. So Toyota took a radical leap forward with the 1991 FJ80, adding more luxurious appointments, coil springs, a full-time 4WD system, airbags and ABS, and the streamlined design that signaled the end of sharp corners for the Land Cruiser. Still had a straight-six engine, though.

TOYOTA
1984 FJ60 Land Cruiser (Production: 1980 - 1990)

TOYOTA
1991 FJ80 Land Cruiser (Production: 1990 - 1997)


Apart from varying levels of comfort and sound deadening, they also all drove remarkably similar on and off the pavement. Extremely slow—of the four, only the FJ80 could muscle past 35 mph on an uphill grade at 7,000 feet in the mountains—and very noisy, but endearingly blunt like only an old truck on solid axles can be. We weren't pushing any limits in these museum pieces, but the simple fact that all they needed to drive was a fresh battery and a fluid check speaks to the insane longevity of Land Cruisers.

TOYOTA
2004 UJZ100 Land Cruiser (Production: 1998 - 2007)
The one truck we haven't touched upon is the 1998-2007 UJZ100, representing the largest leap forward yet. It was the first Land Cruiser with a V-8 engine and independent front suspension, two key departures that make the 100 much closer in feel to the 200 Series than to any of its predecessors. It just drives like a contemporary Toyota, even if the lack of KDSS means body roll can be excessive.


The Land Cruiser Plays On
And what did the 200 Series Land Cruiser contribute to its kind? Incremental improvements in power, frame strength, and comfort, all undeniable. But whenever Toyota decides to sunset the current generation, we have a feeling it will be remembered for the off-road tech it introduced to the name. (Unless the rumors of it leaving the North American market in 2022 are true, in which case, yeah, that will be its epitaph.) KDSS is probably the biggest highlight, the way it's produced the most comfortable Land Cruiser while giving up little in capability. Even if we're eons past the FJ40's agricultural-tool approach, the 200 Series is still building on the same reputation, one advancement (or two) at a time.

TOYOTA
What it won't be remembered for is the 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition. Not because it's a silly idea, but because the normal truck is its own heritage edition. Adding a roof rack or a smaller wheel doesn't make it any more connected to its past or give it a sense of vitality. There was room to go all out here in a celebration of spirit, with a lift and a rear locker and real off-road tires, but absent that we're more than happy to enjoy the sustenance of the happy to enjoy the sustenance of the regular Land Cruiser.

 

[blatant]

The 1995 Toyota Mega Cruiser, King of Off-Roaders, Is Legal to Import in 2020
Here's everything you need to know about Toyota's take on the Hummer H1.
BY JAMES GILBOYDECEMBER 31, 2019

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Every year, a fresh crop of cars and trucks never sold in the United States come of import-legal age thanks to our restrictive 25-year ban on new cars. In 2019, for example, the Porsche-built 1994 Audi RS2 Avant, the first Subaru WRX STi, and the McLaren F1 all became eligible to US buyers. 2020 will see another group of greatest hits from the 1990s join the fray, among them one of the most obscure off-road trucks ever built: The 1995 Toyota Mega Cruiser, Japan's answer to the Hummer H1.

Judging the Mega Cruiser book by its AM General cover is fair; the original Hummer and the Toyota Mega Cruiser had about as much in common as two SUVs made for the same roles by different countries can. Both saw service in their respective countries' militaries before arriving on the consumer car market. Each were enormous, and the Mega Cruiser the bigger of the two: It's about seven inches taller than a Hummer H1, and sixteen longer, if about one inch narrower.
Despite those dimensions, Mega Cruisers offered surprisingly little seating, with space for two occupants up front and four in back. Instead of a third row, the Mega Cruiser had a huge, two meter-wide cargo area with a 1,323-pound load capacity, and a tailgate with foldaway steps—a feature still newsworthy in 2019. Interior amenities were as good as mid-'90s Toyotas got, with car phones, at least one screen in view of every occupant, and what looks like real leather and wood upholstery. The example pictured here is definitely optioned up—look at other models and you'll find more spartan accommodations. Mega Cruisers started at the modern equivalent of around $90,000.

Toyota took another leaf from AM General's book by offering central tire pressure control as an option, but it wasn't done copying the Humvee's homework there. Inside its monstrous 37-inch tires, it too touted portal axles, giving it 10 millimeters more ground clearance than a Hummer H1—almost 17 inches in total, and nearly double what you get from a Jeep Wrangler. Suspension was double-wishbone all around, with a sway bar connecting the two front corners, and some degree of steering on all four. The Mega Cruiser's speed-sensitive power steering system could turn the rear wheels up to 12 degrees at full lock, giving it a turn radius of just 18.4 feet, some eight feet narrower than an H1, and almost five feet tighter than a 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.

TOYOTA
Toyota Mega Cruiser
Though rear-steer added to the Mega Cruiser's considerable, 6,283-pound curb weight, it was something of a necessity if the truck's chassis were to be as capable as its powertrain, which starts with a 4.1-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel called the 15B-FT. Its 152 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque sound sinewy compared to the 1,000 pound-foot behemoths we have today, but the 15B was a respectable diesel for an automaker not known for them; it still made more power and torque per liter than Ford's contemporaneous 7.3-liter Powerstroke turbodiesel V-8.

A four-speed Aisin-Warner automatic similar to those used in contemporary Land Cruisers sent power to a two-speed transfer case, which in turn forwarded the twist to a pair of locking mechanical differentials. This might sound like a recipe for daily trips to the gas station, but that's not so. Toyota promised about 22 mpg from a constant speed of 37 mph, so with the Mega Cruiser's 28.5-gallon tank, 600 miles on a fill-up was doable. What kind of mileage it'd do at American highway speeds isn't clear, though we know it can at least reach those speeds thanks to Australian blog Boss Hunting, which reports these bricks can hit at least 81 mph.

By now, you're probably wondering how you can get your hands on this Hummer-killer, but unfortunately, there are two things that stand in the way of you crashing your local Hummer meets with a Toyota. One's a question of rarity, as Toyota reportedly made only 3,000, only 133 of which were sold to civilians according to Toyota itself. (Fortunately, the fellow who supplied us with interior photos says he's selling his, so if you can read Cyrillic, haggling with him may be the way to go.) The other's a question of time, as vehicles have to be 25 years old to the day to be eligible for import. Mega Cruiser production didn't start until late 1995, so even if you track down an early model, you still won't be able to bring it stateside for about a year.
A watched pot never boils, but unwatched quarry always gets away. Let the search for the mintiest Mega Cruiser begin.
Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com

PAMIDOR75 ON INSTAGRAM
Toyota Mega Cruiser

 

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The National Museum of Forest Service History hosts an archive of extensive research related to forestry history. Browse our learning library below to increase your knowledge on a variety of Forest Service topics.

Learning Library | National Museum of Forest Service History

Browse articles and essays on advanced forestry topics in our learning library archive. Featuring extensive research done by enthusiastic historians.

forestservicemuseum.org

Ones I liked are:

A Historical Analysis of Consolidation at the National Forest and District Level in the U.S. Forest Service
by Tom L. Thompson

Field Organization and
Administrative History of the National Forest System
by Peter L. Stark

The Mapping of Our National Forests
By Peter L. Stark

Southwestern Region 3 – Historical Geography, Names, Boundaries and Maps
by Peter L. Stark

 

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Smokey Bear history and posters through the years

Story of Smokey | Smokey Bear

Smokey Bear has decades of fond memories and education to share with you!

smokeybear.com

 

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The Tacozilla Tacoma Camper Is Retro Overlanding Perfection​

It's the coolest Toyota truck we've seen all year.

NOV 2, 2021

TOYOTA
The Toyota Tacoma is one of the most popular pickups among off-road enthusiasts, thanks in no small part to the massive aftermarket that exists to support the mid-sizer. Toyota itself is no stranger to building hardcore machines and its latest SEMA Show project is just the latest example of that know-how. Known as the Tacozilla Tacoma Camper, this retro-styled truck camper brings legitimate tiny house comforts with the mobility of a proper overlanding rig.

The Tacozilla is based on a Tacoma TRD Sport, though the team at Toyota Motorsports Garage has modified the platform significantly. The camper’s chassis was designed in-house, as the Tacoma’s frame wasn’t up for the job at hand. While it could have been possible to make a camper without a dedicated frame, the team wanted the rear compartment to be comfortable enough to stand in for people nearing the six-foot mark. The truck’s suspension also provides two additional inches of clearance over the standard units, bolstered by large 33-inch General Tire Grabber X3 all-terrain tires.

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Toyota fans that remember the brand’s campers from the Seventies and Eighties should immediately recognize the point of inspiration for the Toyota Motorsports Garage. The white paint adorned with yellow, orange and bronze stripes scream back to those times, while still looking rather sharp on the modern truck’s facias.
The camper compartment is arguably the most impressive part of the build. You won’t find hard creases or straight lines marking up the flanks, as Toyota wanted to round off the edges of the camper to better suit the styling of the Tacoma. This attention to detail continues throughout the build in areas like the rear door, which required over 100 hours of labor to finalize. Step through the door and you’re presented with amenities like teak flooring, a full kitchen with appliances, a full bathroom with a hot-water shower, and of course a 3D-printed dining table. With the table stowed away as a piece of wall art, the camper provides plenty of room for lounging or sleeping.
While this may just be a SEMA Show concept, we won’t be surprised to see some homebrew Tacozilla builds start to take shape. As popular as overlanding is getting, Toyota might even want to consider selling the dang things direct from dealers.
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Toyota Tacozilla Tacoma Camper - Gallery

An overlanding truck nice enough to be a tiny home.

www.roadandtrack.com

 

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Time Is Money: We Test a $200K 1981 Toyota Land Cruiser

What's old is new . . . and can require an ample bank account.

www.caranddriver.com

Keeping up with the increasingly powerful and computer-assisted automobile is serious work. It can dazzle our senses one minute and numb them the next. We’re not complaining; we just sometimes need to unwind with a hot soak in frivolity. Such as driving a custom 1981 Toyota Land Cruiser that costs as much as a new Lamborghini Huracán.

 

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A Brief History of the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 / BJ40 + J40 Series

The story of the Toyota Land Cruiser J Series (FJ40 / BJ40 etc) starts in the Philippines during the Second World War, the Japanese had invaded the

silodrome.com