Modern era...4runner replacing Land Cruiser? (1 Viewer)

[Cruiser Kid]

Hey guys,

I'm just obsessive enough to be thinking about what I will do down the road when my 80 "dies" and parts become particularly hard to come by. It may be 20 or 30 years from now but the day will come. If it were 20 years from now and an unrestored 80 was basically no longer available, what would you do? I would like to think that there would be a "modern" LC to replace it but I don't like the way things are looking.

Every time I see a a Highlander on the highway I get excited thinking it may be a Land Cruiser 200 (I always scan the road for any fellow cruisers regardless of the model). It is so sad that those body designs are so close that from a distance they can be mistaken for each other. It really seems like Toyota abandoned the true off roaders and only produce the LC now for rich suburbanites. I am sure it is still very cabable but the 200's just seem to have lost their edge.

Anyway, I was at the mall tonight and saw a 2011 4Runner. It looked great! If I had been in a coma and just woke up after a 10 year nap and you told me from a distance that the 2011 4Runner was the new LC I would have a) believed you and b) been excited. Other than being badged 4Runner instead of LC I think the current 4Runners look more like what the current LC should look like if Toyota had followed a natural progression.

I know I am not the only thinking, "what will I do next?".

Thoughts?

 

[BRKLYN1]

Give me an 80 or give me death!

 

[The Jade Bean]

Well I'm sure I'll be persecuted for saying this, but I love my 05 4Runner V8 SR5... Was looking very seriously at the LC before the 4R, but the LC was just to big for the roads I'll be navigating and the mpg's were another factor. The 4th gen 4Runners we're built after the Prado and from what I know it is identical in many ways to the FJCruiser. The LC is classic and really irreplaceable, but the 4Runner is a great platform with so much to offer.

~Daniel

 

[tirewater]

Glad I'm not the only one that gets the new Highlander & LC200 series confused.

 

[Rallyroo]

LC200 owners loathe when people say to them: "Nice Highlander."

 

[rove_mcanus]

I think toyota is pushing towards the newer smaller models to replace the historical notion of the landcruiser (rugged, affordable, capable), and reserving the biggest models as a luxury vehicle for the pretenders. Pretty much like land rover have done with the range rover. THat is pretty evident in australia anyway, the landcruiser prado, which is supposed to be the 'small' landcruiser is actually as big as an 80 series. It also has good options as standard such as the 150litres of fuel tanks, pretty good diesel engine capaple of towing even the biggest 'offroad campers', and the v6 4 litre is a ripper engine too (its the one i'd have)

The 200 just looks stupid big these days, and you can't even get the 5.7 in the lc200 here. Only the older 4.7. So if you want a smooth gutsy engine, forget it. You can get the 5.7 in the lexus, but you look like a total fxxxwit driving one.

 

[The Jade Bean]

I never noticed the Prado was that big. I'll have to take a better look at one soon.

 

[rove_mcanus]

taken from the toyota site: the landcruiser prado (sold as a lexus i believe in the US)
length 4930
width 1885
height 1845

80 series (wikipedia
length 4820
width 1920
height 1870

Very close. the prado is longer, but that probably includes the spare tire on the back. If you factor in the shorter front end (prado doesn't need to accomodate a straight 6), it's probably bigger inside.

 

[Impreza]

If they offered the new 4R in a manual, I'd probably would have already bought one...along with my 80.

 

[The Jade Bean]

taken from the toyota site: the landcruiser prado (sold as a lexus i believe in the US)
length 4930
width 1885
height 1845

80 series (wikipedia
length 4820
width 1920
height 1870

Very close. the prado is longer, but that probably includes the spare tire on the back. If you factor in the shorter front end (prado doesn't need to accomodate a straight 6), it's probably bigger inside.

I'll be in HN in a couple months... Gonna go to the Toyota dealership and check out some of there new rides there.

 

[The Jade Bean]

If they offered the new 4R in a manual, I'd probably would have already bought one...along with my 80.

The manual is special order only and I looked for a previously owned 4th gen manual trans everywhere before I bought the one I have now and I couldn't find even one!

 

[yohavos]

20 years from now? Import a 105!

 

[Fireguy]

I wheeled a very well built 03 V8 4th Gen 4Runner for 4 years so I have a lot of experience with this subject. I loved my 4Runner, and really miss it. It was an awesome 4x4. Same V8 and 5 speed tranny as the 03 100 series. Very powerful and so so smooth. Excellent road manners. I ran 33" KM2's with ICON suspension, and everyone thought it road like a Caddy, yet it handled great offroad. ATRAC was awesome, it is pretty amazing what it would get you through. I still feel a 03 or newer 4Runner with a 3" lift, armor, and 33's will handle just about any wheeling situation you will encounter in the US short of the Rubicon.

That said, with just me and my wife, we quickly filled up the 4Runner on camping trips. The 80 has so much more room for gear. Plus, on the rock, the 4Runner was low and would get hung up. IFS is great on the road and offroad on dirt tracks. Slow work on the rocks show its weakness. That said, I still think the 03 and newer 4runners are hands down the best deal going for wheeling. You can pick a good condition model up with around 75,000 miles for $13, 000 or so. Lift tires and sliders and you are good to go. I wouldn't even spend the money to regear.

On a different note, we once ran into a bunch of Toyota engineers at Anza Borrego. We spoke with one of the head engineers about their 4th gen 4Runners. He said, in his opinion, the 4th gen 4runner was the best 4x4 Toyota had ever produced in terms of reliability, longevity, and durability. Take that for what it is worth.

 

[winstonclein]

........... In his opinion, the 4th gen 4runner was the best 4x4 toyota had ever produced in terms of reliability, longevity, and durability. Take that for what it is worth.

hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[The Jade Bean]

I wheeled a very well built 03 V8 4th Gen 4Runner for 4 years so I have a lot of experience with this subject. I loved my 4Runner, and really miss it. It was an awesome 4x4. Same V8 and 5 speed tranny as the 03 100 series. Very powerful and so so smooth. Excellent road manners. I ran 33" KM2's with ICON suspension, and everyone thought it road like a Caddy, yet it handled great offroad. ATRAC was awesome, it is pretty amazing what it would get you through. I still feel a 03 or newer 4Runner with a 3" lift, armor, and 33's will handle just about any wheeling situation you will encounter in the US short of the Rubicon.

That said, with just me and my wife, we quickly filled up the 4Runner on camping trips. The 80 has so much more room for gear. Plus, on the rock, the 4Runner was low and would get hung up. IFS is great on the road and offroad on dirt tracks. Slow work on the rocks show its weakness. That said, I still think the 03 and newer 4runners are hands down the best deal going for wheeling. You can pick a good condition model up with around 75,000 miles for $13, 000 or so. Lift tires and sliders and you are good to go. I wouldn't even spend the money to regear.

On a different note, we once ran into a bunch of Toyota engineers at Anza Borrego. We spoke with one of the head engineers about their 4th gen 4Runners. He said, in his opinion, the 4th gen 4runner was the best 4x4 Toyota had ever produced in terms of reliability, longevity, and durability. Take that for what it is worth.

That's super interesting... The 05 we're building up now will be shipped in about a year to our company in HN and it's virtually rocks and rivers with mud squished between them there. There are some roads, but unless there major roads there really just pot hole tracks. Ok so I said all that cause I am SUPER curious to see how she handles the terrain there. The only wheeling I've ever done is in Honduras and Guatemala and that was in either old US Tacos or new Hilux (turbo diesel) oh and once a CA Nissan diesel.

Once all my armor gets here and on I'm hoping to get out with with a few guys and wheel her here to see what I should expect. Either way it's to late now to change, I'm too far in already and it's likely to be our only US expedition rig anyway.

I'll see if I can post a video of some terrain there.

~Daniel

 

[Climbingnut]

I was looking at getting a Prado for an expedition build since finding an HDJ80/81 in Europe that wasn't beat to pieces and/or super pricey is tough. I wasn't keen on the IFS, but after studying found that the Prado is essentially the same vehicle as the 4Runner over here with some different body styling. The IFS is the same as is under my Tacoma, you can get the same 3.4 petrol motor as I have in my Tacoma or go with the D4D. Nice thing is they are significantly cheaper than a Series 80 Cruiser, so your modification money goes farther!

I did end up getting a clean 95 HDJ81, but wouldn't be averse to considering a 4 door prado with a D4D in the future. Anything to avoid going to a Land Rover, ugh...

 

[Haggis]

Just recently sat in my friends brand new 4Runner and was surprised how much more room there is vs my wife's 2001 4wdLtd but I still prefer the looks of our rig to the new ones. I also think the interiors on the new one are not up to the standards of an 01 4Runner. I have no desire for a new one. I desire a 200 series Landcruiser to replace it. My 2cents.

 

[Itchy Sides]

LC200 owners loathe when people say to them: "Nice Highlander."

Nice!

 

[Tapage]

The only reason to stick with Cruisers instead any 4Runner it's the driving drivers position .. I like to be " seat " and in control .. while IMOP in the Runners you are more relax sport position .. in the drivers seat ..

 

[The Jade Bean]

The only reason to stick with Cruisers instead any 4Runner it's the driving drivers position .. I like to be " seat " and in control .. while IMOP in the Runners you are more relax sport position .. in the drivers seat ..

I've owned just about every Yota (Corolla, Corona, new & old Tacos, Tundra, 40 and new & old 4Runner) but never drove a LC so I can't speak to the feel of the seated position, but I really like seat of my current Runner the most I think... It sits up high and seems to have more of a road feel to it, unlike my wife's Limited Jeep which feels like I'm in a plush recliner driving down the road.