Pros and cons of an LX570 vs fully prepped LC series 80? (1 Viewer)

[LXinOBX]

When we got our 100 we kept the 80 for about 6 months...I had to run out for a few errands/pick up kids. Drove the 100 out/back...then had another kid pick up run, hadn't driven the 80 for a while...I was amazed at how "rough" and unrefined the 80 seemed to me (ours was the version, now forget the designation, but it was the Japanese bus x mission)

Sold the 80 to a bud (that put over 600k on it) a few days later.

And the 200 is exponentially smoother than the 100.

Unless you do that crazy Joe Rogan 80 series thing, it's rough, go w the 200...BUT the 80 is a way better off roader

 

[littlegreenmonster]

I have a 200 LC and a triple locked 80. They are completely different animals. I daily drive the 80 most of the time and we use the 200 for family road trips and we occasionally daily drive it. Both of them get 13mpg. My daily drives are all surface streets with very little highway driving. They are the same length but the 200 is wider. The 80 is way better off road and easier in parking lots due to its width and turning radius. The 80 is not fun to drive on the highway, especially at speeds above 70mph and the brakes suck. The 200 can cruise all day long at 85mph turning about 2000rpm and has far superior brakes.
Both have been very reliable but the 80 does require more maintenance just due to age. The 200 has 99K on it and has had the radiator replaced along with the serpentine belt tensioner. I have a list multiple pages long on what i have had to replace on the 80, but it currently has 260K on it.

 

[bloc]

I just thought about this.. if my family were in it consistently, 200-series, period. There is no comparison on safety features.

 

[Kylackey]

For a while Beno was posting what would be pulled from production for 80s soon. It was an already large, and growing, list. I remember feeling lucky I got a driver's lower seat cushion just before they disappeared. This will happen to most 80 parts.. and yes the aftermarket will step in for some, but not all... like seat cushions.

IMO they share a heritage but in 2023 they are different vehicles for different uses. IFS vs SFA, V8 vs I6, creature comforts vs utilitarian (by 2023 standards.)

Having owned both, and the 80 a particularly awesome one, given your stated use case there is no debate.. the LX, or even an older/cheaper one, is the play here.

Seat cushions are discontinued??

 

[bloc]

Seat cushions are discontinued??

For 80-series, that was my understanding. The list of parts is getting longer by the month.

 

[TeCKis300]

It gets thrown around a lot that the 80-series is "better off-road". Off-road is many things. There's going to be stuff that the 200-series excels at. And stuff that it'll do that the 80-series just won't do or do well in. Miles of endless corrugated off-road, deep silt and sand, steep loose climbs are going to favor the 200-series.

 

[bloc]

I’ve owned both for extended periods. The 200 is awesome but the 80 is better on hard trails. The coil-spring radius arm SFA of the 80 makes the whole vehicle feel more stable over twisted up rough terrain. The IFS in the 200 makes it a lot more stable at speed (where nearly everyone will spend the vast majority of their time), and for an IFS system is very, very good off-road.. but it doesn’t touch the 80-series front, for those obstacles.

Not to mention weight, wheel well size, factory lockers, part-time option if you need that, up to a few years ago cost…

Thing is.. instagram and youtube has led many of us to convince ourselves the hard trails are what we’re gonna do, when the reality is the 100 or especially 200 or even GX is more than enough capability and brings a lot more realistic benefits for the average person choosing between these platforms.

 

[TeCKis300]

I’ve owned both for extended periods. The 200 is awesome but the 80 is better on hard trails. The coil-spring radius arm SFA of the 80 makes the whole vehicle feel more stable over twisted up rough terrain. The IFS in the 200 makes it a lot more stable at speed (where nearly everyone will spend the vast majority of their time), and for an IFS system is very, very good off-road.. but it doesn’t touch the 80-series front, for those obstacles.

Not to mention weight, wheel well size, factory lockers, part-time option if you need that, up to a few years ago cost…

Thing is.. instagram and youtube has led many of us to convince ourselves the hard trails are what we’re gonna do, when the reality is the 100 or especially 200 or even GX is more than enough capability and brings a lot more realistic benefits for the average person choosing between these platforms.

Good points and that's exactly the thing about the gram. Most people are not looking to tackle level 8+ (1-10) technical trails as their interpretation of off-road where an 80-series well built will have advantages over a 200-series that's similarly built. That's well into rockcrawler territory. Off-road the way we generally throw it around is more overlanding into some technical wheeling, with the more adventurous getting into rocklander territory.

IMO, anything short of dedicated rockcrawling is a domain that the 200-series easily owns, especially one that's well setup with 35s/37s and a rear locker. It'll do a level <7 trails with more comfort, speed, and poise. And open up certain types of general off-roading that an 80-series won't or cannot do. Faster baja type running or steep loose grades and dunes come to mind.

 

[AnyMal]

Im also fairly confident that if the 200 was 1500 lbs. lighter, it would be practically unstoppable.

I don’t think it is for us in the USA to compare anything to the 80 series though since that was never kitted out like the 100s and 200s were.
It would however be super interesting to see some of the UN 200s with 80 series level interiors and features go head to head.
I forget which member had one, but i think it was somewhere in Africa and one other guy with manual in a jungle somewhere too that was snorkled.

Of course, SFA is what it is, but still, my LX curbs at 6,250 lbs. I would like to see any 80 do the rock crawling with a maxed payload.
It doesnt have the power to achieve both those goals concurrently as far as ive seen.

LX 570 achilles heel - weight
80 achilles - power

One is way better off road, one is way better on road and everyday.
The 200 checks more crucial boxes as mentioned like comfort and safety and repairability, IMO those are all deal breakers.

Dont listen to me though, i already consider what im driving an old car. And you can always put a bigger engine in the 80.

 

[ryanCA]

Thing is.. instagram and youtube has led many of us to convince ourselves the hard trails are what we’re gonna do, when the reality is the 100 or especially 200 or even GX is more than enough capability and brings a lot more realistic benefits for the average person choosing between these platforms.

One of the best statements I read on this forum in a long time!