Japanese carmakers have truly become relevant following World War 2. In an effort to rebuild the economy, Japan set its sight on booming markets, such as the United States. Honda sold its very first car, the N600, in the States back in 1969. Similarly, Mazda sold its R100 in the US market back in 1970. Both cars received mixed reviews, which is understandable given what American carmakers were offering during the same era. Toyota was different has it had already established an office in California back in 1957.
Toyota is best-known for its Camry and Corolla. In the tuning scene, the Supra is the Toyota that trumps them all. When it comes to offroad vehicles, most people are essentially focused on the Tacoma. Toyota does build great all-terrains vehicles, with the Land Cruiser being the cherry on top. There are several reasons why gearheads desperately want a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. The Land Cruiser has always been an outstanding vehicle, and it is likely to remain that way for years to come.
9 Korean War
War is never pretty. The repercussions of conflict can be felt for decades afterwards. With that being said, conflicts can bring about tremendous technological advances. Flying commercially wouldn't have become popular if it was not for the use of airplanes during the two world wars. The same thing applies to other decisive vehicles, such as the Willys Jeep.
The very first Land Cruiser is the sort of car that made people fall in love with Toyota, as it helped our troops win decisive battles during the Korean War. As strange as it may sound, Uncle Sam ordered 100 trucks from the Japanese carmaker to fight off the Communist threat coming from the North. Based on the Willys used during the second World War, the Toyota BJ was sturdier, bigger, and more powerful than the original Willys.
8 Creativity
Asian car companies tend to evolve in a very peculiar fashion. During their inception, they tend to copy the products of well-established carmakers to some extent. In the most recent years, Chinese car manufacturer Landwind released the X7. The X7 is basically a lousy knockoff of Range Rover's most hated vehicle, the Evoque.
The British had developed their own version of the military-utility vehicle. It was essentially a British take on the Willys. The Land Rover Series 1 was nothing truly special, but the Japanese saw it under a different light. Management at Toyota thought that the name Land Rover was majestic. They therefore wanted to give an equally glorious name to its newly created vehicle. The Land Cruiser was born.
7 American-Sized
Japan is known for its compact cars. Given the geography of the country and how dense its urban centers are, land prices are far from affordable and every square foot is highly valuable. Though normal-sized cars are present in Japan, it is easy to see the size difference between a 1969 Cadillac Coupe Deville and a Honda Civic.
The 1967 Land Cruiser Station Wagon has to be one of the craziest cars Toyota ever produced. It is the very first Land Cruiser to be officially labelled as a station wagon. Around 5,000 units were made that year. Out of that number, only 1,000 were exported to the States. It is often believed that only classic sports cars and muscle cars are valuable vehicles. This Land Cruiser Station Wagon is estimated to fetch between $140,000 and $160,000 at auctions.
6 Japanese Muscle
Some of the most popular Japanese cars are equipped with engines that would make any American gearheads burst out in laughter. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, one of the best Evos ever made, is fitted with a turbocharged 2.0L inline-four that makes 289 hp. The mighty RX7 comes with a twin-turbocharged 1.3L Wankel engine that develops 258 hp. Though these figures are more than respectable, muscle car fans would find them laughable.
Toyota knew that it would have to adapt in order to generate more sales in North America. Consequently, the Japanese automaker introduced the very first gasoline V8-powered Land Cruiser in 1998. The 4.7L V8 produced 235 hp at 4,800 rpm and 320 lb-ft of torque at 3,400 rpm. It is important to keep in mind that speed is not the goal here. The goal of this V8 is to allow the Land Cruiser to navigate easily in the most rugged terrain.
5 Badge Engineering
Badge engineering is a common practice in the automotive industry. Designs are shared among two or more brands for a fee. In most cases, badge engineering is done with designs that are quite generic. It is rare to see iconic cars such as the Mustang or the M3 being badged-engineered.
Despite being equipped with the same 2UZ-FE V8 found on the Land Cruiser of the same year, the Lexus LX 470 is not exactly a badged-engineered Land Cruiser. Power was slightly decreased while luxury features were added. Price-wise, the LX470 was more expensive than the Land Cruiser. Any true off-road fan knows that the Land Cruiser is the real deal.
4 Milestone
There is a reason why Japanese carmakers were able to flood the world market with their vehicles. They understood exactly what the vast majority of motorists would be looking into before people even knew what they would want in the future. Affordability, reliability, and safety are the main aspects that most average motorists are looking for in a vehicle.
The Land Cruiser has been around since 1951. Thanks to Toyota vehicles' legendary affordability and reliability, the Land Cruiser became increasingly popular globally. In 2019, Toyota reached the 10 million mark with its timeless Land Cruiser. At this point, Toyota was accumulating commercial wins as the Prius became the most sold hybrid vehicle in the world a couple of years prior to the Land Cruiser's success.
3 Waging War
War is a competitive business. Since there is always a part of the world at war, companies such Lockheed Martin or Dassault can always find new clients ready to purchase the latest war machines. As the nature of war is changing, new players do not necessarily have the means to purchase 50 M1A2 Abrams tanks or 100 FGM-148 Javelin missile launchers.
NGOs love Land Cruisers, and so do terrorist groups. The Land Cruiser is so popular among terrorists groups that the Taliban influenced Toyota's 2022 Land Cruiser resale policy. Toyota has grown tired of the bad publicity. Now that the internet and social media is available all over the globe, terrorist groups post gruesome videos in which Toyota vehicles are featured. The fact that NGOs are also using them to save lives isn't enough to offset the bad publicity.
2 Snazzy
It is important to remember that the Land Cruiser was essentially a truck ordered by the US Army to wage war against Communist North Korea. As everything in life, the Land Cruiser organically evolved into something wonderful. As a matter of fact, the Land Cruiser went from being a hairy and spiky caterpillar to becoming a large, colorful, and majestic off-road butterfly.
Back in 1951, the Land Cruiser was a military vehicle ordered from the US government. 70 years later, the Land Cruiser is a gorgeous SUV with an MSRP of $85,665. Though the SUV remains very comfortable off-road, it has become the go-to car for the wealthy elites in developing countries. When taking a quick look at the interior, it feels like the Land Cruiser is a luxury car before anything else.
1 Substitutes
Gearheads in the US always talk about how lucky they are to have access to cars such as the Charger Hellcat Redeye or the Camaro ZL1. Though it is true that they are lucky, they forget the fact that a decent amount of foreign cars are not available in the US. The RX-7 FD3S manufactured between 1998 and 2002 is only available in right-hand drive configuration. The same thing applies to the Skyline R34 GTR.
It was rumored that the 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro is a tough new Raptor fighter. Only time will tell how the Tundra will fare against the Raptor. On the other hand, most Land Cruiser fans are fully aware that the 2022 version of the epic SUV will not be made available for the US market. While Land Cruiser fans wipe their tears, they can always consider purchasing the outstanding 2022 Toyota 4Runner.