The Toyota Land Cruiser has earned a reputation for being rugged in its early years, and like a fine wine has aged into a respectable gentleman's car, with a bit of flare. For many decades now, Toyota has been taking the Land Cruiser's proven platform and making it better with each generation.

The Land Cruiser is more advanced than it ever has been, but perhaps unfortunately for purists has migrated somewhat into the realm of luxury SUV, though it can still rescue a car from a ditch. Over the last couple of decades, the Land Cruiser has lost some of its purity as the off-road king supreme. These model years can help provide a taste of what the Land Cruiser once was.

10 1980: Rugged, Purpose-Built Off-Roading Machine

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Via: Bring A Trailer

The Land Cruiser saw a revamp with the 1980 model year. It featured a 4.2-liter inline six that produced 135 horsepower, live axles front and back, and an automatic transmission option. While its engine doesn't provide much power, its cast iron block was nearly indestructible.

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Via: Motorcar Studio

This was the first generation that Toyota started adding creature comforts to make road driving more bearable, but its ability to go off roading was not compromised. It had an issue where fuel could leak from the tank. Toyota issued a recall, and fixed the problem with an improved tank design.

9 1984 (J70): Exclusivity Outside North America

Toyota Land Cruiser J70
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In 1984 Japan started making the J70 Land Cruiser, which was built as an off roader to keep the original Land Cruiser heritage alive. Sold outside of the US, the J70 was released with a 4.0-liter inline six and four wheel coil spring solid axle suspension.

Toyota Land Cruiser J70
Via CarSot

Japan is still making the J70 in other markets. As of 1999 it's gone through various changes in the way of comfort, but it's still very much built for off roading. It even got a turbodiesel V8 in 2007, a first for Toyota.

RELATED: The 10 Most Insane Modified Toyota Land Cruisers We've Found

8 1985: Direct Injection Turbodiesel

A mint condition J60 Land Cruiser
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The 1985 Land Cruiser saw an important milestone that would no doubt attract a new market. This model year saw the introduction of the 12H-T, a 4.0-liter turbocharged direct injection diesel engine, to the Land Cruiser's options list. It produced 134 horsepower and 232 lb ft of torque.

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Also new for 1985 was the Land Cruiser Wagon, which featured 2.4-liter turbo diesel from 1984 and new coil spring suspension, but only in models sold outside of the US. North America wouldn't see the 2.4-liter diesel in its market.

7 1988: Fuel Injection And Computer-Controlled Transmission

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Starting in 1988, the Land Cruiser got a brand new engine. It was a fuel injected 4.0-liter overhead valve inline six, that produced 155 horsepower and 220 lb ft of torque. In other words, plenty to carry the beast up the steepest hills. It was mated to Toyota's ECT, the world's first microcomputer controlled automatic transmission.

The front of the FJ62 Land Cruiser
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This transmission served to improve fuel efficiency, shifting quality and driveability. It even came equipped with its own self-diagnosis function, where the transmission could detect inconsistencies with its own operation.

6 1990: Full Time Four Wheel Drive

A modified J80 Land Cruiser
carsguide.com.au

The Land Cruiser saw yet another revamp in 1990. The Land Cruiser stepped farther into the door of personal luxury, moving away from its off roading roots. The 1990 Land Cruiser got a full time four wheel drive system, a lockable differential and three engine choices.

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These included the 4.0-liter inline six, the 4.2-liter inline six diesel, or a 4.2-liter turbocharged diesel. While it still retained some of its natural traits as an off roading vehicle, the Land Cruiser of the 1990s took steady steps towards a more comfortable street SUV.

5 1993: Bigger And More Powerful Inline Six

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The first few years of the Land Cruiser's J80 chassis used the 4.0-liter inline six, but in 1993 it got a massive upgrade. Toyota had finally given the Land Cruiser teeth to chew the rocks it was climbing. It now came with a 4.5-liter inline six with 24 valves, and produced 212 horsepower and 275 lb ft of torque.

Via: Automobile specification

According to Road and Track, this new engine was quieter and smoother as well. With an engine this powerful, the torque that the diesel engines provided didn't seem as necessary, especially with their weight disadvantage.

4 1996: North America Gets ABS And Airbags

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Via: Wikimedia

These days equipment like ABS and airbags seem like no-brainers, but not long ago they weren't standard. That would change for the land cruiser. In 1996 the North American model received both anti-lock brakes and airbags as standard equipment.

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Via: Bring A Trailer

As a car lurching toward a life as a family vacation transport, these features offered a step in the right direction for the Land Cruiser. It hadn't yet abandoned its roots in reliability and ruggedness, but it was sure to happen with later model years.

3 1997 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition

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Via: Reddit

Over the decades the Land Cruiser has garnered a lot of attention as an increasingly rare collector's car. The rarest ever built Land Cruiser is a 1997 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition with a locking differential. Only 822 were made with this configuration. The Collector's Edition was bred out of the 40th Anniversary edition becoming so popular.

1997-toyota-land-cruiser-40th-anniversary-collectors-edition
Via: Offroads For Sale

It came with all of the features from the 40th Anniversary model plus its own list. In total, this included an automatic air conditioner, privacy glass, leather power sport seats, premium audio, sunroof and leather headrests.

RELATED: 15 Photos Showing How Much The Toyota Land Cruiser Has Changed In 40 Years

2 1998: Enter The V8

The front of the J100 Land Cruiser
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Yet another redesign was in store for the Land Cruiser in 1998. One of the biggest changes came to the suspension, where the solid front axle was finally ditched for independent front suspension. It also got a new powerplant in the form of a 4.7 -liter V8 with dual overhead camshafts.

The rear of the J100 Land Cruiser
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It produces 230 horsepower and 320 lb ft of torque. By this time, the Land Cruiser had moved from the mud to the tarmac. Owners found faults in the front suspension when trying to go off roading, and the V8 wasn't as durable as the inline six.

1 2002: Borderline Luxury

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Via: Cargurus

By 2002 the Land Cruiser was almost the same as its Lexus LX 470 counterpart, just with less leather and inferior suspension. Shoving a third row of seats into the back doesn't do much for adult comfort, but children can fit fine.

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Via: Wikimedia

The V8 chugs away, delivering smooth and comfortable acceleration. The 2002's interior noise is minimal. While this marks a dramatic shift towards luxury, the Land Cruiser of this vintage is still reportedly capable of off roading thanks to its ground clearance and suspension travel.

NEXT: 10 Coolest 2020 Off-Road SUVs That Aren't A Wrangler