The interior features a tw0- or three-row configurations, with the dash boasting a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 14.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The GX550 also has standard four-wheel drive, locking center and rear differentials, and can be equipped with 33-inch all-terrain tires, skid plates, and a disconnecting front anti-roll bar. Along with a unique face and fancier interior appointments, the Lexus has a 349-hp twin-turbo 3.4-liter V-6 versus the LC's hybrid turbo four, although a hybrid powertrain will eventually be added to the GX lineup at some point. The two are very similar, sharing a platform and myriad mechanical bits. The Lexus GX550 is the upscale version of the 250-series Land Cruiser. The discount is reflected in the lower-quality interior materials, and there's no three-row option, but the Toyota Land Cruiser is finally accessible to more people. The other big difference between the 250-series and 200-series Land Cruiser is the former is considerably more affordable, with a starting price in the mid-$50K range versus almost $90K. Speaking of getting dirty, the LC 250 has standard four-wheel drive, locking center and rear differentials, and is available with 33-inch tires as well as a disconnecting front anti-roll bar. The new powertrain's 326 horsepower is 55 less than its V-8 predecessor, but its 465 pound-feet of torque is 64 more, which will come in handy in off-road driving. Otherwise, it's 1.2 inches stubbier and offers similar off-road clearances, but it's powered by a hybrid 2.4-liter turbo four. While it looks almost nothing like the last version sold on our shores and rides on a new body-on-frame platform (TNGA-F), it shares the same 111.2-inch wheelbase and is an identical 78 inches wide. with this retro-inspired model, which is known as the 250-series. The Land Cruiser nameplate returns to the U.S. Decades later, the FJ Company loans us a thoroughly restored and modernized 1981 FJ43 Land Cruiser that includes top-notch build quality and sports a $200,000 price of entry. A larger 2F-type 4.2-liter inline-six is added to the model in 1975, and that engine powers the 40-series Land Cruiser until Toyota stops selling the model stateside after the 1983 model year.

New assembly techniques improve the finished product, and the addition of a two-speed transfer case betters the four-wheel-drive SUV’s off-road capabilities. Although the 40-series’ looks are evolutionary, it is a revolutionary product. According to Dan Busey of the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum, the 40-series Land Cruiser is initially sold concurrently with the 20-series. The famed 40-series Land Cruiser is introduced in 1960 the model also goes by the name FJ40 (F for the engine type, J for Jeep), and subsequent generations follow this naming convention. Click through to learn more about the history of Toyota’s iconic SUV in America.ĭespite limited initial demand, the Land Cruiser quickly makes a name for itself, and the model becomes the best-selling Toyota in the United States from 1961 to 1965. consumers would have the opportunity to get their hands on one. It wouldn’t be until 1958, however, that U.S. In response, Toyota renamed the vehicle Land Cruiser and began selling it as such in the middle of 1954. The Toyota Jeep BJ soon found itself in the crosshairs of Willys’ legal team, though, as the American automaker claimed ownership of the “Jeep” name and believed that Toyota was infringing on its trademark. Although the Japanese brand’s military truck would be passed over by the country’s National Police Reserve Forces for the Willys Jeep, the Toyota made enough of an impression that it soon was commissioned for use as a patrol car for Japan’s National Police Agency. The Toyota Jeep BJ, as it was initially known, was motivated by the company’s B-type 3.4-liter inline-six engine and featured styling that was inspired by the off-road-friendly, military-spec Jeeps driven by U.S. could use such a locally sourced truck in conflicts throughout the region.īy the beginning of 1951, Toyota had developed a military-truck prototype. Military trucks were needed, and the U.S., which then still occupied Japan, urged the island nation to develop a domestically produced vehicle for this need. Following North Korea’s invasion of South Korea in June 1950, the United States of America sought to support pro-Western South Korea against its Soviet-backed aggressors. Credit the Korean War for the birth of the Toyota Land Cruiser.

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