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The Land Cruiser History
The Land Cruiser History
Ever wondered where it all started? Below we try to break down all the Land Cruiser models in history for you.
Overview
The Toyota Land Cruiser is about as iconic as vehicles come, starting all the way back in 1951 when Japan tasked domestic automobile manufacturers for an alternative to the Jeep. Toyota responded with a 4×4 that would pave the way for Toyota to become one of the most prominent off-road car manufacturers in today’s market.
The Land Cruiser has since been produced in convertible, hardtop, station wagon and cab chassis body styles. The Land Cruiser’s reliability and longevity has led to huge popularity, especially in South Africa, Australia, and the US, where its been a longstanding bestseller for its category. Toyota also extensively tests the Land Cruiser in the Australian outback – considered to be one of the toughest operating environments in both temperature and terrain.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is Toyota’s longest running series of vehicles, and as of 2018, the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than 6.5 million units worldwide.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is a long time favorite for miners and farmers, and really just any self respecting man, and can be found operating in the most desolate environments.
The Land Cruiser’s reputation is rooted in reliability and its rugged dependability in off-road situations, often far from civilization. It makes sense, then, that Toyota boasts about the SUV being “easy to maintain and repair” right in its press materials. You won’t find that in a Land Rover’s press kit.
So without further adieu, here they are:
Toyota BJ or BJT
This predates the name ‘Land Cruiser’, which means you won’t see the Land Cruiser emblem on it. That is if you are ever lucky enough to lay your eyes on one of these in person. The name Land Cruiser didn’t come about until a few years later. This vehicle has a lot of characteristics of other vehicles from that time, like the Willy’s Jeep. So no doubt Toyota was taking style tips and design cues from other leading manufacturers. This was used as the prototype for the Land Cruiser and there were incredibly limited numbers ever made, approximately 300.
Land Cruiser 20 Series
The Land Cruiser story really kicks off with the 20 Series, and specifically the FJ25. The Land Cruiser FJ25 was the first Land Cruiser that was mass produced. It came in both a hard-top and a soft-top. There were still some overlaps with the BJT, and other end, and still to this day, It is commonly confused with the 40 Series. There are a few easy things to spot that will help tell the difference between the 20 and 40 series. The first of which is that the 20’s don’t have that well known patented ring around the headlights, that is so famous for 40 series. They have rounded out doors on the soft-top model, as well as rounded wheel arches.
The 20 Series also came in a long wheel base, 4 door variant, which is actually called the FJ28, which are extremely rare today.
The way Land Cruiser naming works is that the first letter is the engine type. So the F in FJ means that it has an F powered vehicle, which is a petrol motor. The J is just standard for Land Cruisers. If it’s a Land Cruiser, it’s got a J in it. And if it’s a diesel, then it will be a BJ, or an HZJ, and that is really just telling you what motor it has in it. The first number then indicates the series, and the second number (generally speaking) indicates the wheel base. So for example:
Toyota Land Cruiser JF25:
Toyota Land Cruiser FJ25:
F – Petrol Motor
J – Means it’s a Land Cruiser
2 – Tells us it’s a 20 Series
5 – Indicates the wheelbase (the higher the number, the long the vehicle)
For a few years in the 1960’s the FJ35V made a short lived appearance. We won’t put it in it’s own category but we figured it was worth a mention.
Land Cruiser 40 Series
While initially short on demand, the Land Cruiser quickly gained in popularity and really made a name for itself. This was seen in the Land Cruiser 40 Series, which ended up being a best seller all over the world.
The 40 Series came in several variations, such as two different trucks as well as long and short wheel base versions. Model numbers included FJ40, FJ42, FJ43, FJ44, BJ44, FJ45, BJ46, and HJ47.
These Land Cruisers were produced by Toyota from 1960 all the way up to 2001 in certain countries.
Land Cruiser 55 Series
Next on the list is 55 Series. Originally this was just the long wheel base FJ40, but it then became the FJ55V and was the first Land Cruiser wagon to go into regular production from 1967-1980. It rapidly evolved into its own model, and hence the change from FJ40 to FJ55V.
The 55 Series Land Cruiser was a passenger friendly alternative to the more rugged FJ40’s. They also saw a change in engine type from FJ to 2FJ, meaning an increase in engine capacity. This allowed the 55 to travel more comfortably at highway speeds.
Land Cruiser 60 Series
Toyota then replaced the 55 Series with the 60 Series in the 80’s. It had a more box shape look to it, as well as being built to increase the comfort of on-road driving. The 60 Series Land Cruiser was meant to be direct competition to the Range Rover, and hence sported a much larger and more modern body compared to previous models.
In addition to coming out in a diesel version, Toyota introduced fuel injection, power windows and for the first time, an automatic transmission. The 60 also came out with a new dashboard, adding to the modern look of the SUV’s interior. The old 2F-type 4.2-litre inline-six was replaced by a new 3F-type 4.0-litre engine.
Land Cruiser 70 Series
The 70 Series came out in response to the need for a more heavy duty offering for the markets that required it. So in 1975 the Land Cruiser 70 Series was released and is still produced to this day. It comes in a huge variety of configurations, from different motors to different lengths, to bakkie or station wagon.
In this model, Toyota put offroad performance and heavy duty reliability ahead of personal comfort. As a result, the 70 has become the popular choice for many offroaders or where that robust heavy duty performance is required, like with farmers or on mines.
What many people don’t know is that the Prado originated from the 70 Series, and only became its own line in 1990.
Land Cruiser 80 Series
Next came the 80 Series, another iconic model in the Land Cruiser history. Longer and wider than its predecessor, this vehicle came out in 1990. This was a big shift for Toyota, and many Land Cruiser owners didn’t like it. With options of leather seats, coil suspension, and some other major changes, there were a lot of mixed opinions about it, and many people simply said that Toyota was moving away from their roots. But fast forward 30 years, and everybody loves the 80 Series Land Cruiser.
Land Cruiser 100 Series
In 1998 Toyota then brought out the 100 Series to replace the 80 Series. While not really differing too much in terms of styling, there were some pretty major changes that happened under the body. For example a new 4.7 litre V8 engine was put in with 230 bhp, replacing the 80’s 212hp inline six motor. Toyota also improved the structural rigidity of the 100 by around 50%, as well as adding an independent front suspension (similar to that of the Prado) as opposed to the 80’s live front axle. Between 2003 and 2006 the 100 underwent another 2 facelifts bringing it’s V8 power output up to 275 horsepower.
Land Cruiser 200 Series
For some time the Land Cruiser 200 Series was the pinnacle of luxury 4×4’s. From 2008 to 2021 the luxury machine was designed to compete with the G-Wagens and Range Rovers on the road, but quite simply blew them out the water with its offroad capabilities. Toyota kept a two-speed transfer case and diff locks from previous models, however they did add a 5.7 litre V8 packing 381 of horsepower with a 6-speed automatic transmission, which has come to be so loved by the Land Cruiser community.
In 2016, the 200 was given a slight facelift with an 8-speed automatic transmission, and some refreshing design changes. The Land Cruiser 200 Series has been a long time favorite in the Land Cruiser community, and so it’s no wonder there was such a shake-up when the new 300 Series hit SA shores in 2021.
Land Cruiser 300 Series
So what was the shake-up with the 300 Series? Well for one, the decreased engine capacity going from a 5.7L V8 in the 200 to a 3.3 litre turbo diesel V6 or a 3.5 litre twin turbo V6 petrol. Despite this decrease, the performance stats of the V6 are rather impressive and once again Toyota have produced a really quality motor. There are still mixed emotions, however, among the Land Cruiser community. The 300 Series comes in 5 different models:
- Land Cruiser 300 GX-R 3.3D
- Land Cruiser 300 ZX 3.3D
- Land Cruiser 300 ZX 3.5T
- Land Cruiser 300 GR-S 3.3D
- Land Cruiser 300 GR-S 3.5T
The 300 also underwent significant design changes, giving it a slightly new age sport look.
For more on the Land Cruiser 300 series check out our article Land Cruiser 300 Series – The Stats.
