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1999 November:
The Toyota LandCruiser 100-series GXL 4.5 litre 6-cylinder
won the all terrain wagon category
of the 1999 NRMA and RACV combined best car awards.
1998: The Toyota LandCruiser 100-series got its Australian launch in April 1998 after first showings at the Tokyo Motor Show, October 1997, and with a closely related Lexus LX470 4x4 popping up at the 1998 Melbourne Motor Show.
 The six cylinder Landcruisers, petrol and diesel, still have live front axles. |
The new 100-series LandCruiser range consists of 11 models. There are three engines: 4.7L V8 petrol, 4.5L 6-cyl petrol and 4.2L 6-cyl diesel. That diesel is naturally aspirated; the 4.2L turbo-diesel previously offered on the 80-series LandCruiser has been discontinued, hmmm.... There are 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic gearboxes coupled to a full-time 4WD transfer-case with centre diff' (and lock), although the two base models get a part-time 4WD system. An innovation at the front end is independent front suspension with double-wishbones and torsion-bar springs on the GXV model. A live front axle with coil springs is still fitted to the other LandCruisers.
While there is a strong family resemblance to the previous
80-series LandCruiser, the new 4WD has a revised chassis,
longer and wider body, and more aerodynamic shape.
It is also generally bigger, and heavier.
The 80-series standard models had a narrower track than
the top models which had add-on flares to cover wider rubber and track.
The 100-series follows the current fashion in integrated
wheel-arches cum flares (first seen on an Audi Quattro?)
and the new standard models have nearly 3" more track to
match.
 LandCruiser GXV gets a 4.7L V8 motor, automatic transmission and independent front suspension.  V8 - 4wd.sofcom.com/4WD.html |
The V8 engine is new, shared with the Lexus LX470 4WD and is only available with the automatic transmission. It is interesting that it only manages 5kW more power than the 6-cylinder motor, at 200rpm higher. Torque is 5% more, at 200rpm lower than the 6. It will be interesting to see how the public views the Toyota / Lexus split. Lexus and Toyota are handled as separate companies and the cars, and now the LX470 4WD, are sold through separate dealers, but the only real differences here are in the level of equipment and the price. To quote Toyota, "There is now emerging an upper luxury [4WD] segment - once the domain of LandCruiser Sahara and one British competitor [whose name apparently cannot be mentioned]. The LandCruiser Sahara has now been discontinued and LandCruiser 100 will compete solely in the large 4x4 segment".
- 4wd.sofcom.com/4WD.html
1998 100-Series Landcruiser.
So far it is stock standard with electric roof and other small goodies.
It has been convered to run on LPG with
a rear wheel carrier to relocate the spare.
I have also added an ARB colour coded front bar and driving lights.
It also has a CB for track communications -
Ian
[9/'99]
Go to the
100-series
(current) and
Toyota
(main) pages
