Toyota LandCruiser 80 Series Station Wagon.

Above: George Tsoukas' Toyota LandCruiser during an off-road event organised to raise money for disadvantaged children: My Toyota 80-Series Landcruiser has been fitted with 13"x33" TSL Super Swampers for off road use. It has Old Man Emu (OME) shockers and springs which gave it about 50mm lift. It has a TJM alloy bar and Warn 9000lb winch fitted. The spot lights are IPF super rallys (170 watt each). Under the bonnet, the engine is standard. I have an ARB air compressor fitted with an outlet mounted on the bull bar. I have installed a Pirahna dual battery system. Inside is pretty standard, except for the sound system upgrade which includes four Polk speakers and a Kicker subwoofer in the back. Great for those long trips in the outback. I also have a Garmin GPS, and two CBs (UHF and AM).

The Cruiser has been across the Simpson Desert [e.g.], into the Victorian high country and all over the beaches in Robe [e.g.], South Australia (among many other places).
- George Tsoukas

4wd.sofcom.com/Toyota/Toyota.html

Above: Two Toyota LandCruiser 80-Series station wagons. The one on the left is in the Victorian high plains. The one on the right[*] is crossing a sand dune on the French Line in the Simpson Desert, Australia.

An Australian Rail Track Corporation's 'cruiser with guide wheels that can be lowered hydraulically for driving on rail tracks. It is used between Kalgoorlie and Broken Hill which includes the world's longest straight stretch of rail - at 478km.

The 80-Series arrived in Australia in 1990. It was Toyota's first LandCruiser to be fitted with coil springing, excepting the SWB LandCruiser Bundera which was not a huge success.

The 80-Series initially came with the old 4.2 litre petrol engine which was replaced c1992 with a 4.5 litre dohc engine. Two diesels were offered: the 4.2 litre sohc 1HZ and the 4.2 litre sohc turbo-charged 1HDT. The latter is an unusual, perhaps unique diesel, in having 4 valves per cylinder. Petrol engines find 4 valves useful at high revs to improve high speed "breathing" although they can actually reduce low speed torque. Diesels do not rev so high and are not strangled (literally throttled) so it would be interesting to know if the extra valves are really useful or just a marketing ploy.

The top of the range was Toyota's answer to the Range Rover coil springs, constant 4WD, and a similar price tag. The basic models are popular with public utilities and the top of the range GLX models, rival the Range Rover in price and equipment.

Toyota LandCruiser 80-Series Station Wagon c1992 - 1998

• station wagon, 5+3 seats, 4 door, optional driver air-bag
• loa: 4780mm, width: 1930mm, height: 1875mm, weight: 2100 - 2300kg
• GVM: 2960kg, towing: 750kg (unbraked)
• turning radius: 6.4m (to wall)
• petrol: (FZJ80R-GNMNKQ, FZJ80R-GNMNKQ and FZJ80R-GNPNKQ)
  • 1FZ-FE 4477cc 6 cyls Efi 4v/cyl dohc
  • bore: 100mm, stroke: 95mm, c.r.: 9.0:1
• diesel: (HZJ80R-GCMRSQ, HZJ80R-GNMNSQ)
  • 1HZ 4164cc 6cyl sohc
  • bore: 94mm, stroke: 100mm, cr: 22.7:1
• turbo-diesel: (HDJ80R-GNMNXQ, HDJ80R-GNPNXQ)
  • 1HDT 4164cc, 6cyl, turbo-charged, 4v/cyl, sohc
  • bore: 94mm, stroke: 100mm, cr: 18.6:1
• transmission: 5m/4a, full-time 4WD (centre diff'). GXL turbo has viscous coupling on centre diff'. Base diesel model has part-time 4WD.
• suspension: beam-coil/beam-coil, brakes: disc/disc, handbrake acts on rear wheels
• tyres: 7.50R16 or 275/70R16, fuel-tank: 95L + 50L
• Note: dimensions vary slightly with different tyres fitted.
• competition: Nissan Patrol

Other Toyota LandCruisers:

• Australian 40th edition, 1993
• Successor, 100, and predecessor, 60/62, - Series station wagons
• Go to the Toyota page

[*] Desert photo - George Couyant