Is a Land Cruiser really better off-road than a Tacoma? My experience says the opposite..

[bkg]

Interesting perspective. My brother has a tacoma and my dad has an LC. They both love them.

My view is they are built for two completely different things. I view Tacoma's as rugged, not luxury. Whereas the LC is luxury, not rugged.

I think a lot of the hype (deserved) for the LC, especially in the states, is that they are kind of a gem. I see probably 1,000 Tacomas a day. They're literally everywhere and they control the southern Ca market. I see maybe 10 LC's a week. Plus add the entry price. $$ for a Taco, $$$$$$ for an LC.

i find the highlighted very curious... and it reminded me that a definition of LC and Tacoma were not formalized as FZJ80 and 1st gen Tacoma that the OP mentions. I'm curious if that changes opinions at all.

 

[SDDiver5]

i find the highlighted very curious... and it reminded me that a definition of LC and Tacoma were not formalized as FZJ80 and 1st gen Tacoma that the OP mentions. I'm curious if that changes opinions at all.

LOL, Very good point. My view is from 100 series and 2nd gen taco. I also feel like compared to the other LC and Taco models, those 2 are the most popular. Generally speaking.

 

[mtnbike28]

I'd say you nailed the differences, plusses, minuses of the two choices.
Then theres this....

View attachment 731256

But I'm a 2 door fan.... with no need for comfort... I'd go here.

View attachment 731257

I want more info on the 40 - so nice!

 

[billiebob]

I want more info on the 40 - so nice!

all I can say is it was at the Overland BC Rally in 2017.

 

[VuickB6]

That sentence applies to parts as well. LC parts are expensive. That was my second biggest gripe of Land cruiser ownership. My first being they aren't trucks ?

And a lot of those parts are getting hard to find as well. There is a thread on Ih8mud with an ever growing list of parts that are NLA. This is the biggest contributing factor for me moving on to a newer platform.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Problem with this comparison is geographic.
The USA does not get the Land Cruisers that are designed for "off road" use. You only get what we call the Toorak Taxi versions as we call them in Oz.
The 79 series Toyotas are built for off road use.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 otorhome

 

[MOAK]

The pickup sounds like a better choice for your preferences. A simple little 4 cylinder and 5 speed manual Toyota truck is surely one of man's best friends. I miss my old '92 a bit. The rear frame was going on that one too.

A Cruiser will be way better in snow, apparently not an issue for you. Either one can work OK for a single person or a couple for "overlanding". I don't know about the bashing comparsion as that's not my thing. A Cruiser has the rep for being massively overbuilt, but then it's heavier too so which one will break first?

The Taco will break first. Otherwise, Kings, Capos, drug runners, militia groups, guerrilla rebels and NGOs would be using Tacos instead of Cruisers.

 

[MOAK]

Problem with this comparison is geographic.
The USA does not get the Land Cruisers that are designed for "off road" use. You only get what we call the Toorak Taxi versions as we call them in Oz.
The 79 series Toyotas are built for off road use.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 otorhome

Interesting, the 80 series has nearly identical suspension as the 70 series wagons. The only difference is coil springs in the rear. However, if a 70 series wagon or troopy were available here, you know what I’d have done decades ago. LOL !!

 

[MOAK]

And a lot of those parts are getting hard to find as well. There is a thread on Ih8mud with an ever growing list of parts that are NLA. This is the biggest contributing factor for me moving on to a newer platform.

Interesting. I’ve been maintaining mine now for a decade, and as it is true that some parts are no longer available from Toyota, rebuilt parts and quality aftermarket parts have filled the void. Don’t sell yours unless you enjoy suffering from sellers remorse. LOL

 

[Over The Silent Planet]

Different people prefer different vehicles for different uses. The LC is built for a 25- or 30-year service life. I love Tacomas, but I was sorely disappointed when I learned that it took a left turn away from the Hilux and began to be geared toward comfort and manners instead of payload and capability. That’s not to say it won’t still work for someone’s needs, but every built Taco on Instagram is over GVWR.

Face it, everyone. The comfort guys won in the US market. We don’t get the truly capable Toyotas here any more. I would sell my truck in a second if I could get a 79 series LC…

 

[Metcalf]

The amount of front axle issues on the Tacoma's and 4runners of that vintage that wheel with us is terrible. At least one or two axles pop on just about any trip we do to Moab, Rubicon, or Sand Hollow level hard stuff.....and not even THAT hard of trails in those areas. There just isn't many upgrades available for the early generation Tacoma trucks. People in my group have resorted to building custom front 3rd members and axle shafts....and still have some issues.



In contrast, the amount of axle issues in my #LX45 project ( 80 series chassis ) with a 5.3 V8 and 40" tires has been astonishingly low. I do have 300m shafts front and rear, but the only failure so far was shearing off a set of drive flange studs after 3+ years of pretty hard trail work.....Rubicon three times, Dusy-Ershim, Most of the 7-8 rated trails in Sand Hollow, and all the book trails in Moab including Pritchett Canyon more than once.

 

[tacollie]

every built Taco on Instagram is over GVWR.

Every built 80 on Instagram is over GVWR. That's where the 80 wins shines. They last longer over GVWR.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

The amount of front axle issues on the Tacoma's and 4runners of that vintage that wheel with us is terrible. At least one or two axles pop on just about any trip we do to Moab, Rubicon, or Sand Hollow level hard stuff.....and not even THAT hard of trails in those areas. There just isn't many upgrades available for the early generation Tacoma trucks. People in my group have resorted to building custom front 3rd members and axle shafts....and still have some issues.

View attachment 733103

In contrast, the amount of axle issues in my #LX45 project ( 80 series chassis ) with a 5.3 V8 and 40" tires has been astonishingly low. I do have 300m shafts front and rear, but the only failure so far was shearing off a set of drive flange studs after 3+ years of pretty hard trail work.....Rubicon three times, Dusy-Ershim, Most of the 7-8 rated trails in Sand Hollow, and all the book trails in Moab including Pritchett Canyon more than once.

View attachment 733104

Well at least it's not too hard to carry spare CVs and replace them as needed. The J80's weak point seems to be the front diff, which is a lot harder to repair on the trail. But yea, the Tacoma and 3G 4runner are light duty daily drivers, not really designed for extreme terrain or sustained abuse on the rocks. Where the IFS minitrucks really shine is on the kind of mild backwoods trails that are beyond the capability of a soft-roader, but not so rough and technical to require a solid front axle and beefy frame.

But most Americans don't know what to make of the solid front axle and recirculating ball steering in the J80. I mean with a petrol engine it's in big-block tow-truck territory in terms of the performance and fuel economy, but it's not really that great for towing. But then a V6 Tacoma gets about the same MPG as a full-size truck without half the payload and towing capacity, so they're both kind of anachronisms.

Perhaps they're more suited to the terrain out west. They'd be perfect if you happen to live in Venezuela where gas is basically free.

 

[Metcalf]

Well at least it's not too hard to carry spare CVs and replace them as needed. The J80's weak point seems to be the front diff, which is a lot harder to repair on the trail. But yea, the Tacoma and 3G 4runner are light duty daily drivers, nit really designed for extreme terrain or sustained abuse off-road.

So far for me....weak point has been the 8mm hub studs on the J80. I do run stock 4.10 gears in the diffs with an underdrive 1.22 high range in the T-case, but I also have a 5.3 GM V8 and 40" half sticky black label tires. I wouldn't call the front diff 'weak' at this point. The stock 8" HP front diff is pretty strong going forward....but I do pay attention not to back up with a ton of weight on the front axle nose down or bound up. Do I wish that Toyota had a drop out 9.5" high pinion front diff in the J80 chassis, absolutely.

 

[Metcalf]

Well at least it's not too hard to carry spare CVs and replace them as needed. The J80's weak point seems to be the front diff, which is a lot harder to repair on the trail. But yea, the Tacoma and 3G 4runner are light duty daily drivers, not really designed for extreme terrain or sustained abuse off-road.

But most Americans don't know what to make of the solid front axle and recirculating ball steering in the J80. I mean with a petrol engine it's in big-block tow-truck territory in terms of the performance and fuel economy, but it's not really that great for towing. At the same time they're a little big and heavy to be used as backwoods trail beaters.

Oh....and the Tacoma/4runners wheeling with us aren't just popping CVs. They are commonly breaking the front diffs in to lots of little pieces. Being turned one way or the other and pushing on the tire breaks CVs.....both tires straight and any kind of bounce seems to break the front diff. Changing a front diff in those on the trail blows, I would change a front diff on my J80 any day over that.