UZJ100 vs. Tacoma Doublecab

[mike h]

Nobody touched on the AWD aspects of the LC. I would think in Calgary, especially as a family truckster, that would be most appreciated. I used to think a 'real 4wd' was just as good, but all it took was a simple Subaru for my wife to change my mind. Living in northern Maine, we spend a lot of time on mixed surfaces. Not having to think about 2wd/4wd in a manual shift on-the-fly situation is really nice when you have a lot of ground to cover.

In cold weather climates I prefer the wagon style to a pick-up. If affording an LC isn't a major concern, they are hard to argue against.

That said, I haven't made the LC leap myself, although it's been a fairly constant obsession in recent years. It's been Schotts adventures that have me thinking a 100 may be a suitable successor to the venerable 80s.

 

[ShottsCruisers]

Nobody touched on the AWD aspects of the LC. I would think in Calgary, especially as a family truckster, that would be most appreciated. I used to think a 'real 4wd' was just as good, but all it took was a simple Subaru for my wife to change my mind. Living in northern Maine, we spend a lot of time on mixed surfaces. Not having to think about 2wd/4wd in a manual shift on-the-fly situation is really nice when you have a lot of ground to cover.

In cold weather climates I prefer the wagon style to a pick-up. If affording an LC isn't a major concern, they are hard to argue against.

That said, I haven't made the LC leap myself, although it's been a fairly constant obsession in recent years. It's been Schotts adventures that have me thinking a 100 may be a suitable successor to the venerable 80s.

Good point. It's EASY to swing that rear end right around in a Taco. On the other hand the 100 is plain boring. No donuts. :victory:

 

[Brian894x4]

:elkgrin:

John's UZJ100 is an awesome machine, and extremely comfortable to drive on the road and trail. It is dialed to his driving style and trail preferences too. I am just much of an 80 series / Tacoma kind of guy, mostly because of value and the cost of luxury equipment on payload.

A bare bones 105 with a diesel, now that! :jumping:

Hey now...there's an idea. What about an 80 or an LX450 instead of a 100?

It would be cheaper, more capable off road, easier to modify, lighter than 100, just as reliable, if not more than both the 100 and Taco and as long as you have you're own personal oil pipeline attached to it, it should be many years of happy wheeling and roading. Oh ya, and if you're lucky enough to find one with the lockers, we can stop debating which one is better off road in stock form.

I'm loving my 80 and I just can't wait to get started on the mods!

 

[Scott Brady]

It's EASY to swing that rear end right around in a Taco.

John, that is a good attribute :elkgrin:

 

[ShottsCruisers]

John, that is a good attribute :elkgrin:

Yes...when you're flying down Price Road at Bondurant speeds. :truck:

One dude gave me an idea on how to do that in the 100. Lock the CDL (VSC off) and lock the rear and hit it. ???

 

[devinsixtyseven]

Nobody touched on the AWD aspects of the LC. I would think in Calgary, especially as a family truckster, that would be most appreciated. I used to think a 'real 4wd' was just as good, but all it took was a simple Subaru for my wife to change my mind. Living in northern Maine, we spend a lot of time on mixed surfaces. Not having to think about 2wd/4wd in a manual shift on-the-fly situation is really nice when you have a lot of ground to cover.

That's for sure! I've been very tempted to make the truck AWD (the tcase & center diff are somewhat interchangable, Tundra to Sequoia). It's probably something that would work on a Tacoma as well, the transmissions are similar.

 

[J-man]

That is the coolest land cruiser i have ever seen. Period!

Apples to oranges comparo.

I had both...my 2001 UZJ and a Donohoe/Deaver 2004 Double Cab.

I hated to drive the Taco....anywhere. It's gone and an Rx8 replaced it. I was PERSONAL, not meant as a cut-down.

My impressions of the Taco off-road were good. It was a wheel-lifter though it did very well. To discredit a Taco on the trail is dumb. They are very capable no doubt.

For me...the UZJ simply is an extention of my body on the trail. Equipped like mine is, it flexes better, is far more comfortable, it rarely lifts a wheel, it simply feels far more planted on the trail, it almost responds to my thoughts about where to go.

So, it really comes down to your needs and wants. Just don't sell the 100 short on capability because it's 3 tons, a bit wider (though shorter), and so luxurious. They will leave folks mouths hangin' open. :arabia:

 

[Redline]

Enjoying the thread gentlemen...

I recently made a similar decision myself: New double-cab Tacoma vs. New 4Runner for a new 4x4/Expedition rig.

I have always been a pickup guy, open beds, no camper shells or tops for me. With the exception of a 1978 International Scout several years ago, the only other enclosed/wagon utility vehicle I have owned was my recent '05 Jeep Rubicon. In contrast I have owned seven 4x4 trucks, six of them were full-sized 3/4 - 1-ton models, with only one Ford Ranger V6 mini-truck in the mix two decades ago. Three of the trucks were diesels. The stiff unladen ride is something I have apparently just lived with, along with the low traction in the rear when the bed was empty. But the serious contact pressure from narrow tires (235 - 255mm) with a diesel and heavy bumper on the front end has always helped me with traction. This has usually been a positive but there have been times when the weight expedited wallowing swallowing in the soft.

When I started to shop for a Toyota in December, I was surprised when I drove an FJCrusier after a Tacoma DC and was impressed by its more compliant and supple coil sprung rear suspension. This lead me to try a V8 4Runner, which is ultimately what I purchased after finding the right one.

Having always used pickups, loading my gear in the beds but still having plenty of payload left, I began to experience with the realities of a heavily laden wagon with the Wrangler. Though I had stout springs on the rear to handle a big bumper, spare tire, and hi-lift, adding all my gear for a trip still made the Jeep sag in the rear. For extended trips I was still going to need to carry water and fuel, and I was not looking forward to adding this additional liquid weight to the rear of the LJ. This lead me to consider an Adventure Trailer. Though certainly there are trade offs to pulling a trailer instead of just loading our gear on/in our rigs, I purchased a Chaser largely to be able to comfortably & safely haul fuel, water, and gear with less impact on the tow vehicle (the exception of course being that I'm pulling a trailer). Initially I thought of the tent as a luxury bonus, now I'm really looking forward to using it, and my wife like the tent 'feature'.

Though I don't need the 4Runner to be a daily driver, with the amount of money one has to pay for a new/newer vehicle, I wanted it to be a dual-purpose car. How it works on-road & comfort is very important to me (why the LJ is gone). Like others have mentioned, I also used to have similar feelings about full-time 4WD or all-wheel-drive rigs. I thought they were for women and not real 'trucks', but I have quickly come to enjoy the sure-footed nature of on-highway 4WD and a day like today was a perfect example. With a little snow in the Sierras I drove on wet pavement, snow, slush, deeper snow, some ice, back to wet and then intermittent dry pavement. When there was enough slip on the ground I locked the center diff/T-case as this is the kind of 4x4 I'm used to driving, and I don't want the computer to cut the power if I need to power out of a little slip.

So my decision wasn't Tacoma vs. LC, but similar with the slightly smaller/lighter 4Runner trying to fill the shoes of the mighty Land Cruiser.

Regarding weight distribution... My hard-top LJ had an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution stock: Steer Axle 1940, Drive Axle 2040, for a Gross Weight of 3980-lbs. It was still pretty well balanced with a bumper, tire, jack on the rear and a heavy bumper and Warn 8274 on the front: Steer 2240, Drive 2320, Gross 4560, but this is without any camping gear, fuel, water, etc. When that was added, almost completely on the rear axle, the weight distribution balance was lost.

The V8 '06 4Runner doesn't feel like it when traveling down the road, but it's biased toward the front in stock trim: Steer Axle 2480, Drive Axle 2040, Gross 4520. In the next few weeks I will be adding a bumper/winch to the front, slides to the sides, and OME suspension. Most of this weight will land on the front axle. But when I add gear to the rear for a heavy trip, either with tongue weight or just with gear in the back of the wagon, I think the weight distribution will be very good, and not too heavy in the rear. At least that's the goal. We shall see.

That's for sure! I've been very tempted to make the truck AWD (the tcase & center diff are somewhat interchangable, Tundra to Sequoia). It's probably something that would work on a Tacoma as well, the transmissions are similar.