Lack of 70 series Land Cruisers.

[Douglas S.]

A Patrol and 75/78 Series do not share the same market. Now, a Patrol and an 80/100 is a fair comparison.

Maybe it's been said before, but a 75/78 is a work truck. As in underground mining. And for that purpose they are the best value, period.

An 80 will spank any 70 series offroad. Except a 74 - which has front coils and lockers (JDM) and SWB. Which, IMHO I'd prefer 10 out of 10 over some domestic offerings.

Now, would you take an 80 Series underground as a personnel carrier/explosives derrick? No. A Patrol? NO

IIRC, the BJ74 has leafs front and rear. All modern (late 90's? +) 7x Series trucks have coils up front.

Also, until very recently, Nissan manufactured Patrol Ute's that competed directly with 75/79 series cruisers.

 

[graynomad]

Although the 75 does have more room

Yep, my preference for 70s is entirely because they have more room (troopie) and more payload capability (cab chassis) which in my case really just translates to more room and with a cab chassis you have all the back to do what you like, no working around side walls and floors I don't need.

 

[alia176]

Indeed the grass is always greener. I think it was Containerized that explained it best for me.
I cannot quote him directly, but it was something along the lines of the Tacoma being built to carry your family comfortably while towing 2000lbs whereas the Hilux is built to carry your work crew (or fellow dissidents) with 2000lbs in the bed.
Add that to the fact that 90% of U.S. buyers would probably get into a Hilux and wonder when Toyota went backwards 10yrs in time on the quality of their interior materials, and that's why we have the Tacoma here.

Add to that, 9 out of 10 terrorists prefer to mount their .50 Cal machine gun on a Hilux.....:Wow1:

 

[toylandcruiser]

Add to that, 9 out of 10 terrorists prefer to mount their .50 Cal machine gun on a Hilux.....:Wow1:

If they drove rovers, they would be easy to capture. They want to at least attempt to get away.

 

[zimm]

If they drove rovers, they would be easy to capture. They want to at least attempt to get away.

minimal truck capability would encourage those boys to stand and fight.

 

[redthies]

I always figured that was the best advertisement for Toyota... "What do YOU choose to drive when the worlds mightiest military is chasing you??" There were probably quite a few of them fuzzys driving around in Fords and Mazdas etc. but they are just black craters now!

ROFSheriffHL:

 

[Elbee]

Well the Afghan national army is mostly using Ford Rangers. So using that logic, it looks like they are screwed! :Wow1:

 

[plainjaneFJC]

That diesel Colorado will be here before we know it, and I bet it will be cheaper than a TRD Tacoma.

 

[zimm]

As soon as Chevy releases a diesel Colorado, or Ford brings over the diesel International Ranger - my loyalty to Toyota ends. I've seen both in use by the Mexican Army and Navy travelling the last 2 months. Bad *** looking with spec's that exceed the gas-only Hilux's sold here in every category. Toyota had the chance to bring over the D4D to North America and snoozed.

I think there's a bigger market for an economical and capable mid-size than Toyota realizes. Throw on a lightweight pop-top camper and goodbye any lust for 70 series....

do you guys get hiluxes in hoser'eh'stan?

 

[Scott Brady]

A Patrol and 75/78 Series do not share the same market.

A Patrol and a HZJ76 does IMO.

 

[Dan Grec]

do you guys get hiluxes in hoser'eh'stan?

Not new, no.
We can import if older than 15 years.

-Dan

 

[nickw]

OEX has a few. they said theres hardly a part that swaps anywhere. having crawled around one, it definitely isnt the same truck as a tacoma.

the hilux has basically the same design parameters as the 7x in capasity and footprint, but with IFS. considering the size of the trucks, you go bigger than 33's on either and youre into wheel spacers for turning radius. assuming the truck is for long distance travel, and not recreational wheeling, that limits you to 33's and minimal lift. i would say that "overlanders" would likely add lockers if not already present.

once you factor those items in, you realize a live front axle doesnt bring any advantages to the table over the IFS, and the IFS makes washboard tolerable, and allows for a wider range of long stroke straight 4's and 6's to be designed in from the factory. (oil pan)

i wouldnt be surprised if toyota offers a few more body styles in the hilux, when it kills the dinosaur. the chassis is light years better than a 7x. i like the box look of the 7x too, but if someone offered me a cab/chassis in either to use free for 100,000 miles of travel, id kick that 7x to the curb.

Only partially correct based on the research I have done between the two. Parts are not the 'same' in that they can't be swapped between rigs due to slight variation in options, mounts, etc.....but are fundamentally/internally identical, such as:
1) Front axle/diff - same
2) Rear axle/diff - same
3) Transfer case - although manual vs electronic
4) R&P Steering - same
5) Engines - 4.0 and 2.7 are both reasonable popular around the world, many markets get these in Hilux's. With that said, the 4.0 is popular in the landcruisers also.
6) Transmission for the above mentioned engines....still have not concluded if the auto and 5-speed manual are the same as the D4D. I'd suspect they are fundamentally the same with minor ratio variations.

Areas where things differ:
1) Frame - boxed vs channel
2) Brakes
3) Interior
4) Exterior
5) TCase - same internals, different operation
6) D4D

In my mind they are fundamentally the same vehicle. I was always of the opinion that the difference in GVW/Payload was primarily due to the US Market wanting a smoother ride and needing less capacity, so the spring rates vary and the frame is designed with more flex. I don't believe the Tacoma to be built 'less' rugged per se.

Regarding parts being welded vs bolted on the Hilux vs Tacoma - it's a great point and valid if your living in Afghanistan but wouldn't call it a win for the Hilux but rather a reasonable way of mitigating risk associated with lack of maintenance by Toyota.

Somebody posted that you don't hear about broken diffs in Hilux's, not surprising since only in the US do we slap mega tires on our rigs. Remember, many countries have STRICT laws concerning lifts and tire sizes. I'd imagine 99% of Hiluxes around the world being used 'offroad' use 235/85/16's as a max. On the extreme end of the spectrum you have Arctic Trucks with 38's, but their latest creation used a Tacoma as a base platform, go figure...

 

[stonepa]

I always enjoy these conversations about all the tough trucks we can't easily get here in the US. I've been driving Land Cruisers since I bought my FJ60 in 1987. My experience is that our Land Cruisers are plenty tough and long lasting for what most of us use them for. Both my FJ60 and 100 have been all over the Americas, Alaska to Argentina. Both run great even though they are now 27 and 16 years old, respectively. Doesn't get much tougher than that for an expo rig.

Also, diesel stinks. Literally. I'd much rather keep my gassers for just about any American trip I could imagine.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I always enjoy these conversations about all the tough trucks we can't easily get here in the US. I've been driving Land Cruisers since I bought my FJ60 in 1987. My experience is that our Land Cruisers are plenty tough and long lasting for what most of us use them for. Both my FJ60 and 100 have been all over the Americas, Alaska to Argentina. Both run great even though they are now 27 and 16 years old, respectively. Doesn't get much tougher than that for an expo rig.

Also, diesel stinks. Literally. I'd much rather keep my gassers for just about any American trip I could imagine.

Would love to hear more about your FJ100

 

[cruiseroutfit]

speaking of 70 series LC's, just found this:

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/pts/4118976716.html

Deleted (sold?) but I'm assuming it was the grey one?

Plenty more making their way to the states, there are a handful in Texas waiting for new homes:
http://www.landcruisersdirect.com/

The repair, maintenance and aftermarket parts inventories are following suit here in the States, it's 7x season