Lack of 70 series Land Cruisers.

[Flagster]

Not sure what you mean by a RHD US spec 60? Assuming your asking what the advantage is over a standard US FJ60?

Turbo'ed 4 cylinder, motors it around just fine. I'd say similar to the 2F albeit far better economy in the meantime. The killer thing for me is the removable top option on some 7x models, not a remote selling point for some but I like it. Beyond that the non-US stuff is often 5 speed manual trans equipped, full-float rear axles, factory winch and locker options, power windows/doors before they appeared in the US, etc. If someone consulted me about going around the globe in a RHD 7x versus a US spec FJ60... I'd simply tell them to choose the one that is the cleanest and most maintained, either is going to do the trick. 7x parts are going to be easier to find around the globe but a good chunk of the FJ60 stuff (drive train wise) is the same including axle parts, suspension parts, trans/t-case parts, etc. Either will suffice.

Thanks

I meant LHD US FJ60...

 

[David Harris]

i've always viewed the 70 being designed as a little 3/4 ton pickup adapted as an SUV. its better for loads, but then a little worse off road. unlike you, i dont view the G as any better. but its a give and take.

the question being, is it easier to add load capability to a Landcruiser or a 4 door wrangler, and keep the excellent offroad prowess, or to attempt to start with a say, a HD 70 series, and improve its offroadiness. personally, i think the answer to that question, lies in the existence of leaf springs in the basic design.

The answer is easy. A Defender 110 or 130 has far superior off road performance to a Land Cruiser and is available with equal or greater load capacity. The best 4x4xFar.

2012 Land Rover Defender 110 Hard Top 2.2L Turbo Diesel

Minimum Ground Clearance 9.8 inches
Approach Angle 49 degrees
Departure Angle 35 degrees
Ramp Break 150 degrees
Gross Vehicle Weight 7716 lbs. (3500 kg.)
Curb Weight 4435 lbs. (2013 kg.)
Payload 3278 lbs. (1487 kg.)
Average Fuel Consumption 22 mpg
Range 429 miles (690 km.)

 

[David Harris]

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

Tell that to the British SAS:

 

[Mako1114]

Tell that to the British SAS:

Kinda looks more like RMC than SAS but regardless, that MK19 is the heat!

Cheers

 

[Arktikos]

The answer is easy. A Defender 110 or 130 has far superior off road performance to a Land Cruiser and is available with equal or greater load capacity. The best 4x4xFar./QUOTE]

Unfortunately they have a well deserved reputation for poor reliability. My buddy with two Rovers will vouch for this. Nevertheless he still loves them.

About those 70 series Land Cruisers. They're not for sale in Afghanistan either, but where there's a will there's a way. If you're willing to lie, cheat or steal, obtaining any of these trucks should not be a problem. Clerics are well versed in these methods.


From the NY Times,

How the warriors of Islam came by their vehicles (Toyota Hilux and Land Cruiser) works like this: Corrupt importers in Pakistan order vehicles by the hundreds, mostly from distributors in Dubai or Kuwait, and register them for transit to Afghanistan. In practice, the vehicles "fall off the back" of transporters along the way, in provinces of Pakistan adjacent to the border. There, free of duty and tax, they are sold at a fraction of the official price.

In the case of the vehicles used by the Taliban and Al Qaeda, the purchasers of first record — or no record, since most of the vehicles have no registration papers — are often the madrassahs, or religious schools.

The clerics who run the madrassahs pass the vehicles on to their faith-brothers in Afghanistan. In some cases, according to Pakistani officials, who lose an estimated $1 billion a year in duties in such scams, the vehicles are stolen from the people who obtained them illegally in the first place.

 

[David Harris]

The answer is easy. A Defender 110 or 130 has far superior off road performance to a Land Cruiser and is available with equal or greater load capacity. The best 4x4xFar.

Unfortunately they have a well deserved reputation for poor reliability. My buddy with two Rovers will vouch for this. Nevertheless he still loves them.

Their reliability record is not that of the Land Cruiser, yet it is not as bad as people make out either. They continue to be highly sought-out vehicles which have been used daily for decades in tough conditions all over the world. That fact speaks to their performance for the job they are intended to do. Another one like the 70 is the Gwagen, but that also has a poor suspension design. Patrols have good off road performance and reliability, so those are fine as well. All vehicles have their flaws, and there is no such thing as a perfect choice in all respects. All in all the ROW Defender is hard to beat when all factors are taken into account, not just absolute reliability.

 

[graynomad]

reputation for poor reliability

Reliability is the most important feature in my book, there is nothing worse then a breakdown in the middle of nowhere. Other vehicles may be better off road but the 70s are well good enough, after all we're talking solo overlanding not weekend rock crawling with 20 mates (or at least I am ), the criteria are a lot different.

 

[Douglas S.]

Agreed, reliability is paramount. Doesn't matter how good the suspension is if the truck suffers a catastrophic drivetrain failure.

I would love to have a Land Rover as a second vehicle, allowing me the time to do all required maintenance.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

British soldiers in a british truck.

Tell that to the British SAS:

 

[Elbee]

They also disappear when they get loaded on the back of local semis and shipped from base to base. The transponders get turned off at times and the equipment get lost somewhere in a black-hole and then sometimes they appear a month later at their destination and sometimes never. Probably the poor guy in the semi gets lost and gets jacked. I saw a tanker flipped over in a gully right off a remote valley road flying one time, kids were jumping on top the trailer, the cab was burnt to a crisp and you could see the locals were siphoning the fuel in 55 gallon drums.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Their reliability record is not that of the Land Cruiser, yet it is not as bad as people make out either. They continue to be highly sought-out vehicles which have been used daily for decades in tough conditions all over the world. That fact speaks to their performance for the job they are intended to do. Another one like the 70 is the Gwagen, but that also has a poor suspension design. Patrols have good off road performance and reliability, so those are fine as well. All vehicles have their flaws, and there is no such thing as a perfect choice in all respects. All in all the ROW Defender is hard to beat when all factors are taken into account, not just absolute reliability.

Land rover was really good at advertisement. Their suspension isn't as good as everyone makes it out to be. Plus the 70 series can get lockers as well as the g. Which will make it surpass a rovers ability.

http://youtu.be/dBNPZFNOK-4

 

[David Harris]

Agreed, reliability is paramount. Doesn't matter how good the suspension is if the truck suffers a catastrophic drivetrain failure.

I would love to have a Land Rover as a second vehicle, allowing me the time to do all required maintenance.

Catastrophic failures in diesel Rovers and most V8's are rare with proper maintenance. In my experience almost all of the problems encountered are field repairable and don't stop the vehicle. Besides it's not like Land Cruisers are immune to breakdowns. I experienced a case in Tanzania once where game wardens were out in a 70 and a Defender and the 70 started overheating and had to be towed out of the bush. It turned out to be a cracked cylinder head on the Cruiser. Seen lots of other cracked and overheating 70 series heads as well. So much for lack of catastrophic engine failures on Cruisers. It is true that one can't extensively abuse a Rover with lack of maintenance for long without paying the price, whereas a Cruiser can absorb more of that. Eventually they too will succumb. I'm more concerned about having a vehicle which is reliable enough and field repairable if it does have problems, which all vehicles will at one time or another:

 

[toylandcruiser]

There is a website dedicated to the suck known as land rovers

http://landroverhell.com

 

[David Harris]

Land rover was really good at advertisement. Their suspension isn't as good as everyone makes it out to be. Plus the 70 series can get lockers as well as the g. Which will make it surpass a rovers ability.

Lockers are pretty much mandatory on 70's and G's to make up for their poor suspension. Put lockers on a Defender and it's that much better still.

 

[David Harris]

There is a website dedicated to the suck known as land rovers

http://landroverhell.com

All I can say is that the real truth on both Toyota and Land Rover lies somewhere in the middle of the myths on both sides.