North American J100 Landcruiser question and opinion about Consumer Reports

[Husker98]

Hello!

Quick question for the Overland SMEs out there. After reading the "Top Ten Used Overland Vehicles" article posted a while ago Does anyone know if the J100 featured in the article is different than the ones sold overseas?

I have much experience with those overseas; however, the ones sold don't seem to be the same thing....

I called Toyota North America HQ and it could not answer this question...go figure.

Big, big difference from what I see.

Article: http://expeditionportal.com/top-10-used-overland-vehicles/

Also, anyone have opinions of the Consumer Reports reviews? They seem to be 180 degrees out sometimes from what I see on the various articles on the forum...

Thanks for the help!

Husker

 

[hoser]

North America only gets the UZJ100 with Independent Front Suspension and the V8, 2UZ-FE engine. Rest of the world get the 100 and the 105 (Solid front axle), which looks near identical to the 100. The 105 is often referred to as a 100 though. The overseas 100 gets at least 3 different engine choices and the 105 gets at least 2.

To answer your question, Yes, the IFS, 2UZ-FE LC100 is available in many parts of the world but there are several other versions as well.

 

[Arktikos]

Also, anyone have opinions of the Consumer Reports reviews? They seem to be 180 degrees out sometimes from what I see on the various articles on the forum

Specifically? Truck guys usually don't like Consumer Reports because they always point out the shortcomings inherent in large 4WD vehicles.

 

[Husker98]

Big help with the prompt replies and as I go through the vehicle buying experience! (just lost my 93 LC to an accident..not a happy camper as I haven't had a car payment in 10 x years).

So, based on the reports here, it looks like the North American version will do the trick, but I'm still not totally convinced that the North American variant is as good as the overseas version.

Though I could be very wrong based on what I'm seeing in these posts...

Thanks again!

Husker