The Toyota Land Cruiser Is Coming Back To America
- Thread starter Christian P.
- Start date
It's going to be loved once people drive one. It just takes a little vision and knowing what is underneath. I think Toyota failed on pointing that out which is why we are in this light duty /prado misunderstanding of what this thing is.
nickw
Adventurer
Exactly - that was kind of my point all along, folks care about the platform and how it's built, they should have just come out and said something to that effect. I guys over at IH8MUD are debating this too, somebody pointed out just today that the published weight specs are very close between the GX550 and the LC300 which also points in the direction you are suggesting....
SkiWill
Well-known member
I'm not surprised by this at all, and frankly never really understood all of the IH8MUD and ExPo Prado bashing.
Fitting 1 ton running gear to a small, nimble, "Prado" sized vehicle or even a 200 series for that matter is unbelievably stupid and doesn't make engineering sense and personally speaking as an engineer who works with Japanese engineers in heavy industry, they would find it beyond stupid. Fitting appropriate parts to meet a particular end use to give a reasonable compromise between performance and cost is intelligent engineering, and Toyota is remarkably good at it.
The Prado may not have had the same size tie rods in the past because they were built on different platforms with different size vehicles, not because it was a piece of crap, because it clearly wasn't. Also, I think there are a lot of things, speaking from 1st hand experience, that don't translate into English very well from Japanese. In English, lots of people think, "light duty" means cheap, crappy pile of steaming...stuff. In Japanese it means they are building a vehicle that's not intended to carry the same payload as an 18 wheeler with Boeing 747 wheel bearings but a well built nimble vehicle that works very well for its intended purpose of not hauling 100 ton mining dump truck tires to the mine.
Now with all of these vehicles on the the same exact platform with almost the same footprint and powertrains with more torque than anything preceding it, unsurprisingly the running gear is the same or near as makes no difference similar.
This vehicle will print money for Toyota, be a fantastic vehicle, and those that can't get over the name, well, that's their own issue. It's a freaking car, a lump of metal designed on a common platform shared globally across many vehicles so you can get parts for it literally anywhere, engineered and brought to market by some of the best engineering and business teams in the world. Sounds pretty good to me, and if you don't like the name my best consumer advice is don't buy the product.
And now, back to the chaos...
nickw
Adventurer
Lots to unpack there but I think you are missing the point, who cares about the name as much as the historic design philosophy that went with the name. Nobody said a Prado was a piece of crap - go find that post, you and some of the others are projecting, sorry. Great rig for what it is, but it was not built with the same engineering goals as a LC.
As we found out, it seems like this may in fact be built on a very sim chassis to the LC300.....so if that ends up being the case, which seems likely as his point, your point is completely hypocritical. Are you going to change your tune and think it's not overbuilt and not stupid anymore now?
nickw
Adventurer
You can tell a lot about a person based on their responses sometimes!
Lets just hope those business and engineering teams have gotten better since the TNGF truck platform vehicle introduction. (Tundra) it is turning out less than impressive and it has nothing do with style or looks...
utherjorge
Observer
I remember the new Sequoia intro, and the ExPo review was one of the more thorough in how it explained the connections to the 300 platform.
I also remember the early pics of new Tundras and the turbo problems. No joke, no snark question: what sort of TNGA problems are out there? I haven't done a deep dive, but I haven't seen anything obvious, either.
T-Willy
Well-known member
As I expected. A game-changer if true, especially at that price point. They'll sell so many of these.
The Turbo issues are so 2022...they have a failing engine issue when the trucks are getting 20k plus on them. They still have not figured out the cause, or if it was a certain batch of parts etc, so IMO everything is a potential ticking timebomb until they narrow down the cause and batch etc. I personally would not buy one without the best bumper to bumper extended warranty I could buy right now.
Of course not every engine is having this issue, but without figuring out the cause, there is really no way to know if yours is next, they are giving no warning just done. Not very confidence inspiring in the backcountry.
A google search titled 3rd gen tundra engine failures should provide a bit of reading.
Now, do I think this will be an issue with the new LC, probably not, especially considering where they are going to be built.
utherjorge
Observer
I did that, and this was a pretty informative article I had not seen before. I was aware of those turbo issues, AND that they had supposedly been solved.
This one, too:
OFFICIAL MY22+ Tundra/MY23+ Sequoia V35A-FTS (Type '21) Engine Failure Discussion Thread
There is a sticky to post information on your engine failures that we are not supposed to turn into a discussion thread. Today, I inadvertently...
www.tundras.com
It seems like a plausible problem is poor machining of the block, but no one has an answer yet that is definitive. However, on that Tundra forum, there are trolls claiming with no proof that Toyota is denying warranty claims. So, the trolls are out everywhere 🙃
Yeah, I'm sure they are taking care of the warranty on the engines , I would like to see them figure out the cause and come up with a solution before I would have confidence with a purchase. The only reason I care, is that I was in the market for a new 1/2 ton and the Tundra was at the top of my list. If it had not looked horrible, I might have bought one early on, with the confidence that its a Toyota and its well put together. (my experience in the past anyway) and had the chance of a big headache that takes 2 or more months to solve for my faith in the build quality. The rebuild kits are on a deep backorder, so I guess there are more engines with issues than we see.I did that, and this was a pretty informative article I had not seen before. I was aware of those turbo issues, AND that they had supposedly been solved.
This one, too:
OFFICIAL MY22+ Tundra/MY23+ Sequoia V35A-FTS (Type '21) Engine Failure Discussion Thread
There is a sticky to post information on your engine failures that we are not supposed to turn into a discussion thread. Today, I inadvertently...
It seems like a plausible problem is poor machining of the block, but no one has an answer yet that is definitive. However, on that Tundra forum, there are trolls claiming with no proof that Toyota is denying warranty claims. So, the trolls are out everywhere 🙃
I now am on the look out for a low mileage 2nd/2.5 Gen Tundra...lol
To to loop it back to the LC, having seen this rollout with the Tundra and failures in the first year, I definitely will keep an eye on any issues as these roll out. I would like to pick up a dedicated overland SUV base rig (currently the tacoma serves the bill and does double duty) and I like what I see with this rig. I will still probably give it several years to accumulate miles on the powertrain and pick up a low mileage 4 runner in the interim. I just hope they have better luck with the little 4 cylinder and whichever factories are building them than they are having with the Tundra engine factory. (assuming its a build issue, not an engineering issue with the engine)
I agree with this. For some reason it seems that the Tundra has the least amount of features and lowest QC of any of the new Toyota TNGA-F vehicles. Its ugly, no tow hooks, complaints of cheap interior, lacks off-road goodies of other vehicles, etc etc. I think the soon to be released Tacoma is a bit more refined and feature packed than the Tundra. It's almost like the Tundy was the guinea pig of the platform and those that bought into the Tundra early on kinda got skunked. If I'm looking for a Tundra I'd probably wait for a mid-cycle refresh so it can catch up to the Tacoma and Sequoia.
tacollie
Glamper
I know a lot of doctors and nurses. I like the nurses better🤣Nurse = GX/Prado drivers and Doctors = LC drivers
T-Willy
Well-known member
Land Cruiser "250" Design Sketches | Toyota Design | Toyota Brand | Mobility | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website
Introducing design sketches for the new Land Cruiser "250". Combining heritage with modern style, the design keywords are Reliable, Timeless and Professional, to create something that will be trusted and cherished, with sophisticated functional beauty useful even on the job.
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