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© JAMES TAYLOR
Editor: Land Rover Enthusiast Magazine
BACKGROUND
Toyota made no real impact on the British four-wheel drive market until the early Eighties, even though the Land Cruiser had been around in various forms since 1954 and went on to become the world's best-selling light 4x4. Introduced in Japan during 1980, the 60-series long-wheelbase models were brought to Britain early in 1982 (after a summer 1981 preview). So, although they represent the first-generation Land Cruiser to British buyers, they are very far from being the first Land Cruisers.
Although the Land Cruiser had something in common with contemporaries like the Mitsubishi Shogun, it was a very much more rugged and utilitarian vehicle and was not fine-tuned to suit the family estate 4x4 market until later in the decade. The Land Cruiser's market was primarily that of the Land Rover Station Wagon utilities; originally developed as a dirt-road vehicle for underdeveloped countries, it was best suited in Britain to business users rather than family buyers.
The first-generation Land Cruiser's specification was unexceptional, with a ladder-frame chassis and beam axles with leaf springs all round. For the UK, it came only as a four-door estate with a big six-cylinder diesel engine, although other markets were offered different engines. The UK specification was completed by a number of items from the Toyota options list: reclining front seats with head restraints and cloth upholstery, an adjustable steering column, a heated rear window with wash/wipe, and a radio.
The first specification change came in 1983, when the original four-speed manual gearbox was replaced by a five-speed. A four-speed overdrive automatic was briefly available during 1985, but failed to arouse much interest and was quickly withdrawn. A more comprehensive package of specification changes in 1987 produced the GX models, which were rather better suited than earlier vehicles to the demands of the family market.
CHARACTER SUMMARY
The first-generation Land Cruiser is a big vehicle in all respects, offering a vast carrying capacity. However, it also feels big, and some drivers find that its size is somewhat intimidating. Its styling, always rather truck-like, has not dated very well.
The low-down pulling power of the big diesel engine, and the vehicle's great weight and stability give these Land Cruisers excellent towing abilities. However, not even the added creature comforts of the post-1987 GX models can disguise the fact that the first-generation Land Cruiser was designed for parts of the world where roads are few and ruggedness is the primary requirement in a vehicle. That ruggedness undeniably provides a great deal of character, although it is unlikely to suit those whose requirement is for a reasonably sophisticated four-wheel-drive family estate.
PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
The big diesel engine provides relaxed performance, with excellent flexibility from its wide torque band. It is powerful enough to keep a Land Cruiser cruising comfortably for long periods at speeds in excess of the UK motorway limit, but it offers only leisurely acceleration from rest. The slow gearchange is no help here.
Steering is light at parking speeds, but can feel vague when the vehicle is on the move. Soft springing allows quite a lot of body roll on corners, and the brakes are only adequately powerful for such a heavy vehicle and will not reassure nervous drivers. The Land Cruiser's braking system was designed with a load-sensing valve in the rear hydraulic line to cope with a heavily-laden vehicle, and as a result these vehicles tend to stop rather more positively when fully laden.
Off-road, bottom-end torque from the big diesel engine makes light work of steep inclines, but the vehicle's overall size and its long wheelbase do work against it in many situations. The long rear overhang, with the spare wheel below it, can also make life off-road difficult. Axle articulation is good for a leaf-sprung vehicle, but the soft springs can cause a bouncy, wallowy ride on rough terrain.
RELIABILITY, WEKNESSES & SPARES
Build quality and durability are first-rate, and the engine is a particularly long-lived unit if it is regularly serviced. However, the all-steel body does rust as it gets older - in the lower tailgate, around the tailgate window, in the body sills, around the wheelarches, in the roof gutters and just above the hinges in the front doors. Trim is hard-wearing, but many early Land Cruisers have been used very hard and some will have scruffy interiors as a result.
Spares are available through Toyota dealers, but they are not cheap.
RESALE VALUES
Depreciation on these Land Cruisers is only average, although the earliest examples are now available quite cheaply. Even the newest models are not expensive purchases. One reason why values have not dropped further is undoubtedly that the newer Land Cruiser VX is aimed at a very different clientele; secondhand examples are therefore not affecting the prices of the older models. In the longer term, condition and fitness for service will probably come to affect prices more than the vehicle's age, lust as they do on a Land Rover.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
THE ORIGINAL LANDCRUISER
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