The Toyota Land Cruiser (トヨタ・ランドクルーザー), also sometimes spelt as LandCruiser,[1] is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models.[2] As of 2019, the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than 10 million units worldwide.
Production of the first generation of the Land Cruiser began in 1951.[3][4][5] The Land Cruiser has been produced in convertible, hardtop, station wagon and cab chassis body styles. The Land Cruiser's reliability and longevity have led to huge popularity, especially in Australia, where it is the best-selling body-on-frame, four-wheel drive vehicle.[6] Toyota also extensively tests the Land Cruiser in the Australian outback – considered to be one of the toughest operating environments in both temperature and terrain.[7][8][9] In Japan, the Land Cruiser was once exclusive to Toyota Japanese dealerships called Toyota Store.
Since 1990, the smaller variation of the Land Cruiser has been marketed as the Land Cruiser Prado. Described as a "light-duty" version of the Land Cruiser by Toyota, it features a different design compared to the full-size model and, up until 2023, it remains the only comfort-oriented Land Cruiser available with a short-wheelbase 3-door version.
In 2025, an even smaller variation called Land Cruiser FJ was introduced. It is built on the IMV platform shared with the Hilux.[10]
As of 2023, the full-size Land Cruiser was available in many markets. Exceptions include the United States (since 2021 where the smaller Land Cruiser Prado has been sold under the Land Cruiser name since 2024),[11] Canada (since 1996),[12] Malaysia (which receives the Lexus LX instead), Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Brazil, and most of Europe. In Europe, the only countries where the full-size Land Cruiser is officially sold are Gibraltar, Moldova, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The Land Cruiser is hugely popular in the Middle East, Russia, Australia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Caledonia,[13] and Africa. It is used by farmers, the construction industry, non-governmental and humanitarian organizations, the United Nations, national armies (often the pickup version), and irregular armed groups who turn them into "technicals" by mounting machine guns in the rear. In August 2019, cumulative global sales of the Land Cruiser family surpassed 10 million units.[14]
Origin
In 1936, the Imperial Japanese Army introduced the Kurogane Type 95 Four Wheel Drive reconnaissance car. However, in a separate development, in 1941, the Japanese government asked Toyota to develop a light truck for the military. And after the Empire of Japan occupied the Philippines, then a self-governed American colony, during 1941–1942, a captured Bantam GP (or Willys MB) was sent to Japan for assessment and testing. Japanese military authorities subsequently requested that Toyota produce a similar vehicle, albeit with an altered external appearance.
The prototype Model AK led to the Yon-Shiki Kogata Kamotsu-Sha (四式小型 貨物 車 type 4 compact cargo-truck).[15] The half-ton truck featured an upright front grille, flat front wheel arches that angled down and back (like the later FJ40), headlights mounted above the wheel arches on either side of the radiator, and a folding windshield.
Production AK10 vehicles were powered by the 2259 cc, 4-cylinder Type C engine from the Toyota Model AE sedan coupled to a three-speed manual transmission and a two-speed transfer gearbox. Unlike the U.S. Jeep, the AK10 had limited use and photographs of it in the battlefield are rare.
In June 1954, responding to claims of trademark violation by the Willys Company that produced the original Jeep, then Director of Technology Hanji Umehara renamed the vehicle "Land Cruiser."
Lineage
Toyota divided the Land Cruiser family into four series.[17] The most basic version is the "heavy-duty" series, which prioritizes functionality, durability and off-road capabilities over comfort or technology. It is also characterised by flatter steel body panels and a near vertical greenhouse. Models considered as "heavy-duty" by Toyota are the BJ, FJ, 20, 40 and 70 series.[18]
The "station wagon" series of the Land Cruiser has more emphasis on comfort and interior space. The "station wagon" series first appeared in 1967 as the 55 series Land Cruiser Station Wagon, which was conceived as a four-wheel drive vehicle for recreational use with sufficient space to carry an entire family – a format that was popular with customers in the U.S., and later commonly known as sport utility vehicles. Models considered as part of the 'station wagon' series are the 55, 60, 80, 100, 200, and 300 series.[19]
Since the 70 series, the "light-duty" series has been offered. Primarily tuned for the European market, it was intended to be a more comfortable version of the "heavy-duty" series by adopting coil spring suspension, while being smaller and more affordable than the 'station wagon' series.
Light Duty series
Heavy Duty series
BJ and FJ (1951)
History
In 1950, the Korean War created demand for a military light utility vehicle. The United States government ordered 100 vehicles with the then-new Willys specifications and tasked Toyota to manufacture them. The Toyota "Jeep" BJ prototype was developed in January 1951. This came from the demand for military-type utility vehicles, much like the British Land Rover Series 1 that was developed in 1948. The Jeep BJ was larger than the original U.S. Jeep and more powerful courtesy of its Type B 3.4-litre six-cylinder OHV Four-stroke petrol engine which generated a power output of 85 PS at 3,600 rpm and 215 N·m of torque at 1,600 rpm. It had a part-time four-wheel drive system like the Jeep. However, and unlike the Jeep, the Jeep BJ had no low-range transfer case. In July 1951, Toyota's test driver Ichiro Taira drove the next generation of the Jeep BJ prototype up to the sixth stage of Mount Fuji, the first vehicle to climb that height. The test was overseen by the National Police Agency (NPA). Impressed by this feat, the NPA quickly placed an order for 289 of these off-road vehicles, making the Jeep BJ their official patrol car.[23]
Station Wagon series
J50 (1967)
The Land Cruiser 55 was produced from 1967 to 1980. Toyota refers to the FJ55G and FJ55V as the first "real" station wagon (now known as a sport utility vehicle) in the Land Cruiser series, thus marking the beginning of the station wagon body style. It was the first Land Cruiser to have fully enclosed box frame members. Of all the Land Cruiser wagons sold in the U.S., including the FJ45, it is the only one to not have hatch and tailgate in the rear, but rather a tailgate only with an electrically operated window that can be retracted into the tailgate.[45]
History
- 1967 – Production of the FJ55 began. The FJ55 was a 4-door station wagon version based on the FJ40's Drive-train, replacing the 4-Door FJ45V (I). It was colloquially known as the "Moose". It has also been referred to as a "pig" or an "iron pig". The FJ55 had a longer wheelbase (at 2700 mm) and was mainly designed to be sold in North America and Australia. Fire engine versions were also available, using the regular front clip but with open bodywork and no doors.[46]
Land Cruiser FJ
The Land Cruiser FJ is a model slotted below the Prado. It was unveiled in October 2025 and will be on sale in 2026.[10]
Land Cruiser Se Concept (2023)
The Land Cruiser Se is a monocoque-based three-row battery electric concept SUV using the Land Cruiser nameplate showcased at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show.[124]
Sales
Use by military forces and militant groups
Owing to its durability and reliability, the Land Cruiser, along with the smaller Toyota Hilux, has become popular among military forces and used as a military light utility vehicle. The vehicles are also popular with militant groups in war-torn regions.[157] U.S. counter-terror officials enquired of Toyota how the extremist group Islamic State had apparently acquired large numbers of Toyota Land Cruisers and Hiluxes. Mark Wallace, the CEO of the Counter Extremism Project said, "Regrettably, the Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux have effectively become almost part of the ISIS brand."[158]
The Toyota Land Cruiser chassis is used on the KrAZ Cougar armoured truck, designed jointly by the Ukrainian company KrAZ and Emirati company STREIT Group.[159]
See also
- List of Toyota vehicles
Further reading
- Videos:
External links
- (global)
- Toyota Land Cruiser data Library
References
- All-New LandCruiser 300 Toyota, retrieved 11 December 2021^
- Vehicle Heritage – Land Cruiser Toyota, retrieved 13 March 2012^
- Toyota just sold its 10 millionth Land Cruiser Autoblog.com, 20 September 2019, retrieved 21 September 2019^