New U.S. 2016 Land Cruiser for off road, round-the-world travel?

[jknojk]

Hi forum, I'm looking for thoughts on how well the new 2016 Land Cruiser (V8 gasoline) is set up for rough-road and off-road use. We are just about to start a conversion on a Jeep JK 4 door to make it a world cruiser, but by the time we upgrade motor, tranny, drive train and suspension, bumpers, etc., etc. we're looking at 50K+ in upgrades for what we wanted to do. For that much we're about at the price of a new 2016 Land Cruiser after we trade in our base JK.

I'm not intending this to be a JK vs LC performance or gas vs diesel debate as it isn't apples to apples comparison, but I really want to know how strong the new LCs generally are for durability as well as traction and ground clearance for 4x4 off road and bush driving. Were not rock-crawling, but expect a lot of rough roads, and don't want the vehicle to be the limiting factor, or be prone to breakdown in the middle of nowhere.

Are people having to uplift stock LCs and modify suspensions with aftermarket parts like people do to the Jeeps, or are the stock items robust enough for fairly tough use?

I drove across Tibet in LCs in mid 1990s up to Mt. Everest base camp and know they're super strong as well as comfortable (or at least they were back then) ....what's the "skinny" on the new models? We'll be pulling an offroad camping trailer so I like the tow aspects of the new models.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[StarCruiser]

Hi Jk,

I'm not sure how many guys on here have the new truck but I believe there are one or two. However, one thing stands out to me, if you want the ultimate overland camper, then the base vehicle of choice is a late model (diesel) 80 series. Get as good an example as you can, 'baseline' it, lift it and modify the interior to your taste. Pop some bigger off road tyres on it and a long range fuel tank under it and a good roof tent on top and anything else you want, then go and explore.

The 80s were the last all mechanical 4x4s that can be fixed at the side of the road, but generally won't need it as they are ultra reliable.

You've almost done an 'intro' in your post but I expect like me, others are itching to know more about your trucks and your adventures. So if you pop over to the introduce yourself section and tell us a bit more, you'll likely get everyone interested, especially if you decide to convert a cruiser. [emoji4]

Photos are popular on here, we all love 'em. If you have any from back in Tibet they would be cool. [emoji4] though you may need to do 15 posts to be able to post photos.

Welcome, Great to have you aboard and look forward to more.

Best wishes

Richard

 

[Lorin]

There are several examples of the 200 having been driven around the world almost without incident - I think one was documented on overland expo. If the funds are there I would take a new 200 over an old 80 every time to do a big trip. The 80 is one of the best of the old and benefits from being wholly mechanical, easy to upgrade and an excellent balance of Offroad capability and reliability. However, I would imagine that the additional off-road capability offered by the 80 over a 200 isn't likely to be a relevant factor in a big overland trip, unless you plan on including some serious rock crawling. And the reliability of the 200 hasn't been called into question from what I'm aware of. I reckon the same arguments would apply to the 200 vs the jeep.

 

[Shayne]

Could you get hold of a new 70 series wagon in America ?

If so you get all the strengths of the 80 without age related worries .

And if i was going for a new cruiser to do this sort of thing i would opt for a used one because i don't trust computer governed reliability and i would hope that 10 or 20,000 miles would have highlighted any gremlins and seen them put right before i set off .

 

[jknojk]

Thanks for the suggestions...keep them coming

if we don't stick with the Jeep plan. we're definitely going new 200 for the updated model w/8 spd auto and some comfort and other non-technical considerations.

Assuming the stock drive train, axles, drive shafts are all adequate, my current thoughts on priorities if I were to do anything would first be

• a bit of suspension upgrade (Icon, King or ARB?)
• more durable tires which might mean new wheels. No bigger than 33s though, same tire/rim as on the trailer.
• Bead locks?
• Not sure about lift but would keep it small/as needed to allow just a bit beefier tire/rim combo and added clearance.
• Bigger rotors front and rear? (trailer will have brakes so is this upgrade really needed? and. would that mean different calipers and m.c. too? Suddenly this is feeling like the jeep project again!)...

Lower priority would be

• front/rear bumpers, winch on front, swing-out tire carrier on rear with hi-lift bracket
• roof rack.
• Backup light

Relocating spare tire might be a must.

A carryover from the Jeep plan is the aux battery, charge/controller for charging the trailer batteries as we drive. Compressor/manifold? (will we really need to be airing down?)

I have to decide in next month which way to go as we're scheduled to depart late Spring 2016, Fall at the latest. We''ll test it out in the Rocky Mt west and SW Utah/Canyonlands area before we leave the mother ship for Mexico, C.A., and all points south.

Will stop in a dealer tomorrow for a first time look and size one on.

 

[fridayman]

A 200 with 2 inch lift, all terrain tyres and a reliable onboard compressor will get you to 95% of the places that you would take the Jeep, but it will be WAAAYYYY more comfortable. I would highly recommend a dual battery setup with solar charging ability, and an onboard fridge (don't think you could fit that in the Jeep?).

 

[Ben]

I cant believe your trying to compare a JK and a 200 series as a potential overlanding vehicle!

I've got nothing against the JK, I actually quite like them! But its a completely different vehicle to the 200!

The JK is a rock crawler and is tiny in comparison to the 200.

If your building a "world cruiser" then choosing a vehicle that can carry as much as the 200 series can, comfortably and reliably will be a huge advantage.

 

[GeekOKent]

Note. Afaik, which is from a Toyota sales guy, The 2016 lc isnt actually delivered yet. A few dealers have it for preview and orders ( i belive germany, usa and some middle east countries ). But i believe they are still calling it a 200 series, so not sure how different is going to be.

They also seem to have taken a hint from the apple advertising and are calling it their most capable cruiser yet.

 

[jknojk]

Went to a dealer yesterday and looked at it. They have 2 2016s as do other dealers so they're available now. MSRP 84500, but Ressler's in Bozeman gives you a straight-up no hassle $77k with no up charge for pearl white, if that's your thing.

In any case, it's just too big and "fancy" and we recognized that immediately. It might not be fair, but I've got the impression that the 200s sold in US are nothing like the ones the UN is driving around Africa, and aren't really built for serious off-road use. Could be wrong, but it seems targeted at soccer moms and mall crawlers (THAT's not fair I'm sure). All the electronic sensing stuff makes me nervous, and who needs 10 inch TVs on the back of the head rest (we tend to sit in the front so that is a neck-bender for sure .

Seriously, I think chassis and axles are probably no problem, but not sure about the rest. Not saying it's not adequate, and surely it would work for 95% as someone pointed out, but it's just way more than we want in terms of size and style. The JK will have G2 or Teraflex 60s front and rear, with 8 bolt outers, ARB air lockers and manual hubs...basically we're making it into a 1 ton equivalent tow truck for pulling a VMI Offroad trailer, with 6.4L hemi (500 horse) and about the only thing "jeep" about it will be the frame and body/interior.

I guess you can tell I've decided to stick with the JK Unlimited plan. As excited as I was at first thought about the 200, in the end I like the smaller, more nimble character of the JK and it is more "us."

Thanks for the tips and thoughts, though. We'll be on the road this fall, planning 7-10 yr road trip.