Interesting article regarding the 2018 Land Cruiser (or modern 4x4s in general)

[OBiE0311]

So came across this yesterday and it made for an interesting read I think!

(Please note that opinions expressed in the article are not mine necessarily! I don’t think Jeep owners are idiots nor do I think Land Rover owners are fancy idiots!)

https://jalopnik.com/the-2018-toyota-land-cruiser-bends-the-world-to-its-wil-1823171685

I’ve read a couple of articles recently suggesting that even though modern SUV’s tend to lean way more towards luxury (at least here in the US), they may not have lost all of their off-roading chops like one may think. I find it interesting because common thought may indicate that the older vehicles are better for the overland life as they are more capable, but maybe that can be challenged, at least somewhat, by modern SUVs capabilities.

That being said, as someone who has worked on the ultra-simple V8 present in the ‘95 Suburban AND the overly complex Turbocharged I4 in a 2007 Mazdaspeed3, I think my preference for this lifestyle would be in the older camp, not necessarily because of reliability, but because of simplicity. The more simple the engine is, the easier it is to work on and maintain by the general user (I can barely even get my hands in the engine compartment of the Mazda!)

Would love to here the opinions of some folks on this! No need to start a this vehicle vs. that vehicle war! Just thought it would be a fun discussion!

 

[park_andrew80]

New vehicles are amazing. They have a ton of new features geared toward off road IE the new Tacoma and 4Runner. But when it comes down to the basics, i feel as though I like older vehicles much more! I personally though have not owned anything older than a car from the 90's so i wouldn't be the best person to compare new vs old. But i agree with you! Ultra basic, easy to work on and plus the vehicle has a history and a story. I feel as though owning a new vehicle, if something were to go wrong you most likely would have to take it to the dealership and or expensive mechanic to get your problem solved vs fixing it yourself. Again I wouldn't know much pertaining to newer vehicles.

Owning my '97 80 series has honestly been a blast! Love the durability and that solid front axle! Parts are easy to come by and relatively inexpensive. Off road capabilities are amazing and bolting on a few extra parts and upgrading performance I feel as if it would be much easier to do to rather than modifying a $90k 2018 Land Cruiser!
If anybody owns a newer vehicle for the overland please chime in!

 

[Steve]

An 8-speed 200 series is hopefully my future vehicle! I looked at used ones with 50k+ miles when I bought the 4Runner Trail Premium, and they were still $20k more. If I can eventually swing one, it will likely be my last vehicle.

I was surprised to see his comments on the difficulty of every day driving. I've read and watched a lot of reviews, and this is a new one for me. And I'm familiar with the range concern. I've said before that I'd love to send one off to @cruiseroutfit and hand Kurt a blank check to outfit it. :)

 

[toxicity_27]

While I do love the 200 series, I think personally I'd rather have the double cab truck or a 78 (damn you 4xOverland). The Expedition Overland 200 was a thing of beauty, but I don't know that I could justify the price of a new one and then all of the equipment I'd want to add when you could get something else and outfit it for close if not less than the same price.

Going into the reliability/simplicity, I do love older vehicles for the simplicity, but some are a bit more difficult to get parts for, so you'll need to do a lot of research before buying an older vehicle to see how much support they have. New will be supported by the manufacturer, but depending on the area, can have less support/longer wait times for parts.

 

[donuteater]

Thanks for the read. I would love a weekend in a 200 just to compare. I bought my 100 from a Doctor who just got a 200. He let me take it around the neighborhood for a bit and the heavy steering is a real complaint. Beautiful platform.


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Arailt]

So who were Jeeps for? “Idiots.”
And Land Rovers? “Fancy idiots.”

Haha, love it (former owner of three Jeeps )

 

[James Deaton]

Interesting article.

I personally see no need to spend that much money on a vehicle to take off-roading, even if overlanding is light off-roading. There are plenty of nice used vehicles out there that i’d rather scratch up....

We bought our 2003 Ford Expedition for $5500 with 130k miles on it, from the original owner. After close to 10k miles it needs nothing. It’s been very reliable so far.

I also don’t care for all the new wizardry in vehicles, and motorcycles... way more stuff to break. Plus tv screens and touch screens are constantly getting better, so how is a ten year old touch screen going to function in 2028?? Imagine if you had bought a car ten years ago with an iPhones 3GS built in... you’d be hating it by now. I prefer adding all that stuff on as aux items after the fact, that way I can upgrade with the times.

James

 

[toxicity_27]

I sent this article to my brother, and we were both of the thought process that for me I'd rather be an idiot, and he'd rather be a fancy idiot, than paying $90k for a new Toyota. I get the point of the article though, and what some people are saying. Some of the newer do-dads and what not are just another thing to go wrong. I wouldn't get built in screens in any of my vehicles, just because I can get the add on for much less, and then it's not something that is just sitting there when it inevitably breaks.

 

[Arailt]

I agree with keeping things simple. It's part of the reason I bought an older GX. However, technologically advanced vehicles are the future, so I'm going to have to get used to it. I personally won't be driving a 30+ year old vehicle 20 years from now, unless it's a 71 Hemi.

 

[danrhiggins]

So I have a 2016 Land Cruiser. Why? Well, its not for commuting and our kids are grown so I’m not shuffling them to school or whatever. Here is why it is absolutely the right vehicle for US.

• Reliability. It has to get us there and back. Long term reliability. This is where the cost balances out. When you divide the cost by 300K+ miles vs 150JK+ miles and add in the various maintenance costs the overall cost of ownership becomes much more reasonable on the Land Cruiser. And I plan to use this for well over 300K miles.
• Off road “good enough”. I’m not a “wheel’er”. We just like to see and experience things that sometimes take us down challenging roads. I use low range a lot off road. CRAWL has helped me climb out of some gnarly places I hadn’t planned to get into. And yesterday I found the multi-terrain camera system to actually be pretty handy. Note that I had Slee sliders added, replaced the stock tires with 285/65R18s the first week I had it and had Slee do a modest (2” lift/spring, shock and UCA upgrade this past summer.)
• Towing a 6K#, 24’ travel trailer. This is a big deal and a deal breaker for a lot of SUVs - older or contemporary. But this was the primary reason we switched to a Land Cruiser from our previous vehicle. (The second reason was long term reliability.)
• On road conveniences, safety features, etc. I do long freeway road trips in the western US. Adaptive Cruise Control is actually very useful. So are a number of other features. Then there are the silly but useful things like Siri Hands Free for my phone and satellite radio for when I want to listen to a game from the middle of nowhere. And wireless charging for my phone.
• Enough room to sleep in the back. Both my wife and I. But, understand, one of my first mods was to remove the 3rd row (took about 30 minutes and they can be reinstalled if needed.). The second was to have a pair of ARB drawers installed which creates a platform when combined with the folded send row. We have an Oz tent for “living space” but sleep in the cargo area.
• Size. It’s not small and it would be nice if the turning radius were thighter. But it is smaller than most full size SUVs.

What about simplicity vs complexity? Everything mechanical is complex for me!
What about gas mileage. Yep. But that is something I’m willing to pay. Fortunately I live in Colorado - NOT California.

Bottom line. I bought the Land Cruiser not because it is “the best” at any one thing. But because it is very good at a number of things very well. It’s not going to match a Jeep for “wheeling”. It’s not going to tow a trailer like a diesel dually. It’s not going to drive like a Porsche or BMW. And it most certainly isn’t going to get “looks” like a G-class or a Range Rover. But I am a patient driver. And I couldn’t care less about whether people look at me or not - I have interest in paying for “style”.

So, for US, it is the perfect vehicle. Oh, and it is also my “daily driver” which given that I don’t commute really means that I don’t need to pay for a separate daily driver.

Here we are exiting Joshua Tree NP on the Geology Study 4x4 road.