The 3rd gens British Cousin - The Landcruiser

[Beau168]

Glad I'm over the 15 post limit.

Firstly, let me introduce myself. My names Beau, I'm 21 years old and have a 1996 Toyota Landcruiser Colorado/Prado - More on that later.

Me and the truck have been in the US, Florida for the past two years now, having both come from the UK, England. I moved over with my family for a change of scenery, as well as a scholarship to study at a great University.

The truck itself used to be my dads and was then passed on to me as my first car/truck. It's been with the family for 18 years now which is why I brought it over here to the states. It was a long, painful, stressful and expensive process but was totally worth it in the end. Lets keep the questions about the procedure out for now.

The truck:

1996 Toyota Landcruiser colorado , also known as the Prado in other places in the world. It has a 3.0 litre turbo diesel 1KZT-E engine that's served me well, with over 200,000 miles on the clock. It's a 8 seater, cloth interior, with a middle ground spec. The chassis/suspension is completely shared with.....Yes you guessed it, the 3rd Gen 4runner.

The truck itself is pretty stock as it's mostly a DD/ family trucK, hence the more showy rims instead of the stock wheels. However, I will be swaying towards some more sturdy wheels in the future as I would like to overland with the truck and explore america in the future (if I decide on staying here).

Some pics for you guys. Tell me what you think.

 

[jgue467]

Pretty cool, not too crazy about all the different wheels and I am definetly against low profile tires, can't stand them even on BMWs much less a Toyo SUV!!! Otherwise, luck and enjoy! :cowboy:

 

[rallypoint_1]

Hey that's a cool truck! I like the stock wheels but it doesn't matter because it's YOUR truck. Any plans on modifications?

 

[Beau168]

Yeah, I know the low profile tires isn't everyones cup of tea. As I'm on the road 99% of the time I like it. Better on road handling overall. I currently have these.

They're 20x10", -50 offset with 305 50 20 General Grabbers. Stock suspension by the way.

 

[noxor]

Looks good! Do you get a lot of odd looks when people realize you're on the "wrong" side?

 

[Beau168]

Hey that's a cool truck! I like the stock wheels but it doesn't matter because it's YOUR truck. Any plans on modifications?

As I would like to possibly overland in the future, I'm in the process of researching an appropriate lift kit for it. So far from a lot of research on this forum I am leaning towards the Tundra Bilstein 5100 struts with a spring, and a 7 wrap 80 series coil on the rear with a set of bilstein shocks as well.

I'll probably then look out for a nice set of 16x10 - 30 offset wheels with either some 285/75-16 or 305/75-16 depending on clearance.

I'd also like to fabricate a better downpipe/exhaust, and a Intercooler to help with power and general reliability.

 

[Beau168]

Looks good! Do you get a lot of odd looks when people realize you're on the "wrong" side?

haha Yes, people often have to look twice :biggrin2:

Drive throughs and toll booths are often a surprise as well...

 

[Black798]

Out of curiosity how is the turbo diesel for drive ability and mpg. How does it stack up to the 5vzfe

 

[Beau168]

Out of curiosity how is the turbo diesel for drive ability and mpg. How does it stack up to the 5vzfe

Being a diesel vs petrol engine I'm not sure how fair a comparison is but here's my thoughts having driven my truck and a few 4runners.

The 3.0 litre being a diesel is very torquey engine and you never really have to put your foot down to go anywhere. This makes drive ability very easy. I found the 5VZ is tuned for economy and its always in the highest gear possible (I know thats pretty standard across the board) but it means when you want some power you need to first get it to downshift and then give it some throttle to get the power out of it. The 5VZ I would say it the quicker engine off the line, though I'm not sure if it's the 4runner being slightly lighter making me feel this, but I don't think the engines a slouch, it just needs to be revved unlike the diesel.

I love the diesel for towing, the powerband once the turbo spools which is very quick (2200rpm) lets you have all the power early at your disposal.

Oh mpg on this truck in US gallons, I'm averaging around 22 around town and around 25-26 on the highway.

 

[Black798]

The mpg and low end torque is what I really like about the diesels and makes me wish they offered them in the 4runner. I wish I could get in the 20s for mpg but Im only averaging 18 on a good day. And the torque would be nice so the motor doesn't downshift so often. I find the 5vz in mine downshifts for just about every little incline in the road. Ultimately I would love to import a 79 series cruiser double cab with the v8 turbo diesel.

 

[Beau168]

The mpg and low end torque is what I really like about the diesels and makes me wish they offered them in the 4runner. I wish I could get in the 20s for mpg but Im only averaging 18 on a good day. And the torque would be nice so the motor doesn't downshift so often. I find the 5vz in mine downshifts for just about every little incline in the road. Ultimately I would love to import a 79 series cruiser double cab with the v8 turbo diesel.

Well technically speaking they were offered in the 4runners over in the UK, called Hilux surfs. Just not sold here. Well nothing diesel is really sold here. It's a shame because it would've been a massive hit. I'm guessing Toyota's diesels cant comply with the strict US emission standards.

Those 70 series double cabs are awesome! I love how they kept the retro look but modernized everything else. Plus that V8 diesel is one torque monster.

 

[fblainen11]

Didn't you say 8 seater? Can we get some photos of the interior and of course the last row that holds 3 folks!!!??

 

[3gsdad]

First off, welcome to America!

That rig is sweet!


How does the rear hatch open? like a 4runner or a land cruiser?

Does it have diff locks? Can you post a pick of the 3rd row seats? i wish my 98 had a 3rd row sometimes.

 

[Beau168]

Rear third row seats flip to the side. Though they can fit small adults I wouldn't recommend it for long journeys. Perfectly suitable for children though. All the seats fold flat and make one big sleeping platform. I think it's pretty awesome.

The rear opens unlike either. It swings out. I quite like it, but it does has it pros and cons.

And yup is has a standard Electronic diff lock.

 

[tvpierce]

Isn't this the same platform as the Landcruiser/Lexus LX, but with a diesel?

 

[T4R2014]

The mpg and low end torque is what I really like about the diesels and makes me wish they offered them in the 4runner. I wish I could get in the 20s for mpg but Im only averaging 18 on a good day. And the torque would be nice so the motor doesn't downshift so often. I find the 5vz in mine downshifts for just about every little incline in the road. Ultimately I would love to import a 79 series cruiser double cab with the v8 turbo diesel.

You think a 5VZ backed by an auto downshifts a lot? Wait until you drive the diesel...

 

[Mark_BC]

You can import the diesel 4runners from Japan. Apparently they have a weird law where if the car is 10 years old or something it has to go through a complete inspection and most people don't want to deal with this so they just store them in warehouses where foreigners can buy them (not sure if I'm exactly right but that's the story I heard).
Edit: but then all the parts are mirror images of what we have here so it's harder to do repairs.

 

[HiluxSurf SSR-G]

so it's ok to drive a RHD vehicle in the US?

 

[pauldub]

so it's ok to drive a RHD vehicle in the US?

Happens every day.

 

[Beau168]

I think there is a lexus version out there that shares some similar things to this. LX470 or something... not a fan of the Lexus's body shape so have never looked into it!

Yup, generally speaking you can get a lot of great low millage cars from Japan due to there strict regulations. Wish the importing procedure was easier in this country though!

ermm Mail service? But jokes aside, it makes no difference to me. I have a VW jetta that I drive often as well and other than mistakenly walking around the wrong side of the car to get in, I don't even think about which side I'm driving from anymore. Bare in mind, I've personally been driving this truck since I was 16.