Lenny the LandCruiser

Lenny

the landcruiser

By Ashley Pearce

I think I am the sort of guy the marketing executives at Toyota Australia are on the lookout for. Impressionable, easily led, likes bright shiny things. The rumours of a new series LandCruiser have been out for some time now. So much uncertainty and rumour surround it. Will it have a V8 diesel engine? Will it be a Hybrid? Will it be a V6? I think only the engineers and senior managers know! Given the activity online in LandCruiser groups on social media, demand for a 200 series of any age has gone through the roof, and I for one have been one of those who brought forward a decision to re-join the Toyota family. Why? Because I want one!

Let me take you back. I am sure a number of readers have been in my position. I first drove a Toyota LandCruiser 60 series back in January 1982. I was not long 13, we were on a family holiday at Guilderton and our nextdoor camping neighbour hired a 4WD every Christmas holidays. Looking back, probably a smart idea as he didn’t have the need for a big car throughout the year. Anyway, old mate Bill said, “Would you like a drive young fella?” Too bloody right I did. Once we had aired down on the sand north of the groyne, away I went. I drove up the beach to our favourite fishing spot with the biggest grin on my face. Whilst all the others went out fishing, I sat in the driver's seat, looking at everything that turned on and off. Forgoing a morning of fishing to sit and go over this magnificent white beast, I was hooked. That moment has stuck with me for nearly the past four decades! Fast forward to my teens and twenties. My first foray into a Toyota 4WD was a Toyota Forerunner and then a Prado. Is a Prado a real LandCruiser? We loved that Prado, probably a little too much, and were never quite in a position to step up to a 'king of the road'. So why now? Because I want one. Returning after our mid-year trip to Steep Point, Dirk Hartog Island and then inland to the Gascoyne, I was not unhappy with the performance of my previous vehicle, I just wanted more. My wife and I spoke about an upgrade and the question was asked, "Why do you want a LandCruiser?" "Because I want one." You can guess how that went down with my wife. I was going to have to resort to facts and figures. After a week or so of discussion I wandered into my local dealer to discuss what was on offer. It clearly looked like a plague of locusts had lunched on the stock and I was not spoilt for choice. As a GX was my only option I was going to have to up the specifications. The dealer loaned us a GX to test drive with my wife asking, “Does it have this?” No, that’s in the GXL and higher spec models. “Does it have that?” No that’s in the GXL and higher spec models. End result: we got a GXL. Thankyou COVID, my ploy worked. Clearly the current model LandCruiser, even with a facelift, is still a 13 year old vehicle. Nearly all of the safety features I had in my most recent vehicles are non-existent. Did I care? No, because I wanted one! After waiting what seemed a lifetime Lenny the LandCruiser finally arrived. My wife and I had already decided that if we were going to buy a vehicle like this and get back on board the Toyota train, we were going to do it properly and set it up for our purposes. Let the shopping commence.

One thing we weren’t expecting was everyone having a different opinion on what you do and don’t need. What we have chosen is to suit us and our style of touring, and because I wanted it. I engaged the services of the team at Off Road Equipment in Perth to assist me with the fit out. They have been fitting out vehicles for years, I 'wanted' ARB products and knew they had the expertise to do the job right. This is not a sponsored post and I paid retail for our gear. One question I was asked is, why didn’t I support local business here in Bunbury? That was an easy one to answer. I also run my own business and I prefer to support the businesses that support me. Not being a hard core 4W driver, the vehicle needed to be set up to suit outback touring and beach driving. A suspension upgrade was the obvious first choice and we opted for an ARB GVM 4015kg upgrade. We tow an Australian made camper trailer, with a heavy tow ball weight and carry a lot of camera gear to document our adventure. ARB Safari Bar, ARB Solus lights, GME UHF unit, Cel Fi Mobile booster and an ARB Frontier long range fuel tank followed as did a ScanGauge 2 to assist with additional vehicle performance information. A Manta 4” exhaust upgrade was fitted to help the V8 breathe easier with the added bonus of slightly lower exhaust temperature. Not having had the vehicle for very long it is difficult to judge if we have benefited with lower fuel consumption. A set of Supafit seat covers completed our initial build, providing some comfortable protection for the seats. Since November we have managed to clock up over 5500km and given that my wife says that I have a constant grin on my face, it is a fair assumption to say that I am extremely pleased with my choice of vehicle. The Cruiser handled the corrugations and rough terrain east of Esperance with ease and I was even surprised at how well the supplied Dunlop Grandtreks performed. Lenny is still missing some modifications, with plans for a custom drawer system and dual battery setup. I’ll keep you updated in future editions of the magazine.