in. Instead, you load it with camping gear,
reach over the front middle passenger,
jam the T-case shifter into either their leg
or the front side passenger’s leg, and head
off into the wilderness for the weekend.
Considering nearly everything mechan-
ical is the same as in the 40, I can’t explain
why the 55’s kokoro speaks more deeply to
my own.
Some of the Land Cruiser’s enduring
spirit can be explained by the overlap in
its generations. The 55’s entire produc-
tion would be eclipsed by the 40 series
it was based upon before it was replaced
in 1980 by the 60 series. Then the FJ60
would be produced until 1992, nearly half
its run overlapping with the seemingly
unkillable 40 series (and the other half
with the 40 series’ replacement, the 70
series—more on that later).
Like the 55 series before it, the 60 series
added space and comfort with minimal
detriment to off-road capability. Toyota
considered major mechanical changes but
instead simply widened the axles a bit to
improve stability and match the 2.6-inch-
wider body. Otherwise, this 1984 model is
a new and improved 55 series, now with
air conditioning to really slow it down.
That’s right, it’s still the same carbureted
4.2-liter I-6 and four-speed manual under
the boxier front end.
Still, the concessions to comfort are
becoming more evident. That later-model
40 series had fancy features like door
cards and a headliner, and the 55 series
extended the headliner down the pillars
and added some padded panels to the
cargo area.
The 60 series, though, has no exposed
sheetmetal inside. Rather than rubber
mats on the floor, it has fitted carpet.
There’s a rear window defroster and even
a tachometer, but at least the door locks
and windows are still manual.
Ground clearance has shrunk by 0.2
inch, but the wider stance and tires make
the 60 feel more planted and confident
off-road than the 55. Maybe it’s the gaping
distance between the bucket seats, but
it feels much wider than it is. Running
improvements to suspension geometry
and damper technology have made the
60 more comfortable to ride in, and
the extra interior panels make it a bit
quieter, to boot. Its 200 extra pounds
and power-robbing A/C compressor and
power steering pump don’t do the on-road
performance any favors, but here again
the wider stance makes the truck more
comfortable with modern freeway speeds.
Although mega-dealer Greg Miller’s
Land Cruiser Heritage Museum contains
one of nearly every Land Cruiser variant
made, we didn’t drive the FJ40 replace-
ment, the FJ70, because it’s never been
sold in the U.S. despite being on sale
abroad since 1984.
Blame the Bubble Economy or the
Range Rover, but the development and
debut of the 80 series for 1990 heralded
the big shift from civilized military vehicle
to the consumer-first SUV that engineers
had been avoiding for three decades.
Gone are the trucky leaf springs,
replaced with softer coil springs. A center
differential let it run in four-wheel drive
at all times, the old floor-mounted T-case
shifter is dumped for an even stubbier
console-mounted shifter that just engages
neutral and low range. The I-6 is fuel-
injected and makes a whopping 155 hp
and 220 lb-ft. It’s still a four-speed, but an
automatic. It’s slightly bigger all around,
including a longer wheelbase, and it’s
gained 300 pounds. At least the ground
clearance hasn’t changed.
That’s all stuff you can’t see. What
you can see is strikingly different, too.The FJ60 looks a lot newer inside and out
and is a lot more luxurious, but it’s still
basically an FJ55 underneath.No longer just an update to the previous
design, the FJ80 looks more than a decade
newer than the FJ60. The rectangular
headlights and bulging fender flares hint
at the classic designs, but it’s clear there’s
a new boss in town. Inside, the contrast is
even more stark, where actual designers
and stylists were set loose on the interior.
Until 1990, all Land Cruiser interiors
looked as though they’d been designed
by engineers armed with slide rules and
protractors.
From the driver’s seat, it’s the first
to feel like a used car, not a classic. It’s
quieter and more comfortable, and there’s
a precision to the handling the older FJs
never had. It’s still slow, but it no longer
feels like you’re going to blow up the
engine trying to keep up with freewayFJ60
FEBRUARY 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 65Toyota Land Cruiser I HISTORY