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 Possibly few sport-utility vehicles (SUV) are as well known globally as the Toyota Land Cruiser. Its very name implies its go-anywhere ability. No wonder , the vehicle’s rugged and durable nature has lent it to easy use in some of the world’s most extreme conditions.
Indeed , from its humble beginning in 1950 as a development project based on the Willys Jeep and its launch a year later , the Land Cruiser has come a long way to turn 60 this year. Six decades have gone by and the legendary 4x4 still remains One of the toughest machines on four wheels. It has conquered the cold Arctic and the Antarctic wastes , crossed mighty deserts , ploughed its way through dense tropical rain forests and , all in all , taken the worst in its stride. As the Land Cruiser reaches this important milestone , Toyota are launching a new top-of-the-range 60th anniversary version of the five-door Land cruiser and the flagship , Land Cruiser V8 , maintaining the same robust construction but adding an array of driving controls for both on- and off-road performance along with some extra styling and equipment. The models are priced at Rs 36 , 61 , 203 for the 3.0 D-4D and Rs 45 , 40 , 200 for the V8 (both ex-showroom) in the international market.
The mighty 4x4 now becomes even more powerful with a re-engineered 3.0-litre D-4D engine under its hood , which churns out 182 PS of maximum power and a maximum torque of 420 Nm. All this without fiddling either with its fuel economy or emission levels. How much better could it get? The engine , fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) , also meets Euro 5 emission norms.
History
 The ancestry of the Land Cruiser dates back to the Toyota BJ of 1951 , first tested in August and initially developed for military use like the British Land Rover Series 1. It was more powerful than either with its Type B 3.4-litre , six cylinder , OHV gasoline engine generating 86 PS at 3 , 600 rpm and 215 Nm of torque at just 1 , 600 rpm. The model’s long-lasting success began when it was added to the Japanese police force after scaling the sixth hill station of Japan’s Mount Fuji , 2 , 500 metres high. In 1954 the BJ was formally named the Land Cruiser and went into mass production from being a made-to-order vehicle.
Although the Land Cruiser was introduced in the US market in the late 1950s , its tough performance had made it a strong contender in the Middle and Far East and in South America much earlier.
Responding to the growing demand for more refined four-wheel drives in the American market , Toyota introduced the first Land Cruiser station wagon , the F55 , in 1965. This was regarded as a vehicle competent enough to be driven on rough country roads as well as on their smoother urban counterparts.
Further development for the 4x4 came when Toyota combined the comfort and refinement of a station wagon with the uncompromising off-road strength of a heavy-duty vehicle , the result being the first Land Cruiser ‘Light Duty’ Series. From this point on the Land Cruiser pushed on through two further generations , in 1996 and 2002 , before the launch of the current model in 2009. The Land Cruiser 80 Series was replaced by the larger Land Cruiser Amazon in 1996 , which was subsequently replaced by the V8  in 2008.
More than five million Land Cruiser models have been sold in 188 different countries to date.
60th anniversary models
The key features on the Land Cruiser in addition to the previous model include a special 60th anniversary badge and carpet mats , a chrome tailpipe (also available as additional features on the 60th anniversary Land Cruiser V8 model) along with chrome front fog-lamp surrounding and clear-finish rear light clusters. The Land Cruiser V8 will also come with full black leather upholstery and chrome side trims.
Along with these two models Toyota will also be re-introducing their three-door version of the Land Cruiser. With only a manual transmission and five seats it comes equipped with 17-inch alloys , vehicle stability control (VSC) with active traction control (A-TRC) , climate control , smart entry and start system , Bluetooth , a six-speaker audio system and front fog-lamps. The three-door model is priced at Rs 22 , 26 , 507 (OTR).
Buyers in India don’t have the option of buying these models as yet , but surely there will be many potential buyers waiting eagerly to get their hands on one. As of now Toyota are offering the Prado and the V8 at Rs 66.33 lakh and Rs 1.05 crore , respectively , for the Indian customers.
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Indeed , from its humble beginning in 1950 as a development project based on the Willys Jeep and its launch a year later , the Land Cruiser has come a long way to turn 60 this year. Six decades have gone by and the legendary 4x4 still remains One of the toughest machines on four wheels. It has conquered the cold Arctic and the Antarctic wastes , crossed mighty deserts , ploughed its way through dense tropical rain forests and , all in all , taken the worst in its stride. As the Land Cruiser reaches this important milestone , Toyota are launching a new top-of-the-range 60th anniversary version of the five-door Land cruiser and the flagship , Land Cruiser V8 , maintaining the same robust construction but adding an array of driving controls for both on- and off-road performance along with some extra styling and equipment. The models are priced at Rs 36 , 61 , 203 for the 3.0 D-4D and Rs 45 , 40 , 200 for the V8 (both ex-showroom) in the international market.
The mighty 4x4 now becomes even more powerful with a re-engineered 3.0-litre D-4D engine under its hood , which churns out 182 PS of maximum power and a maximum torque of 420 Nm. All this without fiddling either with its fuel economy or emission levels. How much better could it get? The engine , fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) , also meets Euro 5 emission norms.
History
Although the Land Cruiser was introduced in the US market in the late 1950s , its tough performance had made it a strong contender in the Middle and Far East and in South America much earlier.
Responding to the growing demand for more refined four-wheel drives in the American market , Toyota introduced the first Land Cruiser station wagon , the F55 , in 1965. This was regarded as a vehicle competent enough to be driven on rough country roads as well as on their smoother urban counterparts.
Further development for the 4x4 came when Toyota combined the comfort and refinement of a station wagon with the uncompromising off-road strength of a heavy-duty vehicle , the result being the first Land Cruiser ‘Light Duty’ Series. From this point on the Land Cruiser pushed on through two further generations , in 1996 and 2002 , before the launch of the current model in 2009. The Land Cruiser 80 Series was replaced by the larger Land Cruiser Amazon in 1996 , which was subsequently replaced by the V8
in 2008.
More than five million Land Cruiser models have been sold in 188 different countries to date.
60th anniversary models
The key features on the Land Cruiser in addition to the previous model include a special 60th anniversary badge and carpet mats , a chrome tailpipe (also available as additional features on the 60th anniversary Land Cruiser V8 model) along with chrome front fog-lamp surrounding and clear-finish rear light clusters. The Land Cruiser V8 will also come with full black leather upholstery and chrome side trims.
Along with these two models Toyota will also be re-introducing their three-door version of the Land Cruiser. With only a manual transmission and five seats it comes equipped with 17-inch alloys , vehicle stability control (VSC) with active traction control (A-TRC) , climate control , smart entry and start system , Bluetooth , a six-speaker audio system and front fog-lamps. The three-door model is priced at Rs 22 , 26 , 507 (OTR).
Buyers in India don’t have the option of buying these models as yet , but surely there will be many potential buyers waiting eagerly to get their hands on one. As of now Toyota are offering the Prado and the V8 at Rs 66.33 lakh and Rs 1.05 crore , respectively , for the Indian customers.
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