The Toyota Land Cruiser is the Toughest Vehicle on Earth, and This Video Proves it
The Toyota Land Cruiser has probably seen more of the world than any other nameplate. This 4×4 SUV has not only been around since 1951, but it has been designed and finely tuned over the years to run; not run fast, not handle well, nothing else – just run, and that’s what they do. People love talking about the Toyota Land Cruiser like it is unkillable. It’s a fun little thing to say, but then you see the video of this Land Cruiser 70 Series pulling up more crumbled than the beer cans left on the ground during a concert. This Toyota Land Cruiser might well be the toughest vehicle on Earth.
How reliable is a Toyota Land Cruiser?
The Toyota Land Cruiser is widely considered among the toughest series of vehicles ever made. With the mix of impeccable Japanese engineering and the ruggedness of a proper off-roader, the Land Cruiser is rarely challenged as one of the world’s greatest 4×4 SUVs/trucks.
The Land Cruiser hardware is key to the truck’s reliability. Toyota kept engines and transmissions simple and wrapped them in high-quality materials to withstand the ruggedness of off-roading. Part of the engine reliability comes from the fact that Toyota isn’t afraid to use the same engine for decades. This isn’t all that common, but Toyota is committed to known quantities.
What happened to this Land Cruiser Series 70?
What has now become an automotive legend, most of us have seen when the Top Gear lads tried to kill a Toyota 4×4 pickup truck. They couldn’t do it. This Land Cruiser 70 Series in Saudi Arabia reportedly took quite a tumble as the story was recounted by Khalid Al Ajmi to The Drive.
Khalid said that the owner of this Land Cruiser, a friend of his, was driving it somewhere in the mountainous areas of Saudi Arabia when the Land Cruiser tumbled off the top of the mountain. The Series 70 rolled over several times, but after it came to a rest, the owner – who miraculously survived without serious injuries – realized it was still working.
How did the Land Cruiser survive?
The Land Cruiser Series 70 has gone largely unchanged since 1984. When a rig stays the same for that long, manufacturers have plenty of time to figure out how to build it just right. This is Toyota’s secret weapon. The company has probably seen, studied, and fixed thousands of rolled trucks. Over the years, Toyota has perfected the model. This is part of why these trucks are so difficult to kill.
Unbelievably, the driver left the accident unharmed – and his 70 Series still running and *technically* drivable. That said, I’m sure it took some doing to drive that truck home. In the video, you can see how smashed the cab is, and Khalid’s friend is seen holding the door closed while driving. We can assume that no part of that door operates like it should by this point.
Trucks like this are so fun to own because even after a crash like this, there is a decent enough chance that someone could rebuild the truck and still get some time out of it. This truck has brought superior utility to every corner of the planet. Part of its efficacy is its ability to keep running even after it rolls down a mountain. That is not a common feature for most trucks.
Stories like this help us to understand why some models are worth the time and effort people put into them to keep them around. Long live the Toyota Land Cruiser.
