Are all Land Cruisers V8s?

In the history of the motor car, only a handful of vehicles have gone on to achieve legendary status. The Toyota Land Cruiser is one prime example. When most of us think about Land Cruisers, we think of V8 engines. However, this legendary SUV comes with other engine choices as well. In this article, we’ll answer the question “are all Land Cruisers V8s” once and for all.

History Of The Land Cruiser V8

Although the Land Cruiser made its debut in 1951, a V8 engine didn’t enter the lineup until 1998. Since then, all Land Cruisers made until 2021 came with a V8 engine option. Here are all the Land Cruiser models with V8 engines under their hoods.

Land Cruiser 100 (1998 - 2007)

A V8 engine made its way to a Land Cruiser with the 100 Series in 1998. This 4.7-liter 32 valve powerplant was good enough for 235 Horsepower and was the most powerful engine that year. In 2002, the engine got a 3-horsepower bump.

Land Cruiser 200 (2007 - 2021)

The Land Cruiser 200 Series went on sale in 2007. It came with a new V8 engine with an impressive power output of 288 horsepower. This engine was paired to a 5-speed automatic transmission, sprinkling some performance to the gigantic SUV. Buyers also had the choice of getting a 286 horsepower diesel V8 engine. This engine aimed to increase efficiency, but it still had 286 horses under the hood.

The Land Cruiser 200 received a design refresh in 2015. With this refresh, the gasoline V8 was downsized to 4.6 liters. However, the power output was now a massive 318 horsepower. The diesel also received a power bump from 235 to 272 horsepower. Sadly, 2021 was the last year a V8 engine was available in the Land Cruiser.

Land Cruiser Reliability

Toyota Land Cruisers are world famous for their tough-as-nails reliability. This long-lasting nature is what makes them so popular here in Ghana. Anywhere you visit in Ghana, you will surely spot at least one of these iconic Japanese SUVs.

Land Cruiser V6

Toyota boldly decided to only offer V6 engines with the 300 Series Land Cruiser. This was mainly done in the name of efficiency and reducing emissions. From 2022 on, you can get the Land Cruiser with either a gasoline-powered 415-horsepower twin-turbo V6 or a 3.3-liter diesel with 306 horsepower, which is also twin-turbocharged. Both these engines are more powerful and fuel-efficient than the V8s they replace.

However, older Land Cruiser models also came with V6 engines. The FJ70 and FJ80 generations only had V6 engine choices. Later, 100 Series models came with a 204 horsepower, 4.2-liter V6 engine that could be used in gasoline or diesel-powered forms. The V6 variants are also popular in the Arab deserts in comparison to the V8s because they offer similar durability and affordability.

There we go, an in-depth look at the Toyota Land Cruiser engine options. So, the next time your friend asks, “Are all Land Cruisers V8s?” you know what to say. If you are interested in SUVs, you should check out this article on the Best SUV cars on the market!