The Forty-Year-Old Truck’s Drag Race Performance
Debuting back in 1984, the renowned Land Cruiser 70 Series is one of the oldest cars on the market. Even with its seasoned vintage, it isn’t planning to disappear any time soon – Toyota has made upgrades for 2024. The most remarkable embellishment is the inclusion of a superior four-cylinder diesel engine as an option to the existing V8, which will still be available.
The World Wide Web is full of competitions between pick-up vehicles, though cab chassis trucks in a race are a rarity. Today we find ourselves with two models from Toyota’s Land Cruiser 70 line: the 8-cylinder diesel and its brand new 4-pot newcomer. To understand the variation in performance these two offer, the workhorses were pitted against each other in an acceleration contest at Sandown Raceway in Australia.
Remarkably, it is noteworthy that the V8-powered variant consisted of a single cab that had a weight of 5,046 pounds (2,289 kilograms). Yet the four-cylinder model came in a double-cab body layout and weighed 4,797 lbs (2,176 kg) at the start. To compensate for this discrepancy with its counterpart, it was provided approximately 243 lbs (110 kg) worth of ballast to reach an overall weight of 5,039 lbs (2,286 kg).
When it comes to the powerplants, the downsized unit holds 201 horsepower and 369 lb-ft (500 Newton-meters) of torque while the V8 engine delivers 202 hp with 331 lb-ft (450 Nm). Both generate their peak horsepower at 3,400 rpm, but the V8’s torque is available sooner, at 1,200 rpm in place of 1,600 rpm. Furthermore, the four-cylinder offers an extra 37 lb-ft (50 Nm) of torque. On top of that, the eight-cylinder engine is attached to a veracious five-speed manual transmission, whereas the other one is connected to a six-speed auto gearbox.
The drag race demonstrates that there is a viable substitute for displacement, particularly when one considers the age gap between the engines. The 4.5-liter V8 labeled “1VD-FTV” has been around since 2007, while Toyota rolled out the 2.8-liter four-cylinder known as “1GD-FTV” in 2015. When taking into account the distinctions between the gearboxes, the result of the drag race is not unexpected.
It is exhilarating observation that a utilitarian wheeler continues to exist in the year 2023, especially in limited regions. Australia stands out as one of the major purchasers of the Land Cruiser 70 Series; however, in Japan it is generating lots of popularity as a five-door Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). Additionally, it is obtainable with a short-wheelbase SUV edition in the Middle East.
Certainly, these four-wheelers aren’t designed for breathing down the necks of a race car at a racetrack. It’s easy to comprehend why they’re not anywhere close to being agile muscle cars. Yet, you can be sure you could trust them to transport you to any destination with rock-solid dependability.
Source: Fullboost / YouTube
