Toyota Land Cruiser 105 - review, features, specifications and reviews

Toyota Land Cruiser is perhaps one of the most famous all-wheel drive SUVs in Russia. The history of this model dates back to the distant 50s of the last century. The first Cruiser to be released was called the J40. The Cruiser series of SUVs has been constantly improved and refined. So, in 1997, the Land Cruiser 100 and 105 were presented at the Tokyo International Motor Show. In today’s article we will pay attention to the second body – we will find out its characteristics and features.

Description

Land Cruiser 105 is a framed all-wheel drive Japanese jeep, mass-produced from 1998 to 2007. The car is a more “off-road” version of the 100th body. By the way, unlike the Toyota Land Cruiser 100 B, the 105th body was not produced for the Japanese domestic market. The main direction is the market of North America and the Middle East.

For almost 20 years, the Toyota Land Cruiser 105 has been associated as a car designed to work, conquer peaks, without fatigue or obstacles. Among the owners of these frame SUVs there are many who love active recreation, fishing and hunting with long trips. Also, this machine is bought for off-roading, because its design and the presence of standard locks are completely suitable for this.

Motorsport

In matters of expertise in the Land Cruiser model, Jipstroy, if it does not give a head start to the representatives of Toyota itself, then the owners of Jipstroy will certainly not lag behind. They were innovators in the issue of installing a diesel turbocharged engine from the Toyota Land Cruiser 100 to the Toyota Land Cruiser 105, and also converted its electronic fuel injection pump to a mechanical one. Large-volume naturally-aspirated gasoline engines and increased vehicle weight, coupled with an increased cross-sectional area, negatively affect efficiency.

Appearance

In general, the bodies of the Cruisers are very similar. Like the 80, the Land Cruiser 105 has the same boxy shape, lines and muscular wheel arches with equally massive wheels. However, unlike the previous generation, the 105th body received a slightly different form of optics and radiator grille.

Many people wonder: what is the difference between the Toyota Land Cruiser 105 SUV and the 100? The main differences concern the bumpers. On the 105th body they were not painted in the main color and were black. This model also featured single brake lights at the rear. Among the main differences at the rear, it is worth noting the rear swing gates. The 100th body has a folding solid door.

Five years after mass production, the Toyota Land Cruiser 105 SUV experienced its first restyling. So, the radiator grille has changed. It has become a little wider and now contacts directly the front bumper (previously there was a metal strip in this place).

In 2005, the Toyota Land Cruiser underwent another update. So, the head optics have changed. The high-low beam lamps are placed horizontally. The radiator grille and rear brake lights have changed. By the way, the turn signals are made monolithic with the headlight.

In general, the Toyota Land Cruiser has a brutal, truly masculine appearance. Many owners carry out additional tuning, namely installing:

• Power bumpers front and rear.
• Mud tires.
• LED chandelier.
• Overhead rack.
• Snorkel.
• Winch.

With such equipment, the car definitely attracts attention, reviews say. But this is not done for this purpose at all - the car is professionally prepared for competitions. Just off-road enthusiasts also engage in similar tuning. After all, the 105th “Cruiser” is more prone to off-road conditions than the “weaving”.

Dimensions, ground clearance

The car has very immodest dimensions. Thus, the total length of the body is 4.89 meters, width – 1.94, height – 1.89 meters. The wheelbase is 2850 millimeters. The turning radius is 5.5 meters. Ground clearance - 23 centimeters. But this is far from the limit, the owners say. By installing high-profile mud tires here, you can raise the car another couple of centimeters without modifications. The car also has good geometric cross-country ability, despite the long wheelbase. And after installing power bumpers, the Toyota Land Cruiser becomes an all-terrain vehicle, the owners note.

Salon

One of the differences of the 105th body is in the interior. So, this model has a simpler, “working” interior. Here you will never find a leather interior. Sometimes the Land Cruiser came with mechanical windows and one airbag. The interior is mostly velor, with a minimal number of options. The exception is the Land Cruiser 105 GX. This is the maximum configuration of the SUV, which includes a fabric interior, air conditioning and power accessories.

Thanks to the long body, the salon can accommodate up to eight people. Moreover, everyone will not experience discomfort - there is plenty of space inside. The floor in the cabin is flat, which is also a plus. The seats, despite the modest upholstery, are quite comfortable. All adjustments are mechanical. By the way, the car has two gearshift levers. One is responsible for the gearbox, and the second is responsible for the transfer case. The locks are activated via a lever located near the driver's left knee.

Despite the more budget version, the quality of sound insulation in the Land Cruiser 105 is at a high level, as reviews say. Inside, you can’t hear the roar of the engine or the sounds of the suspension and gearbox.

Land Cruiser 105: technical specifications

This model does not have such a variety of engines as the “hundredth”. Under the hood of the Toyota Land Cruiser 105 is a diesel power unit with 135 horsepower. This is a 1HZ inline six-cylinder engine. Engine displacement is 4163 cubic centimeters. The diesel Land Cruiser 105 develops such low power due to the absence of a turbine. We also note that the engine has the simplest design with a cast iron block, “wet” liners and a 12-valve timing mechanism (where each cylinder has one intake and one exhaust). The piston diameter is 94 millimeters, the stroke is 100. At the same time, the engine has a high compression ratio of 22.7. The torque of the power unit is 280 Nm at 2.2 thousand rpm.

There were several transmissions. Initially it was a five-speed manual and a four-speed automatic. But during the first restyling (remember, this was 2003), a more economical five-speed automatic appeared in the lineup.

What are the performance characteristics of the Land Cruiser 105? Acceleration to hundreds takes 13.6 seconds. Maximum speed is 170 kilometers per hour. Fuel consumption, according to passport data, in the city is 14.1 liters. On the highway the car consumes about 11.1 liters. The total volume of the tank is 95 liters. We also note that some versions for the Middle East were equipped with an additional 50-liter tank.

LPG for Cruiser: danger or necessity – Diesel engine

The spartan equipment of the STD had similar gates to the GX, as well as simpler headlights, unpainted mirror housings, simple steel wheels, and no running boards. And once again about tuning, in my practice there were cases when the jeep looked well prepared, but upon closer examination it turned out that the design solutions were incorrect, and the components were chosen from cheap ones.

Petrol Land Cruiser

We also note that the Land Cruiser 105 for the American market in 2005 received a V-shaped, eight-cylinder gasoline engine 2UZ-FE. It is distinguished by a 32-valve timing mechanism and a VVT-i phase shift system. The cylinder block material is cast iron. The head is aluminum.

The maximum power of this power unit with a volume of 4664 cubic centimeters is 282 horsepower. With this engine, the car accelerated to hundreds in 11.7 seconds. At the same time, it consumed 16.5 liters of fuel in the city. On the highway this figure was around 10 liters.

Frequent breakdowns

If the car is not “raped” by constant off-road driving, but is given a rest from it, then we can call it eternal. The 105 Cruiser engine is quite difficult to destroy, only with complete disregard. Problems may begin with a gasoline engine if the oil is not changed on time. But a diesel engine will “fly” if you regularly use diesel fuel of the worst quality possible.

When buying a car, you should definitely check the transmission. Prolonged slippage can wear out the torque converter lockup. It is not uncommon for there to be a malfunction in the bending of the surface on which the lock operates. If not repaired, this will lead to oil leakage through the pump seal, which may cause the bushing or the pump itself to fail.

After excessively salty winters, the locking mechanisms may become sour. To prevent this, you need to recheck the mechanism every 150-200 thousand km. With frequent and heavy use, it may bend and begin to leak.

Also, it is important to regularly diagnose bridges so as not to miss faults and not contact specialists for restoration.

Reliability

The reliability of Toyota Land Cruiser engines is legendary. This is a practically indestructible engine. As practice shows, the service life of Toyota Land Cruiser engines reaches a million kilometers (both diesel and gasoline). These units do not have design flaws or shortcomings. During their entire service life, they only require regular oil changes. In total, the engine contains 9.5 liters of oil. The replacement schedule is from 7 to 15 thousand kilometers, depending on operating conditions. But since the Toyota Land Cruiser 105 is often purchased specifically for off-road use, it is better to reduce these regulations to the maximum. By the way, the Toyota diesel engine is not at all picky about the quality of Russian fuel.

Interesting fact: the UN organization recognized the Toyota Land Cruiser 105 SUV as the most reliable in its class.

Chassis

The car is built on a durable frame with a longitudinal arrangement of the power unit. Among the differences from the “weaving” is the presence of a dependent suspension at the front. But there were also modifications with torsion bar front suspension. Coil springs and hydraulic shock absorbers were used as elastic elements. At the rear there is a classic continuous bridge.

Note that, depending on the configuration, the Toyota Land Cruiser could be equipped with a different number of locks. So, in the STD version there was only a central one. Models GXR1 already had two, and GXR2 – three differential locks. Additionally, the latest version was equipped as standard with an electric winch at the front.

How does this car behave on the move? According to reviews from owners, the suspension of the 105th body is slightly stiffer than that of the “hundredth”. The car reacts more roughly to potholes and road junctions. However, this suspension cannot be called uncomfortable. The car still has a very smooth ride. But for softness you have to sacrifice lateral rolls. The car turns hard due to the dependent suspension design and high center of gravity. But the car holds a straight trajectory perfectly. At high speeds, the car drives like a glove, as noted by owner reviews.

Price

Toyota Land Cruiser is one of the few cars that, after purchase, can be sold for the same price. It is indeed a fact: on average, the price of these models decreases by only 5 percent per year. If we talk about our body, it can be purchased for 1-1.5 million rubles. Moreover, the cost can sometimes exceed the price of a more luxurious “weave”. But as a rule, these are models already prepared for off-road, with a winch, all the locks and power bumpers.

Despite the high cost, these cars are very popular in the secondary market. There is a stable demand for them. Therefore, even after driving such a car for a month, selling it will not be difficult. However, there are few such owners. After driving a Cruiser a couple of times, you start thinking about permanent ownership of such an SUV.

Land Cruiser 105.

I decided to write a review about this car. The car is quite rare, and for those who are not familiar with off-road nuances, it is completely unclear how it differs from a regular cruiser. So, I had a Pajero Sport for a very short time, I wrote a review about it here. After it caught my ears (solely through my fault: I did not appreciate its driving characteristics, muddy tires on the rear wheel drive - the old Sport did not have RPV), I began to look for a replacement for the expedition vehicle. In principle, there were no other options at all. I wasn’t going to look at the L200, nor the Pajero4, and the Patrol (still old, not the blown one it is now) — I didn’t like the inside at all. Plus the usual desire of a Soviet person to take something “for centuries and pass it on to his grandchildren.” So I started looking for TLC 105.

I searched for a couple of months in St. Petersburg, nothing worthy was found (a prerequisite is the GX package, i.e. with all the locks) and the last one, 2005. As a result, friends found a car in Moscow, it was sold by a friend of friends. In general, I went to Moscow to pick up the car. This is my first (and hopefully only) car without CASCO. Because Insurers want more than 100 thousand rubles for CASCO for 150, but the car is basically undetectable. Well, as for the Kotskas - who will count them? So, the car appeared. but then something a little unexpected happened. The fact is that little by little my life priorities changed. I realized that shit climbing itself doesn’t appeal to me at all. I'm interested in going far from people, to remote places. And just together with my wife, because... only on one machine. But driving into serious swamps with one car is stupid and dangerous. and most importantly - not interesting! And to any remote places where I wanted to go - the 105 drove everywhere there