Toyotie, part 3: Capacity and Range

I previously noted that the decision to “upgrade” from the TJ to a series 80 Toyota Land Cruiser was primarily driven by space issues. That was certainly true, and the Land Cruiser was certainly much more spacious.

For one thing, it had a pair of removable third-row seats, meaning that it could seat seven, and in more comfort than four in the Jeep. I laughed sardonically at a mainstream press review of the Land Cruiser which lamented that it could “only” fir 10 or 12 bags of groceries with the third-row seats in place! The TJ could just manage 3 or 4 bags with just the second row seat in!

The second-row seats in the Land Cruiser are also split seats, meaning that one or both sides could be folded down or forward, increasing cargo capacity yet retaining a back seat for the kid. No such extravagance was possible in the Jeep.

So, the Land Cruiser was clearly a good solution to our need for more space, while also not going completely overboard. There are more monstrous SUVs out there, but I was also looking for one that would minimize the downsides. Larger vehicles can’t fit into tight spaces as well. Turning radius is worse. The increased weight negatively impacts fuel mileage and range… So a larger vehicle would necessarily be burdened with these trade-offs, and they would be especially noticeable for me, after being spoiled in the “compact offroad sports car” of the small, short Jeep.

And speaking of fuel, there were two considerations I was hoping to see improved with the Jeep’s replacement: better fuel mileage and increased range. With the Jeep, both of these downright sucked, there’s no other way to put it. Unfortunately, the mileage on the big Land Cruiser seems to be about the same as the Jeep. That’s unfortunate, but with a much bigger and heavier vehicle, I’m at least relieved that it’s not worse.

With a fuel tank capacity of 24 gallons vs. 19 in the TJ (standard for the Sahara editions), at least the range is better. The TJ’s low fuel light came on around 16 gallons, and after roughly 180-200 miles. It was always quite variable. The Land Cruiser’s light seems to come on at around 250 miles, about a 24% increase in distance and a much better number.

Better yet, with the spare tire moved onto the rear bumper carrier as it is on mine, the space under the rear body can now be occupied by an auxiliary rear fuel tank. These are available in different capacities, typically 12, 24, 34, or 42 gallons. With a conservative 24-gallon aux. fuel tank, capacity would be doubled and the range extended to roughly 500 miles, with a 3-4 gallon reserve in each tank. This is well beyond double the possible range in the Jeep.

Also, the Jeep could certainly carry a few jerry cans of gas to extend its range, one extra 5-gallon can was really the optimal limit. Five would be possible by resorting to placing four on the roof rack, but this wasn’t ideal with the Jeep’s short wheelbase. A similar load on the Land Cruiser would consist of ten jerry cans and it would probably handle the load better. With full tanks and all those cans (“Uh, no smoking please!”), we’d be looking at a potential range of a thousand miles!

So those were some of the considerations that led me to the Land Cruiser. I’d also spent a long day in a series 100 (the next evolution of the series) on both paved and dirt roads, so I’d at least had some passenger experience with them, and I’d come away with a pretty favorable opinion. I also knew the family would appreciate many of the luxuries that the Jeep couldn’t – power windows, locks, and seats; four doors, roll-down windows for the 2nd-row passengers and rear sliding windows, rear heaters, nine stereo speakers, leather seats, a moon roof, and so on.

I don’t think there’s a single perfect vehicle out there, but the series 80 Land Cruiser was pretty much as close to one as I could find, for how I wanted to use it. I’ve done my due-diligence, and I hope we have a long and happy relationship.

Cameraman Ben adjusts video camera on the 100 series Land Cruiser during the filming of our Geo Car episode.