CM’s bulletproof Toyota Land Cruiser; What goes inside the SUV that weighs over 4 tons?

Bulletproof car is a big market in themselves, especially in countries like India where most politicians choose to travel using bulletproof vehicles. While the OEM bulletproof cars can be very expensive, there are many aftermarket conversion garages that use the stock vehicle as a base and convert the car into an armored vehicle. Here is one such aftermarket armored vehicle of a former Punjab chief minister.

The video by TurboXtreme shows various changes in the vehicle. This armored Land Cruiser is a 2009 model and it has also received a facelift transformation that has changed it to the new 2019 model. All the changes are cosmetic or strengthening-focussed. No mechanical changes have been made to this vehicle.

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To change it from the 2009 model to the new 2019 version, the changes include new bumpers, tail lamps, and headlamps. It will be quite difficult for most people to know that this is a 2009 model.

But what makes it bulletproof?

The whole car is armored but there is no way to test the set-up so there is no ballistic rating on the car. It gets thick multilayered windows that are fixed and cannot be rolled down. Even the sunroof is now fixed and the standard OEM glass is replaced with new bulletproof glass.

There are a lot of armor plates on the doors, underbody, and even around the engine. But all the armors and the bulletproof glasses increase the weight of the car. The stock Land Cruiser weighs around 2.7 tonnes. This one weighs a massive 4 tonnes! But the work is quite intricate and one would be able to tell that this is a bulletproof vehicle.

The stock suspension gives way to a new heavy-duty suspension setup to handle the extra weight of the car. The tires also get special materials that are leak-proof and puncture-proof. All the wheels get a special sealant that quickly seals any holes during emergency situations.

Driving the bulletproof car

Since the weight has almost doubled from the stock and there are no mechanical changes in the vehicle, it really affects how the car drives. Due to the added weight, the body roll increases by multiple times. Also, the added weight does not allow the Land Cruiser to accelerate as quickly as before.

It has also increased fuel consumption. With the added weight of bulletproof armor, the car returns way less fuel efficiency than before.

Now coming to the engine, the video wrongly mentions that it is powered by a 5.7-liter V8 petrol engine. However, in India, Toyota offers the diesel version only. This Land Cruiser is powered by a 4.5-liter V8 diesel engine that generates a maximum power of 261 PS and a peak torque of 650 Nm. The engine transfers the power to all four wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission. It is a full-time 4WD system that gets functions like Crawl Control, Multi-Terrain Select, Toyota A-Trac traction control system, Multi-Terrain Monitor, and more. The Land Cruiser LC200 is quite capable and wade through 700mm of water.

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