Fortuner, Endeavour & V-Cross succeed but Toyota Land Cruiser FAILS: Here’s why [Video]

The more expensive vehicles are thought to be better at off-roading, than their affordable counterparts. However, most of the times, that is not the case. It is quite possible that an expensive vehicle fails to complete a challenge whereas much cheaper off-roading SUVs go through it quite easily. Here is a video of a Land Cruiser Series 200 struggling at a challenge while other, much more affordable SUVs go past it without much trouble.

What is happening here?

The video shows a steep off-roading track and a stock Toyota Cruiser 200 trying to conquer it. Even though the luxury SUV reaches the top of the challenge, the road-going tyres fail to find any traction. The Land Cruiser repeats the challenge quite a few times but due to the heavy weight coupled with slippery road-biased tyres, the vehicle fails to complete the challenge.

The same video shows other SUVs like a Ford Endeavour, a modified Toyota Fortuner and an Isuzu D-Max V-Cross try the same challenge and complete it without much problem. All the three vehicles get a similar kind of equipment including a 4×4 transfer case with a low-ratio gearbox. However, the new-generation Toyota Fortuner also offers the Toyota A-TRAC system, which is a traction control system that puts it at an advantage over the others.

It should be noted that the Land Cruiser LC200 is the most expensive SUV in the group. It is also the most powerful. The Land Cruiser VX 200 is powered by a massive 4.5-litre V8 engine that generates a maximum of 262 Bhp and an earth-moving torque of 650 Nm. The vehicle costs Rs. 1.41 crore, ex-showroom and is imported to the Indian market as Completely Built Units (CBU) that attracts a high amount of tax. The 3.2-litre, 6-cylinder engine of the Endeavour produces a maximum of 197 Bhp – 470 Nm. The Toyota Fortuner gets a 2.8-litre diesel engine that produces a maximum of 174 Bhp and 420 Nm. The Isuzu D-Max pickup is the least-powered vehicle in the group and gets a 2.5-litre engine that generates a maximum of 134 Bhp – 320 Nm.

The Land Cruiser successfully completes the challenge in the end after numerous attempts. The last attempt of the luxury SUV in the video shows that it came in at a higher speed that helped it to build momentum and get past the point where it got stuck repeatedly. The Land Cruiser was in the complete stock form and even the road-biased tyres caught a lot of dirt that caused the massive loss of traction. With the right equipment like big block tyres, the vehicle has the potential to do much more.

Bottomline: For off roading, tyres are EVERYTHING. If the Land Cruiser had the right set of tyres, it would have easily cleared the obstacle. 

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