Land Cruiser BJ Series

LAND CRUISER 70 SERIES
	The 70-series of today contains, according to Mr. Osamu Shinodu, chief engineer of the LC70 Product Planning Division, "all of the threads of history." The biggest change was made in the transition from the 40-series to the 70-series. The market still demanded heavy-duty vehicles, but RV-type users were increasing and both had to be satisfied. While some people in Japan thought that the Land Cruiser was still too heavy and overbuilt in terms of quality, people in Arab countries complained that the Land Cruiser was becoming too soft. It was thanks to these competing needs, however, that the Land Cruiser was able to diversify in the directions it has today. There were limits to what could be done to modernise the old design of the 40-series. The chief engineer at the time, Mr. Masaomi Yoshii, therefore introduced a complete overhaul in the design. In November of 1984, a new 70-series was born, bringing to a close a 29-year era during which the 40-series (and the 20-series) remained unchanged. The first requirement for the new series was that the new Land Cruiser should not sacrifice any of its toughness, so a strong ladder frame was outfitted with rigid leaf springs. The body plates were thickened by 1mm for added strength. While leaving something of the image of the 40-series, such as externally added fenders, it was also given modern features such as curved glass. As before, there were two body types available, the short BJ70 (soft top and van) and the middle BJ73 (FRP top). Following the addition of several engine types, including the BJ74 LX with automatic transmission, the 70-series wagon underwent a complete makeover in April 1990. In addition to the original 2-door, a 4-door semi-long model was introduced. Its name was changed to the Prado, and with other design changes it took on its own identity, making the transition to a passenger vehicle. The 4-door model had three rows of seats and co uld carry eight people. Compared to the 70-series that was registered as a commercial vehicle, it now had more potential reclassified as a recreational vehicle. A wide-body version was later added to the semi-long and short body versions, along with a newly developed engine. These changes led to improved performance. However, the 1st generation Prado had inherited too strong a workhorse image and did not attract the interest Toyota had hoped. With a full model change in May of 1996, the Prado embarked on a new and independent path. This 2nd generation design was aimed at creating a car that retained its 4WD character while looking at home on city streets. It reflected Mr. Yoshii's experience while doing development work on another Toyota vehicle, the Carib. Then a Land Cruiser was used as a support car during snow testing. The heavy Land Cruiser often got stuck, while the Carib was "light enough to run circles around it," as Mr. Yohii puts it. Although he had no idea that one day he would be put in cha rge of Land Cruiser development, that experience helped him create the lighter, more car-like characteristics that made the 70-series such a success.