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What 4X4 provides the ultimate base as a capable and comfortable tourer? Unfortunately, nothing from the factory floor really suits the ‘ultimate’ moniker. Some people in aftermarket-land are having a crack at it, and one of the more serious no-holds-barred setups we have come across is this Toyota LandCruiser.
It’s been chopped, extended and trayed, as well as getting suspension and GVM mods to suit. It’s listed online for a fairly sweltering $174,000. Let’s have a closer look at it.
Aside from the initial purchase price of the LandCruiser, a big chunk of that $170,000 no doubt goes into the chop and extension. Creative Conversions, based at Brendale (northern Brisbane), charge you anywhere between $27,000 to well over $50,000 for a 650mm chassis extension and ute conversion – depending on how many boxes you tick along the way. They have a sterling reputation for this kind of work, and we understand that they are some of the best in the business.
On top of the major surgery, the LandCruiser comes with a long list of TJM-sourced gear like barwork, winches (plural) and snorkel. The tray is where the Patriot Campers people weave their own magic, with a very flash aluminium setup made for the chopped 200 Series. Weighing 280kg, the tray has 70 litres of water storage built-in, as well as a 12,000lb rear winch. We really like the built-in storage boxes and huge rear drawer at the back.
There’s a bit of extra grunt eked out of the 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8. Torqit does a chip, exhaust and pedal torque module for anywhere between $3,500 and $4,900, which would no doubt give a solid bump in performance. Considering this unit would weigh a fair bit more than factory spec, that extra power would certainly be appreciated.
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