Land Cruiser Off-Road: What We Need to Know

[PixelMagic]

I caught the off roading bug from my friend who is a 4 wheeling wizard in a 4 Runner. However, this will be my first 4WD vehicle and I know I have lots to learn. I'm going to share some links that helped me and hopefully will be of interest to other newbies. I hope others on our forum will join in with links and advice to the critical knowledge base we all need to get safely to and from our off road adventures. Suggestions on videos, books, off road courses and clubs as well as off road expo events will be appreciated.

Herewith are my first contributions:






Thanks in advance to the experts among us for sharing your knowledge.

Mark

 

[LC-120]

This is an interesting subject. If my old school Landcruiser Prado 120 has very simple (but still very efficient ) off-road features, the 2024 model has a lot more. In addition to the basic Center DiffLock, Low Gear, Rear DiffLock the 2024 model gets:

2nd ECT (Electronically controlled Transmission) for starting in 2nd gear on slipery conditions.
Crawling feature - a cruise control for very low speed.
SDM - Stabiliser Disconnect Mechanism for the front wheels when you navigate rocky terrain
Multi-Terrain Select Off-road driving support can be selected from six modes depending on the road surface; can also be operated in high range (H4) for use in even more off-road driving situations.

The EPS - Electric Power Steering - and Multi-Terrain Monitor are making off-road driving easier also.

Did I forget anything?

It is a matter of knowledge and experience to understand and use them efficiently. Do not overestimate your off-road driving capability and your vehicle. Take it easy step-by-step.

 

[Pierac]

Nice thread... I think there will be many new off roaders headed to the trails soon. I did quite a bit off roading about 45 years ago in a Ford Pickup 4x4. Now so much fancy stuff that can break if you don't know what your doing. However, I only plan on easy and moderate trails.... like service roads to get me to good hiking spots. Yet sometimes the roads are not maintained/washed out in spots and you need a little more off roader to get you past the tight spots.

This guy has lots of good videos and has had several Landcruisers and other hard core off road vehicles.



Good info to know...

 

[Pierac]

Found a video of your Guy in your first 2 videos. He goes over a lot of information.

However, it appears to me during his driving videos that he going too fast for the road conditions? Maybe it just looks that way in the videos... but it appears like he's doing 50mph or more?

 

[PixelMagic]

Found a video of your Guy in your first 2 videos. He goes over a lot of information.

However, it appears to me during his driving videos that he going too fast for the road conditions? Maybe it just looks that way in the videos... but it appears like he's doing 50mph or more?

Great summary video. He does like to fly through the desert. You best not have any loose dental fillings if you drive with him!

 

[Muddygriff]

These videos are absolutely fantastic. Thank you for posting them! Does anyone know if Toyota has anything comparable to the Ford Bronco Off Rodeo programs? Ford will take Bronco owners on an off road education course. I was planning on doing it as I saved my pennies for a Bronco…and then the LC came along

 

[PixelMagic]

These videos are absolutely fantastic. Thank you for posting them! Does anyone know if Toyota has anything comparable to the Ford Bronco Off Rodeo programs? Ford will take Bronco owners on an off road education course. I was planning on doing it as I saved my pennies for a Bronco…and then the LC came along

Here you go!

 

[LCOceans]

Found a video of your Guy in your first 2 videos. He goes over a lot of information.

However, it appears to me during his driving videos that he going too fast for the road conditions? Maybe it just looks that way in the videos... but it appears like he's doing 50mph or more?

This guy (GX460 Off-road) absolutely hates our land cruisers! He calls them McLandcruisers. I mean he has several videos just destroying the 250 series. He compares having the 2024 LC to that of having a Louis Vuitton bag.
I believe he is a little biased towards Lexus.

 

[CruiserConundrum]

This may be my favorite thread so far.

 

[b407driver]

Found a video of your Guy in your first 2 videos. He goes over a lot of information.

However, it appears to me during his driving videos that he going too fast for the road conditions? Maybe it just looks that way in the videos... but it appears like he's doing 50mph or more?

Didn’t look too fast to me, but I spend a lot of time in Southern Utah. A KDSS 4Runner is just getting smooth at 40 on washboard. Fun stuff.

 

[b407driver]

I caught the off roading bug from my friend who is a 4 wheeling wizard in a 4 Runner. However, this will be my first 4WD vehicle and I know I have lots to learn. I'm going to share some links that helped me and hopefully will be of interest to other newbies. I hope others on our forum will join in with links and advice to the critical knowledge base we all need to get safely to and from our off road adventures. Suggestions on videos, books, off road courses and clubs as well as off road expo events will be appreciated.

Herewith are my first contributions:






Thanks in advance to the experts among us for sharing your knowledge.

Mark

Great idea for a thread. That third video could have been two minutes. Talk about repeating yourself!

 

[OzLC]

These videos are absolutely fantastic. Thank you for posting them! Does anyone know if Toyota has anything comparable to the Ford Bronco Off Rodeo programs? Ford will take Bronco owners on an off road education course. I was planning on doing it as I saved my pennies for a Bronco…and then the LC came along

Watched the vid posted by PixelMagic. I have done an Off Rodeo. Ford has a five course meal. That vid is an appetizer. I hope Toyota comes out with something more extensive.