TOYOTA Land Cruiser 100 1998-2002 Photos, engines & full specs

Toyota introduced the Land Cruiser 100 as a replacement for the already beloved 80 series, which was already eight years old and needed couldn't keep the pace with its main competitors.

Designed to provide more power than the car it replaced, the new SUV from Toyota kept the nameplate standards at the same high levels in terms of reliability. Moreover, thanks to its longer wheelbase, it has increased the passengers' comfort. Its only drawback was its weight. But that didn't stop it from gaining the "4x4 of the Year in Australia."

Even though the design was nothing extraordinary, the LC 100 offered a commanding view on the road thanks to its tall and flat front area, like the aerodynamics never existed. Still, since it already started from the 80 series to show some curved lines, it continued. As a result, the front fenders sported enlarged areas around the wheels. Likewise, a similar enlarged area was applied around the wheels on the rear quarter panels.

The interior provided either a fabric or leather upholstery, depending on the options. The dashboard looked like a half-breed between a car and a truck, with a comprehensive instrument cluster that showed more gauges than a regular car. Still, the center stack was not something installed by truckmakers. Moreover, the tall center console created an individual area for both front occupants. There was room enough for three passengers in the middle row, while the last row offered two additional seats.

Under the hood, the carmaker dropped a 4.7-liter V8 with gasoline for most countries. At the same time, the 4.2-liter inline-six turbodiesel was the weapon of choice for Europe. Either way, it was a heavy vehicle that could still handle well off-road situations thanks to its all-wheel drive system and the two-speed transfer case.