Armored Toyota Land Cruiser Can Handle TNT Blasts, Kalashnikovs and Dragunovs

I imagine that this is the kind of vehicle that you'd see the head of your state being chauffeured in, or the CEO of a huge company. Traveling in an armored vehicle also makes a lot of sense if you're going through a war-zone or a crime-infested area, but in most places around the globe, this might be pretty pointless. Or so I'd like to believe.

Turning a normal road-going vehicle into an armored one does have some downsides, and a considerable increase in weight would be the most significant one. This Toyota Land Cruiser weighs approximately 10,650 lbs (4,830 kg), which is what you'd expect out of a Ford F-650 for instance. While the stock version of the vehicle was only about half that weight, this means the performance of the vehicle is now limited as well.

With the 5.7-liter V8 under the hood, the manufacturer, Aurum Security in Germany, claims this car can reach a top speed of 87 mph (140 kph). Also, from a standstill, it can hit 62 mph (100 kph) in 12 seconds, which is rather slow because if you need an armored vehicle in the first place, you might want to be able to put quickly pull away from potential danger at any given moment.

Adding a turbocharger or a supercharger in the equation might make things at least slightly better, even though it will affect the current fuel economy, which is just under 7 mpg (34 l/100km). Given the appetite of this SUV, it would also probably make sense to add another fuel cell in the back for an extended range, just in case. Looking over the specs of this vehicle, you can't help but be seriously impressed, though.

This Land Cruiser comes with the highest level of protection for civilian vehicles: VPAM VR10. This is the kind of security you'd expect to get out of a military vehicle and it can handle quite a lot. Someone could detonate up to 33 lbs (15kg) of TNT just 6.5 feet (two meters) away from the vehicle, and you'd be safe. You could have two hand grenades going off on the roof or under the car and you'd still be safe.

The model is also a category B7+ when it comes to protecting its occupants, and as opposed to a B6 type vehicle, it can take multiple Kalashnikov shots and can even safeguard you against a Dragunov sniper rifle. If you keep on reading the entire list of safety features, you'll feel much better already. All of these safety features have not been tested individually, but Aurum has tested the entire car to make sure it delivers what it vows to offer to its clients.

And if you're the kind of person who worries about things like these, the price of €232,050 ($277,392) will most likely not scare you at all. After all, you can't put a price on your well-being!