KING SLAYER

LANDCRUISER’S REIGN AS THE KING OFF-THE-ROAD HAS COME TO AN END, AND HILUXES LIKE THIS ARE WHY.

- DAN EVERETT

FOR decades Toyota’s LandCruiser has been the be-all-to-end-all offroad, the top dog, the king of the mountain and the go-to option for anyone who likes their beer cold and their dirt red. Looking back, it wasn’t hard to see why. Affordable, capable, rugged, reliable, comfortable, and endless other adjectives. The point is, if you wanted to drive tough tracks, camp on the beach with your mates, or set off for the big lap, the LandCruiser was the clear choice.

Over the last 10 years we’ve seen that drastically change, and it’s all thanks to Swiss Army knife builds like Blake’s oh so clean and twice as capable N70 Hilux. As LandCruisers got bigger, heavier and more expensive, the Hilux has stepped up and filled every role perfectly, and young blokes and blokettes all around the country are taking notice.

“I think they’re a great all-rounder,” Blake tells us. “I wanted something that could drive long distances comfortably, and tackle any tracks I wanted to take on.”