This 2,000-HP Toyota is the World's Fastest SUV
The Toyota Land Cruiser now holds the official title of “World’s Fastest SUV.”
SEMA projects are notorious for being strictly show cars, but Toyota wanted to prove that its heavily modified Land Cruiser that debuted at the 2016 SEMA Show doesn’t just belong on a trailer. The custom 2,000-horsepower Toyota Land Cruiser made a surprising debut in Las Vegas last year, but skeptics dismissed it as somewhat of an empty promise. Toyota has put all that power from the 5.7-liter V8 engine to good use, however, and has set a record speed of 230.02 mph.
Hopping behind the wheel of the record-setting attempt was former Toyota NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, who beat the previous record by more than 19 mph. The Japanese automaker said the GPS-verified and video-documented run shows the Land Cruiser actually ran out of usable pavement, and if there was enough track head, the modified SUV could be expected to go even faster.
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Helping generate all that horsepower is a pair of “volleyball-sized” Garrett turbochargers, capable of producing up to 55 psi of boost. The V8 engine was, of course, overhauled to make sure it could withstand 2,000 hp for its record-setting runs. Changes were also made to the vehicle’s aerodynamics and suspension to keep it stable at over 200 mph, with test driver and championship road racer Craig Stanton lending a helping hand in fine-tuning the Land Cruiser’s setup.
“At 225 mph, the thing was wandering a little bit. All I could think was that Craig said, ‘No matter what, just keep your foot in it,’ and we got 230 mph,” said Edwards, recalling from behind a huge grin after setting the record. “It’s safe to say that this is the fastest SUV on the planet.”
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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With the Land Cruiser as dated as the Tundra glad to see that Toyota spends its time and money on BS custom builds which are meaningless to the market . Just another confirmation that Toyota is out of touch with its customers.
Toyota does a wicked build, sponsors every racing known to man, builds an nhra Camry , yet sells "pure vanilla" to the consumer along with rehashing the same generations, with badges, names with the same tired technology, then calls it a new generation. Eventually, the brand loyalty, they have enjoyed since the days of exciting vehicles will pass and they will either have to start giving the consumers what they want, or suffer quickly declining sales. I know many defecting for this reason