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Hi chasman -
Well, let's see, I think that mechanically they are both very reliable. Never had any drivetrain problems with the old Aero. Only little annoying problems like a trim piece falling off or a relay going out, plus the multitude of minor recalls they had for that year (Trionic, a few others). Otherwise, a very strong engine and reliable drivetrain.
I can say Land Cruisers are built like tanks, even the newer (and some would say softer) IFS Cruisers. No other SUV in the world built for the consumer market can match its combination of reliability, durability, luxury, quality, or off-road ability. That includes Land Rovers, Mercedes (except diesel G-Wagons and any UNIMOG) and especially any SUV built by an American company, most especially that ratpuke Hummer H2/3 POS. Ooops, I may have just offended some folks, sorry, letting the old prejudices show through! ;-)
Toyota's in general tend to be over-engineered (like older Mercedes) and very reliable. This is primarily through design excellence followed by skilled assembly, but if you have the first, it is harder to screw up the second. They are very much into quality assurance, Six Sigma, etc. and it shows in their vehicles. But, except for the Cruiser, I can't think of any Toyota or Lexus with any "soul." The Gen. 4 Supras came close. And, of course, the Lexus LX470 is basically a clone of the Land Cruiser, so it qualifies...
Every vehicle, even the most reliable, will have its characteristic problems. The previous 4.5L I-6 petrol engine in the Land Cruiser wagon from 1993-1997 (right before the V8 came out) was legendary all over the world for its bulletproof durability. It became the de-facto choice for hard-core expeditions, easily displacing the Land Rover Series trucks. But even it had the odd headgasket or EGR problem. So, while I know there is plenty of talk about SAAB sludging or DIC issues or whatever, overall I feel the SAAB mechanicals (in the I-4 engines at least) are very close to Toyota in terms of quality and reliability.
Sorry for the (once again) long post!
-Derek
posted by 12.4.18...
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