Tough Dog comparison: 300 Series vs 200 Series

It can be a weird old gig, this 4x4 journo game; some days you’re wading through press releases about cosmetic updates to 10-year-old vehicles, other days you’re being whisked around the country attending launch events driving the latest and greatest in off-road machines.

While bipolar in nature, it’s also the best job in the world as far as I’m concerned, especially after receiving the phone call for this article you are reading right now.

Simon Vella, the tech guru from four-wheel drive suspension company Tough Dog 4WD Suspension, called out of the blue one day.

“Ev, I’ve got a new 300 Series we’ve just finished fitting an upgraded suspension on, and we’ve got a 200 Series with some fruit on it … would you be keen to take them both for a spin; we’d love to get your feedback?”

Naturally, the only logical option was to say yes and, before I knew it, we’d arranged to meet at the excellent Mountain High Pies in Wentworth Falls for a morning pie and a bit of a chat, before heading out to the proven off-road testing grounds of Lithgow and its surroundings.

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The aim of the game was to drive both vehicles on road, on fast dirt and through technical terrain, to see how both the 200 Series and 300 Series fared. Plus, I’d get my first chance to drive a new 300 Series fitted with aftermarket suspension.

I’ve been fortunate to have plenty of seat time in the 300 Series already, attending the launch, reviewing a base-spec GX, then having nine or so days testing one through the desert and outback roads on the recent 4X4 Australia 4X4 Of The Year awards.

However, this was my first chance to drive a 300 Series with aftermarket suspension fitted to it, and this was going to be interesting, as I am a fan of the factory suspension tune found in the 300 Series, which is a rarity. Normally, factory suspension is the first thing I’d ditch, but credit where credit is due, Toyota has done a great job.

Aftermarket suspension companies like Tough Dog now had the hard task of making its suspension better than what Toyota offers. Spoiler alert, Tough Dog has done a brilliant job of developing a suspension kit that rides better than stock and provides more suspension travel. Time to hit some corrugations at speed for some good, old-fashioned back-to-back testing.

Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series GXL

This particular 200 Series had nearly 100,000km on the clock and was hiding this well. It looked and drove like new, and had a bit more gear on it compared to the 300 Series – more of a traditional touring package.

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Additional accessories comprise Tough Dog suspension, lifted 40mm in the front and 20mm in the rear; a steel bullbar; a winch with synthetic rope; a set of Lightforce HTX 2 driving lights mounted on the bullbar; Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 all-terrain tyres for extra traction off-road; and a Safari snorkel for protection in dusty conditions and during water crossings.

It’s a great touring package, ticking many boxes for off-road use. Considering the 200 Series has been around for so long, there isn’t much you can’t accessorise or modify to suit your needs. This is one area the 200 Series has an advantage over the 300 Series, but this will no doubt change in time as the aftermarket industry continues to develop new products to suit the new platform.

Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series GXL

The 300 Series Simon was kind enough to let me drive (it’s his actual daily driver) was mild in comparison, modifications wise. It sports a Front Runner Rack with Lightforce LED light bar, a set of Falken Wildpeak tyres and upgraded suspension from Tough Dog.

While both vehicles are carrying different amounts of weight, Simon was quick to point out the suspension had been tailored to suit the weight difference for each vehicle. As most vehicles are set up differently, it’s critical to focus on spring rates and have plenty of options available to cover these varying loads. This is why we always say to add the weight to your four-wheel drive before fitting aftermarket suspension, so you can select the correct spring rate for your requirements.

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It’s important to note this suspension kit in the 300 Series is a final stage production kit, but the colours are different on the items fitted to this actual vehicle. By the time this article is released, Tough Dog will have production kits on the shelf ready to go, which will be silver and not black.

With 50mm of lift in the front of the 300 Series, Simon commented a diff drop isn’t required, and while aftermarket upper control arms would be beneficial, they aren’t absolutely required. This lift height will work well with factory components and has been engineered to operate within factory alignment parameters for tyre longevity and overall excellent ride and handling.

Research and development

As Simon mentioned, the 300 Series is not just a facelifted 200 Series LandCruiser; there are many differences that required him and the Tough Dog team to develop solutions. Starting with the front end, the strut is physically located differently to the 200 Series. The 300 Series front struts are mounted on a 24mm peg which is welded to the front of the

lower control arm; on a 200 Series, the strut sits in a clevis mount inside the actual lower control arm.

At the rear end of the big 300 Series, Toyota has basically redesigned the way the suspension is packaged. While retaining a live rear axle and coil springs, the way the coil springs and shocks are positioned is completely different. Starting with the shock absorbers, the stock 300 Series shocks are longer than the 200 Series from the factory – a good thing.

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Simon tells us they are able to make the shock longer again by up to 15mm when developing a shock for the 300 Series, which allows for greater wheel travel off-road. Plus, the shocks can carry more oil, which results in better performance on corrugated roads.

Coil spring and shock absorber positioning is also different on the rear end, with the coils sitting farther outboard (away from the diff centre) for a more stable ride. Rear shock absorbers have been mounted outwards of the chassis rails, and lean forward on the 300 Series. So, it was back to the drawing board to develop suspension packages from scratch to suit these changes found in the 300 Series.

Additionally, Simon tells us Tough Dog has developed a sway bar relocation bracket, which lowers the sway bar back to its factory setting, restoring the alignment of the sway-bar link rod after raising the 300 Series. Tough Dog also offers a heavy duty adjustable Panhard rod for the 300 Series, providing a complete suspension package.

Driving dynamics

The boat-like soft feeling is gone from the 200 Series that’s fitted with the Tough Dog suspension, making fast cornering manoeuvres far more confident. Over fast dirt roads and corrugations, the confidence both vehicles exhibit is amazing, and it’s easy to see why LandCruisers are so popular in Australia – they just work in Aussie conditions. Option them up with upgraded suspension and bigger, more aggressive tyres and you feel damn near bulletproof!

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In technical terrain, the rear end of the 300 Series has more wheel travel compared to the 200 Series, something Simon mentions is due to the longer shock absorbers and shock absorber configuration used in the 300 Series. It certainly works too, being able to get power down to the ground better than the 200 Series.

As mentioned, I was really excited to have a steer of a modified 300 Series with the Tough Dog suspension, and it’s safe to say I wasn’t disappointed. Control over corrugations is superb, and you’re able to hit them at greater speeds without fear of shock fade or lack of control.

300 Series knock

Editor Matt has reported a few times he has experienced a knock in the front end of a stock 300 Series. He’s experienced it in at least two separate vehicles, but I’m yet to experience it.

As we had an industry expert at our disposal, we asked Simon if he’s experienced this before, and he mentioned that he has. He’s played with wheel alignment, different wheels and tyres, and has changed the factory suspension out for Tough Dog struts and back to factory struts multiple times as part of the research and development process, and we can confirm the suspension has nothing to do with it.

Simon mentioned it seems to happen when pulling in to a driveway at speed, not in a straight line. While we haven’t been able to work out exactly what component is making this noise, it seems to be steering-rack related. Again, fitting raised suspension has nothing to do with it, as the noise seems to be a quirk of the 300 Series LandCruiser.

Chat with Simon Vella

“You have to pay respect to Toyota for developing such a four-wheel drive for Australia, this vehicle just does it better than the 200 Series LandCruiser,” says Simon. “From ride quality, seating comfort, interior design and off-road ability, the 300 Series in my opinion is an improvement on the 200 Series.

“And that’s not to say the 200 Series is a bad thing at all, nor am I saying that you should sell your 200 Series today and put a deposit on a 300 Series if you are happy with the 200 Series. However, I get to drive these vehicles daily, and I always look forward to jumping in to the 300 Series.

“From a suspension development point of view, working on the 300 Series certainly presented a few challenges, however it was a brilliant exercise to really focus on the vehicle and how we could improve on it.

"We spent considerable amounts of time testing both in the field and in-house on our shock dyno, and have produced a product that enhances the 300 Series all-round, as well as providing load-carrying options depending on your requirements. There’s a big difference between someone who tows a horse float versus a weekend warrior, so it was vital we had options available to suit the demands of Australian four-wheel drivers.”

Verdict

Hands down, the 300 Series drives better than the 200 Series. Simon from Tough Dog, who drives these vehicles daily, went so far to say the 300 Series is a better vehicle overall.

The internet went wild when the 300 was launched, saying it was just a revision of the 200 Series with a smaller capacity engine, but when you get the chance to spend time with someone responsible for developing products for these vehicles, there are many more changes than first meet the eye.

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The 300 Series is more comfortable, the dash and interior more modern (funny that) and the power produced from the 3.3L V6 matched to the 10-speed auto easily pulls away from the 200 Series under acceleration testing. That’s not to say the 200 Series isn’t a brilliant vehicle, but everybody wanted to climb back in to the 300 Series ... and that’s saying something.

I am really excited to see the platform develop, as knowledge and aftermarket accessories expand. As Simon said to me on the day, we really are lucky in this country to receive such vehicles, as it allows for the Australian four-wheel drive industry to not only grow, but thrive.