9 Awesome Toyotas Everyone Forgets About – SlashGear

One of the strangest yet coolest forgotten Toyotas is the Mega Cruiser, which was essentially the Japanese equivalent of the Hummer. Like its American counterpart, the Mega Cruiser was originally designed for military use, but almost as soon as Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force took delivery of the first few units, buyers began to demand a civilian version. The truck was over 16 feet long and 7 feet wide, with room for six people and up to 1,650 pounds of cargo. That made it ideal as a remote rescue vehicle, and several examples were indeed developed for emergency services. But, it was most popular with buyers who simply wanted the biggest, most capable off-road truck that a Japanese manufacturer had ever offered.

Although the truck was only ever officially sold in Japan, today they can be found in a number of international markets where all-terrain trucks are highly prized — Russia, Australia, and the U.S. are reportedly three of the most common export locations. Buying one is not cheap: Adjusted for inflation, the Mega Cruiser originally cost the equivalent of $233,000 when it launched in 1995, and on the rare occasion they’re listed for sale today, they can still fetch around the same price. Production of the SUV continued until 2001, with just over 100 civilian Mega Cruisers rolling off the line in that time.