Thought the Land Cruiser was Toyota’s off-road king? Think again…

That title belongs to the car you see here - the ultra-rare Toyota Mega Cruiser. Built between 1995 and 2001, the Mega Cruiser was designed for the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF). Internally coded as the BXD10 and referred to as the High Mobility Vehicle (HMV), approximately 3,000 military examples were built, hauling up to 10 troops off-road or serving as a mobile artillery platform. In 1996, Toyota were inspired to follow Hummer’s lead with the Humvee and built a civilian version, internally coded BXD20. Priced at 10 million yen—approximately the same as a Honda NSX at the time and 25% more than the Hummer—only 133 civilian examples were built, making the BXD20 one of the rarest production Toyota models ever, much rarer even than its military-derived contemporary the Lamborghini LM002. The example presented here is rarer still, being one of seven known left-hand drive converted examples.

The Mega Cruiser was designed for one purpose: Off-roading. With three locking differentials, portal axles, 37 inch tires, inboard ventilated brakes and hydraulic rear wheel steering which cut the turning radius to 18.2 feet—more than 7 feet tighter than the Hummer—the vehicle is one of the most capable off-roaders ever produced and boasts 16.5 inches of ground clearance, slightly edging out the Hummer and about twice that of the contemporary FJ80 Land Cruiser.

At just over 200 inches long, the Mega Cruiser is 16 inches longer than the H1 Hummer wagon, with a 4 inch longer wheelbase. It measures 85 inches wide and had a load capacity of 600kg. Despite its larger footprint, at 6,283 pounds, the Mega Cruiser weighs 1500lbs less than the Hummer, thanks in large part to a smaller engine: a 4.1-liter turbodiesel inline-four “15B-FT” that was shared with Toyota’s heavy trucks and buses. Rated at 155 horsepower and 282 lb-ft of torque, the 15B’s output is still more than the Hummer’s early V8s and about half that of the Duramax in the Hummer H1 Alpha, with better fuel efficiency at 13 mpg combined.

It is unlikely Toyota will ever build a 4×4 like the Mega Cruiser again. It was intended to test designs that would eventually make their way in to mass-produced Toyota SUVs and with the heavy vehicle taxes and narrow streets in Japan, it is amazing Toyota built a civilian version at all.

This example spent its first 12 years and 43,000 km in Japan, before being shipped to Russia, where it roamed for a further 14 years and 35,000 km. The current custodian purchased this Mega Cruiser just a month before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. In the conflict that ensued, the car was lost for a year before being rediscovered and shipped to the USA, where it received a comprehensive refresh, detail and service at Corsetti Cruisers in Gardena, CA and Colbern’s Detailing in Ventura, CA. The invoice for both totalled $30,000 and comprised a rebuilt differential, replaced muffler components, new rear brake calipers, rotors and pads, replaced front tie rods, an overhaul of the wiring harness, oil and filter service, detail, dry-ice cleaning of the underside and protective wax in black factory finish, window tint removal and a new battery.

Now fully registered and road-legal, this holy grail of Toyota off-roaders is ready to get muddy with its next owner.