If you’ve been eyeballing a new Land Cruiser now that Toyota brought it back to America but you’re hesitant to buy one because of its susceptibility to machine gun fire, then boy, do I have news for you. Inkas Armored just released a new bulletproof Toyota Land Cruiser that’s as capable of withstanding assault rifle fire as it is wheeling on the trails.
According to Inkas Armored, the bulletproof Land Cruiser has a “BR6” armor rating, the highest level of civilian vehicle protection allowed without a special permit. That also means it can protect its occupants from 7.62×51 mm assault rifle rounds and even hand grenades. Such protection comes from armor plating in the doors, floor, pillars, firewall, and around the gas tank and battery to create a 360-degree cocoon of protection that’s apparently up to CEN (European Committee for Standardization) standards. Military-grade ballistic glass keeps passengers safe behind the windows and solid polycarbonate inserts inside the tires allow the Land Cruiser to drive with flats. There’s even a cool-looking armored door behind the rear tailgate, so you have to open two doors to enter the passenger compartment from behind.
Inkas doesn’t provide a curb weight for the newly armored Land Cruiser but, with all of that armor plating, it’s going to be so much heavier than stock. It’ll be interesting to see how slow that 326-horsepower four-cylinder hybrid powertrain is. Will it suffer from all of that extra weight off-road? Inkas claims that it has reinforced suspension to handle it, but how well will that work on a trail? I guess it doesn’t matter; losing a little off-road capability is a price customers are probably willing to pay for added security.
If you need even more security than that, like if you killed John Wick’s dog and you need something to survive his weapons expertise and plot armor, there are a few more goodies you can add. Inkas offers optional engine bay bulletproofing, an engine bay fire suppression system, exhaust protection, radiator protection (an often overlooked issue in movies), and even a roof escape hatch in case he gets inside. You can also spec a night-vision camera, LED strobe lights, an oxygen filtration system, and even a siren/PA system.
There’s an Adam McKay-style social commentary in here somewhere about the Land Cruiser finally being back in North America and it already needs bulletproofing, but I’ll leave that to someone smarter than me. However, there’s no question that the U.S. is a big market for armored vehicles, especially since one of its most popular electric trucks uses factory “bulletproofing” as one of its main selling points. Are the high-profile clientele who have to worry about kidnapping or daily gun violence going to want a Land Cruiser over something bigger or more opulent, like an Escalade or S-Class? Being a pleb, I’m not so sure. But this armored Landy does offer a way to have such protection if clients live in an area where paved roads aren’t as common.
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