1 Mar 1990
Reflecting the series’ increasing urban and recreational demographic, the all-new 80 Series was released locally in March 1990. It was five metres long and two metres wide.
Big strides in dynamic abilities, comfort, refinement, space and safety were made, while corrosion resistant steel was introduced, along with long-travel coil spring suspension and – on most variants – four-wheel disc brakes and constant 4WD.
Two new 4.2-litre SOHC six-cylinder diesel engines were introduced: a 94kW/271Nm 1HZ and a 120kW/362Nm 1HD-T turbo version, while the old 4.0-litre OHV 3F six-cylinder unit was revised to deliver 110kW of power and 284Nm of torque in fuel-injected form those rose to 112kW and 290Nm respectively.
Initially, 10 models over three grades were offered – Standard (for fleet buyers), GXL and luxury VX Sahara. The latter two offered a three-row eight-seat configuration. The four-door wagon body also featured a vertical split twin-door tailgate.
In late 1992 a round of revisions saw the introduction of the competitively priced RV model, as well as an all-new 4.5-litre 24-valve DOHC 1FZ-FE six-cylinder engine that delivered 158kW of power (up 40 per cent) and 373Nm of torque (up 30 per cent).
It finally put to rest the old 4.0-litre OHV 3F petrol engine. A six-seater DX model arrived from 1995, while a year later all models gained optional ABS anti-lock brakes and dual front airbags. Limited edition models included the Blue Marlin (1994), RV Advantage and Rugby World Cup (1995), and 40th Anniversary LE (1997). The 80 Series replacement, released in March 1998, kept on rising in price, size and refinement.
