Supersized Toyota Mega Cruiser Found on Bring a Trailer
Created for the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Mega Cruiser is like an alternative-universe Hummer H1 but bigger, lighter, and roomier.
While nearly 3000 military-spec units were made, only 133 civilian-issue Mega Cruisers are believed to have been built, and fewer than 20 are left-hand drive.
A holy grail for fans of Toyota off-roaders, the Mega Cruiser has been legal to import only since 2020, and their prices are as outsized as the vehicle itself.
It’s fitting that the Toyota Mega Cruiser has lurked in the background of almost every Japanese Godzilla film of the last three decades. Created for the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) as the HMV (High Mobility Vehicle), its a frequent supporting cast member when Mothra and Mechagodzilla tussle, but the Mega Cruiser is a kind of automotive Kaiju. Monstrously large and capable of stomping over any kind of terrain, it escaped military base life when Toyota decided to sell it to the public in 1996.
Just 133 civilian models were built, making this one of the rarest and most obscure SUVs ever made. Even the Lamborghini LM002 is comparatively common. This left-hand-drive example up for auction on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) is rarer still. The Mega Cruiser was intended only for Japan, and fewer than 20 left-hookers are believed to have been built.
The Mega Cruiser first broke cover as a concept at the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show and drew immediate comparisons to the then-new civilian-issue Hummer. But while AM General's product clearly inspired Toyota's designers and even the HMV name was similar, the Mega Cruiser isn't a copy of the first-generation Hummer. It's more like a carefully studied evolution of the same idea, and the two vehicles spring from similar briefs (as did the LM002).
Toyota built it because the JSDF wanted such a vehicle. In the wake of the Humvee-dense Gulf War, Japan was both allowing the JSDF to take more active roles in overseas peacekeeping and giving it new equipment. The Mega Cruiser, officially the "HMV," was partly meant to replace Toyota's 1970s-era Type 73 three-quarter-ton truck. It had to be able to haul up to 10 troops off-road and also serve as a mobile artillery platform.
While officially a military project, the 1993 concept strongly hinted at a civilian variant, and the company even teased the possibility of consumer sales at the show, "if there were enough demand." It's unclear how "demand" was studied, but the truck went into production as the military-grade BXD10 in 1995. The civilian BXD20 followed in January 1996, looking exactly like the concept.
Despite the similar visuals and proportions to the Hummer, examining the Mega Cruiser in detail reveals many differences. The Toyota is 16 inches longer, 5 inches taller, and rides a 4-inch longer wheelbase, but weighs about 1500 pounds less. The extra size means more interior space and, by all accounts, it's a quieter and more refined vehicle, but no less capable. This is, after all, real military hardware and the spec sheet is an off-roader's fantasy.
Mega Cruisers use portal axles that allow for up to 16.5 inches of ground clearance (slightly more than the Hummer), three locking differentials, 37-inch tires, and inboard ventilated disc brakes. A tire deflation system was optional. As on the concept version, there's also a hydraulic rear steering system that gives the Mega Cruiser a petite 18.2-foot turning circle.
Under the hood was a 4.1-liter turbo-diesel four with 153 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque mated to a four-speed automatic. This sounds unimpressive in such a big vehicle, but it's more powerful than the Hummer's early V-8s. The top speed is, allegedly, 81 mph. Godzilla doesn't move very fast, either.
Of course, all this hardware costs money. When new, the civilian Mega Cruiser was as expensive as a Toyota Century and about 25 percent pricier than an equivalent Hummer. It was unstoppable off-road, but there are only so many Japanese buyers for a costly 13-mpg goliath that's too wide to fit on some local roads. Most were sold to Government agencies for police, rescue, and forestry work. Production ended in 2001.
If you're looking to mount your own defense against Mechagodzilla or want to be the king of the ultra-rare, ultra-capable off-roaders, be prepared to dig deep; the last Mega Cruiser listed on Bring a Trailer went for $167,500.
This auction ends on April 28.
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