Hi HealeyT 🙂
Toyota’s 4.2 naturally aspirated six-cylinder diesel, the 1HZ, is a brilliant overlanding engine because it is likely to last forever, but it puts out just 94kW and 280Nm.
The 4.2 runs out of puff on the long dunes, especially when the Cruiser is loaded. It is very slow; a lugger rather than a revver, so it is great for rock crawling work, but not so good when needing speed in high range.
Conventional wisdom is that petrols are better in the dunes, though the Everest we tested recently in the big Namibia dunes, fitted with the five-cylinder 3.2-litre diesel (140kW), did very well. On that note, Toyota’s 4.5-litre V8 diesel (1VD-FTV) with 151kW/430Nm, is no slouch in the dunes either.