But for people who want more, Safari 4X4 Engineering has the answer in the form of an intercooled turbo kit for the big petrol six that will leave Toyota’s own GXV well and truly in its wake. 

The kit itself consists of a water-cooled turbocharger, a cast alloy cross-over manifold a two piece exhaust manifold, an intercooler and a Unichip engine management system.  All plumbing consists of teflon-lined water and oil lines. 

Thanks in part to the Unichip engine management system, Safari has been able to tune the engine to develop peak power and torque at lower revs than the standard engine for better drivability.  The end result is a claimed 230 kW at 4200 rpm and 535 Nm at 3200 rpm. 

Unlike turbocharged petrol engines of old, the Safari Landcruiser loses none of its low rpm torque, making it easy to drive around town with immediate engine response right from idle.  In the past it was necessary to lower the compression ration of turbocharged engines to prevent detonation when on boost, but thanks to electronic engine management and knock senors this is no longer the case, so the Safari Cruiser works just as well off-boost as a standard cruiser.  It is however recommended that the Safari Cruiser be run on premium-grade unleaded fuel. 

The big gains are made in the mid-range and a high revs where the turbo can provide greater boost under load.  Performance on the open road is staggering and Safari claims a 0-100 km/h time of just 7.2 seconds, which is quick enough to do away with most cars at the traffic lights.  The Safari ‘Cruiser also makes light work of overtaking and driving through hilly country.