Armormax says despite grueling testing, it has never encountered a mechanical failure in their modified Land Cruiser pickup truck
April 26, 2024 at 18:02
- The TAC-6 is a 6×6 version of the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series, designed for extreme off-road use by the French Special Forces and beyond.
- This Land Cruiser boasts a bespoke ZF automatic transmission, custom drivetrain, and massive fuel tank options (up to 161 gallons).
- The truck can be armored to withstand assault rifle rounds and comes in various configurations for civilian or military applications.
This is the TAC-6, an extreme take on the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series from South African company Armormax Defence. It could be the most capable Land Cruiser 79 on earth and is perfectly suited to civil and military uses.
Armormax was initially contacted by the French Special Forces looking for a vehicle that could handle hostile environments but didn’t require any special training to operate. The TAC-6 is what the firm came up with. It has been designed with “the ability to go anywhere and come back again, over and over, with anyone.” In all of the testing performed on the six-wheeler, Armormax says it has never experienced a single mechanical failure.
Read: This Armored Jaguar I-Pace From South Africa Is The First Of Its Kind
Each vehicle starts as a regular Land Cruiser 79 Series with either the 4.2-liter V6 or 4.5-liter V8. The chassis has been lengthened to support a third axle and a second transfer case has been added to send power to the third axle. It then features custom three-piece drive shafts using heavy-duty Dana components and retains standard-length leaf springs but can be upgraded with a 4-inch lift kit.
Another key component of the TAC-6 is the transmission. Armormax had initially developed the six-wheeled Land Cruiser with a manual ‘box but roughly one year ago, postponed its launch and decided to switch to an automatic.
This isn’t just any regular automatic transmission and is one developed and homologated by ZF in South Africa and produced exclusively for the TAC-6. It has been designed to deal with the toughest conditions imaginable and can handle up to 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque. The eight-speed ‘box even uses a bespoke cooling system to help in hot weather and while driving under heavy load in thick sand.
Buyers can have the Land Cruiser’s cab armored to a B6 level, allowing it to withstand rounds from an assault rifle. It can also be fitted with water tanks, a fire suppression system, two spare wheels, and can transport up to 28 people. The TAC-6 also sits on bead-lock wheels and has upgraded brakes, fitting given it weighs much more than a standard 79 Series.
Armormax also offers it with two fuel tanks that can hold 210 liters (55.4 gallons) and 90 liters (23.7 gallons) respectively, giving it over 2,000 km (1,242 miles) of range. The double-cab model can also be upgraded to hold up to 560 liters (147.9 gallons) of fuel while a 610-liter (161-gallon) tank has been developed for the single-cab version.
Specifications:
- Length: 5 995 mm (single and double cab)
- Width: 1 870 mm
- Height: 2 015 mm
- Ground Clearance under diff: 265 mm
- Ground clearance to chassis: 350 mm
- Approach angle: 40 degrees
- Departure angle: 38 degrees
- Breakover angle: 15 degrees
- Gross vehicle mass: 7 000 kg
- Tare (unladen weight): 2 950 kg (single cab)
- Tare: 3 080 kg (double cab)
- Payload: 4 050 kg (single cab)
- Payload: 3 920 kg (double cab)
- Max speed: 160 km/h
- Engine: Toyota 4.5 litre V8 turbodiesel
- Power: 151 kW (five speed manual)
- Power: 192 kW (eight speed automatic)
“When it comes to mobility, the TAC6 platform outperforms any full-sized 4-ton truck available today,” the company said. “Extensive testing across diverse landscapes in Africa and Europe has solidified its reputation as the epitome of mobility.”
Unsurprisingly, this beast isn’t cheap. A standard model starts at 1,558,000 South African Rand or approximately $81,500 while the addition of armor can add as much as 1,296,000 Rand ($67,850).
