Although the group offers a full house Stage 3 TRD supercharger kit for this engine, (you will be hearing more about this once the test results are completed), this particular upgrade here mostly shows off the best that one of their own state of the art in house divisions, SAC Engineering and their principle product suppliers, can deliver in naturally aspirated form. |
The Cruiser is no slouch in standard trim, a healthy 170 kW of power and 360 Nm of torque that is available from the trusty V6 ensures decent acceleration and overtaking ability, but the quest for more is ever present, especially if you want to tow or lug around stuff on the back. |
By applying the trusted principles of improved volumetric efficiency, which basically means getting as much air in and out engine as quickly as possible while being able to completely ignite it and utilise it all in order to ensure maximum power without sacrificing reliability or drivability, the team at SAC were able make the Cruiser substantially quicker and better across all the standard road test segments when independently tested at Gerotek just outside Pretoria. |
As always, SAC have various stages available to suit any budget, and first up the pick-up received a Wildcat performance branch and full 76mm stainless steel free flow exhaust along with a SAC airbox mod that allows for better airflow in and out of the engine, all expertly controlled by a Uni Q Chip that ensured the fuel and timing was spot on. |
The net result was that the pick-up now made around 195 kW and 420 Nm and could get to 100 km/h in 10.46 seconds, down from the standard bakkie’s 11.55 seconds, along with a top speed that went from 171 km/h to 188 km/h. |
This Stage 1 upgrade that takes about 2 days to install and comes in at a price that starts at around R13 000, depending if you want to opt for the slightly more expensive ceramic coated branches or not. |
But for around a further R12 000 you can opt for the roughly one week Stage 2 option, and this sees the cylinder heads being gasflowed and blue printed to perfection, and your Cruiser now blasting to 100 km/h in under 10 seconds at 9.78 seconds, with all the in gear acceleration times being substantially quicker as well as a top speed that now comes in at 195.69 km/h thanks to the roughly 220 kW and 470 Nm under your right foot. |
Besides the drivability that has improved so much, you will not believe that this is the same vehicle you drove into SAC with, towing, karting goods around or climbing up your favourite mountain range now becomes an absolute breeze, all the while your pocket benefits from improved fuel consumption. |
The good news is that these upgrades apply directly to the 4.0 litre Hilux, Fortuner and Prado as they share the same engine, and in principle can also be applied to the likes of Nissan’s V6 Navara, Isuzu’s 3.5 litre V6 and Ford’s big 4.0 litre V6. |
To find out what Steves Auto Clinic can do for your bakkie or car, visit their website at www.steves.co.za or contact a branch situated conveniently near you. |
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| Performance Data | Standard Land Cruiser | SAC Land Cruiser | | 0-60 km/h | 4.71 secs | 4.08 secs | | 0-100 km/h | 11.55 secs | 9.78 secs | | 0-140 km/h | 23.95 secs | 19.55 secs | | 1km Time | 33.01 secs | 31.15 secs | | 1km Speed | 156.86 km/h | 166.63 km/h | | True Top Speed | 171.31 km/h | 195.69 km/h | |
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