In The Army Now

When Pretoria business owner Hansie Coetzee decided to create a Toyota Land Cruiser 6×6, he did so with the intent of creating the best 6×6 in the world. But now this ‘custom lorry’ is on the potential brink of turning into a production one, with possibly hundreds of military units in the pipeline. And it’s the single cab Cruiser 79 that forms the basis for the military vehicle.

THERE are various reasons why Hansie Coetzee’s bespoke 6×6 Cruiser may soon be deployed to conflict zones across the globe.

First, there is the payload. Coetzee owns a machining shop, so he has the ability to create custom parts in-house, to his own exacting high standards and specifications. When he designed the Cruiser 6×6 template, he was always going to ensure it could handle anything a potential client threw at it.

The single cab Cruiser 79 has a payload capacity of four tons. That’s just what a bunch of soldiers who have to lug boxes of ammunition and supplies require.

Another reason, and one you won’t normally see on any sales brochure for military transporters, is this Cruiser can fit as is into a standard 20-foot container. This means it’s easier and cheaper to ship across the world.

A big selling point is the fact the 6×6 is based on a Land Cruiser 79. With a rock-solid reputation, the Cruiser will take plenty of abuse in its stride without breaking a sweat or breaking down.

Interestingly, Hansie’s 6×6 is now marketed as the Commander in Europe, aimed specifically at military applications.

Coetzee will supply custom kits for international markets, so customers can import the kits and do the conversion on a customer-sourced Cruiser.

In European markets, the Commander is powered by the 96kW/285Nm straight-six naturally aspirated diesel engine. For its military workhorse application, the Commander spends 99% of its time off-road and Coetzee says this engine is well suited to trudging along at lower speeds in the toughest off-road environments.