# Plagaristic automobiles
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagaristic-automobiles/49738
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [January 12, 2001, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagaristic-automobiles/49738 "2001-01-12T18:45:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2001, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagaristic-automobiles/49738/1 "2001-01-12T18:45:38Z")
Today while on the road I saw a Toyota SUV called the “Land Cruiser.” While it doesn’t look exactly like a certain famous British vehicle, it’s not completely dissimilar, either. Could there be a more blatant ripoff of another comapny’s product?
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### Author:  [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2001, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagaristic-automobiles/49738/2 "2001-01-12T20:04:30Z")
This certain famous British vehicle you speak of, do you mean the Range Rover? If so, I don’t think they look alike at all. That is, if you’re comparing today’s models. I don’t recall what a pre-1985 Range Rover looks like, so maybe they do.
If you really want to see “plagarised” SUVs, look at Isuzu’s Rodeo and Honda’s Passport. When the Passport came out in '94, it was identical to the Rodeo. But, I think that’s because Honda has some stake in Isuzu.
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### Author:  [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2001, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagaristic-automobiles/49738/3 "2001-01-12T22:14:17Z")
The Toyota Land Cruiser’s been around since the 60’s. While they may have originally chosen the name to be similar to “Land Rover”, I wouldn’t say that anything else about it was plagiaristic.
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### Author:  [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2001, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagaristic-automobiles/49738/4 "2001-01-12T22:42:31Z")
Re: Rodeo/Passport similarities; the original Passport was in fact a rebadged Izuzu Rodeo.
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### Author:  [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2001, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagaristic-automobiles/49738/5 "2001-01-13T00:37:06Z")
The Toyota Land Cruiser’s been around since the 60’s?! I’ve never seen one before today. The Michigan truck crowd usually sticks with American makes (Chevy, GMC, Ford, Jeep), however. The Land Cruiser that I did see today had California plates.
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### Author:  [@honkytonkwillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/honkytonkwillie)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2001, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagaristic-automobiles/49738/6 "2001-01-13T19:17:26Z")
The Land Cruiser of today is a very different beast than the Cruiser of old.
They started out as small squarish 4x4s similar in size and shape to the Jeep CJ-5. Like the Jeep, they weren’t pretty. Strictly a form that followed function.
Later, they grew onto a larger and longer platform adding a back seat and a tailgate, and 4-door models became available. They were kind of goofy looking. My brother drives one.
Then it seems they disappeared for a while, until a new design came about in the early 90s I believe, which is the luxury vehicle you see today. And for a few years they were rebadged as the Lexus 450. Now they sport 24 valve V8 engines and full time 4 wheel drive. And cost something like ~$55k.