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2021 Toyota Land Cruiser Sales Pick Up Stateside Over Imminent Discontinuation

What started out as a utilitarian 4x4 evolved into a comfort-oriented overlander in the 1960s. Fast forward to the present day, and the Land Cruiser is the most expensive Toyota available to order in the U.S.
2021 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition 9 photos
Photo: Toyota
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$85,565 excluding destination charge is a lot of money for a full-size SUV if you compare the J200 series to domestic alternatives from Chevrolet and Ford, but then again, Toyota knows that it’s worth every dollar. In addition to a quad-cam V8 engine that won’t leave you stranded on the side of the road, the Land Cruiser is luxurious in the proper sense of the word. Also worthy of note, the gentle giant is over-the-top capable off-road.

Another explanation for the asking price comes in the guise of the options list. To be more specific, there are no extras other than a rear-seat entertainment system and the Heritage Edition. The Land Cruiser is loaded with everything one would desire in an off-road vehicle, including eight seats and full-time 4WD as well as a limited-slip locking center differential.

There is, however, a problem with the J200 series. I’m not referring to the 14-year-old design, but few people are mentally prepared to spend that kind of moolah on something with a Toyota badge on the grille and steering wheel. “689 people got the keys to new Land Cruisers last month,” writes Car & Driver, “marking a 221% increase from January 2020.”

In other words, it’s the best sales month of the Land Cruiser in a decade. Only December 2020 comes close with 606 examples of the breed, which is peanuts in comparison to how many RAV4s are sold on a monthly basis.

Despite the very low volume, sales rose literally overnight because of the imminent discontinuation of the Land Cruiser at the end of the 2021 model year. Fret not, prospective customers, because the J300 will eventually arrive stateside. Speaking of the next-generation Land Cruiser, nobody except Toyota knows for certain if we’re dealing with a 2023 or a 2024 model.

On an ending note, word has it the J300 will be offered with a twin-turbo V6 as the base engine and a twin-turbo V6 with hybrid assistance to the detriment of the free-breathing V8 of the outgoing Land Cruiser.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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