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TOYOTA Land Cruiser Review

OUR TEST CAR: TOYOTA Land Cruiser 150

 
TOYOTA Land Cruiser  - Page - 2
Over half a century of evolution has brought the Land Cruiser to a point where it is ready to become a spa for your body, while tackling the fiercest forms of relief that can be accessed by a car. However, there are a few issues that keep the vehicle from reaching an extremely high score for this chapter.

From the moment you climb in the (heated) seat, you feel relaxed. How else could you be, after you needed such a short time to find an excellent position (this is true for the driver and the passengers) and the only thing you had to do for this was to play with the electric adjustment (front occupants only)?

The proper sound proofing and the excellent three-zone climate control, which uses an impressive number of air vents, take care of the rest. The suspension also adds to the car’s cosiness factor, with the exception of the live rear axle, which makes a back-braking cocktail when combined with speed bumps.

However, your state of mind can be disturbed if your right foot is stubborn, as the rather massive four cylinders of the D-4D powerplant are attention needy - they manage to fool the soundproofing and invade the cabin every time you abuse the gas pedal.

The high driving position, combined with the shape of the pillars, offers you a good visibility, with the exception of the areas that go below your sight due to the vehicle’s size. Of course, the sheer height also offers you a psychological advantage.

You see a BIG car, with BIG wheels, FAT tires and a HIGH ground clearance. Well, these attributes aren’t enough to make a vehicle literally become king of the hill. Toyota knows this all too well and this is why the Land Cruiser is packed with smart engineering, which makes it one of the most off-road capable and reliable vehicles on the Planet.

The Land Cruiser is packed with hardware and software bits that allow you to redefine your notion of what is physically possible. Where shall we start? First, the Land Cruiser is one of the few proper off-roading vehicles (read body-on-frame construction) still offered on the market today.

We have to keep in mind that it comes with a Torsen permanent AWD system, as well as with locking central and rear differentials and with a low gear ratio system. As for the ground clearance, this sits at 220 mm (8,66 inches).

The example we tested came fitted with the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System, which knows how to play with the anti-roll bar during off-road driving, as well as with an Adaptive Variable Suspension (You can’t quite tell the difference between the comfort and sport modes), and Electronically Modulated Rear Air suspension, which offer special off-road settings, just like the ABS, braking assist system and Variable Flow Control hydraulic power steering.

And there’s one more thing: while the engine isn’t quite up for the job when the vehicle is driven on tarmac, in the rough terrain the hefty low rpm torque really manages to get you out of trouble, proving to be an ideal extreme hiking partner.

But it’s not just the fact that the Land Cruiser can tackle rough terrains - the car manages to make this look like a child’s play, relying on multiple electronic toys to do it. First, there’s the Multi-terrain Select, which can adjust the acceleration, braking and traction control to the driving conditions (we liked the “Mogul” setting).

As we tested the range-topping equipment level, we also got to enjoy the Crawl Control system, which can drive the vehicle up or down on inclines, only leaving the steering part to the driver.

In our world, everything is relative. Let’s take generosity for example. This is described as a virtue, but things are not quite so, if we’re taking from under the hood of the Land Cruiser. You see, the D-4D mill we tested is the only diesel unit available for this off-roader.

The engine is happy to split its 2,982 cc capacity between just four cylinders, allowing each to enjoy a personal space way higher than the average of contemporary engines. However, this, together with other tech drawbacks, make the unit lack refinement.

It also lacks power (it only produces 173 hp at 3,400 rpm) and a smarter gearbox: the five-speed auto is fitted with an auto-adaptive function, but this fails to serve its purpose if you’re in a hurry. Fortunately, all these fade away when you take the vehicle off-road. You can fully exploit the car’s potential thanks to the 410 Nm (302 lb-ft) peak torque, which is delivered between 1,600 and 1,800 rpm.

The Land Cruiser is like an army boot fitted with an army of gadgets. Imagine you’re traveling and see the Landie in the distance, playing on some portions of gravel close to the road you’re using. It’s dusk, so you can see how the adaptive HID lighting follows the movements of the front wheels as the driver countersteers to bring the car out of the drift. Suddenly, the vehicle comes to a halt, you’ve been noticed. The driver exits the vehicle and, as the side step illumination turns on, he approaches you.

You are invited to take a look inside after a quick chat. Both of you are approaching the vehicle when, all of a sudden the clouds above unleash a burst of rain. Landie reacts by waving its wipers as you jump inside. You can play with the seat, this can memorize multiple settings, so the driver won’t be upset.

The first impression is that, even though this vehicle is not a hybrid, it has a soft spot for electricity: there are a lot of electric-powered goodies, such as the steering wheel and exterior mirror adjustments, front seats adjustments, third-row seats raising, as well as the sunroof, which is now uncovered and allows you to see the... moon.

Not that you’ve become accustomed to the belly of the beast, you focus on the touch screen display placed in the upper side of the center console. You can use it to switch between the navigation system, which uses a hard drive and vocal command, the vehicle-related features, such as the fuel consumption, which has a complicated layout, and the JBL audio system. This last one, which assaults the air with 7.1 channels using 17 speakers, features a DVD changer and is connected to a 9-inch roof-mounted LCD screen mounted in the back.

We’ve saved the best use of the center console screen for last: this can be used as a display for the vehicle’s all-round camera system, which includes a front camera, a rear one, as well as two side ones (mounted in the lower part of the exterior mirrors). We really enjoyed this system, which can also be accessed via a dedicated button placed on the steering wheel.

You don’t have the time now, but if you did, you could use the USB Aux-in or the Bluetooth system to connect your own toys. But enough with the static play, you can take a short drive if you like.

Here, have a refreshment, you just need to open the generously-sized coolbox and brag one. Want to experience a set of thrills without even touching the engine start button? Go to the cavernous luggage space and the 220 V outlet will take care of that (please excuse the dark humor). All in all, the Land Cruiser makes sure that you’re always “connected”, whether you’re on the move or not.

Maybe because the EuroNCAP testing facility doesn’t include bumps, slopes, rocks and mud, the Land Cruiser can’t be found on the list of vehicles tested by the organization. As we weren’t quite ready to hug a three during our test drive, the only data we can rely on comes from the vehicle’s specifications.

The vehicle stays within the segment’s average when it comes to active and passive safety systems and manages to overcome its rivals in the standard features race. This is a car that really follows the “safety first” principle.

The Land Cruiser has been gifted with adaptive Xenon headlights, multi-terrain, ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) with BA (Brake Assist), ESP, Crawl Control, which controls the vehicle (longitudinal movement) during hill climbs, an electronically-controlled suspension, a Torsen AWD system (normal conditions power delivery - 40:60), seven airbags, including one for the driver’s knees and curtain ones that also cover the third row of seats and active front headrests. We’ll also mention the multitude of handles that allows passengers to use their biceps/triceps to stay in position during off-road adventures.

PS (this is not a piece of advice, consider it an explained joke): In case there’s no way of avoiding an impact, you could consider leaving the road, as the vehicle’s suspension and ruggedness might win the fight with the kerbs/ditches that keep most cars from using this unconventional crash avoidance method.

Could you write a book about a hammer that has been digitalized and fitted with variable heads that use a smashing assistance system? Of course you could - it would be called the Toyota Land Cruiser Owner’s Manual.

Even though the contemporary society calls it an SUV, we beg to differ. You have to evaluate this car for what it is: an off-roader. It’s an ambidextrous vehicle: it is capable of using one of its hands to deal with almost any driving conditions thrown at it, while transforming the other into a cozy cocoon for you and its passengers.

The Land Cruiser turns you into the king of the hill mountain. We’d call it Master-Blaster (thank you Mad Max) as it uses impressive software to control even more impressive hardware. This allows it to effortlessly do exactly what its name says... cruise through the land,. And it manages to fulfill this promise without bringing a single drop of sweat on your forehead.

Down boy! you’re a bad engine! It makes sense to chose an oil burner for the Land Cruiser considering the nature of the car, but unfortunately the 3.0-liter four cylinder on our test car, which lacks both power and refinement, is the only option. While driving on tarmac, neither the five-speed automatic transmission nor the brakes managed to do anything to improve the vehicle’s dynamics. However, if you’re ready to use trot as the upper limit, the vehicle will cater for your transportation needs in a decent way.

You could expect us to mention the vehicle’s design in the “Ugly” section, but we won’t because, in our reality, this is an adequate styling proposal for an off-roading machine. Instead, we’ll mention the interior plastics and our potential appearance after going though a flat tire experience with this car - the spare wheel can only be accessed from under the vehicle.
THE END
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autoevolution Apr 2011
68
History
7
Exterior
5
Interior
6
In the city
5
Open road
7
Comfort
8
Tech facts
7
Gadgets
8
Safety
8
Conclusion
7
64user rating 55 votes
Rate this car!
 
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