200 Vs. 250 FE - Owners Perspective

[malden]

This is a 200 vs 250 Owners Perspective published on the LC Reedit site:

“Dealer let me demo an LC250 during an oil change on my 2021 Heritage. It will be very interesting to read the back to back comparison reviews. The LC250 is probably a more accurate “to the roots” of the OG 80/100 and drives like one. It didn’t feel premium. It really felt more like a Highlander than even a 4Runner, let alone LC.

The engine is buzzy, the switches etc didn’t feel as upmarket as my 200. The steering feels cheap and light, I assume it’s electric? Going over speed bumps and there is a very noticeable difference. Obviously at half the cost that’s not surprising, but it’s a pretty major departure in the “feel” of the vehicle and it will be interesting to see journalists doing back to back comparisons.

I have (driven the 250 and GX460) and imo the driving feel (of the 250) is far worse than the GX. Especially over bumps, and the steering feel. The GX does imo feel like a baby land cruiser. Solid, bumps are "thonks" instead of "shakes". It's tough to verbalize the feeling differences... If I hit a speed bump in my LC200 it feels like I could hit 1000 more and the vehicle would take it no problems. Whereas the LC250 and it feels like you really should slow way way down if you want to keep it rattle free. It jutters and shakes over bumps, the steering is so weirdly light. It just doesn't feel like a solid body on frame tank like my 200. It IS a body on frame truck, and I have no doubt it will be just as durable as the 200, I just don't think it would be a 20 year vehicle for me. It drives like something that will be reliable, but within a couple years will have tons of rattles and noises.”

"Edit: And just to be clear, I honestly hoped that it would feel like a land cruiser. As much as I love my LC200, it won't last forever. The tech is dated. The cameras could be higher def. I don't doubt that this new baby LC is just as good off road, but I bought my LC200 for the build quality and premium feel. And the LC250 definitely does not have it."
"
Moreover Toyota is inundating Reedit with clear adverts trying desperately to do damage control. I don’t see why they do this because it is so obvious and its like trying to put out a fire with jet aircraft fuel.

 

[OSS]

The LC200 weighs almost 500 lbs more than the LC250 - so of course the 200 feels more “solid” over speed bumps.
Also the difference in steering is due to the electric steering on the 250.

 

[Specialeyes]

This is a 200 vs 250 Owners Perspective published on the LC Reedit site:

“Dealer let me demo an LC250 during an oil change on my 2021 Heritage. It will be very interesting to read the back to back comparison reviews. The LC250 is probably a more accurate “to the roots” of the OG 80/100 and drives like one. It didn’t feel premium. It really felt more like a Highlander than even a 4Runner, let alone LC.

The engine is buzzy, the switches etc didn’t feel as upmarket as my 200. The steering feels cheap and light, I assume it’s electric? Going over speed bumps and there is a very noticeable difference. Obviously at half the cost that’s not surprising, but it’s a pretty major departure in the “feel” of the vehicle and it will be interesting to see journalists doing back to back comparisons.

I have (driven the 250 and GX460) and imo the driving feel (of the 250) is far worse than the GX. Especially over bumps, and the steering feel. The GX does imo feel like a baby land cruiser. Solid, bumps are "thonks" instead of "shakes". It's tough to verbalize the feeling differences... If I hit a speed bump in my LC200 it feels like I could hit 1000 more and the vehicle would take it no problems. Whereas the LC250 and it feels like you really should slow way way down if you want to keep it rattle free. It jutters and shakes over bumps, the steering is so weirdly light. It just doesn't feel like a solid body on frame tank like my 200. It IS a body on frame truck, and I have no doubt it will be just as durable as the 200, I just don't think it would be a 20 year vehicle for me. It drives like something that will be reliable, but within a couple years will have tons of rattles and noises.”

Moreover Toyota is inundating Reedit with clear adverts trying desperately to do damage control. I don’t see why they do this because it is so obvious and it’s like trying to put out a fire with jet aircraft fuel.

The guy that posted that also compared the 250 to a Bronco sport. We know it’s not as beefy as a 200 but to compare it to a unibody s**tbox? Come on now…

I get what he’s saying about the steering wheel feel but that’s simply a matter of an old hydraulic system vs a modern day electric one. If electric power steering is not your thing you are not going to enjoy any new vehicle.

 

[OregonLC]

The LC200 weighs almost 500 lbs more than the LC250 - so of course the 200 feels more “solid” over speed bumps.
Also the difference in steering is due to the electric steering on the 250.

Same with the 5G4R. Doesn't make the 4R bad, just a different build. Go slam the door on a current 4R and you can tell immediately it's not a Land Cruiser.

I actually like the light touch steering of modern vehicles. I think the car mags make it sound like the devil because of the lack of feedback when at 9/10ths in a performance car. For overland use I welcome the reduction in driver fatigue.

 

[M1911]

I actually like the light touch steering of modern vehicles. I think the car mags make it sound like the devil because of the lack of feedback when at 9/10ths in a performance car. For overland use I welcome the reduction in driver fatigue.

One of the cars that I drove in my youth was a 1972 Capri with the V6, manual transmission, and manual steering. It was tough to turn the wheel when at a dead stop, even for a strong 17-year-old. When driving, yes you could feel the pavement surface through feedback on the wheel.

But my 6k lb Land Cruiser isn't a small sporty car. I don't need to have a lot of feedback through the wheel. I do wish it tracked straighter on the highway, but that's not a steering feel issue.

 

[gearguywb]

This is a 200 vs 250 Owners Perspective published on the LC Reedit site:

“Dealer let me demo an LC250 during an oil change on my 2021 Heritage. It will be very interesting to read the back to back comparison reviews. The LC250 is probably a more accurate “to the roots” of the OG 80/100 and drives like one. It didn’t feel premium. It really felt more like a Highlander than even a 4Runner, let alone LC.

The engine is buzzy, the switches etc didn’t feel as upmarket as my 200. The steering feels cheap and light, I assume it’s electric? Going over speed bumps and there is a very noticeable difference. Obviously at half the cost that’s not surprising, but it’s a pretty major departure in the “feel” of the vehicle and it will be interesting to see journalists doing back to back comparisons.

I have (driven the 250 and GX460) and imo the driving feel (of the 250) is far worse than the GX. Especially over bumps, and the steering feel. The GX does imo feel like a baby land cruiser. Solid, bumps are "thonks" instead of "shakes". It's tough to verbalize the feeling differences... If I hit a speed bump in my LC200 it feels like I could hit 1000 more and the vehicle would take it no problems. Whereas the LC250 and it feels like you really should slow way way down if you want to keep it rattle free. It jutters and shakes over bumps, the steering is so weirdly light. It just doesn't feel like a solid body on frame tank like my 200. It IS a body on frame truck, and I have no doubt it will be just as durable as the 200, I just don't think it would be a 20 year vehicle for me. It drives like something that will be reliable, but within a couple years will have tons of rattles and noises.”

"Edit: And just to be clear, I honestly hoped that it would feel like a land cruiser. As much as I love my LC200, it won't last forever. The tech is dated. The cameras could be higher def. I don't doubt that this new baby LC is just as good off road, but I bought my LC200 for the build quality and premium feel. And the LC250 definitely does not have it."
"
Moreover Toyota is inundating Reedit with clear adverts trying desperately to do damage control. I don’t see why they do this because it is so obvious and its like trying to put out a fire with jet aircraft fuel.

To be fair, the 250 is certainly not 1/2 the cost of a 200...even the 1958 is closing in on 60K

 

[Zill]

Zill, I have another request, if you’d oblige. Would you be able to measure the height to the highest point on the tailgate when open? My understanding is that this cannot be adjusted on the 1958.

Sorry for the late reply. I have been busy with work these past couple of weeks.

It appears it’s around 81.5 - 82 inches in height when the tailgate is fully open.

With the FE roof rack, the height is around 80 inches while driving down the road. (If anyone is worried about fitting in their parking garage.)

 

[Zill]

This is a 200 vs 250 Owners Perspective published on the LC Reedit site:

“Dealer let me demo an LC250 during an oil change on my 2021 Heritage. It will be very interesting to read the back to back comparison reviews. The LC250 is probably a more accurate “to the roots” of the OG 80/100 and drives like one. It didn’t feel premium. It really felt more like a Highlander than even a 4Runner, let alone LC.

The engine is buzzy, the switches etc didn’t feel as upmarket as my 200. The steering feels cheap and light, I assume it’s electric? Going over speed bumps and there is a very noticeable difference. Obviously at half the cost that’s not surprising, but it’s a pretty major departure in the “feel” of the vehicle and it will be interesting to see journalists doing back to back comparisons.

I have (driven the 250 and GX460) and imo the driving feel (of the 250) is far worse than the GX. Especially over bumps, and the steering feel. The GX does imo feel like a baby land cruiser. Solid, bumps are "thonks" instead of "shakes". It's tough to verbalize the feeling differences... If I hit a speed bump in my LC200 it feels like I could hit 1000 more and the vehicle would take it no problems. Whereas the LC250 and it feels like you really should slow way way down if you want to keep it rattle free. It jutters and shakes over bumps, the steering is so weirdly light. It just doesn't feel like a solid body on frame tank like my 200. It IS a body on frame truck, and I have no doubt it will be just as durable as the 200, I just don't think it would be a 20 year vehicle for me. It drives like something that will be reliable, but within a couple years will have tons of rattles and noises.”

"Edit: And just to be clear, I honestly hoped that it would feel like a land cruiser. As much as I love my LC200, it won't last forever. The tech is dated. The cameras could be higher def. I don't doubt that this new baby LC is just as good off road, but I bought my LC200 for the build quality and premium feel. And the LC250 definitely does not have it."
"
Moreover Toyota is inundating Reedit with clear adverts trying desperately to do damage control. I don’t see why they do this because it is so obvious and its like trying to put out a fire with jet aircraft fuel.

While I agree that the 200 has far better touch surfaces, the tightness of all of the components is still present in the 250. The material choices are not bad in the premium LC though, just not supple leather that would be included throughout the car in the previous gen. If you want that, unfortunately you will need to drop 110k on an LX, and in this day and age where everything is becoming more expensive and budgets are tighter, that is a tougher pill to swallow.

As far as the feel, yes the car does not have as much weight on the road, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. For a daily driver BOF vehicle (and that’s how this car should be looked at) it will be hard to beat for a starting price of 56k. I’m not sure where he’s coming from by saying the GX 460 outclasses it in feel on the road. My brother owns a GX 460 and I have driven it a few times and can say it does not. The 250 is still planted and does not jitter over bumps. It’s still very much so plush and compliant.

3 weeks into owning this rig, I prefer driving the 250 to work compared to the 200 since the rig handles so much better around town compared to the 200. It’s a fun zippy go kart type feel and much more nimble on its feet.

I am curious to see how it handles in the snow, but that’s 6 months away, but I have to imagine with the full time 4WD system, it will handle just great. The FE does come in at around 5,600 lbs so the weight is definitely there to give you plenty of traction.

 

[Zill]

A recent comparo by Edmunds said about the same for the interior. Their biggest complaint was that the 250 wasn't as driveable with power as the GX even though they spec closely on output.

I have no idea what they are talking about lol. The LC 250 has plenty of power. Almost too much off the line.

I have owned a V8 LS3 Camaro, and off the line, the LC 250 has so much torque that it reminds of having that kind of whiplash in your seat.

When you are test driving it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

There’s a reason why Ben Hardy mentioned that the 250 has more off the line punch than the GX 550 at around the 15:20 mark. You can feel the torque in your seat with that instantaneous electric motor power.

LC 250 vs GX 550

 

[ryanjl]

The engine is buzzy, the switches etc didn’t feel as upmarket as my 200.

Are the switches on a 200 different than the rest of Toyota? I always thought the window switch on a 200 was essentially the same component as a lot of other Toyota models, which is part of what makes them so reliable.

 

[Zill]

Are the switches on a 200 different than the rest of Toyota? I always thought the window switch on a 200 was essentially the same component as a lot of other Toyota models, which is part of what makes them so reliable.

The switches on the 200 are fairly similar to what Toyota offers on their other models. With the exception of their volume dial and steering wheel controls.

For the 200, the volume dial feels like it’s on a buttery smooth bearing system and is quite nice. The steering wheel controls have some substantial weight and click to them.

Both of which were downgraded in the current 250, which was done to meet a price point (good and bad).

I will say that the 250 switches still have a tactile feel and depress with a noticeable click, so it’s not terrible.

 

[shwazz714]

I have no idea what they are talking about lol. The LC 250 has plenty of power. Almost too much off the line.

I have owned a V8 LS3 Camaro, and off the line, the LC 250 has so much torque that it reminds of having that kind of whiplash in your seat.

When you are test driving it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

There’s a reason why Ben Hardy mentioned that the 250 has more off the line punch than the GX 550 at around the 15:20 mark. You can feel the torque in your seat with that instantaneous electric motor power.

LC 250 vs GX 550

I don’t own a 200 series (never driven one). my sister has a 470 that I’ve driven a few times. I’m coming off back to back Audis (a4 and currently Q5). I have test driven a 250 (and have a LC trim w/ prem package reserved).

I thought the 250 was real quick, like surprisingly quick when touching the gas. My wife has a rav4 and I can REALLY tell the difference when driving her car vs mine. Comparing the 250 to my Q5, the car definitely felt bigger and floatier, little less responsive (softer) steering.

I thought it drove really nice. I even test drove a brand new X5 in my search and while the X5 definitely drove better, it wasn’t night and day (maybe one or two notches up). I plan to use it as my premium daily driver / adventure vehicle and would say based on extensive research the only thing that may be better for that is a GX559. For me personally, paying up $10-15k for a few more lux features and getting worse mpg wasn’t worth it. Maybe in a few years when they have the hybrid gx I’ll reconsider.

 

[Zill]

I don’t own a 200 series (never driven one). my sister has a 470 that I’ve driven a few times. I’m coming off back to back Audis (a4 and currently Q5). I have test driven a 250 (and have a LC trim w/ prem package reserved).

I thought the 250 was real quick, like surprisingly quick when touching the gas. My wife has a rav4 and I can REALLY tell the difference when driving her car vs mine. Comparing the 250 to my Q5, the car definitely felt bigger and floatier, little less responsive (softer) steering.

I thought it drove really nice. I even test drove a brand new X5 in my search and while the X5 definitely drove better, it wasn’t night and day (maybe one or two notches up). I plan to use it as my premium daily driver / adventure vehicle and would say based on extensive research the only thing that may be better for that is a GX559. For me personally, paying up $10-15k for a few more lux features and getting worse mpg wasn’t worth it. Maybe in a few years when they have the hybrid gx I’ll reconsider.

I am glad to hear you thought the same. It hauls ass for a ~5,600 lbs rig.

The 250 is definitely not a unibody vehicle so it won’t have the same road manners as one of those, but for a body on frame vehicles, it hides it surprisingly well. Plus being BOF, you don’t get that hollow sound on the highway that you typically get on unibody rigs.

The GX/LX is a no go for right now until Toyota figures out the spun rod bearing issue in the V35 motor. I do not want to risk a ~30k motor replacement bill out of warranty down the road. Hell, even if it’s under warranty, I feel bad for any tech who has to do that job in that cramped engine bay. Too much to go wrong and too many parts being reused since Toyota won’t do the right thing and throw a crate motor in those blown engine repairs.

 

[Jeremy556]

I feel bad for any tech who has to do that job in that cramped engine bay. Too much to go wrong and too many parts being reused since Toyota won’t do the right thing and throw a crate motor in those blown engine repairs.

Pretty sure its an engine out procedure, and as far as I know, T doesn't sell crate motors. Whether or not that is a good idea is certainly being being called into question, as there are multi failure V35s

 

[Specialeyes]

I find the switch gear in the 200 to be a mixed bag with most of them being typical Toyota which is cheap, black plastic and those dials on the center console look premium but do not feel that way to the touch. Mine have even managed to pop off on one occasion. They did up their game on the steering wheel controls, absolutely love those coming from the ones on my 4Runner and Tundra (that mushy, backward volume/track select pad is awful )

People need to take these price comparisons and throw them out. With the 200 last being offered brand new 3 years ago and the entire car market going to s*** there simply isn’t enough consistent, controlled data to make an accurate comparison. The best example I could give would be to take a look at any hyper low mileage 200’s remaining on the market (talking 5,000 miles or less) and see what they are selling for. It’s typically been anywhere from $100-$130k. At MSRP you can get a fully equipped LC 250 in the high 60’s to low 70’s. Stop looking at these First Edition trims which are being marked up an additional $10-$20k! IMO most of the 200’s I see are priced about $10k higher than they should be and I would never pay ADM on a brand new vehicle.

 

[Specialeyes]

The GX/LX is a no go for right now until Toyota figures out the spun rod bearing issue in the V35 motor. I do not want to risk a ~30k motor replacement bill out of warranty down the road. Hell, even if it’s under warranty, I feel bad for any tech who has to do that job in that cramped engine bay. Too much to go wrong and too many parts being reused since Toyota won’t do the right thing and throw a crate motor in those blown engine repairs.

Even if it was a warranty replacement I don’t like the idea of having to pull the front end off to drop a new engine in. All those panels and fasteners don’t seem to go back together as tight and snug as when they rolled off the assembly line.

 

[OregonLC]

I have no idea what they are talking about lol. The LC 250 has plenty of power. Almost too much off the line.

I have owned a V8 LS3 Camaro, and off the line, the LC 250 has so much torque that it reminds of having that kind of whiplash in your seat.

When you are test driving it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

There’s a reason why Ben Hardy mentioned that the 250 has more off the line punch than the GX 550 at around the 15:20 mark. You can feel the torque in your seat with that instantaneous electric motor power.

LC 250 vs GX 550

Here's the Edmunds comparison..

 

[shwazz714]

I find the switch gear in the 200 to be a mixed bag with most of them being typical Toyota which is cheap, black plastic and those dials on the center console look premium but do not feel that way to the touch. Mine have even managed to pop off on one occasion. They did up their game on the steering wheel controls, absolutely love those coming from the ones on my 4Runner and Tundra (that mushy, backward volume/track select pad is awful )

People need to take these price comparisons and throw them out. With the 200 last being offered brand new 3 years ago and the entire car market going to s*** there simply isn’t enough consistent, controlled data to make an accurate comparison. The best example I could give would be to take a look at any hyper low mileage 200’s remaining on the market (talking 5,000 miles or less) and see what they are selling for. It’s typically been anywhere from $100-$130k. At MSRP you can get a fully equipped LC 250 in the high 60’s to low 70’s. Stop looking at these First Edition trims which are being marked up an additional $10-$20k! IMO most of the 200’s I see are priced about $10k higher than they should be and I would never pay ADM on a brand new vehicle.

Completely agree…. Of course the 250 isn’t going to feel as lux as the 200, it’s $20-30k cheaper and if you adjust for current car market prices then it’s maybe $40-50k cheaper.

I think for the price point the 250 is a really nice car that is great in a lot of areas. premium cabin that’s not over the top lux, but a really nice car to daily drive and adventure in, decent gas mileage for the size, great looking, and fun to drive. I can’t wait to get mine.

 

[stonepa]

Pretty sure its an engine out procedure, and as far as I know, T doesn't sell crate motors. Whether or not that is a good idea is certainly being being called into question, as there are multi failure V35s

Don’t forget, any failures are amplified way out of proportion to the number of engines on the road. Especially on an enthusiast forum.

 

[stonepa]

It’s just too bad Toyota did not place the 4/7Pin connector up next to the hitch. I’m confident I’m going to break mine in short order

While I strongly agree that the 4/7 pin connectors should be integrated in the bumper, i have never broken the one on the 200 off. It is well protected by the spare tire. The current solution on the 200, and the 250, is, however, a real pain to hook up especially in mud.