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Haha. As far as I’m concerned, the LX is the only way forward. It has its problems, but those can be fixed relatively easily.
The jump from a 100 to a 200 makes sense. It was an actual upgrade in many aspects. The 200 to the 250 is not the case. It’s a downgrade in almost every way.Right, you’ve been as vocal about that as you are about announcing you own a Land Cruiser to anyone with an ear canal. I get it, you hate it, awesome. I feel like I’m talking to a 100 Series owner in 2008 when the URJ200 launched.
I like most Cruiser enthusiasts, didn’t need to buy one to know it wasn’t a 200We did purchase a GX550 to replace the Mrs Cruiseroutfit’s 460 and couldn’t be happier with it, absolutely pleased. Fwiw I’ve also spent zero minutes confused or upset that it’s not a LX600 and still not selling a 200
This is where you continue to miss the point imo and it’s apparent by your myopic ability to confuse the fact that the 250 is a replacement for the 200. It simply shouldn’t have taken any deliberation given it went to a much smaller motor, axles, steering, suspension and chassis… all extremely well advertised specs… at a $30k price deduction. The Zill Tricker strikes again.
Sure, you can be jerk about it.Right, again I don’t know that many got the Zill Tricker confusion going on. Engine, axles, steering, prices… yada, yada, yada… you know lines. You made a dumb assumption that wasn’t supported by very known facts.
The drama lol. I live in reality. I can’t make Toyota bring us the 300 or 70. Certainly you can’t believe that. So I don’t have a solution, hence why I doubled down on the 200 for my wants/needs and didn’t go selling any old Cruisers for some artificial need.
Why does anyone need to sell their 200 and go to the LX platform? There are still plenty of folks daily driving 40’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 100’s. Certainly a 4 year old 200 has a few more years of reliable transportation left in it.
This may come as a shocker to you, please sit down. Some of the most entrenched and celebrated community Cruiserheads we are fortunate to have amongst us… don’t own a Cruiser made in the last 30 years. I know the horror, they don’t even care about 200’s.
I roll up to the Rusty Nail KOH camp in my 200, surrounded by Mudders and Cruiserheads and I feel like a penny wiring for change amongst the 40’s, 55’s and 60’s they also drove from long distances. Fortunately Georg showed up in his 250 and I was no longer the leper.
Ha!
If someone doesn’t complain about it, Toyota won’t know it’s a problem.Where do I go in 10 years? I’m sure I’ll still be alternating between daily driving my haggard 2008 and driving much older rusty Cruisers. If they last 30-40 years on Utah’s salty roads and weekely off-road use, I’m sure they’ll survive the rigors of Spokane too. If all that fails, a LX700h has a J in the model code, I’ll slum, or maybe Toyota has 350’s on the lot by then? Or, I’ll import another Cruiser or two. Or maybe we can’t drive ICE cars, lord knows. Life’s too short to own a single Cruiser or think the sky is falling.
You on the other hand, should visit a car wash bi-weekely for the next 10 years. Tell everyone you own a Land Cruiser when you get there.
In the continual support you have towards the 250. It shows content to simply accept what Toyota did, and then degrade people who have an issue with that.
Not aimed specifically at the post above...
Zill, I understand your frustration with Toyota’s naming choice for the 250 in the US. Simply put, the LC name should be reserved for Toyota’s very best suv. This is not a knock on the 250. It’s a great vehicle but it’s not the top of the line.
And I completely agree that’s a great aspect of these rigs. In fact, that’s one of the best perks about them. People not knowing what they are is what makes them more desirable.
The future LC name is going to be a direct competitor to wranglers, 4Runners, defenders, etc. The LC is not going to be known for being something special that is in a class of its own, and that’s where I can’t get on board with it. They watered down the nameplate to cash out on it, and they should have let it rest in peace to keep its legendary status intact.
I would submit that the problem the land cruiser had, from a marketing perspective, was that it was always perceived as a competitor to the kinds of trucks you just mentioned. Wranglers, four runners, etc. At least by the majority of consumers. Yet it was priced at a much higher price point than those other vehicles. This is part of the reason why it didn’t have the kind of sales success here as it did elsewhere. Now they’ve placed it in a price class that it directly competes with those other vehicles, and in my opinion, still outshines them. Of course, with the reduction in price came some compromises as to other features. The reality is that the land cruiser has always had the IYKYK quality, especially in the US, which is cool for owners and people in the know, but not ideal from a business standpoint for Toyota. They’ve decided, probably based on a lot of market research and data, that this approach is going to lead to the greatest marketing potential for the Land Cruiser name. Those who already knew about the Land Cruiser will recognize the 250 as being somewhat of a step down, but those who are just introduced to the land cruiser from the 250 we’ll see it as a highly capable, extremely fun good looking truck. So the name won’t be devalued.
So they cashed out on the name to directly compete against their own 4Runner segment?
Well you still have the option to go LX. If you’re buying new at the next price tier down, you’ll have a decision to make. But I’m not sure you’ll find a better deal in that range than a 250 (esp GX OT).
That’s always been the “patch” fix is to go to the LX, but for us previous LC owners, there’s many reasons why we didn’t go with the previous gen LX.
Fair enough. I guess where we really disagree is that you seem to believe Toyota’s marketing decisions with respect to these new models will devalue the LC name so much that it adversely affects the value of the 200s. I don’t think it will. Instead the 200s will become even more prized because (a) they retain the supreme build quality and (b) the new marketing approach will expand the overall audience for the LC.
While I agree with several of your comments in this thread, in the aftermarket, the LX 570 actually becomes the better value. The 200 AHC is very robust, can spin larger rubber without hitting the KDSS, and enthusiast will likely replace the bumpers and running boards anyway. Perhaps if you want to build a faux crawler with long travel shocks it's not the right chassis, but you can still do it by pulling a fuse an yanking some hydraulics. Better sound system, acoustic glass, better leather, adjustable thigh supports, etc. For a touring-class overlander it's the cat's whiskers.
