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Never mind, I found it. Boy they comments in there were rough.Cross post.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is on life support
2017 Toyota Land-Cruiser
SEE FULL SPECS
SEE PRICING
With a starting price of nearly $85,000, the Toyota Land Cruiser is far out of the financial reach of the average Toyota customer. Notably, the Range Rover starts at around $86,000. With a price tag like that, the old 4x4 SUV is better off with a spot in the Lexus LX line, but it isn't receiving any love from Toyota executives. A lack of marketing certainly isn't helping the Land Cruiser either.
The full-size SUV puts a large emphasis on comfort, no matter what sacrifices have to be made. Even so, reviewers generally agree that the cabin, particularly the rear seats, are far from spacious. Competitors like the Chevrolet Suburban offer more space, better features, and a more affordable price tag to boot.
© Toyota
Take a look at the luxury-level GMC Yukon, for example. The American SUV starts at under $49,000 MSRP and offers up to 94.7 cu ft. of interior cargo space. It can even seat up to nine passengers thanks to its roomy three-row seating. It's easy to see just how lackluster the Toyota Land Cruiser is in comparison.
It wasn't always this way though. The first Toyota Land Cruiser hit the market in 1951, making it Toyota's longest running nameplate. Since it first rolled off the production line, the Land Cruiser has appeared as a convertible, station wagon, and, most recently, an SUV, among others. In Japan, the Land Cruiser is only available in special Toyota dealerships called "Toyota Store." That level of prestige didn't transfer to the United States though.
The Toyota Land Cruiser experienced an immediate jump in popularity after its initial redesign in 2008, but quickly saw faltering sales the next year. The SUV hit an all-time low with just 1,662 units sold in 2011. Sales eventually stabilized in the following years, generally hovering between 2,800 and 3,200 units per year.
Toyota executives, engineers, and designers finally took pity on the 65-year-old nameplate and gave it a much-needed refresh in 2016. That brought sales to the highest point since 2008, with 3,705 units sold during the 2016 model year.
© Toyota
At this point, the Land Cruiser's sales numbers are comparable to the Chevrolet SS, a performance sedan that's leaving the production line for good following the 2017 model year. In a market where buyers are snapping up SUVs as soon as they roll off the line, the Land Cruiser isn't doing too hot. At least it's still doing better than the Dodge Viper...
There are three options available for the fate of the Toyota Land Cruiser: restore, merge, and kill.
The first option is to restore the Land Cruiser to its former glory as one of the most reveled off-road SUVs in the industry. Returning to a Jeep-like design with more off-roading equipment would help draw drivers away from lower-priced competitors. This would require a full redesign and would likely result in a price increase, something the Land Cruiser certainly doesn't need.
Alternatively, the Toyota Land Cruiser could merge into the Lexus LX family as a base model. Adjusting the interior design to free up some space while simultaneously adding more premium materials and advanced technologies would allow the Land Cruiser to live on as a legitimate luxury SUV.
The final option is to put the Toyota Land Cruiser out of its misery. The SUV has been around since 1951, making it the brand's oldest nameplate. As the sales numbers suggest, the Land Cruiser hasn't aged well, and it doesn't look like things will be turning around any time soon.
As a whole, Toyota SUVs are selling like hot cakes with a recent corporate sales report indicating consistent growth throughout the lineup. The Toyota Highlander posted its best-ever February, as did the RAV4 and 4Runner. Even the Toyota Sequoia, another high-end SUV, saw a dramatic sales increase for the month of February.
The Toyota Land Cruiser, however, is nowhere to be found, indicating that the legendary SUV is likely out of touch with the modern consumer. Perhaps it's best to say "Sayonara" to Toyota's oldest nameplate. It doesn't seem as though many people will miss it at this point.
- Thread starter
- #23
Thought this was pretty cool. Great pics he took!
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Hummingbird Babies
AZFJ › Forums › Arizona FJ Discussion › General Discussion › Hummingbird Babies
thought some of you might enjoy this so here you go...
Around the third week of March every time I went out to clean out the pool baskets I was getting buzzed by a hummingbird. I didn't pay too much attention until I noticed she had started building a nest on a cheap strand of lights we have hanging on the back patio. She spent about a week working on building the nest. In that time I hung up a bird feeder next to the nest to try to help her out. Then next thing you know there are 2 little eggs in the nest. She sat on them for about 2 weeks until they hatched. I was very respectful of her space and did not climb the ladder to take pics if she was around. I never touched anything. I just snapped pics of this rare opportunity whenever I could. It has been cool watching this process take place on our back patio. The last 2 days the little ones have been practicing flapping their wings in the nest. I would say in less than a week they will be gone. I have been making my daughters cats stay inside since they started practicing flapping their wings. I would be super pissed if one of them happened to fall out of the nest and one of these ahole cats snagged it up. The cats get mad since we wont let them out and sit at the back door meowing like crazy. I made a spray bottle for them and they get the point now and the meowing has stopped.
Anyway here is a link explaining baby hummingbirds if interested and the pics I have managed to take. The last pic of them with their regular feathers was from tonight 5/4. And also a pic of said water bottle/cat deterrent.
www.worldofhummingbird...m/baby.php
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Hummingbird Babies
AZFJ › Forums › Arizona FJ Discussion › General Discussion › Hummingbird Babies
thought some of you might enjoy this so here you go...
Around the third week of March every time I went out to clean out the pool baskets I was getting buzzed by a hummingbird. I didn't pay too much attention until I noticed she had started building a nest on a cheap strand of lights we have hanging on the back patio. She spent about a week working on building the nest. In that time I hung up a bird feeder next to the nest to try to help her out. Then next thing you know there are 2 little eggs in the nest. She sat on them for about 2 weeks until they hatched. I was very respectful of her space and did not climb the ladder to take pics if she was around. I never touched anything. I just snapped pics of this rare opportunity whenever I could. It has been cool watching this process take place on our back patio. The last 2 days the little ones have been practicing flapping their wings in the nest. I would say in less than a week they will be gone. I have been making my daughters cats stay inside since they started practicing flapping their wings. I would be super pissed if one of them happened to fall out of the nest and one of these ahole cats snagged it up. The cats get mad since we wont let them out and sit at the back door meowing like crazy. I made a spray bottle for them and they get the point now and the meowing has stopped.
Anyway here is a link explaining baby hummingbirds if interested and the pics I have managed to take. The last pic of them with their regular feathers was from tonight 5/4. And also a pic of said water bottle/cat deterrent.
www.worldofhummingbird...m/baby.php
- Thread starter
- #25
Study: New Cars People Keep for the Longest Time
Thomas Lee
Original post Land Cruiser Longevity
Study: New Cars People Keep for the Longest Time
Sporty cars and SUVs, led by Toyota, dominate the list of new cars that owners keep the longest before selling, according to a new study by iSeeCars.com. Toyota models took four of the top 10 spots on the list of cars kept well beyond the average length of ownership.
iSeeCars.com analysts found that drivers kept the Toyota Land Cruiser the longest, for 10.6 years before selling —compared to 7.3 years that the average vehicle is held onto. While the cars on the list are all recognizable, only one of America’s best-selling cars, Ford Explorer, made the list of original-owner favorites.
The automotive research firm analyzed more than 15.7 million used vehicles sold by original owners to identify when new car owners sell their cars. The average length of ownership for the top 10 models ranges from 8.8 to 10.6 years – or 21 percent to 45 percent longer than the overall average (7.3 years). The list includes four Toyotas (three of which are SUVs), four sports cars and two Ford SUVs. The only sedan on the list is the Toyota Avalon.
“While the average age of cars on the road overall has grown to well beyond a decade, among new car buyers, people are getting rid of their cars after 7.3 years on average—one to two years after they’ve paid them off,” said iSeeCars.com CEO Phong Ly.
Top 10 New Cars Owners Keep the Longest
Rank Model # Years of Ownership (Avg.)
1 Toyota Land Cruiser 10.6
2 Porsche Boxster 9.9
3 Ford Expedition 9.0
4 Mercedes-Benz SLK 9.0
5 Ford Explorer 8.9
6 Toyota Sequoia 8.9
7 Chevrolet Corvette 8.8
8 Toyota Avalon 8.8
9 Toyota 4Runner 8.8
10 Audi TT 8.8
Average for All Cars 7.3
With five SUVs on the Longest-Kept list, it might seem like owners hold onto these vehicles longer than other segments. But SUVs are only kept for 7.2 years, very similar to the overall average.
One of the reasons why drivers hold onto these particular models the longest before selling them may be their unique features. “The first-ranked Land Cruiser has a very niche buyer who’s looking for rugged, off-road capability, but also luxury features,” said Ly. “With competitors like Land Rover’s Range Rover and the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, it’s the least expensive option when comparably equipped.”
Among the list of cars original owners keep the longest before selling are three seven-seat SUVs– Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Sequoia and Ford Expedition. “These vehicles tend to log high miles and take a beating. Parents who keep these cars longer probably aren’t ready to replace them until their kids get older and they know their new car won’t get destroyed,” Ly said.
Four sporty cars are among the models original owners love to keep—Porsche Boxster, Mercedes-Benz SLK, Chevrolet Corvette and Audi TT. Ly explained, “These cars all have a timeless look that makes them instantly recognizable on the road. As a result, older models of these cars don’t look outdated. While the three imports have been on the market for about 20 years, their styling is very similar to their original designs. Even the Corvette, which is in its seventh generation, has a modernized version of the classic lines it first sported in 1953, making it easy to spot by even a novice car enthusiast.”
How Long Do Owners Keep America’s Popular Cars Before Selling?
Absent from the Top 10 list are some of the nation’s most popular cars. The average length of ownership for these new cars before getting resold ranges from 5.3 to 8.9 years, with the Ford Explorer being the only car to rank on both lists. Ten of the 20 best-selling cars are kept for longer than the overall average. Ly noted, “Most of these vehicles have strong reputations for being long-lasting and reliable, such as the Toyota Camry and Corolla, Honda Accord and Civic and all of the full-size domestic pickups.”
It might be surprising not to see cars like the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry in the overall list. Sedans in general have been declining in market share at the segment level since 2008. “We suspect that many buyers who purchased these sedans a few years ago have been trading them in for the sexier crossovers now that gas prices are significantly lower, thus driving down the average years they are owned,” said Ly.
Length of Ownership for Popular Cars
Rank Model # Years of Ownership (Avg.)
1 Ford Explorer 8.9
2 Honda Accord 8.4
3 Toyota Camry 8.0
4 Honda Civic 7.9
5 Jeep Grand Cherokee 7.8
6 Toyota Corolla 7.7
7 Honda CR-V 7.6
8 Dodge/Ram Ram Pickup 1500 7.5
9 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 7.4
10 Ford F-150 7.4
11 GMC Sierra 1500 7.3
Overall Average 7.3
12 Nissan Altima 7.2
13 Hyundai Elantra 7.2
14 Nissan Sentra 7.1
15 Toyota RAV4 7.1
16 Ford Escape 6.9
17 Chevrolet Malibu 6.6
18 Chevrolet Equinox 6.0
19 Ford Fusion 5.7
20 Nissan Rogue 5.3
Ly continued, “Many of the cars toward the bottom of this list have not been on the market as long, have had quality issues at some point during in their history or are often found in fleet or rental use, which overall reduces their average years of ownership below the industry average.”
Passenger Cars People Hold Onto the Longest
Passenger cars are sold 7.2 years on average after the initial purchase—very close to the overall average. Among the Top 10 passenger cars kept the longest, the top five are already on the overall list. Ranked sixth is the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, yet another sporty car, though one that targets wealthier buyers with higher disposable income, followed by four more mainstream sedans. “Even so, both the Volkswagen Passat and the Mazda6 attract buyers that are looking for something a little bit different than the uber-popular Honda Accord and the fleet-prominent Ford Taurus,” said Ly.
New Passenger Cars Owners Keep the Longest
Rank Model # Years of Ownership (Avg.)
1 Porsche Boxster 9.9
2 Mercedes-Benz SLK 9.0
3 Chevrolet Corvette 8.8
4 Toyota Avalon 8.8
5 Audi TT 8.8
6 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 8.7
7 Volkswagen Passat 8.7
8 Mazda Mazda6 8.6
9 Ford Taurus 8.6
10 Honda Accord 8.4
Passenger Car Average 7.2
Pickup Trucks Owners Keep the Longest
Pickup trucks are the only segment original owners keep longer than the overall average – 7.5 years versus 7.3 years. Still, no pickups made it on the overall list. All of the ranked models run close in average age before being sold, ranging from 7.3 to 7.8 years. The pickup truck list also has a balanced mix of imports and domestics.
Ly explained, “Pickup truck buyers tend to fall into a couple of distinct groups. There are individuals and small business owners who use these trucks for their truck capability all the time, such as for work or a personal use, such as towing a boat. That group knows they need a pickup and wouldn’t drive anything else, so they keep their vehicles for longer.”
He continued, “But there’s a second group that doesn’t keep their trucks very long at all. This group is represented largely by people using pickups in commercial fleets, so the pickups are usually leased and replaced every few years. There’s also a smaller group of individuals who opt for a pickup truck only to be disappointed in the ride, fuel economy or other comfort features and decide it really isn’t for them.”
New Pickup Trucks Owners Keep the Longest
Rank Model # Years of Ownership (Avg.)
1 Toyota Tacoma 7.8
2 Nissan Frontier 7.7
3 Dodge/Ram Pickup 1500 7.5
4 Toyota Tundra 7.5
5 Nissan Titan 7.5
Pickup Truck Average 7.5
6 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 7.4
7 Ford F-150 7.4
8 GMC Sierra 1500 7.3
“The key to buying a new car people love enough to keep for a long time is taking the time to find something that truly fits their personality and long-term needs,” said Ly. “Car shoppers should do solid research upfront, calculating the costs of ownership and spending enough time on test drives to make sure everyone who’ll be in the car is really comfortable.”
Methodology
iSeeCars.com analyzed more than 15.7 million used cars sold by their original owners between Jan. 1, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2016. Models which were owned for less than 5 years were excluded from the analysis, to eliminate the effect of short lease terms on the data. Models that were in production for less than 9 of the 10 most recent model years (2008 to 2017) were also excluded from the analysis. The average age of each model was calculated using the ages of cars when they were first listed for sale.
About iSeeCars.com
iSeeCars.com is an automotive data and research company that’s saved car shoppers more than $115 million. It helps consumers find the best deals by providing key insights and guidance, using big data analytics powered by over 25 billion (and growing) data points and proprietary algorithms to objectively analyze, score and rank millions of cars and thousands of dealers. Based in the Boston area, iSeeCars.com was founded by a former TripAdvisor developer and SAP executive determined to improve the car shopping experience.
- Thread starter
- #26
Land Cruiser 200 Series review
^^^^^ Video at Link
Land Cruiser 200 Series review
It’s not often Toyota updates its Land Cruiser. So when it does it tends to be pretty big news. This is the latest Cruiser tweaked: the 200 series.
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
A 200 Series Land Cruiser ain’t cheap, but for its fans there aren’t many alternatives (would-be competitors such as the petrol-only Y62 Patrol are largely overlooked by those looking to go off-road, while other vehicles are either too small or less convincing). This latest update to the 200 Series, which arrived in 2008, adds a new look, especially around the front, where the grille, headlights and bonnet have been revised.
The price tag has also come down slightly but starts at a hefty $76,509 (plus on-road costs) for the GX, typically reserved for mining fleets and tour operators. That car gets barn rear doors, vinyl flooring, steel wheels and five seats. But it’s the only one fitted standard with a snorkel (on others it’s another $500).
From there it’s a step up to the GXL tested here. It’s $82,000 as a petrol V8 or $87,000 as a diesel V8, but the difference is more pronounced if you add the $3250 Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS, which effectively decouples the stabiliser bars for off-road work). That is an option on the diesel, but it is standard on the petrol model. The GXL also picks up a reversing camera, eight seats, alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, satellite-navigation and smart key entry.
The VX ($92,500 as a petrol and $97,500 as a diesel; both with KDSS) adds partial leather seats, auto headlights and wipers, sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, infotainment control buttons on the steering wheel, powered front seats and four-zone air-conditioning.
VIDEO REVIEW: What difference does KDSS make?
At the top of the Land Cruiser tree is the Sahara ($113,500 for petrol, $118,500 for diesel), which adds heated front- and middle-row seats, a cooled centre console, powered tailgate, wireless phone charging, twin rear seat TV screens, auto high beams and various active safety systems, including blind spot warning, auto emergency braking and lane departure warning.
Heavier models (the VX diesel and petrol/diesel Sahara) make do with seven seats, due to issues of exceeding the grow vehicle mass (GVM) with eight people on board.
PRACTICALITY
The 200 Series is a big machine and delivers on interior space. The width across the middle-row seats, in particular, is impressive, allowing for three people to travel side by side in comfort; it means you can easily fold the third-row seats up against the side of the car (they don’t fold into the floor as with the latest 150 Series Prado), or you can remove them completely for extra luggage space and still comfortably carry five.
Basic controls are well laid out and logical, with one exception – the colour touchscreen in the GXL. It’s fiddly and frustrating, especially when you’re trying to line up the virtual buttons while on the move; they’re too small and often require two or three prods to get the desired result. The screen can also be difficult to see in direct sunlight, even when in the daytime mode.
ON THE ROAD
Few cars munch the miles as effortlessly as a Land Cruiser. The 200 Series is seriously quiet and refined, making for easy long-distance touring.
The suspension is also soft and supple, arguably too much so when fully laden, with the vehicle often leaning noticeably through bends and sitting down slightly in its tail, thereby reducing ground clearance a tad.
But it is relatively easy to manoeuvre, given its 2.7-tonne heft. Steering is light and relatively accurate, although the Dunlop tyres will be the first to protest if you push too much through a corner.
The 4.5-litre twin turbo V8 diesel has been tweaked for this latest update, with new fuel injectors and the addition of a particulate filter to clean those exhaust emissions. But it’s essentially the same old girl, with a hearty 650Nm of torque that makes light work of hill climbing and building pace. Power has crept up to 200kW (a benefit of 5kW), but good luck picking it.
Fuel use has also come down slightly in the diesel, to a claimed 9.5 litres per 100km. We found it used more like 13L/100km, which is still enough for upwards of 1000km, from the super-handy 138-litre fuel tank.
OFF-ROAD
For such an accomplished and well-rounded 4x4, the 200 Series is surprisingly capable in the rough stuff. Ground clearance of 230mm is good, without being exceptional, but it does a great job of keeping its extremities out of harm’s way. Similarly, the 32-degree approach angle and 24-degree departure angle (the location of the spare tyre underneath does not help the latter on sand dunes) work impressively.
Also, the Land Cruiser’s full-time four-wheel-drive system is largely ‘set and forget’. It’s immensely capable, even in high-range, but adds extra control and smarts in low-range.
There is a penalty, though; there’s plenty of whining when in low-range, and the Crawl Control function is even noisier, with clicking and graunching that’s seriously off-putting. But, hey, it’s effective, especially for slow-speed ascents, where it perfectly controls torque delivery for slow-speed consistency.
Crawl Control also gets a Turn Assist function (like other Crawl functions, it’s available only in low-range). It heavily brakes the inside rear wheel on tight turns to lock the wheel temporarily but significantly reduce the turning circle. It’s clever stuff that improves off-road manoeuvrability.
The 200 Series continues to offer a better off-road package to those who spend more; from a marketing perspective, it’s a popular ploy, but anecdotal evidence suggests it’s the GXLs that are more likely to do the serious off-road work. Yet the VX and top-whack Sahara are the only ones to get Multi-Terrain Select, which tailors traction systems and throttle control to various conditions.
The Sahara adds to that with three additional cameras that give a better view of what’s around the car and what you’re about to drive over. One of the camera functions is a delayed view that shows exactly what the front wheels are about to drive over.
The Land Cruiser 200 can tow up to 3500kg and carry 200kg on its roof – the latter double the rating achieved by many competitors.
Less impressive is its GVM of 3350kg. It can only carry 610kg of people, luggage, accessories and fuel; that’s not much when you’re going bush.
VERDICT
The latest Land Cruiser update doesn’t mess with a proven and popular formula. It’s almost identical to drive and as capable as ever in the bush.
Indeed the 200 Series remains a mighty machine and one that continues to deliver supreme on-road refinement and comfort as well as excellent off-road capability. But you pay for the privilege, and by the time you get to the VX and Sahara, you’re looking at seriously expensive machines.
PRICE AND SPECIFICATIONS
Toyota Land Cruiser 200-Series GXL
Price: $87,000
Engine: 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8 diesel, 200kW at 3600rpm, 650Nm at 1600-2600rpm
Transmission and 4WD system: Full-time dual-range 4WD
Braked tow capacity: 3500kg
Spare tyre: Full-size
Fuel tank: 138 litres
Fuel use (claimed): 9.5L/100km
Fuel use on test: 13.6L/100km
Approach/departure angles: 32 degrees/24 degrees
Ground clearance: 230mm
^^^^^ Video at Link
Land Cruiser 200 Series review
It’s not often Toyota updates its Land Cruiser. So when it does it tends to be pretty big news. This is the latest Cruiser tweaked: the 200 series.
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
A 200 Series Land Cruiser ain’t cheap, but for its fans there aren’t many alternatives (would-be competitors such as the petrol-only Y62 Patrol are largely overlooked by those looking to go off-road, while other vehicles are either too small or less convincing). This latest update to the 200 Series, which arrived in 2008, adds a new look, especially around the front, where the grille, headlights and bonnet have been revised.
The price tag has also come down slightly but starts at a hefty $76,509 (plus on-road costs) for the GX, typically reserved for mining fleets and tour operators. That car gets barn rear doors, vinyl flooring, steel wheels and five seats. But it’s the only one fitted standard with a snorkel (on others it’s another $500).
The VX ($92,500 as a petrol and $97,500 as a diesel; both with KDSS) adds partial leather seats, auto headlights and wipers, sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, infotainment control buttons on the steering wheel, powered front seats and four-zone air-conditioning.
VIDEO REVIEW: What difference does KDSS make?
At the top of the Land Cruiser tree is the Sahara ($113,500 for petrol, $118,500 for diesel), which adds heated front- and middle-row seats, a cooled centre console, powered tailgate, wireless phone charging, twin rear seat TV screens, auto high beams and various active safety systems, including blind spot warning, auto emergency braking and lane departure warning.
Heavier models (the VX diesel and petrol/diesel Sahara) make do with seven seats, due to issues of exceeding the grow vehicle mass (GVM) with eight people on board.
PRACTICALITY
The 200 Series is a big machine and delivers on interior space. The width across the middle-row seats, in particular, is impressive, allowing for three people to travel side by side in comfort; it means you can easily fold the third-row seats up against the side of the car (they don’t fold into the floor as with the latest 150 Series Prado), or you can remove them completely for extra luggage space and still comfortably carry five.
ON THE ROAD
Few cars munch the miles as effortlessly as a Land Cruiser. The 200 Series is seriously quiet and refined, making for easy long-distance touring.
The suspension is also soft and supple, arguably too much so when fully laden, with the vehicle often leaning noticeably through bends and sitting down slightly in its tail, thereby reducing ground clearance a tad.
But it is relatively easy to manoeuvre, given its 2.7-tonne heft. Steering is light and relatively accurate, although the Dunlop tyres will be the first to protest if you push too much through a corner.
Fuel use has also come down slightly in the diesel, to a claimed 9.5 litres per 100km. We found it used more like 13L/100km, which is still enough for upwards of 1000km, from the super-handy 138-litre fuel tank.
OFF-ROAD
For such an accomplished and well-rounded 4x4, the 200 Series is surprisingly capable in the rough stuff. Ground clearance of 230mm is good, without being exceptional, but it does a great job of keeping its extremities out of harm’s way. Similarly, the 32-degree approach angle and 24-degree departure angle (the location of the spare tyre underneath does not help the latter on sand dunes) work impressively.
There is a penalty, though; there’s plenty of whining when in low-range, and the Crawl Control function is even noisier, with clicking and graunching that’s seriously off-putting. But, hey, it’s effective, especially for slow-speed ascents, where it perfectly controls torque delivery for slow-speed consistency.
Crawl Control also gets a Turn Assist function (like other Crawl functions, it’s available only in low-range). It heavily brakes the inside rear wheel on tight turns to lock the wheel temporarily but significantly reduce the turning circle. It’s clever stuff that improves off-road manoeuvrability.
The Sahara adds to that with three additional cameras that give a better view of what’s around the car and what you’re about to drive over. One of the camera functions is a delayed view that shows exactly what the front wheels are about to drive over.
The Land Cruiser 200 can tow up to 3500kg and carry 200kg on its roof – the latter double the rating achieved by many competitors.
Less impressive is its GVM of 3350kg. It can only carry 610kg of people, luggage, accessories and fuel; that’s not much when you’re going bush.
VERDICT
The latest Land Cruiser update doesn’t mess with a proven and popular formula. It’s almost identical to drive and as capable as ever in the bush.
PRICE AND SPECIFICATIONS
Toyota Land Cruiser 200-Series GXL
Price: $87,000
Engine: 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8 diesel, 200kW at 3600rpm, 650Nm at 1600-2600rpm
Transmission and 4WD system: Full-time dual-range 4WD
Braked tow capacity: 3500kg
Spare tyre: Full-size
Fuel tank: 138 litres
Fuel use (claimed): 9.5L/100km
Fuel use on test: 13.6L/100km
Approach/departure angles: 32 degrees/24 degrees
Ground clearance: 230mm
- Thread starter
- #27
2017 Toyota Land Cruiser Review
Jun. 22, 2017 By Seth Parks. Photos by Garrett Martin and Seth Parks
2017 Toyota Land Cruiser Review: Off-Road.com
There are more than 40 brands offering 230-some nameplates in America today. Not a single one is a direct Land Cruiser competitor. So what is the Land Cruiser's mission?
It's not aimed at the towing crowd. A $50,000 full-size half-ton anything can tow more than the Land Cruiser's 8,100 lbs. It's not for hauling people. A Sequoia, or any other full-size SUV, offers more interior volume, with at least $20,000 left over. It's not for brand snobs, as Toyota offers the nearly identical and vastly more popular Lexus LX for those people. And no, it's not even for the radical off-road enthusiast. There are Wranglers, Tacomas, 4Runners, and Raptors with off-road capabilities to match the impressive Land Cruiser.
The market analysis justifying the Land Cruiser is contained somewhere deep inside Toyota's North America's product planning offices in Plano, Texas. But until a disgruntled employee or careless contractor leaks the file, we will simply need to speculate.
The Land Cruiser appeared in commercial quantities in the 1950's and from there went on to earn its reputation for go-anywhere durability. I can personally attest to the utility and capability of the 70-Series Land Cruiser based on my time in a high-roof troopie that shrugged off poor driver decisions in Malawi (always check water crossings before going wheels wet) and baboons (there is a fine line between curiosity and malevolence). But today's North American spec Land Cruiser originated with the J50, which bifurcated the Land Cruiser lineup back in 1967. Thereafter, the Land Cruiser badge would be placed on a growing range of light commercial vehicles (J20/30/40/70), as well as on easier to live with yet highly capable passenger-oriented SUVs (J50/60/80/90/120/150/100/200).
None of these products were designed for the North American market. And today's Land Cruiser is no different. It receives minor adaptions to confirm to the peculiarities of our market. But at 112 inches, its wheelbase is four to 10 inches shorter than other full-size SUVs. And its width and overall length are likewise three-quarter size. Sure, it has Toyota's 381 horsepower 5.7L gas V8 and a speedo that reads in mph, but these alterations hardly conceal a vehicle as close to African spec as you will find on a dealer lot in North America. This is one of the few unadulterated foreign market vehicles journalists and enthusiasts pine for.
The average Toyota dealer sells seven of these rigs, annually.
That's not because it's bad. It's good. In fact, it's great. Just don't try to lump it into a comparison with any other vehicle available in America today.
The current generation Land Cruiser dates to 2008. In 2016 Toyota executed a refresh including a new grill, rear end treatment, eight-speed transmission, Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), and the latest Entune multimedia interface. The new visage is more nuanced and delicate to this reviewer's eye. But who cares what it looks like, it's a form follows function product with a no-nonsense reputation to uphold. Sculpting its body like a F86 simply wouldn't be right. Any beauty in the Land Cruiser's exterior is conferred by the knowledge of what this rig can do.
Inside, the story is less utilitarian. This Land Cruiser is equipped for comfort. And all the goodies are present, without the need to option it up. It's an all or nothing affair including heated and cooled power seats, touch screen navigation, 14-speaker JBL sound, power steering wheel adjustment, park assist, blind spot monitoring, LED headlights, and more. This is nothing like the truck-come-tractor 70-Series I drove in Africa. Apply some Lexus logos, upgrade the leather, blow out the audio system and it could have been the Lexus LX.
Unlike other full-size SUVs, the Land Cruiser was not designed with an on-road bias backed up by secondary off-road capability. No, this vehicle was designed around a duty cycle that would rattle a Sequoia, Tahoe, or Armada to pieces at 40,000 kilometers. And it shows in the Land Cruiser's on-road manners. They are in a word, unfortunate. Every vehicle presents compromises. For the Land Cruiser it's pavement. The brakes are non-linear. They feature an inflection point when slowing through 30mph where they become progressive and haul the big SUV to a stop with unwanted abruptness. After a week with the big Toyota its brakes did not grow on me.
Moreover, Land Cruiser drivers should not be in a hurry. Despite its modest dimensions, it is as heavy or heavier than any other full-size 4X4 SUV. It even out-weighs its notoriously portly near-peer the LR4. Acceleration, steering, and cornering are languid. The Land Cruiser is the tortoise of cars. It tells its driver, take your time, there's no rush. Just follow that Avalon in the right lane.
Dirt, sand, and mud are home for the Land Cruiser. But it's not due to a personality transformation. The Toyota is like your blunt opinionated cousin who entertains at Thanksgiving but can't seem to get ahead professionally. The Land Cruiser hasn't changed; it's simply a matter of context, and off-highway is its preferred venue. Washboard, a reliably uncomfortable test for most SUV's, is no problem. The Toyota does not approach washboard like a Raptor, which smoothes the bumps through speed and internal-bypass wizardry. The Land Cruiser takes them head-on with a workman-like approach befitting its heft and near six-digit price. Boulders, water, rutted out off-camber inclines, the Land Cruiser doesn't care.
We took the Land Cruiser up scenic Oriflamme Canyon, east of San Diego. This moderate to challenging 11 mile route climbs out of the Anza-Borrego Desert into San Diego backcountry. A quarter of the way up the trail on a section of trail cut into a steep barren hillside we encountered our first real obstacle. A CJ2 sized boulder that fell from above and lodged itself across half of the already narrow single track. The decision was simple. Back down the trail or squeeze between the boulder and the equally unforgiving hill-face while executing a slight leftward pivot to avoid upper-body damage. The Land Cruiser is not a small rig, but we knew Wranglers had successfully navigated the obstacle. With only a couple extra inches of girth versus the Jeep, we decided we could make it.
From there the track got nasty. But nothing our rig's clearance and a dose of prudence couldn't handle. That said, this trail would not be an appropriate test route for a Sequoia or Expedition. Some recent rains made for a modest water crossing, something of a rarity for wheelers in San Diego. And around mile eight the peak obstacle came into view. The steep, uneven, and heavily rutted Stairway to Heaven offers one the chance to summit the route's 4,150 foot high point. Or, you can just walk it, enjoy the view, then cruise the last couple of easy miles to Highway 78.
With a center locking diff, multi-terrain select, crawl control, modest all-terrain Dunlops on off-road appropriate 18 inch wheels, an impressive 32 degree approach angle, a decent 21 degree breakover, and a healthy 24 departure angle, the Land Cruiser is exactly the kind of rig to tackle this short of technical climb. And it needed all the articulation and traction is could muster. We did find the limit of its departure angle in a deeply rutted set of craters with off-camber, high-centering risk. The back end stroked the dirt but shrugged it off on its way to the top. Yes, this is just the kind of rig to enjoy such shenanigans in.
Land Cruiser starts at $84,325. Four-wheel drive, the 5.7-liter V8, and everything else is standard. Select from six exterior and two interior colors. That's it. The MSRP on our tester was $85,520, including a $1,195 delivery processing fee. Advertised fuel economy is 13 city, 18 highway. Observed fuel economy was 14.2 mpg.
So who is the Land Cruiser for? It's for oil and mine managers, the middle-eastern middle-class, NGO country directors, and well-off Australians who want to do the Outback in style. It is not for us. It is too small and expensive to compete with other full-size SUVs. It is too uncompromising and plebian to compete with premium SUVs. And it is far too expensive to compete with other off-road focused offerings. In America, Mercedes sells more G-Wagons and Audi more A8's than Toyota does Land Cruisers. But as leisurely as the Land Cruiser is on-road it is equally brilliant off-road. And I applaud those who toss convention aside and put one of these stubbornly unapologetic SUVs in their garage.
But I fear there are not enough of you to keep the nameplate alive in North America. The departure of this storied and immensely capable SUV from our market would be a shame. Please go buy one.
Jun. 22, 2017 By Seth Parks. Photos by Garrett Martin and Seth Parks
2017 Toyota Land Cruiser Review: Off-Road.com
There are more than 40 brands offering 230-some nameplates in America today. Not a single one is a direct Land Cruiser competitor. So what is the Land Cruiser's mission?
It's not aimed at the towing crowd. A $50,000 full-size half-ton anything can tow more than the Land Cruiser's 8,100 lbs. It's not for hauling people. A Sequoia, or any other full-size SUV, offers more interior volume, with at least $20,000 left over. It's not for brand snobs, as Toyota offers the nearly identical and vastly more popular Lexus LX for those people. And no, it's not even for the radical off-road enthusiast. There are Wranglers, Tacomas, 4Runners, and Raptors with off-road capabilities to match the impressive Land Cruiser.
The market analysis justifying the Land Cruiser is contained somewhere deep inside Toyota's North America's product planning offices in Plano, Texas. But until a disgruntled employee or careless contractor leaks the file, we will simply need to speculate.
The Land Cruiser appeared in commercial quantities in the 1950's and from there went on to earn its reputation for go-anywhere durability. I can personally attest to the utility and capability of the 70-Series Land Cruiser based on my time in a high-roof troopie that shrugged off poor driver decisions in Malawi (always check water crossings before going wheels wet) and baboons (there is a fine line between curiosity and malevolence). But today's North American spec Land Cruiser originated with the J50, which bifurcated the Land Cruiser lineup back in 1967. Thereafter, the Land Cruiser badge would be placed on a growing range of light commercial vehicles (J20/30/40/70), as well as on easier to live with yet highly capable passenger-oriented SUVs (J50/60/80/90/120/150/100/200).
None of these products were designed for the North American market. And today's Land Cruiser is no different. It receives minor adaptions to confirm to the peculiarities of our market. But at 112 inches, its wheelbase is four to 10 inches shorter than other full-size SUVs. And its width and overall length are likewise three-quarter size. Sure, it has Toyota's 381 horsepower 5.7L gas V8 and a speedo that reads in mph, but these alterations hardly conceal a vehicle as close to African spec as you will find on a dealer lot in North America. This is one of the few unadulterated foreign market vehicles journalists and enthusiasts pine for.
The average Toyota dealer sells seven of these rigs, annually.
That's not because it's bad. It's good. In fact, it's great. Just don't try to lump it into a comparison with any other vehicle available in America today.
The current generation Land Cruiser dates to 2008. In 2016 Toyota executed a refresh including a new grill, rear end treatment, eight-speed transmission, Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), and the latest Entune multimedia interface. The new visage is more nuanced and delicate to this reviewer's eye. But who cares what it looks like, it's a form follows function product with a no-nonsense reputation to uphold. Sculpting its body like a F86 simply wouldn't be right. Any beauty in the Land Cruiser's exterior is conferred by the knowledge of what this rig can do.
Inside, the story is less utilitarian. This Land Cruiser is equipped for comfort. And all the goodies are present, without the need to option it up. It's an all or nothing affair including heated and cooled power seats, touch screen navigation, 14-speaker JBL sound, power steering wheel adjustment, park assist, blind spot monitoring, LED headlights, and more. This is nothing like the truck-come-tractor 70-Series I drove in Africa. Apply some Lexus logos, upgrade the leather, blow out the audio system and it could have been the Lexus LX.
Unlike other full-size SUVs, the Land Cruiser was not designed with an on-road bias backed up by secondary off-road capability. No, this vehicle was designed around a duty cycle that would rattle a Sequoia, Tahoe, or Armada to pieces at 40,000 kilometers. And it shows in the Land Cruiser's on-road manners. They are in a word, unfortunate. Every vehicle presents compromises. For the Land Cruiser it's pavement. The brakes are non-linear. They feature an inflection point when slowing through 30mph where they become progressive and haul the big SUV to a stop with unwanted abruptness. After a week with the big Toyota its brakes did not grow on me.
Moreover, Land Cruiser drivers should not be in a hurry. Despite its modest dimensions, it is as heavy or heavier than any other full-size 4X4 SUV. It even out-weighs its notoriously portly near-peer the LR4. Acceleration, steering, and cornering are languid. The Land Cruiser is the tortoise of cars. It tells its driver, take your time, there's no rush. Just follow that Avalon in the right lane.
Dirt, sand, and mud are home for the Land Cruiser. But it's not due to a personality transformation. The Toyota is like your blunt opinionated cousin who entertains at Thanksgiving but can't seem to get ahead professionally. The Land Cruiser hasn't changed; it's simply a matter of context, and off-highway is its preferred venue. Washboard, a reliably uncomfortable test for most SUV's, is no problem. The Toyota does not approach washboard like a Raptor, which smoothes the bumps through speed and internal-bypass wizardry. The Land Cruiser takes them head-on with a workman-like approach befitting its heft and near six-digit price. Boulders, water, rutted out off-camber inclines, the Land Cruiser doesn't care.
We took the Land Cruiser up scenic Oriflamme Canyon, east of San Diego. This moderate to challenging 11 mile route climbs out of the Anza-Borrego Desert into San Diego backcountry. A quarter of the way up the trail on a section of trail cut into a steep barren hillside we encountered our first real obstacle. A CJ2 sized boulder that fell from above and lodged itself across half of the already narrow single track. The decision was simple. Back down the trail or squeeze between the boulder and the equally unforgiving hill-face while executing a slight leftward pivot to avoid upper-body damage. The Land Cruiser is not a small rig, but we knew Wranglers had successfully navigated the obstacle. With only a couple extra inches of girth versus the Jeep, we decided we could make it.
From there the track got nasty. But nothing our rig's clearance and a dose of prudence couldn't handle. That said, this trail would not be an appropriate test route for a Sequoia or Expedition. Some recent rains made for a modest water crossing, something of a rarity for wheelers in San Diego. And around mile eight the peak obstacle came into view. The steep, uneven, and heavily rutted Stairway to Heaven offers one the chance to summit the route's 4,150 foot high point. Or, you can just walk it, enjoy the view, then cruise the last couple of easy miles to Highway 78.
With a center locking diff, multi-terrain select, crawl control, modest all-terrain Dunlops on off-road appropriate 18 inch wheels, an impressive 32 degree approach angle, a decent 21 degree breakover, and a healthy 24 departure angle, the Land Cruiser is exactly the kind of rig to tackle this short of technical climb. And it needed all the articulation and traction is could muster. We did find the limit of its departure angle in a deeply rutted set of craters with off-camber, high-centering risk. The back end stroked the dirt but shrugged it off on its way to the top. Yes, this is just the kind of rig to enjoy such shenanigans in.
Land Cruiser starts at $84,325. Four-wheel drive, the 5.7-liter V8, and everything else is standard. Select from six exterior and two interior colors. That's it. The MSRP on our tester was $85,520, including a $1,195 delivery processing fee. Advertised fuel economy is 13 city, 18 highway. Observed fuel economy was 14.2 mpg.
So who is the Land Cruiser for? It's for oil and mine managers, the middle-eastern middle-class, NGO country directors, and well-off Australians who want to do the Outback in style. It is not for us. It is too small and expensive to compete with other full-size SUVs. It is too uncompromising and plebian to compete with premium SUVs. And it is far too expensive to compete with other off-road focused offerings. In America, Mercedes sells more G-Wagons and Audi more A8's than Toyota does Land Cruisers. But as leisurely as the Land Cruiser is on-road it is equally brilliant off-road. And I applaud those who toss convention aside and put one of these stubbornly unapologetic SUVs in their garage.
But I fear there are not enough of you to keep the nameplate alive in North America. The departure of this storied and immensely capable SUV from our market would be a shame. Please go buy one.
- Thread starter
- #28
saw this on the 200 board:
https://jalopnik.com/the-2018-toyota-land-cruiser-bends-the-world-to-its-wil-1823171685
Lots of pics in the above link.
Only a handful of Americans will buy a 2018 Toyota Land Cruiser. But ask anyone who knows this vehicle and they’ll talk about it with the kind of mystical reverence usually reserved for reciting folklore. So I threw this $87,000 legend off its laurels and into a sand storm to see how much heat it could really take.
(Full disclosure: I’ve been trying to get my hands on a current Land Cruiser for years. After a lot of asks, Toyota finally threw me the keys to one for a week. I washed and refueled it before giving it back.)
The Cruiser is historically a weak seller in the United States, where in modern times it’s only been sold in one ultra-lux gas-guzzling trim level. But in places like Africa and Australia, where hardcore off-road driving is a fact of life, the Toyota Land Cruiser is the gold standard of personal conveyance. In fact, it’s not just an SUV, but a whole range of SUVs.
International expedition guide Magnus Eriksson broke it down for me when I was working for him in the land down under: “You wanna go bush, you get a ’Cruisah. Can’t afford that, you get a Patrol. Can’t afford that, you get a Pajero.”
So who were Jeeps for? “Idiots.”
And Land Rovers? “Fancy idiots.”
I don’t think he’d ever heard of a Mercedes G-Class.
I don’t subscribe to Eriksson’s blanket dismissal of non-Toyotas, but I will say his opinion on the matter was pretty much gospel among the pro drivers I dealt with in my days as an off-road guide in Australia.
Since then I’ve driven a few iterations of the Land Cruiser, but this was my first time with the U.S. market version of the current generation 200-Series. And I had the perfect mission for it: take two couples from Hollywood to the Hell on Earth known as Death Valley for a casual weekend of camping where I could climb rocks and, with any luck, make my passengers squeal in terror. And also, you know, find out if the truck’s any good.
What is it?
The Toyota Land Cruiser is an iconic SUV considered by many to be the ultimate combination of off-road capability and cockpit luxury.
Like many such machines, the Cruiser started life in the 1950s as a simple two-door farm buggy-looking thing that casual observers would call “a jeep”, but the most recognizable classic Cruiser is probably the FJ40 that started life in the early ’60s, known colloquially as the “Shorty Forty.”
The Shorty design was sold worldwide for more than two decades, and today is one of the most sought-after classic cars there is.
But also like most other model names, the Land Cruiser has grown and grown and grown since its first generation. Today’s 200-Series Land Cruiser is a 5,815-pound behemoth built around a steel frame and, in the U.S., a 5.7-liter V8 rated at 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque.
It’s old, too; this current 200 has been around since 2007, though it’s had updates here and there since. And a bit bland in the looks department. While it could easily be mistaken for any boring crossover, it isn’t one, and comes with a high price tag accordingly.
It’s no illusion– the airbox is the size of a dang watermelon.
An eight-speed automatic puts that power to all four wheels all the time, with a locking center differential and a low-range for when things get real hairy.
The SUV measures just under 195 inches end-to-end and seats eight if people are willing to get cozy, four if they want to be comfortable.
The Cruiser is also rated to drive through more than two feet of standing water, but we barely found two inches of it in Death Valley. All we found was sand. Sand, more sand, and a few big swaths of salt.
Casual Driving
Plodding through an urban environment in the Land Cruiser feels a lot like doing so in any other modern SUV, with one markedly notable difference: the weight of the steering wheel is palpable.
Guiding this mechanized mammoth into a parking space is work. Which, in my opinion, makes it satisfying. But the average person on a grocery run might not feel that way.
At a healthy canter on the highway, the Land Cruiser is smooth and comfortable—until it comes time to turn. Even the gentle corners on Highway 395 made the truck list a little beyond the comfort zone of my passengers, and exit ramps will have everybody scrambling for the ceiling grab handles.
And while nobody would expect a vehicle this square and heavy to get good gas mileage, but the Cruiser’s rate of consumption is borderline alarming. The EPA says you should expect 13 mpg in the city and 18 on the highway. But in town, the instantaneous economy gauge was usually hanging out in the single digits.
After almost 800 miles of total driving, more than half of which were very gentle highway miles, my overall average was under 15 mpg. I told you it’s old-school
Aggressive Driving
The culmination of the Cruiser’s greatness basically boils down to this: there is really no way to drive it that feels aggressive. It doesn’t matter if you’re towering over city traffic or clawing your way up a rocky slope that would make mountain goats get sweaty. The Land Cruiser simply... proceeds.
Death Valley is a National Park, which means you can’t go bushwhacking wherever you want like you can in on BLM land like Johnson Valley. But it is a rugged wasteland, so some of the mapped “roads” just turn into dry riverbeds and those are full of rocks of assorted sizes.
Even on road-bias tires, the Land Cruiser easily scaled and scurried over everything. I couldn’t even get the suggestion of wheel slip driving in the vehicle’s default mode, but I locked the differential and put the transmission in low range just to test it.
With the transfer case effectively multiplying the V8’s torque, the Cruiser straight up vaulted over obstacles instead of simply scaling them. The Off-Road Turn Assist, “which tightens the turning radius by applying slight brake pressure to the inside rear wheel” is so effective that I’m pretty sure you could do a maypole dance in this truck without having to shift to reverse.
When using Turn Assist or Toyota’s terrain-selectable CRAWL system, which is basically off-road cruise control, the Land Cruiser is unsettlingly loud with creeks and groans while it does its most impressive tricks. It’s all part of the show; the sounds are just the off-road systems at work. But the cacophony is really the only indication that the truck is under duress.
I figured the Land Cruiser would be a good crawler, but I was genuinely blown away by the truck’s smoothness over rough stuff at speed. Toyota calls its independent double-wishbone front and four-link rear setup a Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System. I didn’t think much of this until I flogged the Cruiser over miles and miles of rocky, sandy terrain shaped like corrugated metal.
At 40 mph, the truck just glided without bottoming or topping out once. It might not be able to keep up with a Raptor or a Colorado ZR2, but we were blowing the doors off of pickups and Jeeps and FJ Cruisers on sandy rocky tracks with ease.
What stands out
The first night of our Death Valley trip, we posted up with two tents eight miles into Cottonwood Canyon Road. That’s one of those dirt tracks that turns into a dry river I mentioned earlier. We cracked some beers we’d kept cold in the Land Cruiser’s center console refrigerator, enjoyed a star field that gleamed like Christmas and made merriment.
The second night, the wind wrought rage upon us like I’ve never experienced. One second we were hanging out eating chili, and the next we were being pummeled with air-propelled sand.
Anything weighing less than steel was hurled into the night and our tents shook like the inflatable tube men in front of a used car lot. My friend Ryan somehow fell asleep while his nylon house was being beaten and battered by the wind, but my fianceé Sydney and I elected to seek refuge in the Land Cruiser.
We watched our camping gear get ravaged through the truck’s LED low beams before making the call to get the hell out of there.
Ryan and his partner Emma groggily helped us pack the Cruiser by tossing everything into its cargo hold while wind whipped sand onto the leather interior. I did one last sweep of the scene and we drove out of the backcountry toward the gas station at Stovepipe Wells.
The view from our campsite on Cottonwood Canyon, before the sand kicked up.
The further we got from the protection of the hills east of Tuki Mountain, the thicker the air became with sand. And once we hit wide open desert the Cruiser was swallowed in a total whiteout.
With visibility down to about a car length and pebbles pelting the starboard side of the truck, the moderately sandy track was escalating to a deeply sandy one more quickly than we could drive to safety and pavement. It pretty much looked like the truck would be buried before it could punch out of the desert.
But you know what? The Land Cruiser never felt any different underneath me. Without dropping to low range, using the locker, or any of Toyota’s fancy traction assistance tech, the truck walked through the sandstorm as easily as if it was puttering around a parking lot.
I didn’t bother reassuring my friends of this at the time. I was having too much fun pretending we were in the best part of Dante’s Peak.
Once we finally did make it to the relative safety of the Stovepipe Wells parking lot, I caught a few hours of shuteye while Sydney stayed up in the right seat and watched other people’s tents get torn apart by the storm. Emma and Ryan snoozed in the back, giving us the chance to test the Land Cruiser as a home for four.
It’s not ideal, if I’m honest.
While the rear seats are heated and able to recline, the vehicle had been so hastily packed that both back seats had to remain upright. And since the front seats were fitted with giant video monitors, the front seats had to stay in driving posture, too to keep from crushing the people in back.
I woke up at about 3 a.m. and decided I’d had enough of butt soreness, stretched, powered the 5.7-liter V8 up and pointed the truck back toward Los Angeles.
This might be where I appreciated the Cruiser’s comfort most. On our long, slow sojourn across the desert that big and soft front seat was a fine spot to stay relaxed-yet-alert. I set the radar-assisted adaptive cruise control to 62 mph and tucked in for the 200 mile trek home.
What’s Weak
You don’t have to accuse me of overpacking. I’ll just admit it.
For the Land Cruiser’s size, I feel like it could make better use of its cargo space. Namely, in deleting the third row of seats. Or at least making them totally removable.
The three (yes, three, not two) way-back seats fold up and onto the sides of the cargo area, but since they’re just as soft and stuffed as the others, they take up a massive amount of room.
Believe it or not, you could put eight people in this truck without too much misery, as long as a few of them were small or kids, but then you wouldn’t have room for more luggage than a few backpacks. And when are you going to be taking eight people someplace with a Land Cruiser and not have an epic haul of gear to go with them?
The size of the fuel tank is also a major problem. Toyota claims the Land Cruiser carries 24.6 gallons, which is a lot, but not if you get 15 mpg. According to the dashboard the max cruising range was about 270 miles in good conditions, which drops close to 200 if you’re off-roading, which is not nearly enough for an overland adventure vehicle.
Titus Canyon’s an easy but beautiful 4WD trail. You better like this picture because I had to run up a whole pile of rocks to get it.
Case in point: we left Stovepipe Wells with what I knew was enough gas to get to the last station we passed on our way in. But the GPS inexplicably took us home another route, which I didn’t realize in the middle of the night. Largely by luck, we made it to the waystation at Mojave with about three gallons left. I was sweating bullets over range and this wasn’t even a hardcore overland adventure, we were just a few hours away from LA.
It’s also worth pointing out that unless you really like trucks, daily driving this thing is annoyingly hard work. Between the steering weight that I mentioned and the heavy swaying this thing does on exit ramps, it takes a lot of patience to drive a Land Cruiser and I’m not sure many luxury vehicle customers would want to put up with it.
Speaking of steering, my last qualm is with the helm itself. The wood piece at the top is horrible. It’s hard to hold, and when you do, the texture is gross. I would, honestly, probably put one of those dumb steering wheel wraps on this truck if I owned it.
Value
The Toyota Land Cruiser enjoys a reputation is being one of, if not the, most elite blends of cockroach-toughness and luxury. After driving it from the city to seriously inhospitable terrain and back, I can confirm that the legends are accurate. If you really want an unstoppable 4x4 that’s also extremely comfortable and reliable, this is the best execution of that idea.
Too bad you need nearly $90,000 to experience it.
Obviously the Land Cruiser isn’t cheap, but it’s amazingly not a bad deal when you look at the market. After hours of consideration, I’ve concluded that this vehicle really only has one rival: the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
The 2019 Mercedes G-Class Doesn't Mess With An Icon Except Under The Skin
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The 2018 G550 Benz has a little more juice, its 4.0-liter biturbo V8 makes a claimed 416 HP and 450 lb-ft of torque. But it weighs about the same at the Toyota, has no third-row seat option, and honestly I think the Toyota is more comfortable. The seats are bigger and softer, anyway. Which my American backside appreciates.
The Mercedes is also $124,595, meaning you could buy that or the Land Cruiser and $35,000 worth of gasoline, tires and camping gear to go wherever you wanted. That hermetically sealing “doors the close like a bank vault effect” people are always praising the G-Class for is almost as strong in the Cruiser, too.
And let’s be real, if you’re crossing the African savannah or Australia’s Simpson Desert, which would you rather bet your life on: a big naturally aspirated Toyota engine that’s been around for a decade, or something with two turbochargers?
Verdict
The only thing holding the 2018 Toyota Land Cruiser back from being the ultimate adventure vehicle out of the box is its tiny gas tank. But you could rectify that with a swing-out rear cargo carrier holding two jerry cans. If I bought this thing, I’d remove the third row seat outright, move the spare tire to a rear bumper-mounted carrier, put auxiliary fuel storage where the spare was, mount hardcore all-terrain tires all around and drive off the edge of the map.
You could turn a lot of cars, trucks and SUVs into great overland travel vehicles for less than $87,000. But if you have the money to burn, the Land Cruiser is simply the best machine for the mission.
SUVsToyota
2018 Land Cruiser
FOR DAILY DRIVING...C
Heavy, tipsy, ghastly gas mileage.
FOR THE ENTHUSIAST...A
Moves to make a mountain goat jealous.
Vehicle Type
4 Door SUV
Powertrain
5.7 V8 • 8-Speed Automatic • 4WD
Power
381 HP • 401 LB-FT
Weight
5,815 LBS
Price
$83,665 • $87,405 TESTED
(Data Via)
Toyota
If you’re in a rush to scroll to the comments, sorry, there were just too many nice photos not to share:
https://jalopnik.com/the-2018-toyota-land-cruiser-bends-the-world-to-its-wil-1823171685
Lots of pics in the above link.
Only a handful of Americans will buy a 2018 Toyota Land Cruiser. But ask anyone who knows this vehicle and they’ll talk about it with the kind of mystical reverence usually reserved for reciting folklore. So I threw this $87,000 legend off its laurels and into a sand storm to see how much heat it could really take.
(Full disclosure: I’ve been trying to get my hands on a current Land Cruiser for years. After a lot of asks, Toyota finally threw me the keys to one for a week. I washed and refueled it before giving it back.)
The Cruiser is historically a weak seller in the United States, where in modern times it’s only been sold in one ultra-lux gas-guzzling trim level. But in places like Africa and Australia, where hardcore off-road driving is a fact of life, the Toyota Land Cruiser is the gold standard of personal conveyance. In fact, it’s not just an SUV, but a whole range of SUVs.
International expedition guide Magnus Eriksson broke it down for me when I was working for him in the land down under: “You wanna go bush, you get a ’Cruisah. Can’t afford that, you get a Patrol. Can’t afford that, you get a Pajero.”
So who were Jeeps for? “Idiots.”
And Land Rovers? “Fancy idiots.”
I don’t think he’d ever heard of a Mercedes G-Class.
I don’t subscribe to Eriksson’s blanket dismissal of non-Toyotas, but I will say his opinion on the matter was pretty much gospel among the pro drivers I dealt with in my days as an off-road guide in Australia.
Since then I’ve driven a few iterations of the Land Cruiser, but this was my first time with the U.S. market version of the current generation 200-Series. And I had the perfect mission for it: take two couples from Hollywood to the Hell on Earth known as Death Valley for a casual weekend of camping where I could climb rocks and, with any luck, make my passengers squeal in terror. And also, you know, find out if the truck’s any good.
What is it?
The Toyota Land Cruiser is an iconic SUV considered by many to be the ultimate combination of off-road capability and cockpit luxury.
Like many such machines, the Cruiser started life in the 1950s as a simple two-door farm buggy-looking thing that casual observers would call “a jeep”, but the most recognizable classic Cruiser is probably the FJ40 that started life in the early ’60s, known colloquially as the “Shorty Forty.”
The Shorty design was sold worldwide for more than two decades, and today is one of the most sought-after classic cars there is.
But also like most other model names, the Land Cruiser has grown and grown and grown since its first generation. Today’s 200-Series Land Cruiser is a 5,815-pound behemoth built around a steel frame and, in the U.S., a 5.7-liter V8 rated at 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque.
It’s old, too; this current 200 has been around since 2007, though it’s had updates here and there since. And a bit bland in the looks department. While it could easily be mistaken for any boring crossover, it isn’t one, and comes with a high price tag accordingly.
It’s no illusion– the airbox is the size of a dang watermelon.
An eight-speed automatic puts that power to all four wheels all the time, with a locking center differential and a low-range for when things get real hairy.
The SUV measures just under 195 inches end-to-end and seats eight if people are willing to get cozy, four if they want to be comfortable.
The Cruiser is also rated to drive through more than two feet of standing water, but we barely found two inches of it in Death Valley. All we found was sand. Sand, more sand, and a few big swaths of salt.
Casual Driving
Plodding through an urban environment in the Land Cruiser feels a lot like doing so in any other modern SUV, with one markedly notable difference: the weight of the steering wheel is palpable.
Guiding this mechanized mammoth into a parking space is work. Which, in my opinion, makes it satisfying. But the average person on a grocery run might not feel that way.
At a healthy canter on the highway, the Land Cruiser is smooth and comfortable—until it comes time to turn. Even the gentle corners on Highway 395 made the truck list a little beyond the comfort zone of my passengers, and exit ramps will have everybody scrambling for the ceiling grab handles.
And while nobody would expect a vehicle this square and heavy to get good gas mileage, but the Cruiser’s rate of consumption is borderline alarming. The EPA says you should expect 13 mpg in the city and 18 on the highway. But in town, the instantaneous economy gauge was usually hanging out in the single digits.
After almost 800 miles of total driving, more than half of which were very gentle highway miles, my overall average was under 15 mpg. I told you it’s old-school
Aggressive Driving
The culmination of the Cruiser’s greatness basically boils down to this: there is really no way to drive it that feels aggressive. It doesn’t matter if you’re towering over city traffic or clawing your way up a rocky slope that would make mountain goats get sweaty. The Land Cruiser simply... proceeds.
Death Valley is a National Park, which means you can’t go bushwhacking wherever you want like you can in on BLM land like Johnson Valley. But it is a rugged wasteland, so some of the mapped “roads” just turn into dry riverbeds and those are full of rocks of assorted sizes.
Even on road-bias tires, the Land Cruiser easily scaled and scurried over everything. I couldn’t even get the suggestion of wheel slip driving in the vehicle’s default mode, but I locked the differential and put the transmission in low range just to test it.
With the transfer case effectively multiplying the V8’s torque, the Cruiser straight up vaulted over obstacles instead of simply scaling them. The Off-Road Turn Assist, “which tightens the turning radius by applying slight brake pressure to the inside rear wheel” is so effective that I’m pretty sure you could do a maypole dance in this truck without having to shift to reverse.
When using Turn Assist or Toyota’s terrain-selectable CRAWL system, which is basically off-road cruise control, the Land Cruiser is unsettlingly loud with creeks and groans while it does its most impressive tricks. It’s all part of the show; the sounds are just the off-road systems at work. But the cacophony is really the only indication that the truck is under duress.
I figured the Land Cruiser would be a good crawler, but I was genuinely blown away by the truck’s smoothness over rough stuff at speed. Toyota calls its independent double-wishbone front and four-link rear setup a Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System. I didn’t think much of this until I flogged the Cruiser over miles and miles of rocky, sandy terrain shaped like corrugated metal.
At 40 mph, the truck just glided without bottoming or topping out once. It might not be able to keep up with a Raptor or a Colorado ZR2, but we were blowing the doors off of pickups and Jeeps and FJ Cruisers on sandy rocky tracks with ease.
What stands out
The first night of our Death Valley trip, we posted up with two tents eight miles into Cottonwood Canyon Road. That’s one of those dirt tracks that turns into a dry river I mentioned earlier. We cracked some beers we’d kept cold in the Land Cruiser’s center console refrigerator, enjoyed a star field that gleamed like Christmas and made merriment.
The second night, the wind wrought rage upon us like I’ve never experienced. One second we were hanging out eating chili, and the next we were being pummeled with air-propelled sand.
Anything weighing less than steel was hurled into the night and our tents shook like the inflatable tube men in front of a used car lot. My friend Ryan somehow fell asleep while his nylon house was being beaten and battered by the wind, but my fianceé Sydney and I elected to seek refuge in the Land Cruiser.
We watched our camping gear get ravaged through the truck’s LED low beams before making the call to get the hell out of there.
Ryan and his partner Emma groggily helped us pack the Cruiser by tossing everything into its cargo hold while wind whipped sand onto the leather interior. I did one last sweep of the scene and we drove out of the backcountry toward the gas station at Stovepipe Wells.
The view from our campsite on Cottonwood Canyon, before the sand kicked up.
The further we got from the protection of the hills east of Tuki Mountain, the thicker the air became with sand. And once we hit wide open desert the Cruiser was swallowed in a total whiteout.
With visibility down to about a car length and pebbles pelting the starboard side of the truck, the moderately sandy track was escalating to a deeply sandy one more quickly than we could drive to safety and pavement. It pretty much looked like the truck would be buried before it could punch out of the desert.
But you know what? The Land Cruiser never felt any different underneath me. Without dropping to low range, using the locker, or any of Toyota’s fancy traction assistance tech, the truck walked through the sandstorm as easily as if it was puttering around a parking lot.
I didn’t bother reassuring my friends of this at the time. I was having too much fun pretending we were in the best part of Dante’s Peak.
Once we finally did make it to the relative safety of the Stovepipe Wells parking lot, I caught a few hours of shuteye while Sydney stayed up in the right seat and watched other people’s tents get torn apart by the storm. Emma and Ryan snoozed in the back, giving us the chance to test the Land Cruiser as a home for four.
It’s not ideal, if I’m honest.
While the rear seats are heated and able to recline, the vehicle had been so hastily packed that both back seats had to remain upright. And since the front seats were fitted with giant video monitors, the front seats had to stay in driving posture, too to keep from crushing the people in back.
I woke up at about 3 a.m. and decided I’d had enough of butt soreness, stretched, powered the 5.7-liter V8 up and pointed the truck back toward Los Angeles.
This might be where I appreciated the Cruiser’s comfort most. On our long, slow sojourn across the desert that big and soft front seat was a fine spot to stay relaxed-yet-alert. I set the radar-assisted adaptive cruise control to 62 mph and tucked in for the 200 mile trek home.
What’s Weak
You don’t have to accuse me of overpacking. I’ll just admit it.
For the Land Cruiser’s size, I feel like it could make better use of its cargo space. Namely, in deleting the third row of seats. Or at least making them totally removable.
The three (yes, three, not two) way-back seats fold up and onto the sides of the cargo area, but since they’re just as soft and stuffed as the others, they take up a massive amount of room.
Believe it or not, you could put eight people in this truck without too much misery, as long as a few of them were small or kids, but then you wouldn’t have room for more luggage than a few backpacks. And when are you going to be taking eight people someplace with a Land Cruiser and not have an epic haul of gear to go with them?
The size of the fuel tank is also a major problem. Toyota claims the Land Cruiser carries 24.6 gallons, which is a lot, but not if you get 15 mpg. According to the dashboard the max cruising range was about 270 miles in good conditions, which drops close to 200 if you’re off-roading, which is not nearly enough for an overland adventure vehicle.
Titus Canyon’s an easy but beautiful 4WD trail. You better like this picture because I had to run up a whole pile of rocks to get it.
Case in point: we left Stovepipe Wells with what I knew was enough gas to get to the last station we passed on our way in. But the GPS inexplicably took us home another route, which I didn’t realize in the middle of the night. Largely by luck, we made it to the waystation at Mojave with about three gallons left. I was sweating bullets over range and this wasn’t even a hardcore overland adventure, we were just a few hours away from LA.
It’s also worth pointing out that unless you really like trucks, daily driving this thing is annoyingly hard work. Between the steering weight that I mentioned and the heavy swaying this thing does on exit ramps, it takes a lot of patience to drive a Land Cruiser and I’m not sure many luxury vehicle customers would want to put up with it.
Speaking of steering, my last qualm is with the helm itself. The wood piece at the top is horrible. It’s hard to hold, and when you do, the texture is gross. I would, honestly, probably put one of those dumb steering wheel wraps on this truck if I owned it.
Value
The Toyota Land Cruiser enjoys a reputation is being one of, if not the, most elite blends of cockroach-toughness and luxury. After driving it from the city to seriously inhospitable terrain and back, I can confirm that the legends are accurate. If you really want an unstoppable 4x4 that’s also extremely comfortable and reliable, this is the best execution of that idea.
Too bad you need nearly $90,000 to experience it.
Obviously the Land Cruiser isn’t cheap, but it’s amazingly not a bad deal when you look at the market. After hours of consideration, I’ve concluded that this vehicle really only has one rival: the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
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The 2018 G550 Benz has a little more juice, its 4.0-liter biturbo V8 makes a claimed 416 HP and 450 lb-ft of torque. But it weighs about the same at the Toyota, has no third-row seat option, and honestly I think the Toyota is more comfortable. The seats are bigger and softer, anyway. Which my American backside appreciates.
The Mercedes is also $124,595, meaning you could buy that or the Land Cruiser and $35,000 worth of gasoline, tires and camping gear to go wherever you wanted. That hermetically sealing “doors the close like a bank vault effect” people are always praising the G-Class for is almost as strong in the Cruiser, too.
And let’s be real, if you’re crossing the African savannah or Australia’s Simpson Desert, which would you rather bet your life on: a big naturally aspirated Toyota engine that’s been around for a decade, or something with two turbochargers?
Verdict
The only thing holding the 2018 Toyota Land Cruiser back from being the ultimate adventure vehicle out of the box is its tiny gas tank. But you could rectify that with a swing-out rear cargo carrier holding two jerry cans. If I bought this thing, I’d remove the third row seat outright, move the spare tire to a rear bumper-mounted carrier, put auxiliary fuel storage where the spare was, mount hardcore all-terrain tires all around and drive off the edge of the map.
You could turn a lot of cars, trucks and SUVs into great overland travel vehicles for less than $87,000. But if you have the money to burn, the Land Cruiser is simply the best machine for the mission.
SUVsToyota
2018 Land Cruiser
FOR DAILY DRIVING...C
Heavy, tipsy, ghastly gas mileage.
FOR THE ENTHUSIAST...A
Moves to make a mountain goat jealous.
Vehicle Type
4 Door SUV
Powertrain
5.7 V8 • 8-Speed Automatic • 4WD
Power
381 HP • 401 LB-FT
Weight
5,815 LBS
Price
$83,665 • $87,405 TESTED
(Data Via)
Toyota
If you’re in a rush to scroll to the comments, sorry, there were just too many nice photos not to share:
- Thread starter
- #29
Here's an oldie but a real goody actually, regarding the perils of the desert heat, and being fully unprepared.
The Hunt for the Death Valley Germans
The Hunt for the Death Valley Germans
in Friday's Arizona Republic: good writing, content not so much 
:
A fraying marriage of Mayo scientists, a bullet-riddled body, a trail of questions
these were my colleagues when I worked at Mayo from 1992 - 2000
:A fraying marriage of Mayo scientists, a bullet-riddled body, a trail of questions
these were my colleagues when I worked at Mayo from 1992 - 2000
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- Thread starter
- #31
Clearly a lot going on there. Very tragic whatever way it's cut. Very sad.
in Friday's Arizona Republic: good writing, content not so much
A fraying marriage of Mayo scientists, a bullet-riddled body, a trail of questions
these were my colleagues when I worked at Mayo from 1992 - 2000
Crazy story!!! I hope they arrested that woman. Hey Claudia are you guys in town now?
Wow, no arrests???!in Friday's Arizona Republic: good writing, content not so much
A fraying marriage of Mayo scientists, a bullet-riddled body, a trail of questions
these were my colleagues when I worked at Mayo from 1992 - 2000
it might be quite difficult to establish "beyond reasonable doubt" - but that's just me guessing
as I heard from a former employee of their laboratory, the former wife is apparently free-living in the community (Scottsdale, to be exact) - I just hope I never just into her
as I heard from a former employee of their laboratory, the former wife is apparently free-living in the community (Scottsdale, to be exact) - I just hope I never just into her
yes, we are currently in town
- Thread starter
- #37
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I gotta get around to doing my video review on that BXD20. I have had the footage for 1 year now.
4x4 Smackdown: Our 8 Favorite Off-Road Vehicles
Old-school toughness takes on modern performance in the Australian Outback
www.outsideonline.com
New vs. Old: Which 4x4s Are Better Off-Road?
Old-school toughness takes on modern performance in the Australian Outback
There's some good stuff in this thread!