This is probably going to be very unliked, but this is just like my opinion man. This is my issue with the LC250 (1 Viewer)

[Ry24000]

your highlander weights as much as a Tundra? Whatever...4K is closer

 

[Rednexus]

4,600# . That battery is heavy . My apologies for rounding up, although 4,600 is closer to 5,000 than 4,000.

 

[Jetboy]

The Highlander is a 3-row crossover and is bigger and roomier than my GX. They both weigh around 5,000#. Of course it can't do much (if any) off-roading, but it's 2X more useful as a family hauler compared to a Corolla. It's already been to FL and back, plus UT/AZ/CO and back, and I use it for most of my work travel.

The Camry hybrid has the same N/A 2.5 drivetrain as the Highlander and is rated at 51/53 mpg city/highway, which beats the non-hybrid Corolla (and the Camry is bigger). I have no qualms with the current Prius, but the old one is fugly and not something I'd want to be seen in. The new one looks fine and is a car I would consider.

My college ride was a '97 Saturn SL1 5MT. I'd routinely hit 37-40 mpg on interstate and topped out at around 48 mpg driving 55 mph behind a U-Haul
on the interstate. But, that car only weighted 2,400# and had 100HP. A crossover weighing 2X as much with 2.5X the power and getting similar gas mileage is a huge improvement in technology, especially considering it lacks a turbo or a plug-in.

For some reason I was thinking you had a sienna.

I think the sienna is remarkable in being awd, 40mpg, and an insane amount of cargo volume. I want to buy one as a spare vehicle to use as a Turo rental and then have it around for when we have family in town.

 

[Rednexus]

We would have gotten a Sienna but Mrs Rednexus did not want a minivan, despite near-identical proportions. It must be PTSD from the jellybean Chrysler minivans of her youth.

I don't think there is a more well-rounded and rational basic transportation choice on the market than the current Toyota N/A hybrids.

 

[Jetboy]

I was in LA last week and rented a Pacifica for the week. The one we started with had 3,400 miles on it. Practically new. And it broke down before we got out of the parking spot. Something in the transmission went haywire, dash lit up, and it wouldn't move. Not a huge issue - we just moved our stuff to the one next to it. But it reminded me why I avoid Chrysler products.

The one that didn't break down was pretty great to have for the week. I don't think my wife would go for a minivan either. But it's undeniably the right vehicle for kids and family functions.

 

[JohnnyLX570]

This is just like my opinion. I really love Land cruisers and what not. Feel free to disagree or hate it.


Ok with the release of the new 4runner yesterday i finally figured out why i dislike the LC250 so much.

The LC250 and new 4runner are on the same chassis, running the same motor and drivetrain. There is nothing besides aesthetics that separate them from each other. On the GX550 you at least get the larger turbo v6.

say what you will about the motor choices on all of these new vehicles. It is what it is in this day and age. We are not going to ever get a diesel here, the days of v8s are over, and NA vehicles are all pretty much going the way of the do do. Nothing you can do about it. This isnt about the powerplant.

Honestly i even really like how the round headlight 250 looks. Kinda looks like a 60 series if you are drunk. I dig it.

What i dont understand is why toyota would release two suvs of the same dimensions, chassis, and motor... both made in japan... to compete against each other in the US. Of course the vast majority of people buying these things arent enthusiasts, they arent super into wheeling, or anything like that. Theyre just NPC car owners. Most women aged 20-30 i know drive a 4runner of some sort. They are good reliable vehicles and are a good choice for a suv for normal folks.

So, knowing that normal folks are the people buying the 4runner, why not release the new 4runner EXACTLY how they released it, same models trims and all. Have the offroady trims like the trd pro and trail hunter or whatever for people newer to 4wheeling, looking for a more comfortable daily driver style car to do car camping and what not, or even just to look like they offroad but just drive it to work and never go offroad. Even for folks to fully build up and wheel. Whatever, that is available for people. Then have the normal folks versions like the SR5 and limited. Great. That is perfect. This has worked for decades. The 4unner is top of its class in sales and all of that. Keep it going toyota.

The LC250 at this point is just kind of there. Its the same thing as the 4runner, but targeted to enthusiasts while offering nothing enthusiasts want. Sure the cloth seat model might be a little cheaper but theres no definitive land cruiser stuff about it besides stick on badging and headlights. The point always brought up is that enthusiasts are such a small segment of the market that they make no impact on overall sales. So why make the LC250 the exact same thing as the 4runner, then confuse the npc car buyers with 2 choices that are essentially the same?

This is all "woulda coulda shoulda" at this point but the real solution would have been this:

Keep the 250's styling based on the 60 series. Keep the body and interior EXACTLY the same. We were never getting a 70 series here. We are never getting diesels here. We were never getting LC with truck beds here. Thats just how it is. Americans seem to want wagons.

So, what they should have done is with the LC250, base the chassis off of the newly released medium wheelbase 70 series and keep the solid front axle. Put the same motor and drivetrain from the new 4runner in it. Keep the same body they designed. Only offer one trim. Cloth seats. Smaller screen. more spartan interior. You still get to have Toyota drive sense with lane departure, pre collision, ABS, all the airbags, VSC, Downhill assist, active traction control, buttons on the steering wheel, etc. But most importantly

Remove crawl control, MTS, Atrac, and any of the Independent front suspension bandaid stuff they add to try and replicate driving a locked live front axle. Fit front and rear lockers as standard, and most importantly put a lower low range transfer case gear in the LC250 compared to the GX550 and the new 4runner. Part time 4wd only. Something low enough to compete with the rubicon wrangler. like a 4:1. You can even make up a name for it for marketing like crawl box if marlin crawler doesnt sue you. Dont even offer it in a manual since theres no manual in the 4runner. If you are someone who really enjoys MTS/Atrac/Crawl control, or think a coil sprung solid front axle is not comfortable enough, boy do i have the car for you.... its called a 4runner. We just released a new one. Get it while its hot. Its bad ass.

Thats it. Solid axle, boxed frame, front and rear lockers, same body... Totally differentiates itself from everything toyota offers. Competes with the rubicon wrangler as a true offroad vehicle except this one doesnt suck. I dont understand why this isnt something that could have been done. Sure we arent going to ever get a 70 series here. But they could have made something completely new with stuff they already had and disrupted the entire market. If you have made it this far, thanks for listening to the ramblings of a millennial LC lover

They have 3 similar vehicles now all trying to do the same thing. Toyota saw way to many Broncos out their and there were so many different Jeeps available. They had priced themselves out of the offroad market with the Landcruiser and certainly the LX, they seemed to want to emulate the Cadillac Escalade or Denali which dropped their sales dramatically. Although I love the luxury of my LX570 it is just to large, I have a lot of pin stripping down both sides, and the gas mileage never goes beyond 12 mpg. loved my 2000 and 2004 LX. I'm too old to be rock crawling but I love all the different 4x4 options and height control on the Lexus. Love leather seats but virtually no storage areas anywhere except thin boxes on the tailgate. Few options for larger tires, I run Nitto Trail Grapplers M/T 285/55/20, great off road tire but wear fast on highways. This is my third Landcruiser but doubt I'd buy the new one for most of the reasons you mentioned above. (should have offered the V6)

 

[Rednexus]

I was in LA last week and rented a Pacifica for the week. The one we started with had 3,400 miles on it. Practically new. And it broke down before we got out of the parking spot. Something in the transmission went haywire, dash lit up, and it wouldn't move. Not a huge issue - we just moved our stuff to the one next to it. But it reminded me why I avoid Chrysler products.

The one that didn't break down was pretty great to have for the week. I don't think my wife would go for a minivan either. But it's undeniably the right vehicle for kids and family functions.

They are indeed pretty terrible overall. Lots of my in-laws have Chrysler minivans - constant valvetrain problems with the 3.6 Pentastar, AC system problems, cracked leather, and electrical problems. I'd never buy one, although the PHEV Pacifica is pretty cool on paper (I wish Toyota had a PHEV Highlander - we would have bought one).

 

[pawnthatdude]

Are people trying to go for bingo blackout for controversy in this thread or something?

What is a real Land Cruiser - check
Climate change - check
Nuclear power - check
EV production - check
Mining - check
Wolves (?!) - check

 

[malden]

WW III-check
Pandemics-check
Davos and the WEF-check
You will own nothing, and you will be happy-check
The Great Reset-check
No more net zero in EU-check
The Earth is doomed anyway-check
And so are all of us-checkmate

 

[Phillyd2]

Triggered snowflakes - check.

 

[Phillyd2]

Meh. Posting something online is to fighting as a glass of water is to the ocean. The problems will all work themselves out and the universe will adapt as it always has.

 

[TheLCProject]

It's pretty crazy how cheap our hybrid is to operate. At 30 mpg (winter) to 35 mpg (summer, but it can hit near 40 mpg under perfect conditions), very little use of the brakes, no turbo/intercooler, and just an oil change every 5K miles (yes I know that's overkill but it takes <15 minutes for me to change and there is no way I'm leaving it in there for 10K). I haven't done more than oil changes and tire rotations on it, but so far it is easier to work on than my GX and has a ton of room in the engine bay, despite being 16 years newer. At some point it will need a coolant change and CVT fluid exchange, which I'll likely DIY.

Too bad we can't have a N/A V6 or small V8 hybrid to ditch the turbos. It wouldn't be as fast but I'd take the simplicity any day.

Are people trying to go for bingo blackout for controversy in this thread or something?

What is a real Land Cruiser - check
Climate change - check
Nuclear power - check
EV production - check
Mining - check
Wolves (?!) - check

Just killing time...it's been almost a year since the reveal and they are barely just now getting out to the few that reserved early..

 

[Cold Iron]

Alright. That's covered.

Now let's discuss contrails.

Nah that wasn't on the list, what is a real Land Cruiser is though. Seen something on CL that I really liked and have a Prado 120 badge coming on Wednesday to duplicate on the 460

Hey wait, I believe that is BINGO!

My Iron Pig, it must have been in 79 or 80

 

[Banandalorian]

Are people trying to go for bingo blackout for controversy in this thread or something?

What is a real Land Cruiser - check
Climate change - check
Nuclear power - check
EV production - check
Mining - check
Wolves (?!) - check

Land Cruisers can't melt steel beams!

 

[stonepa]

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda does not agree with you guys and thinks that EV will only ever represent 30% of the market: Toyota Chairman Predicts Battery Electric Cars Will Only Reach 30% Share - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-23/toyota-chairman-predicts-battery-electric-cars-will-only-reach-30-share?embedded-checkout=true

In other news, in Europe, the Bourgeois elite are already talking about banning private ownership of cars to save the planet: not gasoline cars, not diesels, not EV cars, all cars. Capisce? This comes from the “You will own nothing and you will be happy” team who maintain that a mobile slave class is and will continue to be a royal pain in the ass for Euro-oligarchs. How in the hell can you expect slaves to build decent quality pyramids if they can just jump in a car and drive away? Let’s see what happens this Summer in the EU Parliamentary elections as rag tag Europeans fight back against The Empire.

Given the way technology tipping points have historically worked, if EVs get to 30% adoption they will very rapidly grow to 90-95%.

 

[stonepa]

and for us FJ60 guys, yeah the 2F engine is a 4.2L straight 6, but it has the power of a 4 cylinder engine. I KNOW the LC250 will perform a lot better than the FJ60 dinosaur

Maybe on the highway….

 

[malden]

Given the way technology tipping points have historically worked, if EVs get to 30% adoption they will very rapidly grow to 90-95%.

That might be conceivable for the US but Toyoda’s point is that most of the world does not have the electrical power infrastructure to support EV and probably never will (or at least not in any of our lifetime’s.) And if you project out that far, Toyoda imagines other technologies will arrive that will compete with that of EV. So the Global rate of EV implementations will remain at 30%. I know that Americans tend to confine reality to the borders of their state or country, but as a European I can assure you there is intelligent life of a human kind elsewhere on this planet. (Not making any representations about how intelligent that life is in the EU sometimes given what goes on in Brussels.) But Toyoda makes reference to the worlds’ realities and so far he has been correct in guiding his company towards a variety of power solutions applicable across a wide variety of those realities.

 

[TWILLY]

That might be conceivable for the US but Toyoda’s point is that most of the world does not have the electrical power infrastructure to support EV and probably never will (or at least not in any of our lifetime’s.) And if you project out that far, Toyoda imagines other technologies will arrive that will compete with that of EV. So the Global rate of EV implementations will remain at 30%. I know that Americans tend to confine reality to the borders of their state or country, but as a European I can assure you there is intelligent life of a human kind elsewhere on this planet. (Not making any representations about how intelligent that life is in the EU sometimes given what goes on in Brussels.) But Toyoda makes reference to the worlds’ realities and so far he has been correct in guiding his company towards a variety of power solutions applicable across a wide variety of those realities.

Toyota argued somewhere that, for the transportation sector, the most fossil fuel efficient use of finite global battery capacity, at least in the short and medium terms, was in hybrid applications. That is, a large number of hybrids using that limited battery capacity would result in less gas and diesel being burned than a smaller number of EVs.

 

[tacoshawn]

Toyota argued somewhere that, for the transportation sector, the most fossil fuel efficient use of finite global battery capacity, at least in the short and medium terms, was in hybrid applications. That is, a large number of hybrids using that limited battery capacity would result in less gas and diesel being burned than a smaller number of EVs.

It is called the 1:6:90 rule and you can find a good summary written by Tom McParland on May 17, 2023. Basically their plan and assessment that a mix/ratio of 1 BEV : 6 PHEV : 90 Hybrids provides significantly more carbon reduction than just going all BEV, is more achievable, more affordable and more effective.

 

[Rednexus]

Another reason why we own a hybrid. Requires almost no additional infrastructure relative to EVs which require huge amounts of infrastructure.

EDIT: Also a more secure/Western-based supply chain for the vehicle itself, which Toyota has taken pains to build over the past 20 years.