Tinker's latest brutal review of LC250

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I wonder if it sold and if there is people paying these ridiculous asking prices by these guys. I hope they rot.
I don’t recall this silver one he mentioned but they have had the white one with 19 miles for about 9 months now.
 
As a ‘21 HE owner and DD, I hope these people get take a bath on this. I don’t mean this as a slight and don’t wish ill upon those who don’t head hunt/scalp. But I don’t view these cars as “investments.” They’re awesome for sure, but my God…use the damn things! They’re not museum pieces! Unless you’re in the TLC museum in…SLC?
 
If they simply took the GX 550 grill and put it on the LX, it would fix the looks department. The headlamps on the LX looks better than the GX and I would like them to keep those though.

The 2025 600 still uses the old interior and was not upgraded quite yet.

Meh. The LX should have had the 300 Grill. I’m convinced that someone at Lexus is being blackmailed with incriminating photos by the plastic lobby.

The only thing brutal about the Tinkers video is it’s brutal honesty.
 
I’ve both the vehicles and several others, Tinker talks about in the video. Don’t really off-road, but gravel and b-roads occasionally as needed to get to MTB trailheads.

My FJ is built for myself, and my dog, and has a flat deck in place of the rear seats. My 250 is stock.

The 250, hasn’t been on very much gravel/b-roads as I’ve not traveled much to get to trailheads of late. But when I’ve taken it places, I certainly haven’t noticed all the complaints Tinker has. It’s not perfect, mileage is a bit disappointing, in town, highway is fine. It’s far more comfortable than my FJ that had a fox shock (Trd pro) fitted. It’s not even close.

I sat in and didn’t drive a gen 6 4Runner because, if I had to look at it in my driveway I’d throw up and all those buttons and base model Carolla interior, well, yeah, throw up. It may be better off road…. It was an off road premium, not sure why, but it was cramped, more so than my previous 4Runner with so much stuck to the dash, center console it was an instant no.

Glad he points out all his personal negatives. His opinion, of course. I appreciate all the folks that don’t own a 250 fully agree with Tinker. The 4 250s that I know of locally, love them and how they drive. I really like how mine rides, drives and feels.

If I was off-roading for real, I’d take my Power wagon not mess around modding my FJ to handle what my truck can do, okay turn radius sucks, without a single mod.

Any of you “LC-no the GX overtrail is the vehicle”, find that 77g unicorn and buy it and smile. I looked for a good long time and I don’t have 90+ to drop on a the 550.

I’ve driven, extensively the 460, it’s great but it’s dated in so many ways. Reliable, sure, but that mileage is so much worse real life.

To each their own. I find Tinker a bit boring and opinionated and I also don’t ever plan to thrash my vehicles the way he does.

Love my FJ, love my Power Wagon, love my 250, love the Trd Pro 4Runner but I choose to drive my 250, it’s just that much better to drive and be inside of, especially as a daily. And a light duty off roader.

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I’ve both the vehicles and several others, Tinker talks about in the video. Don’t really off-road, but gravel and b-roads occasionally as needed to get to MTB trailheads.

My FJ is built for myself, and my dog, and has a flat deck in place of the rear seats. My 250 is stock.

The 250, hasn’t been on very much gravel/b-roads as I’ve not traveled much to get to trailheads of late. But when I’ve taken it places, I certainly haven’t noticed all the complaints Tinker has. It’s not perfect, mileage is a bit disappointing, in town, highway is fine. It’s far more comfortable than my FJ that had a fox shock (Trd pro) fitted. It’s not even close.

I sat in and didn’t drive a gen 6 4Runner because, if I had to look at it in my driveway I’d throw up and all those buttons and base model Carolla interior, well, yeah, throw up. It may be better off road…. It was an off road premium, not sure why, but it was cramped, more so than my previous 4Runner with so much stuck to the dash, center console it was an instant no.

Glad he points out all his personal negatives. His opinion, of course. I appreciate all the folks that don’t own a 250 fully agree with Tinker. The 4 250s that I know of locally, love them and how they drive. I really like how mine rides, drives and feels.

If I was off-roading for real, I’d take my Power wagon not mess around modding my FJ to handle what my truck can do, okay turn radius sucks, without a single mod.

Any of you “LC-no the GX overtrail is the vehicle”, find that 77g unicorn and buy it and smile. I looked for a good long time and I don’t have 90+ to drop on a the 550.

I’ve driven, extensively the 460, it’s great but it’s dated in so many ways. Reliable, sure, but that mileage is so much worse real life.

To each their own. I find Tinker a bit boring and opinionated and I also don’t ever plan to thrash my vehicles the way he does.

Love my FJ, love my Power Wagon, love my 250, love the Trd Pro 4Runner but I choose to drive my 250, it’s just that much better to drive and be inside of, especially as a daily. And a light duty off roader.

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If you ever drove/owned a previous gen Land Cruiser, you would understand why this car gets so much flack. It doesn’t live up to the name, and Toyota sold out the desirable nameplate to make a quick buck when the new 4Runner is a better vehicle in so many ways. And that’s saying something…

If the car can’t even live up to the previous gen prado platform as well, then Toyota really dropped the ball. The only reason this rig is selling well is because it looks retro and boxy, but its beauty is skin deep once you look under the hood. Toyota knows most American’s don’t care about that, and they capitalized and made out like a bandit on the deal.

It’s the small things, and it even boils down to the A/C and heat barely working on these new gen rigs. That’s just not something you expect out of a Land Cruiser. The no compromise engineering has left the building and in place we get a bean counter rig in its place.
 
If you ever drove/owned a previous gen Land Cruiser, you would understand why this car gets so much flack. It doesn’t live up to the name, and Toyota sold out the desirable nameplate to make a quick buck when the new 4Runner is a better vehicle in so many ways. And that’s saying something…

If the car can’t even live up to the previous gen prado platform as well, then Toyota really dropped the ball. The only reason this rig is selling well is because it looks retro and boxy, but its beauty is skin deep once you look under the hood. Toyota knows most American’s don’t care about that, and they capitalized and made out like a bandit on the deal.

It’s the small things, and it even boils down to the A/C and heat barely working on these new gen rigs. That’s just not something you expect out of a Land Cruiser. The no compromise engineering has left the building and in place we get a bean counter rig in its place.

I own a ‘73 FJ40, ‘88 FJ62, ‘11 6MT FJC, ‘24 250, grew up driving a ‘78 FJ40 (still in the family), and have driven an ‘18 200 (only a day though).

The 250 is fine. The gas tank is too small as everyone knows. Number one complaint. Other than that it’s a reliable Toyota to me until it breaks. Hasn’t left me stranded yet. Honestly don’t think it will. I’d bet that only a couple people are gonna break its puny, malformed, subpar, Toyota-engineers-don’t-know-what-they’re-doing-compared-to-us-armchair-quarterbacks rear diff.

Have a friend with a 200 series that only drives highway miles. He doesn’t take it off road at all. His 200 had an ignition coil fail (under 50k miles on it) and went into limp mode on a road trip. Just saying that because nothing is “bulletproof.” Both are going to have small issues here and there.

I’m inclined to think the 200 series owners are nervous of their asset depreciating over the next 10 years as the 250 begins to prove itself (or doesn’t… either way we’re gonna find out). 200s are awesome, except the interior is fit for grandpa rather than the utilitarian interior of most the other gen’s of LC.

I love all the hate on the FJC from all the pretentious LC owners. No part has failed on it. It’s at 125k mi. It is still starting fine with the original stock Panasonic battery. It’s been to the Arctic and up to Prudhoe bay. It’s been the best of all my Toyota experiences and the most reliable up there with the FJ40. And it’s even got a Torsen center diff for those uneducated folks. :flipoff2:
 
I own a ‘73 FJ40, ‘88 FJ62, ‘11 6MT FJC, ‘24 250, grew up driving a ‘78 FJ40 (still in the family), and have driven an ‘18 200 (only a day though).

The 250 is fine. The gas tank is too small as everyone knows. Number one complaint. Other than that it’s a reliable Toyota to me until it breaks. Hasn’t left me stranded yet. Honestly don’t think it will. I’d bet that only a couple people are gonna break its puny, malformed, subpar, Toyota-engineers-don’t-know-what-they’re-doing-compared-to-us-armchair-quarterbacks rear diff.

Have a friend with a 200 series that only drives highway miles. He doesn’t take it off road at all. His 200 had an ignition coil fail (under 50k miles on it) and went into limp mode on a road trip. Just saying that because nothing is “bulletproof.” Both are going to have small issues here and there.

I’m inclined to think the 200 series owners are nervous of their asset depreciating over the next 10 years as the 250 begins to prove itself (or doesn’t… either way we’re gonna find out). 200s are awesome, except the interior is fit for grandpa rather than the utilitarian interior of most the other gen’s of LC.

I love all the hate on the FJC from all the pretentious LC owners. No part has failed on it. It’s at 125k mi. It is still starting fine with the original stock Panasonic battery. It’s been to the Arctic and up to Prudhoe bay. It’s been the best of all my Toyota experiences and the most reliable up there with the FJ40. And it’s even got a Torsen center diff for those uneducated folks. :flipoff2:
It’s not the reliability factor that I’m worried about (the 200 has its flaws, but it’s still a reliable, no BS, platform). The 5th gen 4Runner can be argued to be a more reliable platform.

It’s the day to day driving experience which leaves much to be desired.

One can’t be pretentious when most of the used LC 200 values are less than a new 250 at this point lol, but I do reserve the point in saying that they tarnished the LC brand with the 250.

If I wanted to drive a Prado, I would have opted for a 4Runner. If I want a Land Cruiser, well I want a Land Cruiser… which the 250 fails to meet.
 
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It’s not the reliability factor that I’m worried about (the 200 has its flaws, but it’s still a reliable, no BS, platform). The 5th gen 4Runner can be argued to be a more reliable platform.

It’s the day to day driving experience which leaves much to be desired.

One can’t be pretentious when most of the used LC 200 values are less than a new 250 at this point lol, but I do reserve the point in saying that they tarnished the LC brand with the 250.

If I wanted to drive a Prado, I would have opted for a 4Runner. If I want a Land Cruiser, well I want a Land Cruiser… which the 250 fails to meet.
How do you like the day to day driving experience of an FJ40?
 
As a ‘21 HE owner and DD, I hope these people get take a bath on this. I don’t mean this as a slight and don’t wish ill upon those who don’t head hunt/scalp. But I don’t view these cars as “investments.” They’re awesome for sure, but my God…use the damn things! They’re not museum pieces! Unless you’re in the TLC museum in…SLC?

No one is paying Urus money for a 21 Toyota. They just aren’t. These dealers are in for a rude awakening.

I will add, anyone that buys cars as investments deserves the ruin that awaits them. Just as bad as people buying watches to flip them. Hate it.
 
Hello all. New member chiming in.

I just got the 2025 LC a little over a month ago. My $0.02 worth and experience at a 1,000 miles.

The cruise control is herky jerky / winding and unwinding over anything but open flat roads.
The wind noise penetrating the cabin is intrusive and obnoxious.
The accelerator pedal is punchy and peaky.
The rear cargo space is overshadowed by the hybrid batteries.
The spare tire hanging behind the rear axle severely reduces ground clearance.
The tiny fuel tank is inexplicable.
The speedometer is overstated by about 3%. (Think exaggerated MPG on the dash cluster and end of factory warranty at 97% of 36k miles)

What's not to like?

Its strength lies in its ability to do weekend overlanding / camping trips in relative comfort within close proximity to regional / local areas from home. Commuting a few hours to and from an overlanding and camping destination appears to fit the bill.

I was hoping for a SUV with the ability to do above moderate overlanding mixed with near luxury road tripping capability. An extra wide middle of the bandwidth range that can traverse easily between moderate overlanding to road tripping in near luxury capability would have fit the bill nicely. However after putting on a 1,000 miles and putting it through its paces, it seems that the overlanding part mostly meets its expectations but for small cargo space, tiny fuel tank, and low hanging spare tire. In factory form with quality A/T tires, the overlanding capability is generally good.

Where it falls short is in the near luxury road tripability. Although generally capable, the intrusive wind noise in the cabin is annoying. When going over hills, mountains, or high traffic roadways, the adaptive cruise control is unable to maintain steady speed. The delayed downshift causes the vehicle to lose momentum. After losing several mph, it downshifts and winds itself out trying to catch up. Also the accelerator tends to be a little too touchy and punchy off line. The utilitarian roar of the 2.4 under full load can be a bit tacky.

But for all its downfalls, I still enjoy taking it for a spin. For a heavy vehicle, it feels light and tossable. The overall design and engineering is well thought out and should endure the test of time. It's not overly complicated and designed for simplicity and durability. Instead of a wide bandwidth in the midrage do it all SUV, it will serve well as a utilitarian vehicle for weekend getaways, overlanding, and camping. I fully expect it to age well over time. I'll let you know in about 20 years from now.😉
 
If you ever drove/owned a previous gen Land Cruiser, you would understand why this car gets so much flack. It doesn’t live up to the name, and Toyota sold out the desirable nameplate to make a quick buck when the new 4Runner is a better vehicle in so many ways. And that’s saying something…

If the car can’t even live up to the previous gen prado platform as well, then Toyota really dropped the ball. The only reason this rig is selling well is because it looks retro and boxy, but its beauty is skin deep once you look under the hood. Toyota knows most American’s don’t care about that, and they capitalized and made out like a bandit on the deal.

It’s the small things, and it even boils down to the A/C and heat barely working on these new gen rigs. That’s just not something you expect out of a Land Cruiser. The no compromise engineering has left the building and in place we get a bean counter rig in its

I’ve driven many vehicles, including many older and the previous Land Cruiser.

It’s your opinion, and definitely not a fact, at least as of now, that it can’t or won’t live up to the “name”.

The new 4Runner, you may like it, I think the Kia soul has better styling, both inside and out. But that’s my opinion, and I am welcome to have it and not buy one. But I don’t go on forums and trash the vehicle that I don’t own or like.

So far, rattling noise now fixed, my AC/heat have been fine, the interior is a nice place to be and as for wind noise and road noise, much better than my old 4Runner, FJ, both jeeps, old Monte and my Tacoma.

I’ve an extensive vehicle history, I don’t want a old Land Cruiser. Period. If I did, I’d own one.

But I’m not going to tell you it sucks because my truck rides better (it does) looks better (not even close) and is more useful for any number of things than the old Land Cruiser. Hauling wood, mulch, towing, power…. I’ll caveat, these are my thoughts, not facts. Well except for the hauling bit. You could, but would you want to in your SUV?

Drive what you like. I do. Enjoy what you drive, I do. Just because you don’t like what I drive and think (apparently) I’m a fool that bought a Chevy Luv doesn’t mean I don’t understand your love and enjoyment for your vehicle.

This took too much time, I need to get stuff done. I can’t believe I got sucked into this stupid thread over a tinker click bait video. Dude does some stuff with his vehicle, kind of nifty. But he’s a fan boi and definitely not a fan of the 250.

Damn it…. Too much time.
 
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The 4Runner has the same CVs and rear diff size as the 250 (exception being Trailhunter & TRD Pro). Until I see an endemic problem with things breaking on the new platform, the criticism isn’t warranted. In my option, the lack of full-time 4WD with rear locker on the 4Runner/FJ and lack of approach angle on the GX550, are far more damning.

If you are planning on spending any money on your GX, the approach angles can be easily solved with a bumper.

Thats said, gotta pay to play with the TTV6 and eKDSS. The twin intercooler exchangers take up space and swaybar is front mounted on the GX.

What are you gunna do to fix the tiny gas tank and lack of interior space on the LC250 because of the forced hybrid? I guess a $2500 LRA tank?
 
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I’ve driven many vehicles, including many older and the previous Land Cruiser.

It’s your opinion, and definitely not a fact, at least as of now, that it can’t or won’t live up to the “name”.

The new 4Runner, you may like it, I think the Kia soul has better styling, both inside and out. But that’s my opinion, and I am welcome to have it and not buy one. But I don’t go on forums and trash the vehicle that I don’t own or like.

So far, rattling noise now fixed, my AC/heat have been fine, the interior is a nice place to be and as for wind noise and road noise, much better than my old 4Runner, FJ, both jeeps, old Monte and my Tacoma.

I’ve an extensive vehicle history, I don’t want a old Land Cruiser. Period. If I did, I’d own one.

But I’m not going to tell you it sucks because my truck rides better (it does) looks better (not even close) and is more useful for any number of things than the old Land Cruiser. Hauling wood, mulch, towing, power…. I’ll caveat, these are my thoughts, not facts. Well except for the hauling bit. You could, but would you want to in your SUV?

Drive what you like. I do. Enjoy what you drive, I do. Just because you don’t like what I drive and think (apparently) I’m a fool that bought a Chevy Luv doesn’t mean I don’t understand your love and enjoyment for your vehicle.

This took too much time, I need to get stuff done. I can’t believe I got sucked into this stupid thread over a tinker click bait video. Dude does some stuff with his vehicle, kind of nifty. But he’s a fan boi and definitely not a fan of the 250.

Damn it…. Too much time.
I just want to go on the record and say that I don’t care for the new 4Runner. Or the 5th gen. The 4th gen V8 was the only one I would have bought but I could get a GX cheaper and so that got written off the list real fast.

The 4Runner, IMHO, is a jack of some trades and master of none. And apparently Toyota has chosen to do the same with the LC250. 🤷‍♂️

I think the point is that the 4Runner and Tacoma in iForce max form got uprated parts that the LC250 did not.
 
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Hello all. New member chiming in.

I just got the 2025 LC a little over a month ago. My $0.02 worth and experience at a 1,000 miles.

The cruise control is herky jerky / winding and unwinding over anything but open flat roads.
The wind noise penetrating the cabin is intrusive and obnoxious.
The accelerator pedal is punchy and peaky.
The rear cargo space is overshadowed by the hybrid batteries.
The spare tire hanging behind the rear axle severely reduces ground clearance.
The tiny fuel tank is inexplicable.
The speedometer is overstated by about 3%. (Think exaggerated MPG on the dash cluster and end of factory warranty at 97% of 36k miles)

What's not to like?

Its strength lies in its ability to do weekend overlanding / camping trips in relative comfort within close proximity to regional / local areas from home. Commuting a few hours to and from an overlanding and camping destination appears to fit the bill.

I was hoping for a SUV with the ability to do above moderate overlanding mixed with near luxury road tripping capability. An extra wide middle of the bandwidth range that can traverse easily between moderate overlanding to road tripping in near luxury capability would have fit the bill nicely. However after putting on a 1,000 miles and putting it through its paces, it seems that the overlanding part mostly meets its expectations but for small cargo space, tiny fuel tank, and low hanging spare tire. In factory form with quality A/T tires, the overlanding capability is generally good.

Where it falls short is in the near luxury road tripability. Although generally capable, the intrusive wind noise in the cabin is annoying. When going over hills, mountains, or high traffic roadways, the adaptive cruise control is unable to maintain steady speed. The delayed downshift causes the vehicle to lose momentum. After losing several mph, it downshifts and winds itself out trying to catch up. Also the accelerator tends to be a little too touchy and punchy off line. The utilitarian roar of the 2.4 under full load can be a bit tacky.

But for all its downfalls, I still enjoy taking it for a spin. For a heavy vehicle, it feels light and tossable. The overall design and engineering is well thought out and should endure the test of time. It's not overly complicated and designed for simplicity and durability. Instead of a wide bandwidth in the midrage do it all SUV, it will serve well as a utilitarian vehicle for weekend getaways, overlanding, and camping. I fully expect it to age well over time. I'll let you know in about 20 years from now.😉
I drove a 250 while my 200 was in for service. I found it enjoyable and loved the looks, but I was astonished at how loud it was on the highway. It was significantly worse than my G wagon, and that thing is a BRICK.
 
I drove a 250 while my 200 was in for service. I found it enjoyable and loved the looks, but I was astonished at how loud it was on the highway. It was significantly worse than my G wagon, and that thing is a BRICK.
Yes, it definitely has a guttural roar. The kind that kind of grows on you after a while. The brick has a GVWR of 6,725 lbs. It's surprisingly light, tossable, and lithe given its spec heft.
 
I own a 200.
Just the other day I was driving it.
And heard …. Wait for it….. wait for it.
Wind noise.
 

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