REVIEW | Toyota Land Cruiser 2025 - Over 70 Years in the Making
Made of tough stuff
Did you ever see the Bruce Willis film, Armageddon? Bruce had to plant a bomb on an asteroid to stop it from hitting the Earth and wiping out mankind. It all went horribly wrong for Bruce, but at least the bomb shattered the thing to pieces. We’re saved. Phew.
What a waste of time and money. They should have just strapped a Toyota Land Cruiser to a rocket. The asteroid wouldn’t have stood a chance.
The robustness of the Land Cruiser is the stuff of legends. Turn on your TV, watch the news, and I just about guarantee that when a story crops up about a war zone, famine, natural disaster etc, there’s a strong likelihood that somewhere in the background will be one or more Toyota Land Cruisers going about their business. They’re strong, reliable, incredibly capable off-road and, if you’re in the middle of nowhere, they’re relatively easy to work on.
Next year will be the 75th anniversary of the Land Cruiser. They’ve been used worldwide by anyone and everyone, including farmers, builders, armies, explorers, despots, humanitarian organisations, rescue services and, yes, warlords.
And by folk, like me, who get a thrill out of driving something that really can go anywhere and is as tough as teak. If you really do want to get home no matter what the road and weather conditions are like, the Toyota Land Cruiser is a very good place to start.
Toyota Land Cruiser Price and Powertrain
Prices kick off at £74,599. There’s only one model available in the UK (there was a First Edition version but they were all sold before they’d even arrived in Blighty). Its power comes from a tried and tested 202bhp, 2.8-litre diesel engine. This is a big, heavy car which is designed to earn its living and not be a flying machine so it’s not too surprising that its economy is around 26mpg. If you’re interested in speed, the most it can manage is 108mph and it can only accelerate from 0-60mph in 10.5 seconds. But it has loads of grunt which is shown by the fact that it can tow 3.5 tonnes.
Needless to say you get permanent all-wheel drive, a low ratio gearbox, plus centre and rear locking differentials. You can even disconnect the front anti-roll bar to help with off-roading. The 8-speed auto gearbox works really well with seamless changes. Chuck in some driving modes which you select via a rotary knob, and you’ll be able to tackle anything. Multi-Terrain is the one to pick when you dip off the Tarmac. There’s even a crawler mode to help you climb or descend seriously steep slopes.
This is a proper 4x4 and not something which struggles on an inch of snow on the school run. Put it this way, if you get stuck in a Toyota Land Cruiser, you shouldn’t have gone there in the first place. The only bit of advice I’d give is that if you intend to do a lot of work on tricky ground, swap the road-biased tyres for all-terrain rubber.
Not the most refined
Under the body, the Land Cruiser is quite old fashioned with a body bolted to a frame. This makes the car perform better off-road, but it means that the on-road handling isn’t quite as nimble as you’d get in a smaller 4x4. Again, that’s because this is a car designed to be a workhorse rather than a continental cruiser. There’s a bit of body roll in corners, and the car does shudder slightly if you whack a pothole, but it’s not uncomfortable and, if anything, adds to the car’s character. There’s no disguising the fact that you’ve got a diesel lump under the bonnet, so refinement takes a bit of a hit, so it’s a pity there’s not a 6-cylinder model available. The same engine appears in the Hilux pick-up.
You also need to be ready for the sheer size of the Land Cruiser, nudging towards 5 metres in length. However, it’s surprisingly easy to punt around tight streets. The steering requires a lot of twiddling but it’s light and, thanks to the car’s square design, it’s easy to judge where the corners are. You’ll get the hang of it.
Interior
One area where the outgoing 4th generation Land Cruiser was showing its age, was the interior trim and kit. Toyota has given the latest model a thorough revamp and it’s now very smart indeed while staying utterly functional. You also get seven seats. All of the technical stuff is handled by a row of buttons next to the gear selector. It’s all pretty intuitive stuff. The 12.3-inch central touchscreen works well and contains sat nav, radio and heating, but the big plus is that most of the screen’s functions are also replicated with good old buttons and knobs. The driver’s instrument panel is more retro and features conventional dials. There’s also a pad for wireless phone charging.
The powered/heated/cooled seats look good and offer plenty of support and they should be able to cope with muddy trousers too.
Exterior design
The exterior is rather retro…and it works. You can still tell that this is a Toyota Land Cruiser but it’s fashionable. You can even have a choice of headlights - rectangular or round. There are some clever touches too. The front bumper is split into three pieces which means if you hit a rock and damage one bit, you don’t need to replace the entire bumper. There’s also plastic protection for the wheel arches and base of the doors. Side steps make it easy to clamber in and out.
There’s also a powered rear door, LED lights, heated steering wheel, and loads of safety kit. Burst-proof reliability also comes as standard.
This takes some beating
The Land Cruiser has moved more upmarket than its predecessors…and that’s reflected in the price.
But, for those of you who really do need a car which can tackle seriously tough terrain, the Toyota Land Cruiser takes some beating. I’d recommend taking your car to one of those 4x4 places where you can get some expert tuition. There’s no bigger insult than buying a car like this without finding out precisely what it can do when the going gets tough. You’ll be staggered by how the car feels solid as a rock when you’ve got two wheels dangling in fresh air. Crazy.
And the big plus is that, although it’s no performance machine and the engine sounds a bit rough when you call for some power, the Land Cruiser is extremely adept at being a holiday holdall. Trips to the beach…or the Amazon jungle…will never be the same.
words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Toyota
