2008 Toyota Land Cruiser
by Jim Prueter - 04/2008

Legendary flagship gets redesigned

Toyota first introduced the Land Cruiser in 1954 as the Japanese competitor to the British Land Rover, but it didn’t arrive in the United States until 1958 — and just one Land Cruiser was sold that first year.

From 1961 to 1965 it was Toyota’s best selling model in America and is the only original Toyota nameplate still in the lineup after 50 years of doing business here.

The latest iteration of the Land Cruiser was quietly introduced last fall and is a bit larger and significantly more powerful, with a nicer interior and a base price of $63,885. I have a hard time justifying the price, which is more than $29,000 higher than the very capable and larger Toyota Sequoia, and $37,000 more than the similar looking Highlander. Even the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator start at thousands less.

Toyota sold just 854 Land Cruisers in the first two months of this year. That’s nearly double the same period last year, but well behind the slightly larger Sequoia which saw sales of 5000 during the same time frame.

It’s hard not to draw comparisons between the Land Cruiser and Sequoia. The Sequoia is actually nine inches longer and four inches wider. Land Cruiser and Sequoia are built on entirely different platforms yet are powered by the same 5.7-liter V-8 that delivers 381-horsepower, up from the 4.7-liter 265 horsepower in the previous generation model. Sequoia is built in the U.S. and Land Cruiser only in Japan.

Land Cruiser uses a six-speed automatic transmission with the top two gears functioning as overdrive for improved gas mileage. Still, the best I could average during my weeklong test drive was a dismal 14 miles per gallon overall. It’s a hefty brute, weighing just 300 pounds shy of three tons, which impairs fuel economy.

On the positive side, it has a towing capacity of 8500 pounds and runs on regular unleaded 87-octane gasoline. Toyota also added a crawl mechanism, which allows the vehicle to maintain a very slow speed for steep off-road downhill runs, and rock and sand crawling. This is also the first vehicle to use a new Toyota two-speed transfer case that provides full-time four-wheel drive. The transfer case comes with a Torsen locking center differential, activated by a switch on the dash. A dial on the dash allows the driver to switch between high and low gear ranges.

But you’re most likely to find the Land Cruiser operating as a luxury family hauler with frequent trips to the mall and country club rather than on rugged off-roads in rural Arizona mountain terrain — which is why you’ll find luxury amenities inside.

There are leather seats for up to eight and a new four-zone climate-control system, designed to provide heating and cooling to all three rows of seats. Front and middle-row passengers have individual climate controls and there are no less than 28 air vents throughout the cabin.

Even with eight seats, the interior isn’t as roomy as you’d expect. Both head and legroom are less than the midsize Highlander’s, with only the width exceeding that model. The third-row seating is larger than Highlander but don’t expect three adults to be pleased riding back there. Even the maximum cargo space of 87.1 cubic feet is less than Highlander’s 95.3.

Standard amenities include the JBL premium audio system with 14 speakers and in-dash CD/DVD changer; cruise control; power sun roof; heated power front seats with driver’s memory; and power tilt-telescopic steering wheel with built-in audio, telephone and voice-recognition controls.

Our test vehicle included an optional navigation system and a rear-view camera for backing. Other optional equipment includes rear-seat entertainment, second-row heated seats, headlamp washers and other equipment package for an additional $7245.

Safety features include Toyota’s STAR safety system of four-wheel, all-terrain antilock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution; electronic stability control; traction control; hill-assist control; and tire-pressure monitoring system. There are roof-mounted side-curtain air bags for all three rows, seat-mounted front side air bags and knee airbags for front seat passengers. Land Cruiser’s new frame also includes high-strength steel and wider frame rails, making it safer in a crash.

With a solid-build feel and the power of the new engine, I love how the new Land Cruiser drives. I didn’t get the opportunity to test its off-road capabilities; the nastiest surface I drove was two miles of generally smooth gravel road.

Yet it’s a gem to drive, quiet, smooth, steady. It’s hard to explain why some folks need a vehicle like this to drive. After all, I’ve seen Land Cruisers negotiating our planet’s jungle regions on the National Geographic TV or being used in third-world countries as Red Cross or other emergency vehicles. That’s a far cry from here in the U.S., where you’re more likely to see one parked outside a Nordstrom’s.