Toyota Land Cruiser 2010 Pictures 
gallery (2 photos)
Hypothetically, if you had, say, fifty grand to spend on a diesel 4x4, what would you choose? A Range Rover Sport TDV6 would be my personal choice. However, there are several others which all fit into the same price point, and some would leave you with change leftover. The Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0-litre Overland costs £34,000, the Land Rover Discovery 2.7-litre TDV6 GS could be sitting in your driveway for £33,000. And let’s not forget the dowager of the off-road fraternity, the Land Rover Defender; the starting price for the top spec 110 County Station Wagon is only £27k - so in theory you could nearly buy two. The Nissan Pathfinder 2.5 CDi Tenka (why-oh-why did they scrap the Patrol?) is a very reasonable £31,500 and a fully loaded Mitsubishi Shogun is sub-forty grand, too.
Erring towards the other end of the 4x4 spectrum - the point where they go from hardcore off-roaders to SUV Gucci loafer - is the Porsche Cayenne which comes in at a smidgen over £44,000. There is also the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI at £40,000, or the VW Touareg 3.0 TDi V6 which is only £35k. So you see, depending on purpose, there is a vast choice, and I haven’t added the Korean or French offerings into the equation.
The reason why I point out the enormity of choice is because for the past week I’ve been driving the new Toyota Land Cruiser LCs 3.0D-4D Auto and for the life of me I can’t see why anyone, given what else is available, would want to part with £47,000 of their hard-earn money to buy one. Granted, it is the flagship specification, but even so, it isn’t that wonderful to truly justify the cost when judged against others currently on the market.
So, for the moment, let us put the Land Cruisers ludicrous expense to one side, because when that rather large elephant has left the room this car starts to makes a bit more sense. It sits in the same heritage league as the Land Rover Defender and Mitsubishi Shogun – been around forever with tweaks, nips and tucks to keep it fairly up-to-date. This time, Toyota have given the Land Cruiser wider wheel arches and few more body augmentations which all insure it would be difficult to disguise as anything other than a true, hardest-of-the-hard, 4x4.
Step inside and you are immediately greeted by a large, spacious, leather-clad cabin. First impressions count for a lot when buying this type of car, and the Land Cruiser delivers equal flamboyancy to the interior as it does to the exterior. It is only when you look a little closer do you get the feeling Toyota have tried too hard to make this into something it clearly isn’t. For as long as the Land Cruiser has been around it has been the default vehicle setting for minor African royalty, foreign aid agencies and the UN. Previous models were more utilitarian, rugged and had honesty to them. A scrape or dent to the bodywork just enhanced its charm, now, with this model, a scratch to a panel would appear as abhorrent as a zit on Cheryl Coles face. The Land Cruiser isn’t, and never will be, as imperious as the Range Rover or as sophisticated as an Audi Q7. But Toyota don’t seem to care or notice, they have ploughed ahead and given this grand old 4x4 one makeover too far.
As mentioned, the interior is big, and the third row of seats are useful, but why the need to fill the rest of the cabin with an array of so many and unnecessary on-board toys is beyond me. And, to make matters worse still, the buttons and switches for all these hardly-ever-going-to-be-used-if-at-all gizmos feel as though they have been sited by a lunatic octopus. The dashboard, centre consol, underneath the steering wheel, on the steering wheel, in the door panels, set into the roof lining, on the seats, on the floor, all have a control on them and none of them fall easily into eyesight. What this means, if you’re lucky, you’ll try and change radio stations and the heated seats will turn on or the sunroof will open. If on the other hand you’re unlucky, you’ll have taken your eye of the road for so long trying to tune away from the shipping forecast you would have crashed into a tree or an oncoming car. The good news is you won’t die because the one thing Toyota has left intact is the Land Cruisers ability to withstand a small nuclear blast. And even then there’s loads of airbags to protect you further.
I really want to report that things are so much better in the ride and handling department, but they aren’t. The new air-suspension system has improved the ride, slightly, but take a corner with a little too much verve and it will wallow and lean like an inebriated hippopotamus. However, off road, and the Land Cruiser truly comes into its own. It feels as though there isn’t a river wide enough or a mountain too high it wouldn’t be able to conquer. On the road and the 3.0-litre diesel engine is not the most refined unit you can currently find on the market, but ask it to power across the most inhospitable of terrains and it will do so effortlessly and then ask, ‘is that really the best you can offer?’
I’m in a quandary with the Land Cruiser, there’s a part of me which feels slightly sullied about writing negative things about it, yet the truth is, and in my opinion, it is overpriced. If it were ten thousand pounds cheaper it could be forgiven for so many things and I would be the first to say it is far better than a lot of its rivals. However, the fact remains it isn’t and does cost the thick-end of £40k (actually nearer £50,000), and that can’t be ignored. So my advice to anyone thinking of buying a Land Cruiser is this; it is a great off-roader, probably one of the best. It can move seven people with ease and has enough gadgets to keep everyone amused for ages (once you’ve figured out how to use them). It is safe too, and given its size and stature it will return an average mid to high 20mpg, which isn’t so terrible either. If you really, really, want one of these cars then – and I’ve never given this advice before - wait and buy a late, second-hand model, it’ll save you at least ten grand. Now you’ve got yourself one hell of a car.
Engine: 5.7-liter DOHC 32-valve EFI V8 with dual independent VVT-i Max Power: 381 hp @ 5600 rpm
Max Torque: 401 lb.-ft. @ 3600 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed Electronically Controlled automatic overdrive with (ECT-i), sequential shift mode & uphill/downhill logic
Drivetrain: Full-time 4-wheel-drive system with Torsen® [1] center differential with locking feature
Suspension: Independent double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs and stabilizer bar; 4-link rear suspension with coil springs, stabilizer bar and semi-floating axle
Brakes: Power-assisted 4-piston front/2-piston rear ventilated disc brakes with hydraulic brake booster with Multi-Terrain Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist [2]; ABS operates in high and low ranges
CAR MAKE & MODEL
Toyota Land Cruiser 2010 Pictures
CAR REF NUMBER
30480
VIEWS: 453
TOTAL VIEWS: 4,816
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