MORE than most other serious 4x4s, the Toyota Land Cruiser looks the part.
There are, of course, the ultra agricultural/military versions from the Land Rover's Defender camp, but the Land Cruiser can beef-up just as well.
Visually, Toyota's big 4x4 has changed little, though it is very much at the forefront of 4x4 technology.
Keeping faith with traditional looks has consolidated its global popularity as a domestic and commercial vehicle – as well as an intrepid adventurer for extreme terrain.
The design team may have surreptitiously smoothed off overhang areas slightly, but in the main they have resisted the trend to round-off the corners, but still managed to whittle down drag coefficient figures.
Toyota's 4x4 heavyweight DNA stretches back almost 60 years, during which time it has earned a massive global fan base, not least as a reconaissance and aid vehicle in some of the most inhospitable areas of the world.
The latest Land Cruiser is practically all new, but you might not think so at a quick glance. It's still a tall, lumbering giant of a vehicle with a massive interior which has five or seven seats, depending on the model.
Powered by a new 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine, extensively revised from the unit found in its predecessor, it pumps out 171bhp @ 3,400rpms and, even with a 5-speed automatic transmission, it manages a commendable 0-62mph sprint in 11.7 seconds.
These kind of performances, together with a claimed average fuel return of 35mpg, almost beggar belief when you sidle up to the driver's side of this giant and take on board the kerb weight of 2,400kg (2.5 tons). But it's not fantasy, because on test it returned 28mpg without resorting to light, right foot treatment. Town driving is given at a respectable 27.2mpg while eco warriors might achieve the claimed extra urban figure of 42.2mpg.
Having driven many different Land Cruisers in the past on fairly hostile, chassis-dismembering terrain, the capability of this off-roader is never in question, particularly as more hi-tech 4x4 dynamics are introduced.
Gambolling over rocky moorland and then sinking up to the axles in peat bogs is hardly a serious test for a respected overlander like the Land Cruiser, nor is wading through a flooded brook.
As already mentioned, the body remains much the same – attached to a seriously hefty chassis frame by mega rubber mountings, with a heavily revised suspension – independent wishbones at the front and a rigid axle, held by a multitude of links to the rear.
In this, the top-of-the-range LC5 version, there was Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) and Active height control, which allows the driver the 'fine-tune' ride characteristics to 'normal', 'comfort' and 'sport' for better body control and improved steering response through corners.
On the road, the ride is quite firm but perfectly acceptable, and the cabin is well insulated from diesel drone and road thrum and wind noise isn’t a major problem despite its boxy shape.
Steering is strangely lightweight but accurate and the auto box is impressively smooth, while body roll is kept to a minimum with little ‘bounce’ .
Priced at £45,762 (£500 extra for metallic paint) the LC5 model is a costly but superb vehicle. Prices start at £29,795, with an extensive kit including Downhill Assist Control with Hill-Start Assist and Active Torque Control. The LC5 adds another raft of features including the VS, Crawl Control, Multi-Terrain Select System and steering angle display.
