Test drive Toyota Land Cruiser VXL 180D, an impassive icon

The Toyota Land Cruiser is one of those unstoppable vehicles on roads -and off-road- that are running today all over the world.

At Highmotor we analyze the latest iteration of the Land Cruiser in its mid-range VXL trim with a five-door body to find out whether its character remains intact.

Exterior design

The body design of the Land Cruiser is undeniably bold. Part of the model’s historic character lies precisely in its stance, which has managed to keep its squared-off shapes despite the passage of time, adapting to the needs of the modern customer with each update.

The Land Cruiser design currently on sale dates from 2015, when the current line was launched, based on and built, however, on the 2010 Land Cruiser, which has been updated in three different years: 2013, 2015 and 2016. It is a veteran model that, thanks to the work of its designers, disguises the passage of time quite well.

The front is very sturdy, with a large grille formed by five vertical slats that in turn integrate a logo of generous proportions as well. The light clusters feature a striking “tear” along the perimeter of the grille that houses the LED points for daytime running lights. The headlights are, once again, large. At the lower ends we find two halogen fog lights.
The image of the Land Cruiser has remained faithful to the model’s personality
The side already hints that this is a vehicle designed for use off the asphalt. The body height is very high, the alloy wheels have a relatively small diameter by current standards while the tyre sidewall is very tall, the ground clearance is large… everything suggests we are facing an authentic off-roader.

The side lines are very classic, without flashiness, with a not very inclined windscreen, a very generous side glazed area, large door handles and well-defined wheel arches which, together with large side steps with lighting, enhance the robustness of the whole.

The rear features a large tailgate with side opening, which in turn has an openable rear window. A large chrome strip above the number plate location bears the name of the model, while the light clusters with mixed LED-bulb lighting are placed on the upper shoulders, in a vertical position.

The rear bumper, rather bulky and set at a considerable height, houses the fog lights and is finished with a protective moulding, but for certain manoeuvres, especially loading and unloading the boot, it can prove inconvenient, not to mention dirtying your clothes if the car is not perfectly clean.

The Land Cruiser in its five-door body measures 4.78 metres long, 1.88 metres wide and an impressive 1.84 metres high, which makes it one of the bulkiest vehicles on sale today, especially considering its height, something that benefits the interior space.

Interior design

The design of the Land Cruiser’s cabin once again recalls a tougher-looking vehicle, with a tendency towards durability and function at all times, above aesthetics. Either way, to talk about the interior of the Land Cruiser, first we have to “climb” up to it…

The generous ground clearance of the Land Cruiser can be an obstacle for some people when getting into the cabin, something that Toyota has tried to offset by fitting generous illuminated side steps and a grab handle inside the A-pillar, making the task easier.

The general lines of the dashboard are square and straight, which makes it look like a veteran model compared with the competition, despite having received several updates in recent years. Everything in this Land Cruiser is generously sized, from the buttons on the centre console to the instrument dials, including the gigantic steering wheel and the large automatic gear lever.

The cabin enjoys excellent build quality
Although its design is not the most modern on the market, the Land Cruiser has one of the best-built cabins. The materials have been carefully chosen and, aside from their appearance, are assembled to last, avoiding the appearance of rattles and misalignments. In fact, the feel of most of the trim is padded, and it never feels cheap, which is logical given that we are talking about a car that costs around 60,000€.

In this Land Cruiser all the controls are backlit (in a “nineties” green colour, yes), something the rest of Toyota’s range cannot boast, and there is even pleasant ambient lighting in white tones on the doors and footwells, which is appreciated on night journeys.

The instrumentation, of large size, is very complete, and features a large central screen that offers all kinds of information. The multimedia system, for its part, shows the passage of the years, with somewhat cumbersome operation and limited processing speed when calculating routes or navigating the menus.

The on-board space in the Land Cruiser is very generous in any dimension we measure. The spacious cabin has two large front seats which, in this version, feature, in addition to leather upholstery, electric adjustment and heating.

In the rear there are three usable seats, thanks mainly to the width of the bench. In addition, the two outer rear seats have heating, and all have independent climate controls separate from the front, with dual-zone temperature control.

The boot has a minimum capacity of 104 litres when all 7 seats are deployed. If we hide the third row of seats, which now fold into the boot floor instead of the sides, we will have 553 litres available with very usable shapes. If we also fold the second row of seats, total capacity rises to 1,800 litres.

Dynamics and driving

The Land Cruiser is available with a single engine, a four-cylinder in-line D4-D diesel mounted front-longitudinally, with 2.8 litres of displacement, 177 CV and 420 NM. This engine replaced the outdated 3.0 D4-D, which could no longer pass the anti-pollution tests.

Engine power is transmitted to a six-speed automatic gearbox with torque converter, which in turn delivers the power to the ground via a Torsen full-time four-wheel-drive system with a centre differential that can be locked at will. The transmission also has a low-range reduction gearbox.

Classic layout for safe progress in any situation
It is worth noting that the Land Cruiser is one of the few vehicles on sale today that still use a ladder-frame chassis, a more suitable solution for off-road use, now largely abandoned in favour of solutions like the monocoque chassis with self-supporting bodywork.

The braking system consists of four-piston fixed calipers on the front axle and floating calipers on the rear axle. All four discs are ventilated. The steering, for its part, is hydraulically assisted, although this assistance varies with speed.

In real life the Land Cruiser delivers modest performance, with a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration of 12.7 seconds and a top speed of 175 km/h. When driving a vehicle of this kind, it is advisable to adapt your driving style to its capabilities. The body lean is noticeable at all times, the steering is very light and has many turns from lock to lock, and braking distances are somewhat longer than normal, partly due to the off-road tyres.

The official average consumption is 7.4 litres, but in our test we achieved an average of 9.2 litres per 100 km in all kinds of use, whether off-road, city or open road. The automatic transmission is extremely smooth in use, but slip from the torque converter, which has no lock-up, is excessive in practically any situation, causing the revs to rise at times unnecessarily.

When we set “the black stuff” aside and head out into the countryside, the Land Cruiser shows one of its best sides. This Japanese tank is extremely capable in virtually any situation. Locking the differential and engaging the reduction gear, no hill can resist, even if the ground is loose. You can climb at low speed over practically any surface.

Our unit also had a descent control system, which intelligently acts on the brakes to ensure a smooth and safe path at all times. Depending on the version, you can also enjoy other systems such as Crawl Control, a speed control with 5 preset surfaces, AVS adaptive damping, or KDSS disconnectable stabiliser bars.

The long suspension travel and the large tyre profile allow relatively comfortable progress over broken surfaces, once again demonstrating the build quality of this veteran model. The braking system has adaptive ABS, which recognises when we are driving over loose terrain and allows some wheel lock to reduce braking distance.

Range and versions: how much does the unit you see cost?

The Land Cruiser range is on sale in our country with a starting price of 35,300€, corresponding to the 3-door GX version. The 3-door body is also available in VX and VXL trims, costing 40,700€ and 52,100€ respectively. If you opt for the 5-door body, the options are GX (38,300€), VX (46,600€), VXL (57,000€) and Limited (69,000€).

Our unit is a 5-door VXL, which comes as standard with a very extensive equipment list including highlights such as 7 airbags, three-zone climate control, keyless entry and start system, leather upholstery, sunroof, adaptive cruise control and pre-collision safety system. The only option is metallic silver paint, priced at 725€. Therefore, the unit in this article has a price of 57,725€.