The Land Cruiser is the longest running SUV nameplate in the automotive world. And while the modern 300 series has become a luxury offering with all the bells and whistles, Toyota will still happily sell you a model from another generation that was first introduced back in the 80s, and that was my latest review car.
But first, a full disclaimer: the Land Cruiser is a car I have a soft spot for. When Toyota opened their first plant outside of Japan, they chose my home country of Brazil as the locale, and the Land Cruiser to be the model they’d make. Back then, it was called the Bandeirante and was the car that coined the perception of Toyota cars being bulletproof. My father worked on a farm when he was young and learned how to drive in one of those before he’d buy his own Fusca, so I grew up hearing fond tales of this truck.
This “current” generation of the LC can also be had brand new in a flatbed shape, but mine was the lovely Station Wagon in this Beige colour, which compliments the retro look very well, all the way back to a time when fridges could be had in this colour, too. Retro-inspired designs are all the rage nowadays, but rather than inspiration, this is the real deal, with a look that’s been barely updated through the decades.
The new front fascia and is by far the most successful part of the whole design – it just looks proper cool. Not only does it change an element that dated the previous implementation, but it also pulls on the heart strings while bringing excellent LED headlights and fog lights while at it.
At the back, you will see the lights have now been moved to the bumper, and the gap they left behind has been covered with a body coloured element, only noticeable to those in the know. The barn-style rear door makes it easy to interact with the trunk as you can access it without having to move a long and heavy door with the added weight of the spare tyre.
The side view is mainly unchanged, with thin door frames, pronounced stamping creases and plenty of ground clearance. Oh, and chrome, old school door handles. Again, those in the know will notice the taller bonnet Toyota had to use here to cover the taller engine – more on that later.
Through the satisfying action of those handles, you get inside this Time Machine. Seats are flat and only offer basic adjustment, and the door cards must surely have the same part number they had when they were first made all those years ago. It’s clearly all about handling the hard work and standing the test of time.
On the cluster, you will get more information than usual, with voltage and oil pressure realtime readings, both incredibly important for a work vehicle. And all of this in a new design with, again, some retro inspiration.
This is showing my age, but many, many years ago I had an old (then already) car with ventilation controls like the ones found here. And I find it at least curious to see a car leave the showroom today with those same controls. I am all for reliability and I know these commands are likely to last forever, but this is maybe a step too far for me.
The infotainment uses the “double din” slot left from previous assemblies and uses a system that looks very aftermarket, with an interface that is not very Toyota-like and a resistive screen. The CarPlay connection was hit and miss as it would not recognise my phone about half the time, so I resorted to using Bluetooth to be more in with the times with the Landy. The sound system itself is subpar, so if you were counting on a 1980s soundtrack to go with your Land Cruising, you might have to take on singing.
However, there is more technology that made its way to this updated 70 series. Here, you will find emergency braking, lane departure warnings and their corporate cruise control stalk which has literally been in use for 20 years now. Parking sensors? Nope. Blind spot monitoring? Forget it. You won’t need those things on the farm, the mines or off-road, so Toyota focuses on the fundamentals here.
And most of them have to do with the driving, where they deliver in droves. Beside the familiar gear selector for the 6 speed automatic that accompanies this powertrain, you will find the High-Low selector. It was a bit finicky to interact with sometimes, but shows plenty of feedback when engaged, and clearly changes the behaviour of the truck in a way where you can never mistake one mode for another.
The same cannot be said about the Diff lock selector, it could not be easier to engage. A selector close to the steering wheel gives you control over the locks in those diffs, and it gets me thinking about how big of a hole you need to get yourself into that this level of off-road prowess won’t get you out of. And yes, hub locks are also to be found here.
As for the actual driving, our model was equipped with a snorkel, that not only compliments the looks but also brings induction noise and turbo whistle close to your right ear. I found myself driving with an open window very frequently just so I could enjoy it more.
The tall, all-terrain tyres eat up small imperfections and reflectors like they’re not there, but they also mean that on motorway speeds, the LC is very ponderous and busy. The suspension architecture handles low frequency bumps with ease, but higher frequency undulations can easily upset the frame and send judders towards the occupants.
Steering is extremely slow, as it should be to ensure road control on a car this tall, and absolutely dead on centre. By the time it weighs up, there is a lot of body roll and the certainty you are pushing the truck more than you should. It is much more comfortable on the straight roads, and there the engine gets the job done very well. The taller hood I mentioned earlier is now responsible for hiding the 2.8 litre, 500Nm, 4 cylinder diesel powering this Land Cruiser, borrowed from none other than the Hilux.
It might be dropping the cylinder count by half, but it still has adequate power and torque, and matches the character of the truck quite well. The automatic gearbox is smooth and predictable, and is useful for engine braking when required. What didn’t impress, however, was the fuel efficiency: during my driving, it clocked close to 11L/100km of diesel.
All of that in exchange for truck loads of character. I’m not an avid off roader, but this truck made me want to be one. If outside of its comfort zone it was this charming, I can only imagine how well it’d do in a muddy rut, a farm environment, or even the beach (I remember seeing dozens of these when I was on Fraser Island, in Australia – I was driving an 80 series myself).
This is a very unique offering, with a niched target market, and that addresses their needs like few others. It is the total antithesis of a flashy, disposable product, and I love it for this reason and am glad it exists. The thought of walking into a showroom and driving with a brand new vehicle that feels 30 years old or more in a blind test is a novelty in itself, even more so when wrapped around such a compelling and attractive package. I found myself driving it for no reason, and people responded extremely well to it, be it over the years or during my time with it. Thanks, Toyota, for the opportunity!
