The legendary 150 Series Land Cruiser has just passed our editorial test, and since it's been four years since we last drove it, we were wondering what's new with this model.
The Toyota Land Cruiser continues to be a certain icon and an unwavering classic among off-roaders with a traditional ladder frame. Balanced driving characteristics, rich off-road capabilities, well-crafted and spacious interior, these are still the attributes that present this vehicle.
The main and positive change that took place within the Land Cruiser is the increase in the performance of its diesel engine. This had a very positive effect on the driving behavior of the car while maintaining reasonable consumption.
Exterior
The basic contours of the Toyota Land Cruiser continue to be legible. A large dose of power is clearly visible from its external appearance, and the higher body structure indicates that the Land Cruiser is an off-roader that is definitely not afraid of the terrain.
As part of the external appearance, I must also mention the new BLACK package, which is part of the top Executive equipment and is included in the price of the car. The package will offer a different concept of the massive front mask, for example, the mirrors, fog lamp trim or door moldings are painted black. The exterior of the car will also offer elements equipped with black chrome. In the context of the white paintwork of the tested car, this package looked very good indeed.
The Toyota Land Cruiser will therefore offer a massive basic shape, but the car is relatively successfully refined in the individual details. These include discreet side steps, elegantly shaped 19-inch wheels or the "lollipop" of the fifth door painted in the color of the car.
Interior
The concept of the interior is fully in the spirit of the Toyota car company, so it is ruled by a certain decency and high-quality workmanship, and in the context of the tested top Executive equipment, a certain touch of luxury.
The layout of the dashboard itself is identical to that of the tested car four years ago. So the central part of the dashboard continues to be dominated by a certain "totem", which is full of individual controls.
Toyota continues to adhere to the "what's the function, what's the controller" theory, so the dashboard is littered with individual buttons, in all possible places on the dashboard.
The announced central part of the dashboard is dedicated to the innovative Toyota Touch 2 infotainment system with a 9" diagonal display supporting Apple Car Play or Android Auto. We also have air conditioning controls and off-road powertrain controls.
The rich dimensions of the interior space are already clearly visible from the car's external proportions. The exemplary spaciousness of the interior is additionally supported by comfortable and sufficiently sized seats, in all positions.
The tested car had a five-seat specification, but the Land Cruiser model also has a third row of seats. A seven-seat configuration is then available as part of the additional FAMILY package.
Other packages include the VIP package, and our tested car was already equipped with that. Within it, the Land Cruiser has a sunroof and a tilting player with a screen for the crew in the second row of the vehicle.
I must also mention the voluminous luggage compartment (621 l), which is conveniently accessible from the side with an opening door with a practical and adjustable lock. The doors also have an opening window for quick access to the luggage compartment or for transporting longer items.
Offered motorizations and driving impressions
In the case of the Land Cruiser, the range of engines is very simple, only a turbocharged diesel with a volume of 2.8 liters is available. However, with the latest modernization, it experienced positive changes, namely an increase in power by exactly 20 kW, with this the value of the torque also increased by exactly 50 Nm. The Toyota Land Cruiser will now offer exactly 150 kW of power and 500 Nm of torque. And the change is really noticeable.
The diesel motorization will offer such an honest "boyish" speech, within which the very start indicates that "the world is still right" here. It is a matter of course that it has sufficient refinement of expression and adequate noise reduction towards the interior. The motorization also works with a six-speed automatic transmission, which is not one of the fastest, but shifts very smoothly and logically.
The Land Cruiser also has a choice of driving modes and, in addition to Eco, Normal and Comfort modes, it will offer Sport and even Sport + modes. The differences between the individual modes are noticeable, but in the case of the Land Cruiser you don't need to work with them significantly. You will appreciate the most comfortable settings in the car, and sometimes you simply "beep" it into Sport if you need to overtake quickly. The car then noticeably comes to life, its response to the gas pedal changes and the automatic holds the individual speeds noticeably longer.
In terms of chassis, the Land Cruiser is still good old school, which is faithful to the classic frame on which the entire body sits. The car is equipped with independent suspension at the front, and a classic rigid axle at the rear. From higher trim levels, Toyota offers a kinetic-dynamic suspension system (KDSS) and suspension with variable stiffness (AVS), thanks to which the Land Cruiser offers a more stable and comfortable driving performance.
The Toyota is of course in its element in the off-road, its approach and transition angles are simply richly dimensioned. The lateral inclination reaches a value of 42° and it is capable of wading up to a depth of 70 cm. You also have a number of assistants at your disposal, such as the Crawl Control system, which maintains a constant speed of the car, or the Multi-Terrain Select system, in which you choose the type of surface you drive on. The Toyota is of course equipped with permanent all-wheel drive, an inter-axle Torsen self-locking differential (the rear axle also has this) or a reduction gearbox.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is an off-roader weighing 2.4 tons, so its fuel consumption is highly dependent on your driving style. At a leisurely pace, you will move with a consumption of around a respectable 8.5 liters. A sharper and highway pace then calmly shoots up the consumption to values of around 11 liters per 100 km. However, the tank with a fair volume of 87 liters will offer the car a decent range even with this consumption.
In conclusion
Toyota's current price list is traditionally quite simple. The Toyota Land Cruiser is offered with a single engine, which is connected only to a six-speed automatic. So you can only choose between individual levels of equipment. The basis is the Prado equipment level, and the Land Cruiser starts with it from CZK 1,525,000 including VAT. Comfort (CZK 1,625,000), Invincible (CZK 1,865,000) follows, and the top is the tested Executive trim level, which you can buy from CZK 1,910,000 including tax.
Additional equipment includes FAMILY (CZK 60,000) and VIP (CZK 60,000) packages. The FAMILY package enriches the car with a third row of seats, which can be either manually or electrically folded, depending on the car's equipment level. Head airbags for the third row of seats are also included.
Our tested car also had the VIP package, which includes a sunroof and a tilting entertainment system for the crew in the second row of seats.
So the Toyota Land Cruiser 150 series continues to be a tremendously capable and versatile car. Increasing the power of the car helped immensely and thus improved its driving characteristics. The off-road capabilities of the Land Cruiser still remain above the requirements of most of its users. In the interior, the car remains faithful to the slightly archaic yet proven scheme, which is supported by high-quality workmanship and sufficient spaciousness.
Source: Author's text
Image source: Author's own photos
