Vehicle Overview The 2009 Land Cruiser is an eight-seat full-size SUV. It’s larger than Toyota’s Highlander and 4Runner midsize SUVs and smaller than the full-size Sequoia, and the Land Cruiser is more expensive than all three. At this size and price, competitors include the Hummer H2, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Mercedes-Benz M- and GL-Class and the Porsche Cayenne S. “Land Cruiser” is a long-standing Toyota name; it was redesigned for the 2008 model year.
New for 2009 Little has changed for 2009; there’s new privacy glass available on side and rear-corner windows.
Exterior The Land Cruiser is more than 6 inches longer and almost 2 inches wider than the Highlander. It’s about 10 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower than the Sequoia. Of Toyota’s current SUVs, the Land Cruiser looks most like the Highlander. The edges are rounded, and the grille and headlights are more prominent than before. One major difference is that the Land Cruiser is a truck-based, body-on-frame model, which puts it in league with Toyota’s FJ, 4Runner and Sequoia — all of which are several inches taller than the car-based Highlander.
18-inch wheels
Fog lamps
Front and rear frame-mounted tow hooks
Interior Though it has eight seats divided among three rows, the Land Cruiser has a shortcoming that’s common to truck-based SUVs: Its interior space isn’t as great as you’d expect from its outside girth. The headroom and legroom measurements are less than the midsize Highlander’s. Only in width does it exceed the Highlander — most notably in the third row, where the Land Cruiser gives 16 more inches of hip room and roughly 7 extra inches of shoulder room.
Likewise, maximum cargo volume for the Land Cruiser is 87.1 cubic feet; the Highlander’s maximum cargo space is 95.4 cubic feet.
Power tilt/telescoping steering wheel
Power moonroof
Push-button start
Power seats
Leather-trimmed seats
Available navigation system with DVD
Available sonar rear parking assist and backup camera
Under the Hood The Land Cruiser is intended to be offroad-capable. The rear suspension is multilink, but the rear axle is solid, which has its offroad advantages but is viewed as a detriment in ride and handling on the road. It has a Low gear in the transfer case, along with an adaptive suspension and a new technology called Crawl Control that manages the throttle while the driver steers over obstacles.
5.7-liter V-8 making 381 horsepower and 401 pounds-feet of torque
Six-speed automatic transmission
Full-time four-wheel drive
8,500-pound towing capacity
Safety Safety features include:
Seat-mounted side-impact airbags and knee airbags for both front occupants
