The 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 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Mercedes-Benz M-Class and GL-Class, and the Porsche Cayenne S.
A new standard feature is a brake override system that takes precedence over the accelerator if both pedals are pressed at the same time. An active front seat-belt pretensioning system that previously was optional is now standard; the front seat belts retract when the brakes are applied suddenly or when tire slippage is detected.
Of Toyota’s current SUVs, the Land Cruiser looks most like the Highlander. One major difference is that the Land Cruiser is a truck-based, body-on-frame model, which puts it in the same category as Toyota’s FJ Cruiser, 4Runner and Sequoia. Exterior features include:
- 18-inch wheels
- Fog lamps
- Front and rear frame-mounted tow hooks
Although 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.
Safety Connect, a subscription telematics service, is standard, and the optional navigation system includes XM Nav Traffic data service, which also requires a subscription. Interior features include:
- Power tilt/telescoping steering wheel
- Power moonroof
- Push-button start
- Power seats
- Leather-trimmed seats
- Standard Bluetooth, MP3 jack, USB port
- Available navigation system with DVD player
- Available backup camera
The Land Cruiser is intended to be off-road-capable. The rear suspension is multilink, but the rear axle is solid, which has off-road advantages but can be a detriment to ride and handling on pavement. The Land Cruiser has a Low gear in its transfer case, along with an adaptive suspension and a feature called Crawl Control that manages the throttle while the driver steers over obstacles. Mechanical features include:
- 5.7-liter V-8 makes 381 horsepower and 401 pounds-feet of torque
- Six-speed automatic transmission
- Full-time four-wheel drive
- 8,200-pound towing capacity
Standard safety features include:
- Seat-mounted side-impact airbags for first and second rows
- Side curtain airbags for all three rows
- Electronic stability system
- Active front head restraints
