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DALLAS — Toyota’s iconic Land Cruiser enters its seventh generation for 2008, positioned once again to be the standard-bearer among the ranks of true off-road-capable sport utilities.

It’s no longer an affordable vehicle for most consumers, though, and this newest generation is even farther out of reach: base price is $63,200.

But for those who aspire to the best and can pay the price, the Land Cruiser has no equal.

It’s the only line that Toyota has offered for all of its more than 50 years of doing business in the U.S. market.

The Japanese automaker developed the original Land Cruiser after World War II as a military vehicle patterned after the U.S. military jeep.

But just as the military jeep has evolved into the civilian Jeep brand with modern SUVs for on- and off-road use, the Land Cruiser has become much more than its original concept.

Last year, Toyota rolled out a revival of the earlier FJ Land Cruiser line with the introduction of the all-new compact FJ Cruiser, with prices beginning in the mid-$20,000s, giving consumers an affordable Land Cruiser.

But the big daddy is the full-size Land Cruiser. Its name is similar to that of the legendary British Land Rover, a move Toyota made on purpose when the Land Cruiser was introduced more than a half-century ago. At that time, its biggest competitor was the Land Rover.

For discerning consumers who yearn for a refined on-road vehicle that can roll up its pants and wade into the muck at will, the Land Cruiser in many ways is more fulfilling of that promise than a Land Rover product.

Both brands were developed as Third World explorers, yet the Land Cruiser benefits from Toyota’s legendary quality and dependability – qualities arguably lacking in even the most-expensive Land Rover products.

“The Land Cruiser asserts its position at the very top of the Toyota SUV lineup by building on our core heritage — durability, capability, fun-to-drive, and value,” said Jim Lentz, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., the automaker’s U.S. sales and marketing arm. “For more than 50 years, the Land Cruiser has delivered on off-road capability and performance, and this generation will raise the ante for overall capability and comfort.”

As with most of the rugged and truly capable SUVs, the new Land Cruiser has the traditional sort utility body-on-frame arrangement, rather than the unibody construction popular with today’s so-called crossover utility vehicles. Those vehicles are not rugged enough for serious off-road use and abuse.

“Beginning with the current Land Cruiser frame structure and using advanced engineering methods and lightweight components, [Toyota] engineers developed an all-new frame structure that offers superior strength and rigidity,” the automaker said. Special emphasis was placed on insulating the body from the frame to enhance ride comfort and cabin quietness.

Because the Land Cruiser is primarily used as a luxury family hauler, great care was taken to ensure it continues to be a refined vehicle with many of the ride characteristics of a premium sedan.

Yet maintaining a delicate balance with the Land Cruiser’s legendary off-road capabilities was of primary importance, Toyota said.

A more-refined version of the Land Cruiser is sold as the Lexus LX 470. “Over the past 50 years, the Land Cruiser has evolved from a basic four-wheel-drive vehicle to an upscale vehicle with the capabilities of the original,” Toby Hynes, president of Gulf States Toyota, the independent regional distributor of Toyota vehicles in Texas, said during a recent media introduction of the vehicle at the State Fair of Texas.

“This new Land Cruiser comes with the most-powerful Toyota V-8 engine,” he said, “with 381 horsepower and 401 foot-pounds of torque.”

The previous generation, introduced for 2000, was the first to get a V-8 — the same 265-horsepower, 4.7-liter that is still the base V-8 in the full-size Tundra pickup. The Land Cruiser’s new engine is the same 5.7-liter used as the optional V-8 in the redesigned Tundras built in San Antonio.

The engine is connected to a new electronically controlled six-speed automatic transmission. Fourth gear is direct drive, while fifth and sixth are overdrive gears, helping to increase fuel economy.

Land Cruiser’s new frame also includes high-strength steel and wider frame rails to make the structure safer in a crash. At the front of the frame, Toyota says, is a “three-stage crush structure so frame damage to other areas of the vehicle is minimized” if the vehicle is involved in a collision.

This is the first vehicle to use a new Toyota two-speed transfer case that provides full-time four-wheel drive.

It includes low-range gearing for severe off-road conditions. The transfer case comes with a Torsen locking center differential, activated by a switch on the dash.

A rotary dial on the instrument panel allows the driver to switch between high and low gear ranges.

New is the Land Cruiser’s Crawl control, which allows the vehicle to maintain an ultra-slow speed for off-road rock and sand crawling, similar to leaving a Jeep Wrangler in first gear with feet off the clutch and accelerator.

With the transfer case in low range, the Land Cruiser system has three speed settings, allowing the vehicle to maintain its own speed so the driver can concentrate on negotiating the course.

The brakes are larger and more powerful, with 13.4-inch ventilated front discs and 13.6-inch ventilated rear discs.

Power rack-and-pinion steering is standard, along with 18-inch aluminum wheels and P285/60 R18 mud-and-snow steel-belted radial tires. A full-size spare tire is included, a must for serious off-roading.

Maximum towing capacity is 8,500 pounds.

The maximum approach angle is 30 degrees, while the departure angle is a maximum 20 degrees.

This vehicle is designed to run on unleaded regular gas (87 octane), and comes with a 24.6-gallon fuel tank.

Preliminary EPA ratings are 13 miles per gallon city/18 highway, using the new, more-realistic 2008 EPA formula.

Safety features include Toyota’s STAR safety system, which includes four-wheel, all-terrain antilock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution; electronic stability control; traction control; hill-assist control; and a tire-pressure monitoring system.

With seating for up to eight, the Land Cruiser has roof-mounted side-curtain air bags for all three rows, along with seat-mounted front side air bags. The driver and front passenger also have knee air bags.

A new four-zone climate-control system was designed to provide heating and cooling to all three rows of seats. There are 28 air vents throughout the cabin. Front- and middle-row passengers have individual climate controls.

Standard amenities include a JBL premium audio system with six-disc, in-dash CD/DVD changer and 14 speakers; Smart Key keyless entry and pushbutton start; security system with engine immobilizer; cruise control; power moon roof; self-dimming rearview and outside mirrors; universal garage opener; steering wheel audio, telephone, and voice-recognition controls; heated power front seats with driver’s memory; and power tilt-and-telescopic steering column with memory.

Among the options are a rear-seat entertainment system with nine-inch screen; Bluetooth hand-free telephone system; back-up camera; second-row heated seats; a touch-screen navigation system with an eight-inch display; and headlight washers.

The new Land Cruiser is arriving at dealers now.