Toyota Land Cruiser (2010 - )  

Big and tough. Good off road and good for towing. 5-speed auto only.

Expensive, and old school 4x4 to drive with very light steering. Band K VED.

Introduction

Toyota's Land Cruiser is one of those niche cars that pretty much sells itself.

Every few years Toyota rolls out a new version, which refines the basic concept, which in recent years has been a mix of ruggedness, impregnable reliability and an ever-longer equipment list.

Now it's happened again, with the latest incarnation arriving in Britain with five doors, a 3-litre turbo diesel engine and an adaptive, five-speed automatic transmission, and a variety traction control devices to help it get through genuinely hostile terrain -and the higher up the £29,795-£44,795 price range you go, the more of these things you get.

Slightly confusingly, Toyota sells two distinct Land Cruiser 4x4s; the other being a yet-bigger V8 diesel, but this car probably sells in the hundreds rather than thousands.

Its re-incarnated smaller sibling looks new-but-familiar. It's slightly lower than before, and Toyota has worked to make its hefty, high body cleave the air more efficiently, claiming the result is greater refinement and better economy.

 

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Last updated 10 January 2012
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