cawimmer430

Sure, LandCruisers have always been comfortable and competent, but the new 200-Series LandCruiser pits the LandCruiser among the best in the luxury 4WD class when it comes to comfort.


No they have not.

The first Landcruisers were complete workhorses that didn't place to much emphasis on comfort at all. It's only recently, probably in the early 1990s that the Landcruiser mutated from a utilitarian workhorse into a semi-luxury SUV (and now a complete luxury SUV). Makes you wonder why the Lexus LX570 even exists?

A friend of mine in the Philippines had a mid 1980s Landcruiser which I was able to drive. It was in perfect condition too. Comfortable? Not really. The suspension was hard as hell. I could tell that it would be superb offroad, but comfortable? The seats were thin too, so there's not much comfort to speak off here.

Another thing I don't understand is why Toyota offers the Landcruiser with a gas-guzzling gasoline and diesel V8? I think some Toyota fans might not agree with me here but the Landcruiser used to be a car for offroad enthusiasts, doctors in the Sahara (or whatever). It was extremely offroad capable, reliable and economical. Now, how do you expect to travel long distances with a gas-guzzling V8 engine, both diesel and gasoline? A small gasoline and diesel V6 will do the trick easily. Proof to me at least that the Landcruiser has mutated from an affordable offroader into a pricey luxury SUV. Not really a good thing because this could actually hurt LX570 sales. Why buy the "same car" for more money when you can get the "same car" for less money?

Design wise I actually like it. It looks so much more cleaner and elegant than that hideous LX570.

monster

People who wants to buy a LX570 in the first place aren't that .......hummm..........well informed.....and if they do indeed chose to purchase the LX570 despite other vastly better cars in the market, then they probably don't care about buying the same car for more money. Lets face it, as if anyone will take their LX570 to do some serious off roading.

I saw the LX570 as well as the new LandCruiser from the motor show. They both look very similar, they even share the same wheel design. The LandCruiser looks like a Toyota, and the LX570 looks like a Toyota, both ugly.

Yaz

I agree with almost everything you said Chris.

Our LC 100 is way more comfortable than the first LC we had (it was an '84 model year). And from experience, I can tell you that it wasn't untill the LC 100 facelift came along in 2002 that Toyota emphasized on a comfortable ride. That's one reason I always left the suspension in Comfort mode, especially offroad.

As for gas, forget about it. My average consumption was around 24L/100km. But gas is cheap in the Middle East and the LC had two gas tanks. They both held about 115 Litters and would give me 600+ km.

I hope you don't mind me posting this video here monster.
This looks like the LC they caught shooting a commercial in the UAE.

monster

No worries mate , the video is a good watch.

There is one thing I don't understand. I am sure the Toyota engineers realise that to improve the LC's off-road ability, they can reduce the weight of these vehicles as well as the physical size of it so it can get through tight and difficult situations easier than having a big and heavy 4WD. They have the Prado and the Kluger in the range already to take care of the comfortable city driving roll, so why not go back to the basic with the new generation of LC.

Toyota fitted everything into the new LC and it pushes the price level very close to the RX350. The new generation of the LC looks very capable off-road, but it is just a bit too excessive for most countries.

cawimmer430

monster

Ok guys since the launch of the new LandCruiser, I have seen a few on the road, much to my surprise. I saw one coming straight at me and it took me a few sec to realise it is the new LandCruiser.

All the LandCruiser I have seen are petrol V8 versions. I have no idea why people will buy them and drive around in the city. Those things aren expensive, yet there are more than a few people who are willing to buy them here in Sydney. On average I see one or two everyday, which is more common than the previous generation LandCruiser.