mmarshall

By CL member request, a Review of the 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser.


http://www.toyota.com/landcruiser/trims-prices.html


In a Nutshell: Big, beefy, thirsty, plush, expensive, and about as comfortable as an off-roader can get.















(right off the truck....before PDI)






The Toyota Land Cruiser was introduced decades ago, back in 1965, as a Japanese-designed alternative to the British Land Rovers and the American ******/Kaiser Jeeps (in fact, the original Land cruiser's front-styling lives on today in the Toyota FJ Cruiser, a 4Runner dervitive). The original Land Cruiser, while capable off-road like the Jeeps, Ford Broncos, and Land Rovers of their time, was crude, uncomfortable, and, in some cases, potentially unsafe features. Consumer Reports rated the original mid-60's version Not Acceptable because the fuel lines and plumbing ran, exposed, right through the cabin, with no protection at all for occupants if they leaked.

However, in the Third World, the Land Cruiser, like the British Land Rover, went on to become an enormous success, acclimating itself to jungles, mountains, plains, deserts, snow/tundra......literally, almost anywhere. They became a common sight in the more remote parts of Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, and even our own American West. They also, like most Toyota products, had substantially better reliability than Land Rovers. The rather crude engineering and fuel-plumbing design of the original ones quickly became history, and each succeeding version became larger, heavier, more comfortable, and better-engineered. Lexus, Toyota's upmarket division, eventually adpoted a version of it....the LX, and, because the Land Cruiser by then was already so well-equipped, didn't need to add much besides a little more wood trim, a trick electronic height-adjustable suspension, and the longer Lexus warranty.

And, of course, Land cruisers became more expensive......LOTS more expensive. Today's Land Cruiser, for good reason, costs almost as much as its Lexus LX570 cousin.....aside from a few extra features on the LX, there really isn't much difference between the two vehicles. For 2009, in the American market, the Land Cruiser is offered in one trim/model line, starting at $64,755.....easily the most expensive of regular Toyota production models. All come with the same 5.7L, I-Force, 32-valve V8 used in the sister Toyota Tundra and Sequoia models, a 6-speed automatic transmission, sophisticated, locking, Torsen differentials, full-time electronic AWD/4WD/4WD Lock, and a rock-solid frame/chassis that combines unibody AND a truck ladder-fame for maximum strength and noise control. I was not able to actually test it off-road, as I live in a large, highly urbanized/suburban area where it is very difficult to do so, but most organizations and auto magazines who have done so report that it is one of the best and most comfortable off-roaders in the world. Today, it still roughly competes with the British Range Rover, Mercedes G and GL-wagons, shorter-wheelbase versions of the Cadillac Escalade/Lincoln Navigator, the Hummer H2, and, of course, ironically, its own Lexus LX570 cousin.

For the review, I chose a black Land Cruiser with the expensive Upgrade Package ($7245). Details coming up.




Model Reviewed: 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Base Price: $64,755


Options:

Upgrade Package: $7245

Carpet/Floor Mats: $209


Destination/Freight: $745

List Price as Reviewed: $72,954



Drivetrain: Full-time AWD/4WD, Longitutional-mounted 5.7L 32-valve V8, 381 HP @ 5600 RPM, Torque, 401 Ft-lbs. @ 3600 RPM, 6-speed overdrive automatic transmission, Locking Torsen limited-slip center differential.


EPA Mileage Rating: 13 City, 18 Highway



Exterior Color: Black

Interior: Beige Leather/Wood trim.




PLUSSES:


As a truck, escapes the Federal Gas-Guzzler tax, despite being one.

Silky-smooth, quiet engine and transmission.

Stump-pulling torque in the lower gears (but the weight takes its toll).

Smooth, even brake pedal response with only minor sponginess.

Good wind/road noise isolation.

Good ride comfort for an SUV.

Unitized body combined with truck-type ladder frame means enormous frame/chassis stiffness.

Excellent off-road capability (though I didn't have the chance to actually test it off-road).

Excellent ULEV-II Ultra-low Emissions rating in spite of large engine and poor fuel mileage.

Numerous electronic grade/control features help off-roading.

Somewhat dull but generally good-looking (IMO) exterior paint colors.

Good-to-excellent black paint job (minor orange peel)

Hood gas struts/insulation pad.

Well-done exterior trim.

Fairly solid sheet metal/doors.

Nice, large running boards help entry/exit.

Handsome 5-spoke alloy wheels.

Slick shifter motion despite the zig-zag.

Excellent interior wood/light-gray-metallic trim.

Big, beefy, Hulk-Hogan-solid interior door-grabs and release handles.

Padded inner-knee-rests on lower-dash/center console.

Dual net-pockets behind the front seats.

Excellent stereo sound.

Beefy, hefty, wood/leather steering wheel.

Clear, easy-to-read gauges/buttons.

Standard ammeter gauge.

Nice, backlit, aqua-blue instrument lights.

Rear stereo and climate-control systems.

Semi-soft-texture on upper dash.

Good but not excellent front/headroom.

Good front/rear legroom.

Good interior hardware.

Handy, plush-fabric, dual-function sun visors.

Big, solid hand-grabs built into the A-Pillars.

Dual-purpose, upper/lower hatch/tailgate.

Dual, side-folding third-row seats.

Third-row seats small, but less-cramped than most.

Remote seat-releases in cargo area.

Yes.....a REAL spare tire

Nice, plush carpeting on trunk floor.

Fairly hefty towing capacity.






MINUSES:


Atrocius fuel mileage by today's standards.

Almost as expensive as its Lexus LX570 cousin.

Heavy weight/drag eats up engine power.

Very tight underhood layout.

High front end/hoodline too high for shorter people to access underhood.

Fake hood power-bulges.

Slow steering response.

Moderate body roll from high center of gravity.

Antiquated battery.

Tall roofline hard to wash/clean.

Tacky rear spoiler.

Thin plastic side-mirror housings.

Zig-zag shifter pattern not as convienent as fore-aft motion.

Well-marked but complex NAV/climate control system.

Park-bench-flat seat cushions lack support.

Brake pedal poorly located for big shoes.

Seat leather, IMO, not smooth/plush enough for a 70K vehicle.

Slight orange peel in black paint.

Spare tire location under vehicle hard to reach.





EXTERIOR:

Walking up to the new Land Cruiser, its general shape and styling, at first, can be confused with the somewhat smaller Highlander, but, as you get closer, the Land Cruiser's size and bulk becomes unmistakable. The 2010 model would absolutely dwarf the original 1965 model, which was smaller than today's Jeep Wrangler. It's not the biggest SUV on the market, of course...that honor, which once belonged to the discontinued Ford Excursion and Hummer H1, now rests with GM's long-wheelbase Suburban/Yukon/Denali/Escalade and Ford's Expedition/Navigator XL. But the Land Cruiser definitely takes up its share of real estate in the parking lot. The roofline is so high that only an NBA center can reach up and across it with a sponge to clean it. Ditto the high hoodline and the difficulty of some people reaching over it into the engine compartment (more on that below). The exterior sheet metal is generally solid and well-done, and the paint job, in black, was well-done but showed some very minor orange peel (this is typical of newer Toyota black paint jobs, but the other colors seem to be a little smoother). The paint colors offered, like on many vehicles, are somewhat dull for my tastes, but the blue, green, and red, IMO, are reasonably good-looking. The doors are solid and close with a reasonable "thunk", but nothing like the incredible swinging-bank-vaults on the Mercedes G-Wagen (the Gelandewagen...don't confuse it with the newer Mercedes GL).

Most of the outside trim/hardware was generally solid and well-done, and the plastic chrome grille feels far more solid than the ultra-flimsy ones that debuted on the second-generation Toyota Tundra a few years ago, one of the Land Cruiser's cousins. The rear spoiler, though, above the upper hatch, looked and felt a little tacky. And the twin outside mirrors on each side had thin, flimsy-feeling plastic housings that felt unsubstantial (this was also a problem on the second-generation Tundra). The outside mirrors rotate, but don't snap/swivel/lock in the usual sense because they are controlled by the pre-set mirror-memory-system. Of course, you can adjust them individually with the regular power-mirror switch inside. I liked the look of the silver, 5-spoke, mag-style alloy wheels, and they were shod with fairly high-profile, 60-series tires for ride comfort. The tires, though, had a mild off-road tread, which prevented the already nice quiet ride from being even quieter (more on that below). High-profile tires, of course, are also necessary for off-roading where you will encounter sharp bumps, logs, rocks, etc......which could compress and damage low-profile tires and wheels. A nice, substantial set of running-boards on each side of the lower-body aids entry and exit, especially for shorter persons. The running boards, along with splash guards, also help prevent lower-body paint damage from on-road and off-road debris.




UNDERHOOD:

Raise the large, solid hood and you are greeted with a nice set of gas struts to hold it up and a nice insulation pad to abdsorb engine noise....both, of course, expected in a vehicle of this price. Unfortunately, the hoodline itself is so high that shorter people may have a hard time peering over it into the actual engine compartment, which is a long stretch. The hood also, on the upper side, has two fake power-bulges in it that more or less simulate the look of the old 4WD Dodge Power-Wagons of many years ago. The big, longitudinal-mounted, 5.7L I-Force V8 fits in quite tightly, with little room around the front or sides of the engine to work on it, and a huge, silver-plastic engine cover blocks everything from above. I usually complain about layouts like this, although, in this case, it probably makes little difference, since the underhood compartment is so high and difficult for shorter people to bend over and reach things anyway. Dipsticks, reservoirs, and filler-caps are reasonably easy to access, if you are tall enough to reach over to get to them. The battery, on the front right, is not covered and is generally easy for tall people to access, but, instead of a modern, maintenance-free battery, it had the old-style, plastic, screw-off cell caps to add water manually. Strange, in a vehicle of this class.




INTERIOR:

The interior of the Land Cruiser is, overall, quite an impressive place to be, despite a few quirks.....but VERY few. I found almost nothing to criticize inside except for the overly-flat seat cushions that gave little support, seat leather that, in a 70K vehicle, could be a little smoother and plusher-feeling, and the usual complex integrated NAV/stereo/climate control system.

But aside from that, the interior is superb.......light-years ahead of the cheap, flimsy interior that debuted on the 2006 Tundra that this vehicle traces a lot of its roots to. The steering wheel is beefy, solid-feeling, and has superb wood/leather trim on the rim. The primary gauges are clear, well-designed, and have pleasant, back-lit, elecro-luminescent light blue lighting. A standard ammeter gauge takes the place of the usual red idiot light. Most of the interior hardware is solid and well-done. The buttons/*****, likewise, are solid, well-marked, and are generally easy to use except for the usual complexity in the NAV/climate/stereo integration. The stereo sound is excellent, right on the border of being superb.....since this is such an expensive vehicle, I put on Blackie Lawless and W.A.S.P., a classic head-pounding Heavy Metal group, singing "Fistful of Diamonds", a song about making bundles of money on Wall Street. All of the wood trim (on the beige interior) and the light-gray metallic trim, though some of the metallic trim was painted instead of actual aluminum, was, neverless, very well-done, almost to Audi standards. The upper-dash had a nice semi-soft, textured-black surface. There were nice padded knee-rests on the edges of the center console for the driver and passenger to rest their inboard knees.......something I rarely see in a vehicle. Dual front climate control systems and front/rear stereo/climate-control keep both front and rear-seat occupants comfortable and entertained (yes, Blackie and W.A.S.P. sound great no matter what seat you're in). Headroom was fine up front and OK in the rear, though I, at 6' 2", was about on the limit for rear headroom, under the sunroof housing. The headliner had nice plush fabric, large, beefy grab-handles are built into the A-Pillars, and the nicely-padded, soft-fabric sun visors had a dual-function pullout/swing-away feature that had extensions cover both the top of the windshield ahead of you and the top of the side windows as well. This is not the first time I have seen that feature, but few vehicles ave it. The inside door handles and grab-pulls built into the door panels were some of the largest, simplest, and most well-designed I've ever seen, with a Hulk-Hogan-beef/solidness that has to be seen to be believed. Legroom was fine, both front and rear, and the backs of both front seats have dual net-pockets in them. The split-rear seat folds down, along with the split-3rd-row seat, for added cargo space (more on the 3rd-seat folding below), and a pull-down armrest, with integrated cupholders, is in the middle. All in all, an extremely well-done interior worthy of the vehicle's high price.




CARGO AREA/TRUNK:

The large, solid cargo hatch is actually a split-clamshell design where the larger top portion swings up and away, over your head, and the smaller, lower part swings down and extends out like a traditional pickup-truck tailgate. the lower part is solid as a rock, and seems to have been designed for tailgate parties and/or loading heavy things. This is something else that Toyota seems to have worked on, as second-generation Tundra tailgates, at first, had quite flimsy sheet metal, and often dented, warped, or buckled with heavy loads. The inside walls of the cargo area are a hard-surface, but the thick, soft, beige plush carpeting on the floor is quite nice (you will probably need a rubber cargo-bed protector to keep that carpet nice). Remote levers on each side of the walls help fold the 3rd-row seat. The seat doesn't drop down into the floor like most of them do (you'll find out why in a second), but, instead, each side (it is a split-seat) folds up and to each side, along the walls, in a dual motion. The squarish roofline, of course, is high enough so that, with the 3rd-row seat down, there is a pretty fair amount of available cargo space.

Now.....why doesn't the 3rd-row seat fold down and under like on many SUV's? Well, when I went to hunt for the spare, I found out why. Underneath the rear of the vehicle, in the back, just forward of the rear bumper, lies......can you believe it?.......what appears to be a REAL spare tire and alloy wheel. Not a temporary. Not a donut. Not a cheap-a** bottle of Fix-A Flat. Yes, it's difficult to reach, and is in an awkward place, but, from what I could tell, it is a REAL spare tire...something that I thought was virtually extinct in new vehicles. Kudos to Toyota. For once, I'm not going to complain about the usual cost-cutting by using substitutes for a real spare. So, that explains why the 3rd-row seat folds up and to the side.....the spare tire underneath the rear of the vehicle prevents it from folding down and under like most of them do.




ON THE ROAD:

Start up the big I-Force V8 with a proximity fob and a nice START button. The engine comes to life with the silky-smoothness and quiet of a Lexus powerplant.....not surprising, since this engine is also used in the Land Cruiser's Lexus LX570 cousin. The 401 ft-lbs. of torque, in 4WD Low, is enough to pull out tree stumps, but, in normal driving, the weight and AWD drag of this large, heavy vehicle saps a good deal of the engine's power. It will get out of its own way, especially with the transmission control set to POWER, and there is enough power for everyday driving, but don't expect a big giant shove back in your seat when you hit the gas. And don't expect to pass many gas pumps, either. Power, weight, a non-aero body style, and a lot of accessories means that you're not going to win any economy runs, even with the 6-speed overdrive gears in the transmission. But you WILL roll down the road in comfort, smoothly and quietly, sitting high up like a king.

The 6-speed transmission, with grade uphill/downhill logic and hill-start features suited for an off-roader, is silky-smooth and quiet, just like the engine. It cruises and shifts seamlessly, whether in full-automatic mode or in the manual-shift gate (there are no paddle-shifters). The shift lever has a nice solid feel, and has nice a sikly-smooth shift action/fell despite the awkward zig-zag shift pattern. I often complain about zig-zag shift patterns, but, IMO, if automanufacturers are going to continue to use them, this is the way to do it. The transmission has the aforementioned POWER mode and a SNOW mode, for slick surfaces,that limits engine torque to minimize wheelspin.

The chassis/suspension, despite the frame's rugged stiffness and off-road capability, is surprisingly comfortable for this type of vehicle (or should I, again, say not surprising, since it is also used on the Lexus LX570 in an even more advanced, electronic form). Ride comfort, on pavement (I couldn't try it off-road) is on the soft side (the way I like it). Most bumps are only mildly felt or not at all.....and I did find some rough patches of road construction to verify that. The downside, of course, like it often is with a conventional soft suspension, is rather slow and sluggish steering response, though the steering action itself is as smooth as honey. There is a little body roll, but not as much as you'd expect. wind noise was very well-muted (remember, again, this is basically a Lexus), and road noise was fairly quiet...it probably would have been even quieter if not for the tread design of the semi-off-road tires. The brakes were well-done, with smooth pedal feel, only a small amount of sponginess, even response, and reasonable effectiveness considering the size and weight of the vehicle.....this is no Porsche 911. The only fly in the brakes' ointment was a pedal that was rather awkwardly-placed.....a little too high and close to the gas pedal for my big size-15 shoes. That means what it usually does in a case like this...care must be taken not to have my shoe momentarily hang up on the bottom of the brake pedal when lifting it off the gas pedal. And, I did notice a very slight pulsation and thump in the brake pedal under certain conditions (not ABS-related, I know what ABS feels like), so my particular test car might (?) have had a small problem with a front rotor...either runout or, in some cases, irregular rust/corrosion, which can cause the same effect. This, of course, would be a sample problem, not a design defect, so I didn't list it as a formal complaint with the car itself. Out-of-round/out-of balance tires/wheels/brakes are among the most common problems I find on both new and used cars......usually, of course, more likely on a used one.


THE VERDICT:

There's little question that the Land Cruiser is one of the most comfortable (despite the flat seat cushions), well-built, competent, and versatile vehicles of its type on the market, with a superbly done interior. Its reliability exceeds that of most of its competition (except for the Lexus, of course), and vastly exceeds that of the Range Rover. It combines riding comfort with good towing and off-road ability, something that many vehicles cannot do. Its approach, breakover, and departure angles for off-roading, of course, are not as high as smaller off-roaders with less overhang, like the Jeep Wrangler and Suzuki Vitara, so it is not as nimble over sharp rocks and obstacles without bottoming out, but few owners, of course, would take a vehicle this expensive out into conditions that would scratch and scuff it to start with. The Land Cruiser comes with almost every comfort/convienience item you can think of (even more so in its Lexus twin), and, if you don't mind getting it dirty or scratched, can be used almost anywhere, as evidenced by its continuing popularity today in the Third World.

But all this, of course, has to be measured against its bulk in parking spaces, its somewhat slow, sluggish steering response, its voracious thirst for fuel, its difficulty of service/access underhood for DIY'ers, and, of course, its clean-out-your-bank-account price. And, another, more difficult social problem can also arise with large SUV's. I myself am a firm believer in the auto buyer's freedom of choice and the right to buy and drive whatever he or she wants to and can afford, free of harassment, but modern political correctness doesn't always see it that way. Large trucks/SUV's are not only seriously frowned upon in some areas (California in particular is notorious for this), and not socially accepted, but, in extreme cases, SUV's have actually been vandalized by so-called "Eco-Terrorists" (yes, the FBI even has a crime-class for this). So, obviously, the moral and political issues about buying a large SUV like the Land Cruiser have to be looked at and decided on an individual case-by-case basis with each potential buyer......they are obviously beyond the scope of something that I could (or would) give a clear recommendation for in a simple auto review. And, last, with the upcoming new CAFE mileage standards, which do, to an extent, now include trucks, vehicles like this may not be around much longer....maybe 4-5 years at most.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Nice review Mike.

So, you think that vehicles like this may not be around after 4-5 years? Even though there is a niche, do you think the LC/LX will live on?

When the LC was up for a redesign, I thought that it was gonna get the ax; with the LX570 taking it's place. Surprisingly, the LC and the LX were introduced at the same time, with almost the same price tag and little differentiation other than some wood trim and luxury amenities. Was that a good move on ToMoCo's part? Should they just have stuck with the LX only in the U.S?

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Great review Mike...I would agree overall. I actually prefer the interior of the LC to that of the LX. I know the Lexus uses slightly nicer materials, but I like the darker wood and overall design, inside and out, much more.

Thanks

pagemaster

Wow! Thanks mmarshall...After reading the review. It seems like you really connected with the Land Cruiser...I am not sure but I have always felt Toyota does not worry about the styling/marketing/looks with the Land Cruiser as they do the functionality/ability/cred of the Land Cruiser...(we discussed in another thread that you think carmakers should focus on cars and not the marketing)...and I think this is a prime example...Land Cruiser is the real deal.

Land Cruiser shows very little bling but still has a 1600lb payload (more than almost all Tundras), lots of features, rock solid, old school tailgate and feels built tough....also very safe...Pre crash/ten airbags.

Great review! I will pick it apart a little later.

pagemaster

I think the price of the Land Cruiser is justified. It is one of the safest SUV you can be in with 10 airbags, pre crash, dual range ABS. Also the features are all there...except hard drive and cooling seats. There is 4 zone, 28 hvac vents, 4 heated seats, real payload and serious powertrain engineering.........the thing I noticed most about the Land Cruiser is the lack of cost cutting here and there.

Toyota 4runner Limited comes with a full size spare and matching alloy wheels.

I think you might be right about this.

The Land Cruiser is built for 100+ countries in the world (just not Canada ) and the smaller dimensions are because people around the world are not as big as people in North America.

Sadly..the Sequoia "shudders" when you shut the door

pbm317

You say that the Land Cruiser traces its roots back to the Tundra, which I'm pretty certain it doesn't. The Land Cruiser is a completely different platform/chassis from the Tundra. The Sequoia is based off the Tundra. While the Land Cruiser might share an engine/transmission with the Tundra, I don't believe the vehicles are related architecturally.

The 3rd row seat doesn't fold down due to the present of a full size spare tire. It has more to do with the fact that the Land Cruiser doesn't have an independent rear suspension, which is more compact, and would allow for a fold flat seat. The Sequoia does have an independent rear suspension, which allows for its fold flat 3rd row.

pagemaster

I believe the Land Cruiser powertrain and chasis were developed alongside the Tundra. The Land Cruiser uses from what I understand is a version of the Tundra rear end and now finally has a double wishbone suspension up front similar to Tundra/Sequoia. Development of the Tundra/LX/Sequoia and Land Cruiser mechanicals likely happend together.

You are right about the Sequoia being based off the Tundra...but the they don't build the Tundra/Sequoia alongside one another.

Yes the fact that the Land Cruiser does not have an IRS is why the rear seats don't fold down. The Sequoia spare is mounted out back.

mmarshall

Depends on how well Toyota can improve its whole fleet average mileage. The CAFE standard doesn't necessarily cover every vehicle, but it may not be easy for a gas-guzzler like this to fit into it, even with a diesel or hybrid powertrain. They would probably have to switch it to a non-petroleum fuel such as ethanol or propane.

Perhaps. As I see it, these two vehicles more or less compete with each other, though the LX has a few features the Land Cruiser doesn't, and a better warranty.

mmarshall

Sure. Anytime.

Both of these vehicles have superb interiors. It is hard, IMO, to really choose one over the other. The Lexus may (?) have a little more sound insulation, but the Toyota runs pretty quietly as it is....and would probably be even quieter with different tires.

rdgdawg

As always, GREAT review... and, for me, even more reason to purchase a GX470 over the LC...

mmarshall

I didn't really comment on whether the price was justified or not. Perhaps it is. This vehicle was (apparantly) not built to a budget like many of today's mass-produced vehicles are.

In that case, the Lexus GS470, the 4Runner's cousin, probably will also. I haven't fully reviewed either one lately.




There's not a whole lot about this vehicle that could really be considered in the "small" department, even if non-Americans tend to be less-corpulent than those here in North America.


I did a review of the Sequoia a while ago and was generally not impressed.

mmarshall

Thanks. You'll get a smaller, perhaps less-comfortable vehicle, but also the Lexus warranty and good service.

mmarshall

The drivetrain, as you note, is very similiar. There are some differences in the frame/chassis, especially with the LC's combination of BOTH unibody and box-ladder frame for rigidity.

True, but the spare-tire placement also plays a big role.

mmarshall

Correct. One other difference, though, is that the LC uses a locking Torsen LSD differential. I don't think the Tundra does.


Yes. But, as I replied above, though, the spare-tire location also plays a role.

LexusChris

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the review Mike, there is not too many reviews around for the new Land Cruiser, it's interesting to see more LX570s out on the road than the Land Cruiser.