Alternative review of Toyota Land Cruiser

The great outdoors is all well and good but when you've got a large family that likes to get out into it at every opportunity, often with a vast collection of equipment in tow, you're faced with a problem. The problem being that there are very few cars on the market that can do the job. Four-wheel drive is a must if you're heading out in to the wilds and plenty of space is vital if you're taking the whole family with you. Of the big 4x4s on the market, some can't deliver the goods off-road so would need to be accompanied by a tractor and a stout tow rope at all times. Others are prohibitively expensive and come with the kind of bling styling accessories and luxurious interiors that don't respond well to being dashed against rocks or caked in mud. That only leaves models like the Toyota Land Cruiser, a 4x4 which actually fits the off road family car role like a glove.

You gotta love the Land Cruiser's no-nonsense approach to interior design. If intricate design and soft-touch plastics are your thing, the Cruiser's cabin may not be for you but there's a bundle of space in there and the build quality is such that you'll have no qualms about dishing out some rough treatment or getting in without fixing a pair of carrier bags over your muddy boots. Equipment levels - never a Land Cruiser Achilles heel - are very generous in the current models. The LC4 and Invincible grades receive a more sophisticated satellite navigation system equipped with ETA Electronic Traffic Avoidance. This monitors real-time traffic information via an FM radio signal, detecting delays on routes programmed into the sat-nav system, in turn offering the driver an alternate route skirting the jams. If that's not enough, the flagship Invincible model includes all this plus a DVD in-car entertainment system. Loading the top of the range model to the gunwales is all well and good, but Toyota have also spread the good news across the rest of the line-up. All Land Cruisers now get cruise control and a passenger seatbelt warning indicator. LC3 models benefit from a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearknob set while LC4, and Invincible versions are fitted with a wheel cover for the tailgate-mounted spare. The LC2 model, previously the entry point into Land Cruiser ownership, has been deleted from the range. This gives the somewhat misleading impression that the Land Cruiser has become pricier but in fact prices have been raised by around two per cent.

You have to admire the Land Cruiser's focus. At a time when manufacturers are intend on offering us 4x4s that handle like coupes or have interiors with MPV-style flexibility, the big Toyota sticks to its guns in offering real off-road ability in a ruggedly practical package. This is a proper old-school 4x4. It means that a Land Cruiser is not as at home in the multi-storey car park or on the school run as some of its road-biased competitors but it is comfy and, once you've got to grips with its size, perfectly manageable. Fast cornering or sharp braking causes it to lean and wallow around a bit but drive in a smooth manner and this is greatly reduced. Venture off-road and the Land Cruiser comes into its own. The diesel engine is a cracker and feels utterly bulletproof with huge reserves of pulling power. The 171bhp power output isn't huge but the benefit of 410Nm of torque between 1,600 and 2,800rpm is really felt, especially in sticky situations. The oil burner has also had its act cleaned up in recent times with noxious emissions reduced and 30mpg economy isn't bad for a vehicle of the Land Cruiser's size. The manual gearbox isn't the sweetest shifting 'box in the world and the additional ratio seems to nullify the advantage of the extra torque to a certain extent. Best to opt for the automatic, now extended to the entry level LC3 variant. Acceleration is strong, the manual diesel car hitting 60mph in around 11 seconds and running on to a top speed of 108mph. If you're at all serious about off roading, the Land Cruiser will be your idea of heaven. With class-leading ground clearance and a whole raft of high tech electronic aids, you'll need to be pretty determined or breathtakingly hamfisted to get one of these stuck. The Downhill Assist Control (DAC) is Toyota's take on Land Rover's Hill Descent Control, a system which ensures that when negotiating a tricky downhill slope, the vehicle never exceeds brisk walking pace. Instead of leaving it at this, Toyota have reversed the thinking and have become the first manufacturer to introduce Hill-start Assist Control (HAC). This detects when the vehicle is slipping backwards or wheelspinning when starting on a gradient and automatically feathers the brakes and throttle to maintain an easy getaway.

I'd certainly get on well with a Land Cruiser. Too many modern 4x4s have evolved into exercises in style over substance but here's one that has substance oozing from every panel gap. There aren't many true off-roaders left and that's a shame for those that really need them but as long as the Toyota Land Cruiser soldiers on, there'll be at least one model for active outdoorsy families to fall back on.

TOP 5 LANDCRUISER DEALS

The results below show the top LANDCRUISER deals on buyacar

Toyota Landcruiser 4.5 D-4D V8 [Premium ICE] 5dr Auto Land Cruiser V8 Diesel Sw
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Toyota Landcruiser 3.0 D-4D LC3 3dr [173] Land Cruiser Diesel Sw
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Toyota Landcruiser 3.0 D-4D LC3 5dr Auto [173] 5 Seats Land Cruiser Diesel Sw
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