Living with a Toyota Land Cruiser: how does an £80,000 off-roader handle daily life?
Car changing is a big deal
Head of Video Jack Scotton has taken delivery of a Toyota Land Cruiser, and he’ll be using it as a daily driver for the next six months. We already know it’s unstoppable off-road, but how does it fare on the streets of North London?
This is my new Toyota Land Cruiser. You may have already seen this car being put through its paces in a quarry on the Carwow YouTube channel, beating the Land Rover Defender and Jeep Wrangler in a series of off-road challenges.
It’s unstoppable on the rough stuff, but at over £80,000 it also needs to work as a daily driver. That’s why I’m going to be living with this car for the next six months, using it for everything from trips to the shop to long drives up and down the country.
Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.
Living with the Toyota Land Cruiser: an introduction to my new car
Choosing a Toyota Land Cruiser is pretty simple, because there’s only one model on offer. You choose a colour, in this case Pearl White for £965, and there are a few accessories on offer as well.
You can also get a commercial version with no back seats, but I’ve got the passenger car.
Under the bonnet is a 2.8-litre diesel engine with 204hp and 500Nm of torque, and 0-60mph takes a pretty pedestrian 12.3 seconds. More importantly though, it can tow up to 3,500kg, and I might be putting it to the test as a tow rig at some point.
All Land Cruisers come with adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, panoramic roof, heated front seats and a 12.3-inch infotainment system. It’s well-equipped, but it should be at over £80,000.
First impressions of my Toyota Land Cruiser
I’ve been driving the Toyota Land Cruiser for a few weeks now, and so far I’m loving life with this big off-roader.
There’s something really relaxing about the way it drives. It feels really solid and planted on motorways, and the seats are comfy, too. I never feel like I’m in a rush in the Land Cruiser, and I can even feel my heart rate drop when I get in.
It’s also not as tricky to drive in town as you might think a massive bus like this would be. Visibility is excellent, and the boxy shape makes it easy to place through tight gaps. The only thing I do have to think about is the height when entering multi-story car parks.
I’ve also been getting around 30mpg so far, which is pretty good for a car like this. Our Jeep Wrangler will do 20mpg if you’re lucky, and that car is smaller than the Land Cruiser. Filling up is an expensive task though, because the Toyota’s tank holds around £120 worth of fuel.
I do have a couple of bug bears though. The boot lip is quite high, so loading heavy camera kit takes its toll on my back after a while. I also can’t find anywhere to store the detachable tow bar in the car, so it has to be fitted all the time. I prefer the look of the car without it, but you can’t leave it rolling around in the boot.
Other than that, I’m enjoying my time with the Land Cruiser so far. Stay tuned for updates on this car over the next few weeks.
Car change? Carwow!
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