Toyota Land Cruiser Is Durable Rather Than Speedy Off-roader

By Author: William Johan
Total Articles: 7
Comment this article

Toyota Land Cruiser Is Durable Rather Than Speedy Off-Roader

Off roaders that are actually competent off-road are becoming harder to find, with most 4x4s designed mainly for tarmac roads than muddy tracks. But the Toyota Land Cruiser sticks to its conventional ancestry as a vehicle that has the aptitude to go pretty much wherever. On complicated terrain it's immensely inspiring, helped by stylish and authentically useful off-road systems, allowing it to undertake apparently impenetrable ground. Unluckily it's not so excellent on road, especially compared to choices like the Land Rover Discovery. It can feel a bit awkward and clumsy. On the plus side, it's enormously sophisticated, extremely well equipped and most models come with seven seats as standard. Add in Toyota's brilliant track record for consistency and build quality and the Land Cruiser is a secure, if not essentially thrilling, option.

The all new 5.7 Litters V8 is a rock where power comes with confidence. It is a Land Cruiser's Double Overhead Cam (DOHC) 32-valve V8 which develops 381 horsepower and 401 lb.-ft. of torque, but that's only piece of the ...
... chronicle. It is equipped with the modern technologies such as Dual Independent Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) and an Acoustic Control Induction System (ACIS) that help maximize useable power throughout the rpm array, so you can make molehill out of mountains. It was introduced in 2013 models of Land Cruiser.

Before this petrol option there was just one engine available in the Land Cruiser, a 3.0-litre D-4D diesel that develops 188bhp along with huge quantity of pulling power from just 1,600rpm. It's a truly quiet and calm engine, even on start-up, and never becomes harsh while its smooth nature makes it peaceful for motorway cruising. It has respectable in-gear speed too along with a 0-62mph benchmark time of 11.7 seconds, but while it's physically powerful, it hardly ever feels predominantly swift. On the plus side, fuel economy is a constructive 35mpg compared to 31mpg in the previous Land Cruiser and a large 87 litter fuel tank means it can take a trip more than 650 miles on a full fuel tank.

The five speeds automatic is a standard gearbox which delivers smooth if not expressly fast changes. It does occasionally require to be provoked to kick down, although there is a manual approach which allows you to pick gears yourself. It may be a more competent off-roader than cars such as the BMW X5 or Volvo XC90, but most Land Cruisers will still use up the majority of their time on tarmac, rather than down muddy tracks. This model is more inflexible prior to LC4 and LC5 models come with a complicated suspension system designed to reduce body roll on road. It works to a certain degree, but the Land Cruiser hardly ever feels supple or agile, in fact it can be quite weighty in tight corners.

The steering is sluggish and requires more turns in corners than you'd be expecting. It also feels very non-natural and inspires little poise when grave on. However, where the Land Cruiser really excels is in true off-road situation. Few 4x4s can match its capability to deal with truly uneven terrain. As well as a high and low ratio transmission, and a limited slip differential, there are numerous intelligent off-road systems including Multi-terrain Select (MTS) on LC5 models. This has four modes depending on the ground loose rock, mud and sand, rock and tycoon.

William Johan is an expert in Toyota Land Cruiser Engine. Please read Ideal Engines Reviews and call us at 442085960396