Toyota goes large with Land Cruiser V8

Model tested: Toyota Land Cruiser V8
Price as tested: £55,995
Range price: £55,995
Insurance group as tested: TBC
Insurance group range: TBC
Tested: December 2007, Fuerteventura
Road tester: Stuart Milne
On sale: February 15 2008
View more pictures of the Toyota Land Cruiser

The car you see in these pictures is the ultimate incarnation of the ultimate Toyota. It is the most luxurious and most capable version of the Land Cruiser yet, says the Japanese manufacturer.

Sitting above the standard Land Cruiser, this, the V8 is Toyota's answer to the Range Rover, BMW X5 and Volkswagen Touareg.

Stuart Milne took to the rough stuff on the volcanic island of Fuerteventura to put the Toyota Land Cruiser V8 through its paces.

Driver's appetite for Sport Utility Vehicles has never been stronger, in the UK or around the world. And that's despite astronomical fuel prices, and their politically incorrect image.

But unlike some manufacturers who have come to the SUV party late, the foundations of Toyota's success has been built on its Land Cruiser off-roader.

The very first Land Cruiser – or Toyota BJ to give it its proper name – hit the streets in 1951, and over eight generations it has developed from a rugged, no-nonsense Land Rover Defender clone to a luxurious go-anywhere vehicle.

And that's a history Toyota is justifiably proud of. It says true off-road ability is at the heart of any Land Cruiser, and it has been careful not to sacrifice any of it at the expense of comfort or practicality.

The new V8 will be available with just one engine; a 4.5-litre V8 diesel engine, producing 282bhp and a whopping 478lb/ft of pulling power. That's an incredible 40 per cent more power and 60 per cent more pulling power than the 4.2-litre engine from the previous Land Cruiser Amazon.

It harnesses that prodigious grunt through a six-speed automatic gearbox to all four wheels.

That means a 0-62mph time of 8.2 seconds and a top speed of 130mph.

Clever spring

But the clever stuff is saved for the suspension. The Land Cruiser V8 is fitted with the world's first four-wheel Active Height Control and Active Variable Suspension (4W AHC & AVS), which Toyota say is the most sophisticated suspension system fitted as standard to any SUV.

It links the suspension of all four wheels and controls the rate at which the springs compress and release, improving comfort, pitch and body roll control.

As a result, the Land Cruiser V8 is nothing short of sensational off-road. During a challenging 100-mile journey along some of Fuerteventura's roughest tracks and traversing the island's volcanic mountains, the V8 tackled the terrain with alarming ease.

As our convoy slowly snaked its way along rutted, boulder-strewn tracks, we had time to observe the car in front; and the way it devoured the landscape, often with only three wheels in contact with dry land.

But when we came to pass the same stretch, the V8 performed wonderfully and with a minimum of fuss, leaving us to feel it was far easier than it looked.

Simply turn a rotary dial to select the traction-improving low-range gear ratios and go.

And if the going gets even tougher, as it did on one tricky gorge, tap the centre differential lock button and it will stop the car spinning away all of its power.

We had a brief opportunity to try the Crawl Control system, which is currently only available on the petrol model for continental markets, although Toyota insiders confirmed it will be introduced to the diesel soon.

It turns the car into an 'off-roader for dummies'. The system will maintain a constant speed of 1, 3 or 5km/h up or down hill, operating the accelerator, brakes and traction control, leaving the driver to concentrate on steering.

The diesel model is fitted with Downhill Ascent Control (DAC) which operates like an intelligent ABS system to allow controlled descents down slopes.

Back on the island's two-lane black-top, the Land Cruiser V8 is more typical SUV fare. Slightly wafty, with light and vague steering; but still far better than many of its rivals.

The ride was good, although the Canary Island's roads were fantastically smooth and the car was specced with 18-inch alloys. UK cars will have larger 20-inch wheels, which although should look better, could upset the ride quality.

RAV-4's big brother

The Land Cruiser V8 isn't immediately identifiable with the standard Land Cruiser, but it shares some design cues with the smaller RAV-4 soft-roader. The RAV-4's squared-off wheel arch edges and bold grille are emphasised on this, Toyota's flagship model.

At the rear there's a hint of Volkswagen Touareg with the light units. But unlike the VW, the V8 has a split-opening tailgate.

With rivals such as the Range Rover and BMW X5, the Land Cruiser V8 needs to score well with its interior. The Range Rover has one of the best-looking cabins installed in any car, and its German rivals all feature solid build quality.

On the second measure, the 'Cruiser is among the best – there's no evidence to suggest any of the interior will break if subjected to abuse. The quality of construction and materials used are in line with its £56,000 price tag.

The interior looks contemporary, and remarkably Lexus-like with its iridescent speedo needles and 32,000-colour sat-nav. But don't be fooled by the wood-grain 'effect' trim – it's more like tortoiseshell.

Toyota has loaded the V8 with stacks of kit – 20-inch alloys, electrically-operated leather seats, four-zone climate control and a nine-speaker Pioneer audio system are all standard.

A combination of two optional packs are available: the £1,850 DVD screen 'ICE' pack and the £1,125 12-speaker, 440-watt JBL Audio Pack, which also includes iPod integration.

There's masses of space in the car and the driving position is lofty and comfortable, especially with a combination of electrically-operated seats and steering column.

UK models come with a third row of seats, which are easy to access with the seat behind the front passenger having a 'one-touch tumble' facility to aid entry. The two third row seats pop out from their storage positions against each side of the boot.

Third row legroom can be improved, by sliding the second row forward up to 105mm.

Luggage capacity varies from 259 litres with the third row of seats in place to 701 when they're stowed. Fold the second row and space rises to more than 1,265 litres.

Priced at £55,995, the Land Cruiser V8 undercuts many of its rivals. Toyota says a similarly-equipped Audi Q7 costs an additional £2,390, while a Range Rover will set the first owner back a staggering £11,110 extra.

And Toyota's reputation for reliability – particularly with the Land Cruiser, which proved a massive success in the tough Paris-Dakar rally –meaning it should rarely see the inside of a dealership apart from servicing, which occur every 10,000 miles or a health check and 20,000 for a major service.

The predicted group 18 could be pricey, but it's in line with its rivals, and Toyota say the 4.5-litre V8 engine, constructed from strong and light compacted graphite iron, is the lowest emissions and fuel consumption in its class.

That means headline figures of 27.7mpg on average, while emitting 270g/km of CO2 (after the car has been retro-fitted with a pollutant-reducing Diesel Particulate Filter), placing it into tax Band G, which currently costs £300 per year, but will rise to £400 in April 2008.

14 airbags

Toyota boasts the Land Cruiser V8 is fitted with 14 airbags as standard, including head, side and knee 'bags for the front occupants, side airbags for the first and second row and curtain 'bags for all three rows. It also features a newly-developed pre-crash safety system which tensions the seatbelts when a crash is imminent.

The Land Cruiser's 'body-on-frame' structure is said to offer improved safety, refinement and driving dynamics over the cheaper one-piece monocoque configuration preferred by many of its rivals.

Toyota says the Land Cruiser V8 will be bought by those who respect its off-road ability. But in truth it's more likely to be bought as an alternative to a luxury saloon or a similar SUV.

The big V8 fulfils both ends of that very well indeed, and is a worthy rival to its Teutonic rivals and the brit Bruiser, the Range Rover.