2010 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER REVIEW
2010 Was a Very Good Year

By John-Fredrik Wright The Toyota Land Cruiser has a bullet proof reputation on all the continents—but particularly on the ones with the roughest terrain. Recently, we spent some time in this iconic car. There have been no changes to the car for a while, which was proved by the fact that we received a 2010 model from Toyota for our review. This gave us a chance to see how the Land Cruiser has held up through a couple of years of journalists beating on it, and one can summarize it quite quickly: This beast is hard to beat on. The Land Cruiser is huge, but we all knew that. The Land Cruiser is also fast, something we all might not have experienced. With its 5.7 liter V8 engine with 381 horses cranking out 401 pound-feet of torque, the Land Cruiser has plenty of go. And to be sitting in a car (or maybe I should say truck) of this size, and then accelerating with such ease is quite an experience.

With this immense amount of power coupled with the off-road capabilities for which the Land Cruiser is known, it’s no surprise that this car is used on so many excursions all around the world. YouTube is full of videos of Land Cruisers creeping through jungles in Africa or over snow-covered glaciers in Iceland. While we don’t have either of these landscapes in Los Angeles, we appreciate a vehicle that can maneuver in this kind of terrain. Driving in LA is a different story all together. Sure there are other large vehicles on the road, but this is huge. It definitely takes some getting used to, but once you figure out where the edges of the car are and how close other objects will look even when you aren’t that close at all, driving the Land Cruiser is not much different from driving any other large SUV in LA. The downside of the Land Cruiser is the gas mileage it gets. Rated at 13 miles-per-gallon (mpg) in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway, not only will this vehicle cost a chunk up front (test vehicle priced at $74,210), filling her up will hurt every time.

However, for the affluent, for whom the purchasing and ownership costs are not the top priority, the Land Cruiser is still a strong contender. The off-road capabilities make this an ideal car to go to that far-flung place most can only access in ATVs, or for that extremely fun daytrip to the woods and mud. It will also do well as a road-trip car (if you don’t mind the gas mileage), mainly due to the sheer size and comfort. There is enough room in the back to change from outdoorsy wear to more formal dinner attire if you are arriving late to a date from a drive in the wild. And, if you find yourself without a suitable place to sleep, I’m pretty sure the Land Cruiser can accommodate that as well (this we did not test). We look forward to seeing what Toyota has in store for Land Cruiser updates. The off-road technology might still be cutting edge, but we know that Toyota has other features that would be great to see available in this SUV. Maybe the LA Auto Show, coming up in less than three weeks, will shed some light on we should expect. For more information about Toyota products, go to www.toyota.com

SPECIFICATIONS Name of vehicle: 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser Price: $65,970 (base) $74,210 (as tested with “Upgrade Package” including navigation system) EPA fuel economy rating: 13 mpg (city) 18 mpg (highway) Engine size and type: 5.7-Liter DOHC 32-Valve V8 with Dual Independent Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) Horsepower: 381 hp @ 5600 rpm Torque: 401 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm Transmission type: 6-speed Electronically Controlled automatic Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i); sequential shift mode and uphill/downhill shift logic Drive configuration: Full-time 4WD system with Active Traction Control (A-TRAC) and Torsen® limited-slip center differential with locking feature. Steering (type): Engine speed-sensing power-assisted rack-and-pinion Suspension (front and rear): Independent double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs and stabilizer bar; 4-link rear suspension with coil springs, stabilizer bar and semi-floating axle Brakes and tires: Power-assisted 4-piston front/2-piston rear ventilated disc brakes with hydraulic brake booster with Multi-terrain 4-wheel Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA) P285/60R18 tires Dimensions: Length: 194.9 in Width: 77.6 in Height: 74.0 in Curb weight: 5765 lbs