Once Around the Block

Toyota's Hefty Land Cruiser

By Steven D. Gatt, Automotive Editor

The Toyota Land Cruiser is a big vehicle--it weighs two and a half tons. It dwarfs the rest of the compact sport utility field. If there is a luxury version of the Chevy Tahoe it would compete directly with the Cruiser. With few exceptions, the Land Cruiser is a very nice vehicle.

My major objections to the vehicle are its' price and its' fuel efficiency, or lack there of. The total price of our test Land Cruiser was $48,194. I called and questioned Toyota about the seemingly extraordinary price they said that over 80% of Land Cruisers sold are optioned similar to the one we tested.

This is Toyota's top of the line SUV. This year Toyota introduced a redesigned 4-Runner to compete with the rest of the compact SUV market. They also released the RAV4 mini-SUV. To complete the lineup Lexus the luxury division of Toyota introduced the LX 450 a rebadged and even more upscale version of the Land Cruiser. Toyota has the SUV bases covered.

The Land Cruiser rides well; it sits up extremely high. The step in is a minor complaint and probably wouldn't pass the skirt test for a woman. The Cruiser features many luxurious features such as: a power moonroof, three rows of leather seating, dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, auto-off headlamps, rear heat ducts and just about power everything. Convenient grip handles are inside each door providing easier step-in for all passengers. It's so high I had to sort of hop up into the behemoth and I'm 6'4.

Toyota's reputation for quality is visible throughout this vehicle; it still remains relatively squeak free. The Land Cruiser also features a two-piece tail gate. The window with wiper goes up and the bottom half comes down. This allows one to load things over the tailgate or use the tail gate as a seat if need be.

I enjoyed my drive in the Land Cruiser and really only the price and fuel mileage were objectionable. This is an 80's vehicle--the decade of consumption without concern has it's own automotive symbol.