Toyota’s new Land Cruiser is desirable but expensive too

What makes the new Toyota Land Cruiser so special? Many farmers and agricultural contractors have been looking forward to its arrival and there has been lots of speculation about what it will have to offer.

Part of the reason for this pent-up interest is that it has been 16 years since the Land Cruiser got a significant upgrade; a long wait in today’s ever changing motoring world.

A new look, more safety features, more comfort and better towing ability are all included, but it’s not just as simple as that when it comes to the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Toyota, like all modern car manufacturers has followed the move towards more autonomous safety features in the new Land Cruiser to meet European compliance rules. For rural drivers, that means getting used to a constant concert of sensor beeps around almost every country road corner.

There’s lots more new technology in this Land Cruiser, and when it comes to navigating the menu programme, it takes a little getting used to. Most of these beeping sensors can be disabled but it takes an effort.

It is worth the effort though, especially for rural drivers where crossing the white lines on typical rural R roads is part of everyday driving to avoid the emerging annual hedge growth from now on and for keeping an eye on what’s happening on neighbouring fields.

Is it worth the wait? This new Land Cruiser has been slow in coming to Ireland, with its first sighting at the 2024 National Ploughing Championship. And those who want to opt for the commercial version will have to wait even longer.

Toyota says that it expects that around 3,000 units will be built for Europe, so Irish Land Cruiser buyers will have to wait, given that Irish annual sales have been half that figure.

Improved

This new Land Cruiser is a solid 4x4 that’s significantly improved from the older model. While the engine is marginally smaller in terms of cubic capacity, there’s more power and torque available.

Add to that the slightly heavier vehicle than the Land Cruiser that it replaces and that all contributes to a solid 3.5 tonne maximum towing capacity.

This Land Cruiser is built around an old-school ladder chassis frame that is claimed to be 50% more rigid and strong, with all the rest of the bits bolted on. That gives it the strength to keep going but doesn’t always guarantee the best of comfort. To be fair, Toyota has improved the comfort levels and out on the roads it’s impressively smooth to drive.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox adds to the driving feel, because it delivers a smooth gear change. In the top gear and out on the motorway, you can cruise at 120km/hr with the engine barely ticking over at 1800rpm.

That should help with the economy figures, but as the Land Cruiser comes off the scales at 2.335 tonnes kerb weight (over 200kg heavier than the older model), that impacts on economy. The fuel tank capacity at 80 litres is also slightly smaller than in the past. And while the rated economy figure is almost 11 litres/100km or 10km per litre of fuel, this 4x4 will not be bought for reasons of low running costs.

Off-road

This new Land Cruiser also brings improvements in off-road capability. There is a simple mode button beside the transmission control lever. There is also a feature to disconnect the front anti-roll bar using a switch on the dashboard that operates what is called a SDM (Stabiliser with Disconnection Mechanism). This claims to deliver better driving on rough roads. I was more impressed with the comfort and easier handling in on-road driving.

For this model, Toyota has upgraded the existing Multi-Terrain Monitor and Multi-Terrain Select system for off-road driving. The system’s camera gives high-resolution video display to give the driver a clear view of the area immediately around and beneath the vehicle. The Multi-Terrain Select system claims to automatically adapt the vehicle performance to suit the demands of different off-road driving conditions.

Off-road or rough-road driving conditions will show this at its best, but I’m not so sure that many future Land Cruiser drivers, especially those who opt for the seven-seat passenger version that I drove, will venture too far off-road with the new price tag.

And that new price is the worrying bit. The new Land Cruiser Platinum seven-seat passenger version comes with an entry price of €140,830 or £77,845 in Northern Ireland; yes, you read that right and that’s before you add a towbar.

The commercial versions, when they come, will be two-seat only and will have an entry price of €70,300 including VAT. These prices are a huge change from the five-seat commercial Land Cruiser of the past in terms of affordability, and ownership costs. So, taking a new approach to minding the Land Cruiser that you already have, is probably good advice.