Toyota Land Cruiser (J300) 3.5i V6 (415 HP) 4WD Direct Shift 5 Seat

If you're looking for endorsements on the legendary reliability and off-road prowess of the Toyota Land Cruiser, look no further than the United Nations and International Red Cross. We say look no further because you'll also find desert-based militaristic terrorist groups also favor the Land Cruiser. That's a dark endorsement, but the Land Cruiser was long the vehicular equivalent of the AK-47 rifle - a tool you could beat on and expose to any element and then trust it with your life. However, the Land Cruiser has gained luxury interior chops and a tech-packed cabin over the years, and an MSRP to match. Add to that its sturdy V8 engine's ability to drink fuel and the Land Cruiser is not an inexpensive option at over $85,000, a price that places it in some tough company that includes the likes of the Infiniti QX80 and mechanically identical Lexus LX.

That V8 generates 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque through a full-time four-wheel-drive system with all the trimmings, including a terrain select system and a crawl feature. Inside, it has all the space a body-on-frame SUV should but, unfortunately, all the expected road manners that big, boxy off-roaders tend to demonstrate as well. The Land Cruiser is being discontinued in the US at the end of 2021, and its replacement isn't coming stateside, so if you want one, act now.

This is the final year the Land Cruiser will be on sale in the USA, but Toyota made little effort to celebrate this fact. The Heritage Edition - first introduced in 2020 - is carried over and can now be ordered with a third row. This Heritage Edition also serves as the top-spec model for the final production year. Toyota also added Classic Silver and Magnetic Gray to the color palette.

It's fair to say that the Land Cruiser is iconic at this point, with a design to match. While the original design elements have disappeared over the years, the current design has cues dating back to the '90s J80 model. We wondered whether Toyota would be brave with the next Land Cruiser's design, but having seen it, it's basically more of the same. There's a lot more grille, but the basics remain the same. We're not entirely sure whether this was the right move, as Land Rover's drastic departure from the Defender's iconic design worked wonders for them.

The Land Cruiser 200 Series simply comes across as a generic SUV, especially from the rear. At least it has all the modern exterior adornments, like LED headlights, 18-inch alloys, some chrome, and a power moonroof. The Heritage Edition adds bronze BBS alloys, dark chrome accents, and a Yakima Megawarrior roof rack.

Toyota's color palette for the Land Cruise is disappointingly limited to just four colors on both models. Midnight Black, Classic Silver, and Magnetic Gray are no-cost options, while Blizzard Pearl (white) will cost an additional $425. While we are disappointed with the limited color options, we appreciate the little bit of funkiness the bronze alloys bring to the party. They work exceptionally well with the darker color options but not so much in white.

Both Land Cruiser models are powered by the same 5.7-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine designed and developed by Noah when building the ark. Little known fact, that. In any case, it produces adequate rather than incredible power. It's a torque-rich mule of an engine that doesn't enjoy being rushed. Yet, it's capable of accelerating the Land Cruiser from 0 to 60 mph in around seven seconds, according to independent tests. If you really want to, you can reach a top speed of around 120 mph but at that point, you'll be burning fuel at an alarming rate. The 381 horsepower is less significant in this application, with 401 lb-ft being the key figure. It's available from low down in the power band, making the Land Cruiser an excellent tow vehicle. Its 8,100 lbs tow rating might not be class-leading but is more than its Lexus cousin can muster.

The power is transferred to a full-time four-wheel-drive system with a low-range transfer case, a locking center differential, a terrain select system, and a rather useful crawl control which allows the driver to simply focus on steering. While it may not have the kind of power output to match newer, more road-biased SUV competition, it has adequate torque for most situations. For a car so obviously set up for off-road performance, it does an excellent job of being a daily cruiser as well, proving that it's possible for a hardcore off-roader to work as a daily driver.

There's no getting around the fact that the Toyota Landcruiser is a heavy piece of machinery. It weighs north of 5,500 pounds and it shows at every turn or stoplight, and it's hard not to wince when getting up to speed on a freeway ramp at the amount of fuel being burnt to keep up with traffic. When cruising, the Land Cruiser is wonderfully comfortable, and the interior is insulated well from the world around. However, paved roads are not what the designers had at the front of their mind when putting pen to paper, and it's off-road where the Land Cruiser thrives. Long dirt tracks through the desert areas are as comfortable to roll upon as a crossover on a slightly bumpy urban road. You can pick up speed with confidence in the drivetrain and grip if you have suitable tires, but the stock tires are not suitable. The tires on our test vehicle were road tires designed with fuel economy in mind and are completely unsuitable for the rigors of off-roading. Still, get into more challenging territory and the Land Cruiser's permanent 4WD system and the engine's low-down grunt gets you over obstacles where other off-roaders would struggle, and Crawl mode does its job keeping you out of trouble. There's also little doubt the Land Cruiser's suspension system is the best in the body-on-frame business when it comes to getting off the beaten track. Only Land Rover competes when it comes to traction control when it gets into the rough stuff.

If desert tracks and mountain fire roads are going to be the Land Cruiser's only challenge, the tires are okay, but if things are going to get sandy or wet and slippery, a set of more aggressive rubber is essential.

The Land Cruiser isn't short on features and has enough space for eight people. A third row can now also be added to the Heritage Edition, which was previously only available as a five-seater. Our main gripe with the interior is not the quality or lack of standard fare but rather an absence of any sort of imagination. Given the large interior dimensions, there's a lot of room to play around with, so why not use that room to build something exciting? For reference, take a look at the new Defender's rugged, playful, yet minimalist interior. On a positive note, the Land Cruiser offers loads of space in the first two rows, excellent visibility, and lovely leather upholstery.

Retailing at around $80,000, it's only fitting to expect a generous amount of standard features. Toyota delivers on this front by including power-adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation, four-zone climate control, a nine-inch infotainment screen, and a 14-speaker JBL sound system.

Price Range (MSRP):$85,665 - $87,995.