Category: Large 4x4s 
Price Range: £40,395 to £56,350
Off-road performance, muscular V8's performance, seven seats, high equipment levels
Performance on the road, choppy ride, hefty proportions
The finest off-roader, the most compromised on tarmac.
£55,995
The Land Cruiser trails the rest of the class for comfort.
The new diesel may deliver on performance grounds, but it's pretty raucous while doing it. Unlike the muted V8 under the bonnet of a Range Rover, the Land Cruiser constantly reminds drivers what fuel pump it drinks from, with an unpleasant diesel soundtrack flooding the cabin that only gives way to something approaching a V8 howl when worked hard.
Inside, the Land Cruiser makes a poor MPV substitute. Second-row adult inhabitants have limited space for large feet and are subjected to a lack of under-thigh support: in the third row, two adults can be carried for short distances, but not in anything resembling comfort. The high floor means passengers' knees will be almost level with their collarbones.
On the plus side, Toyota has developed a neat solution to folding seats. The third row folds with one hand on gas struts, locking into position safety, while second-row seating tumbles forward with ease to provide a large flat floor with 1,267 litres of load space.
The test cars were running on 18" wheels that provided a reasonably complaint ride; however, poor road surfaces introduced a choppy element to the ride. UK cars will come fitted with huge 20" wheels as standard, so expect the ride to degrade further.
Good news is the class-leading equipment on offer. All cars come with keyless go, sat nav, Bluetooth, leather interior, four-zone air conditioning and rear reversing camera as standard.
Only a DVD rear entertainment package and a 12-speaker premium stereo upgrade will be available as options.
