Category: Large 4x4s 
Price Range: £40,395 to £56,350
Toughness, off-road ability, value for money, honest all-round abilities
Roly-poly on-road ride, light steering, feels dated
A great working vehicle for towing, farm work and hard graft, but not the best choice for the lifestyle set
The Land Cruiser feels larger than it actually is, and on the cumbersome side compared to its more car-like rivals these days. However, as with most big 4x4s, the driving position is commanding, it imparts a feeling of safety and security, and all its controls are simple and well laid-out. The manual gearbox is a bit stiff and rubbery (though this could well improve once run-in), but the auto gearbox is very good and particularly well-suited to the five-door models. It's fun, in a truck-like, bombastic country-conquering kind of way. The steering is too light and the suspension too wallowy, to give even a remotely sporting feeling, but then that's not what the Land Cruiser is about. Ride high and cruise.
The diesel engine might not put out a lot of power on paper, but its torque makes it suitable for towing heavy trailers, caravans, boats and so on, and it can make great progress off the road, even with road-biased tyres on. It's strong, rather than fast, though its on-road acceleration is more than adequate and it cruises happily at high speeds on the motorway. The auto gearbox is well thought-out with the ratios all in the right places. We haven't tested the petrol version yet but watch this space.
