As befits its price tag and position in Toyota’s brand hierarchy, the Land Cruiser’s cabin has a distinctly Lexus feel to it. Indeed, the centre console, touch-screen interface and audio controls will all be very familiar to anyone who has spent time in an LS460. Most of the materials are appropriately classy, too, apart from the centre console’s wood trim.
Unlike many separate-chassis SUVs, the Land Cruiser manages to combine its sizeable exterior dimensions with equally impressive internal space. Front seat occupants enjoy plenty of headroom and legroom, and the driving position has a comprehensive range of adjustment. It’s a supremely comfortable place to spend time, helped by excellent high-speed refinement. And it’s worth noting that the V8’s seating position is higher even than that of the Range Rover.
The new Land Cruiser has inherited the Amazon’s seven-seat layout, with a third row of seats occupying most of the available boot space when deployed. These fold awkwardly against the sides of the boot when not in use and access is awkward.
Fortunately the second-row seats can be moved forwards or backwards on runners, meaning that legroom can be divided among rear occupants according to their needs.
The layout of the primary controls is rational enough, and as in the Lexus LS the touch-screen interface is easy to use. The only real ergonomic criticism is with the haphazard minor switchgear.
It’s a shame Toyota is bringing only fully loaded Land Cruisers into the UK. A basic version would be more in keeping with the car’s tough, go-anywhere nature. But on a spec-for-spec basis the V8 offers good value against obvious rivals, and it should hold on to its value very well. That said, the rising cost of CO2-focused taxation is set to strike cars like this disproportionately hard.
Fuel economy is also likely to disappoint. We couldn’t get anywhere near Toyota’s claimed 27.7mpg. Indeed, in our experience you’ll be lucky to average more than 20mpg.