Last year, Toyota made quite a few changes to the Land Cruiser for the 2018MY in an attempt to solidify its status as an off-road icon.
The 2018 Land Cruiser boasts a new bonnet with an inverted scoop, new fenders, a redesigned grille, new headlights, taillights, wheels and bumpers. The redesign resulted in the Japanese automaker’s 4×4 being a few inches longer compared to its predecessor.
Inside, there is a new dashboard, instruments and center console with an 8-inch infotainment screen positioned lower in order to boost outwards visibility. However, while the 2018 Land Cruiser’s cabin is nice, it’s not as posh as what you get with a Land Rover Discovery, for instance. But that was to be expected, since it doesn’t belong in the premium segment – Toyota has Lexus to take care of that.
Yet, the reviewer thoroughly enjoyed most of the updated Land Cruiser’s characteristics, especially off-road where the Toyota felt tough and surprisingly punchy, despite its 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel producing just 177 horses. On the flip side, its 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque provide decent amounts of low-down pulling power.
If your driving needs don’t involve any trips off-road, perhaps you’ll be more than happy with something like an Audi Q7 or any of its rivals, because the 2018 Land Cruiser is no tarmac-oriented SUV, but an off-roader that gets tough when the going gets rough.