Toyota Land Cruiser: The courage to fall back
With the upcoming Land Cruiser, Toyota is returning to off-road virtues and improving both the chassis agility and controllability of the classic.
(Image: Toyota)
Toyota is concentrating on the essentials in the next generation of the Land Cruiser light-duty series: Overview and robustness. This is good news for users who need an off-road vehicle and is obviously not just a claim. Unlike cars that go by the meaningless, ubiquitous name of "SUV", the Land Cruiser retained some typical features to ensure superior performance on real off-road tracks. The upcoming model follows on from this and clearly improves some of the already good features with well-known recipes.
Good maneuverability
Toyota continues to rely on a ladder-type frame and a rear rigid axle, a design that has been characterized by its superior axle mobility and robustness for over 100 years. The connection of the axle via two trailing arms and a Panhard rod as well as a suspension with coil springs instead of the traditional leaf springs improves the handling for a more precise driving experience on the road. At the front, an independent suspension has been used for several generations for the latter reason, albeit a robust one with long double wishbones, also for above-average suspension travel. With the upcoming model, the already good axle articulation is said to have been improved by ten percent. A decouplable anti-roll bar in the front axle increases this value by a further ten percent if required.
As before, the Land Cruiser has a central differential and is therefore dependent on a center differential lock. This is designed as a friction disk clutch and can provide any braking effect between zero and 100 percent before full lock-up. It is no longer actuated by an electric motor, but electromagnetically, which should improve the reaction time. This solution is also very likely to reduce costs and is potentially less susceptible to faults. Interestingly, Toyota no longer specifies a value for the shiftable off-road ratio in the transfer case. As before, it could move by a factor of three and thus multiply the wheel torque by this amount if required. Another decisive factor for assertiveness on difficult terrain.
Toyota Land Cruiser Exterieur (10 Bilder)
Toyota
)The proven 151 kW 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel engine with 500 Nm of torque between 1600 and 2800 rpm is designed for the high torque requirements at low engine speeds in off-road or towing vehicle operation. A conventional torque converter transmission with eight stages offers an additional torque boost when starting off due to the torque converter characteristics. This makes it far superior to a conventional manual transmission for off-road use.
Larger window areas
Definitely visible at first glance, Toyota has improved the bodywork. The A-pillar, which is now steeper again, reduces the blind spot behind the front edge of the hood and removes the A-pillar from the side field of vision. Both improve the driver's view of the road or terrain. The beltline has been lowered by three centimetres compared to the current model in order to improve the viewing angles to the sides. The downwardly enlarged window area is now as large as it used to be.
At 4.93 m long, 1.98 m wide and 1.94 m high, the car is just compact enough for winding roads without too much woodland. At 2850 mm, the wheelbase offers a compromise between economy of space and the widest possible ramp angle. Thanks to good belly clearance, it is specified as 25 degrees. The slope angles of 31 degrees at the front and 17 degrees at the rear are also quite reasonable. The minimum ground clearance of around 210 mm under the rear differential housing (depending on the tires on the 18- or 20-inch rims) remains quite average. Toyota specifies the fording depth at a practical 700 mm.
Toyota Land Cruiser Details (8 Bilder)
Toyota
)The Land Cruiser is available as a seven-seater with three rows or as a five-seater. In the five-seater Land Cruiser, the load area exceeds that of the current model in length and width. The load space volume is 1063 to 2000 liters when loaded to roof height. In the seven-seater, the load compartment volume is 171 liters, with the third row of seats folded down 949. If the two rear rows of seats are folded down completely, the load compartment volume increases to 1875 liters. A trailer weighing up to 3.5 tons can be carried.
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More assistance
Due to numerous new assistance functions, Toyota has converted the steering to electric instead of hydraulic assistance. This means that functions can now also intervene in the steering and potentially help to increase safety and comfort. As usual, a 12.3-inch display is installed instead of the instruments, while an equally large touchscreen to the right of the steering wheel provides access to the multimedia system and cloud-based navigation with real-time traffic information. The new Land Cruiser is available to order from 67,990 euros. Toyota offers an extended warranty for up to 15 years or 250,000 kilometers with regular maintenance and inspections at an authorized dealer.
(fpi)