Toyota Land Cruiser Invincible Road Test

Toyota Land Cruiser Invincible Road Test

Toyota Land Cruiser Invincible Road Test

Toyota Land Cruiser Invincible Road Test

The Toyota Land Cruiser is undoubtedly one of the most iconic 4x4’s that has ever been made. it's been in production for nearly 70 years and has a reputation for unparalleled reliability and durability.
If you're in any doubt as to just how strong and reliable Toyota’s Land Cruiser is, let me tell you about Emil and Liliana Schmid who in 1984 took their land cruiser on a bit of a journey, which led them across 186 different countries, covering nearly half a million miles, and as of 2017, they were still on this journey.
The first incarnation of the land cruiser that was actually called the land cruiser, was in 1954. Toyota manufactured four-wheel drive vehicles before this under the instruction of the Japanese government, but they were essentially wartime copies of the American Willys Jeep.
The interior of the land cruiser is a very nice place to be, although quite understated.
Pretty much everything is black, with some brushed aluminium highlights and gloss black surrounds and you have black leather front and rear seats, door, and center console.
Both front and rear seats are heated and cooled, front are electrically adjustable with memory function on the drivers’ seat.
Toyota's Land Cruiser reeks of quality. For example, every single button, every tile every switch feels over-engineer to the point where you just can't imagine anything ever breaking.
Even the wheels that adjust the temperature for the heated seats feel like they will outlast me.
This Land Cruiser Invincible is the diesel and has a 2.8 litre 4-cylinder engine that produces 175bhp and 450nm torque. It's not the fastest thing in the world but performance is adequate.
At 4.8m long, 1.9 m wide and weighing 2200kg, the Land Cruiser is quite a big girl. Don't worry though, you have cameras around the vehicle which allow you to see down the side, the rear and the front and audible warnings tell how close you are to objects.
It's a 7 seater as well which I really like. The rear two seats fold down flat electrically and when they're down there is plenty of luggage room.
We had a little play with it off-road but I was conscious that if I break it I was probably gonna have to pay for it, so didn't get too carried away. I will say that I was incredible over the terrain I put it through
Click a button to raise the air suspension, select low ration and it does the rest for you. Just point it where you need to go.
On-road manners for the land cruiser are absolutely superb. Toyotas Land Cruiser runs 265/55/19 tyres and this high sidewall has an impact on the way the car drives on the road, but I actually prefer the way it drives with the high-profile tyres.
Typically, mock roaders like the X5 or similar are fitted with low profile tyres which give a harder ride and are generally worse off-road. The higher sidewall on the Land Cruiser means it rides smoothly and soaks up our terrible road surfaces better.
Double wishbone suspension at the front and 4 link setup with coil springs at the rear means it doesn't bounce pitch it feels like a large luxury saloon.
Toyota fitted the Land Cruiser with an easy to use 8-inch touch screen. It’s well laid out although a little slow to respond. This is an extremely safe vehicle and, as you would expect, has the full array of driver and safety aids.
I am a big fan of the Land Cruiser. If you like more show than go, then maybe you could look at the BMW X5 or even Volvo XC90 or If you were happy to visit the dealer regularly, you could look at the LandRover Discovery.
For me, the Land Cruiser offers something special. A vehicle that has such presence and such a strong bloodline is incredibly capable and rugged yet luxurious and easy to drive.