The Toyota Land Cruiser is one of the toughest and most hard-working vehicles the world has ever seen.
Ever since the Land Cruiser first came to the market back in the early 1950s, there have been many iterations in a wide variety of body styles – including three-door and five-door and there have even been convertible versions, too.
The previous generation Land Cruiser went on sale in 2009 and although several facelifts along the way helped it plod along – they weren’t enough to disguise the fact that the Land Cruiser had had its day.
So, Toyota decided to go back to the drawing board and create a completely new generation of their legendary off-roader.
Here are all the things that you need to know about the new Toyota Land Cruiser.
It has a disconnecting anti-roll bar system
At the touch of a button on the centre console, the driver can unlock the front anti-roll bar suspension to increase wheel travel.
This enables the vehicle to be easier to manoeuvre over rocky and rough road surfaces while keeping all four wheels on the ground.
It also improves roll rigidity and gives a smoother ride quality for all passengers when driving on rough surfaces – and when the vehicle’s speed increases the anti-roll bar automatically re-locks.
A new body-on-frame chassis has been developed
Overall the Land Cruiser’s torsional rigidity is 50 per cent stiffer than it was before and the frame and body combined is 30 per cent better as well.
It’s the first Land Cruiser with electric power steering
Electric power steering can reduce the amount of kickback you get from the wheel when driving over rough terrain like rocks and mounds.
Its purpose is to improve the overall feeling of the steering and it benefits by being smoother, more direct and improving the manoeuvrability at all speeds.
A mild hybrid version will be arriving in 2025
The mild-hybrid system will give a smoother, quieter and more efficient choice among buyers for the Land Cruiser.
There is a Panoramic View Monitor and Multi-Terrain Monitor
The Multi-Terrain Monitor or MTM gives a view of the underside to prevent the driver from damaging the vehicle over bumpy terrains, while also giving guidelines on the monitor of the vehicle and tyre positions.
It has a new suspension setup
The rear anti-roll bar is made from new materials that are lighter and more rigid than before and even more weight is saved by the axle-cross section which is thinner but has a thicker bracket to help with rigidity and strength.
To stop the rear wheels lifting during off-road manoeuvres the Land Cruiser has an increased anti-lift angle and maintains all the wheels on the ground at the same time.
There is a new braking system
An on-demand pressure system by the vehicle stability control operates in addition to conventional braking systems – which enhances the braking feel.
