For over six decades, the Toyota Land Cruiser is a nameplate that no one can mistake with any other – be it on the road, or off it. With its bullet-proof reliability, legendary off-road driving ability, and a presence to be respected, the new 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser continues to carry the torch lit by its forerunners. In essence, the Land Cruiser is to Toyota what Superman is for DC Comics – one can simply not imagine a world without them.
Despite its immense relevance and capabilities, the new 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser is not without some fair competition. These include the urbane yet popular Audi Q7, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet Tahoe, and Nissan Patrol. The latter is quite possibly the strongest and most noteworthy rival for the famed Cruiser.
Exterior
To begin with, the new 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser is an unabashedly huge SUV. The body-on-frame behemoth will definitely dwarf any average crossover, and rightfully so. The 2019MY Cruiser stands at an impressive 5.17 meters long from nose to tail, 1.98 meters wide mirror to mirror, and a measuring tape starting at ground level stretched to the roofline will read 1.93 meters as overall height.
Given the sheer dimensions of this SUV, it comes as no surprise as lesser vehicles usually move out of the way. However, the Cruiser’s massive proportions don’t equate to it being a stunning work of art, and it may not win a beauty pageant anytime soon. That said, the whole exterior design here is not just about aesthetic dazzle, but more of Function over Form. Also, you begin to realize that the primary theme here seems to be “Go big or go home”.
Starting at the front, the new Cruiser wears a huge hexagonal chrome grille with a big Toyota logo in the middle, and is flanked by rather large double-barrel LED headlamps with DRL function. The aforementioned grille even has extensions that cut right into the headlamp housing which also have LED dynamic turn signals. The bulging hood gets a unique cutout in the middle that runs its entire length. According to Toyota, this was done in a bid to aid the driver by increasing the line of sight while driving on narrow city roads, or out on the trail.
The side profile reveals the Cruiser’s massive wing mirrors, windows and doors, and an enviable ground clearance of up to 229 mm. The big 20-inch alloy wheels are wrapped with chunky 285-section rubber, and there’s also a thick chrome strip running across the bottom of the doors to add a touch of premium appeal. At the back, the large taillights have integrated LED elements and are connected by yet another strip of chrome for an added sense of class. As always, the new Land Cruiser too gets a split-folding rear tailgate and large rear window to help with rearward visibility.
Interior
The 2019 Land Cruiser’s vast exterior means that the engineers at Toyota have been able to create room for 8 passengers and cargo. The first and second row seats have ample space for even taller adults to stretch out, while the third row is more suitable for shorter adults or kids. Cargo space in the back is a respectable 456 liters with the third row in place, and grows to a massive 1,217 liters with the last row seats folded.
Though the Cruiser is a tough, body-on-frame 4x4, the cabin is a surprisingly comfortable place to spend time in. You can get this brawly, dune-bashing SUV with various creature comforts such as leather, faux wood trim, four-zone automatic climate control, ventilated and electrically-adjustable front seats with memory function, an electric sunroof, front and rear parking sensors with a rearview camera, radar cruise control, and a 14-speaker JBL premium sound system that comes with a 9-inch touch infotainment screen and navigation function.
Safety features are aplenty and include up to 7 airbags, ABS with EBD, stability program with on-road and off-road settings, blind-spot detection (BSD), rear cross traffic alert (RCTA), lane departure alert (LDA), and Pre-collision collision system (PCS) among others. The 2019 Land Cruiser also gets various off-road tech such as Crawl Control, multi-terrain select that is accompanied by multi-terrain monitor that adds 4 cameras on all four sides of the vehicle. There’s also Toyota’s Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) which brings with it adaptive suspension and active ride-height control.
Engine and performance
The 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser is offered with three engine choices, but no matter which engine you choose, all 2019 Land Cruisers get 4WD, and a 6-speed automatic transmission (except on the 5.7L V8) as standard. The range kicks off with the 4.0-liter V6 that produces 271 HP and 385 Nm of torque. Next up, is the 4.6-liter V8 that develops 304 HP and 439 Nm of torque. Finally, the flagship Cruiser comes in the form of a 5.7-liter V8 that pushes out 362 horses and close to 530 Nm of twisting force, and comes mated to an 8-speed automatic tranny.
With big capacity engines and a curb weight of over 2.5 tons, the 2019 Land Cruiser isn’t exactly economical to run. The V6-powered Cruiser will do about 10.9L/100 km, while the eight-cylinder variants are pegged at 11.9 and 12.2L/100 km for the 4.6 and 5.7, respectively.
Verdict
The 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser starts off at AED 208,950 for the 4.0-liter V6 EXR version and tops out at AED 349,900 for the fully-loaded 5.7-liter V8 VXR trim. Insurance cover for the base Cruiser starts at just over AED 4,700, while the premium for the full option V8 will cost just shy of AED 7,900.
