The system works well with the relaxed nature of the Land Cruiser’s driving character, and restarts the car in an equally fuss-free manner. The engine fires up as soon as you take your foot off the brake, while the mild-hybrid system offers a gentle push as the diesel gets back online. Unlike Toyota’s hybrid models, there’s no opportunity to drive on electric power alone, partly because the set-up has 2.4 tonnes of chunky 4×4 to get rolling.
The system adds 80kg to the Land Cruiser’s overall kerbweight, so it doesn’t have any impact on the rest of the driving experience. What you have is a large SUV that offers a commanding view of the road and a relatively comfortable drive in a well appointed cabin, featuring leather, panoramic glass and a dashboard festooned with buttons that offers the perfect antidote to a world where most new cars feature minimalist touchscreens. This is all backed up by a level of go-anywhere ability that will likely exceed the needs of most buyers, too.
But these traits are also delivered by one of our favourite SUVs, the Land Rover Defender. With prices for that car starting at around £64,000 for the five-seat 110 version powered by a smooth 3.0-litre diesel that’s faster and more efficient than the Land Cruiser’s set-up, it makes the Toyota look rather pricey in comparison.
Despite this, if we were going to be driving off-road, maybe even to the ends of the earth, we know which car we’d prefer to take.
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Model:Toyota Land Cruiser 2.8 D-4D 48v InvinciblePrice:£80,945Powertrain:2.8-litre, 4cyl dieselPower/torque:201bhp/500NmTransmission:Eight-speed automatic, four-wheel drive0-62/top speed:12.3 seconds/106mphEconomy:26.4mpgEmissions:282g/kmSize (L/W/H):4,925/1,980/1,935mmOn sale:Now
