RE: Toyota Land Cruiser V8 axed from UK

[Nunga]

You can't compare this to a Q7, X5 or Cayenne. The only one that warrants any comparison is the RR/RRS. This is a car you should be buying for its off-road prowess, and of the cars mentioned above you'd only be taking the Cruiser or RR anywhere further than your manor's lawn.

A shame it's being killed off, but there's still many markets that can't get enough of them (Australia, Middle East, USA).

[Artey]

They've only just released a facelift and I really like it. I liked all 80, 100 (with their wafty Citroen style suspension), 200s so this is sad news.

[RoverP6B]

Hideous... the facelift is even worse... they need to come up with a back-to-basics version with a reasonably refined petrol/LPG/CNG straight-six, like the old 90s ones... over £60k? REALLY?!

[kbf1981]

Krikkit said:

Saw a 14-plate one the other day and was absolutely staggered at how hideous it was. As stated in the article I can't understand why you'd spend 60k on one over its rivals.

Because it's vastly better made, can cross desserts and jungles, and has actual core strength and off road ability? If you ever needed a car to rely on.... Range Rover or this?

[kbf1981]

Nunga said:

You can't compare this to a Q7, X5 or Cayenne. The only one that warrants any comparison is the RR/RRS. This is a car you should be buying for its off-road prowess, and of the cars mentioned above you'd only be taking the Cruiser or RR anywhere further than your manor's lawn.

A shame it's being killed off, but there's still many markets that can't get enough of them (Australia, Middle East, USA).

A RRS / RR is great off road but I doubt they have this durability - ladder chassis, solid axel at the rear.... this is far more traditional and they're rock solid!

[Rickyy]

South Wales Police have a marked one of these, it looks great! But it is also bloody massive!

I really fancy a LC. I have a Hi-Ace van, whilst it is seriously dated, it is by the far the toughest vehicle I've owned and the only thing I've had to replace, bar consumables, in two years and nearly 40k (currently on 137k) is a differential bush, as it was clonking when releasing the clutch.

Toyota don't make them for the Euro market anymore either!

[Krikkit]

kbf1981 said:

Krikkit said:

Saw a 14-plate one the other day and was absolutely staggered at how hideous it was. As stated in the article I can't understand why you'd spend 60k on one over its rivals.

Because it's vastly better made, can cross desserts and jungles, and has actual core strength and off road ability? If you ever needed a car to rely on.... Range Rover or this?

Yes, there's a lot of need for that off-road ability in the UK... I'm not talking about the Outback, or forging a path across a glacier, but a bit of mud once in a blue moon and general road use?

Edited by Krikkit on Monday 24th August 19:13

[Artey]

RoverP6B said:

Hideous... the facelift is even worse... they need to come up with a back-to-basics version with a reasonably refined petrol/LPG/CNG straight-six, like the old 90s ones... over £60k? REALLY?!

Hideous is a bold statement. It's different, definitely not bland unlike all EU designed cars.

[sealtt]

kbf1981 said:

Because it's vastly better made, can cross desserts and jungles, and has actual core strength and off road ability? If you ever needed a car to rely on.... Range Rover or this?

Hardcore off-road usage in England tops out at a muddy field in Wiltshire. Sure it'd be nice not to ever break down, but even if you do it's not exactly the end of the world being as a village and phone signal is never more than a couple of miles away.

Now if you were to venture into the deep jungles / barren deserts of Scotland however, well then maybe you might want one of these. Though the chance of any Scotsman dropping £60k on one of these is rather questionable....

[Quhet]

Don't really know why you'd buy a landcruiser in the UK, much too big. There are plenty of 4x4s which are better suited to our roads and terrain.
Leave them for the Arabs and Australians

[shake n bake]

Tried selling these along with every other Toyota 3 years ago. Just boring unremarkable stuff. People that have them now buy them again, 99.5 % of the population buy other stuff as it has an interesting feature that relates. Never fault a Toyota, just can't say they are interesting either.

[kbf1981]

Krikkit said:

kbf1981 said:

Krikkit said:

Saw a 14-plate one the other day and was absolutely staggered at how hideous it was. As stated in the article I can't understand why you'd spend 60k on one over its rivals.

Because it's vastly better made, can cross desserts and jungles, and has actual core strength and off road ability? If you ever needed a car to rely on.... Range Rover or this?

Yes, there's a lot of need for that off-road ability in the UK... I'm not talking about the Outback, or forging a path across a glacier, but a bit of mud once in a blue moon and general road use?

Edited by Krikkit on Monday 24th August 19:13

Using that logic, why have a supercar?

[kbf1981]

sealtt said:

kbf1981 said:

Because it's vastly better made, can cross desserts and jungles, and has actual core strength and off road ability? If you ever needed a car to rely on.... Range Rover or this?

Hardcore off-road usage in England tops out at a muddy field in Wiltshire. Sure it'd be nice not to ever break down, but even if you do it's not exactly the end of the world being as a village and phone signal is never more than a couple of miles away.

Now if you were to venture into the deep jungles / barren deserts of Scotland however, well then maybe you might want one of these. Though the chance of any Scotsman dropping £60k on one of these is rather questionable....

You could make the same reasons up for most cars - why have a supercar? You can't drive fast on UK roads. Why have a luxury car? You won't get there any faster.

Some people want them because you know you CAN get there, no matter what. If there's floods (which we do have from time to time), heavy snow, or you'd like to do a long road trip across europe....

There are sod all cars left now in the UK that are proper off roaders, it's all fashion rather than function:
- Defender - going
- Patrol - gone
- Landcruiser - going
- G Class? I'm not convinced the present ones are as tough as the utility models (which are no longer sold to the public)... http://www.caradvice.com.au/131418/mercedes-benz-g...

We have become more and more followers of fashion, showing off, rather than owners of real things that have lasting value and capability.

[ivantate]

Wrangler and the G will be whats left.

G is slightly too refined now and bits will get ripped off.

[Baryonyx]

The death knell of the Land Cruiser on these shores is just more evidence that the Chelsea Tractor maket in this country is dictated entirely by fashion and not by function.

[anonymous-user]

I know it's not exactly comparable, but my former housemate has an old N-reg LWB Rav 4. He is the least mechanically sympathetic driver ever, he never services it, parks it by feel, fills it with dogs, straw, shooting mates, he's even had a full 1 tonne IBC in the back of it. The mileage counter stopped at either 128k or 138k, I can't remember which, but it's been going for another 3 years since. I've never known reliability like it. I'll borrow it if I need to get to work in the snow or if I need to cart the kayaks about, and it's been in rivers, up to it's knees in mud, driven in to trees and hedges and bridges and all sorts, and it won't die. It's noisy and harsh and clearly a 20 year old 4x4(lite) that's had a hard life but it keeps on going. If that's a pokey little Rav 4, then god only knows how how supremely bulletproof an LC is.

[SJR202]

My girlfriends Dad has 3 of these (rural based) and he buys them for the exact reason its not a RR/Audi etc and its as far from bling or suburban you can get. We borrowed it for trips to the Lakes which is when you realise how big they are, I mean huge in those villages, weirdly enough the inside isnt very big especially the boot and not beating 19mpg makes it expensive driving... BUT even though steering feel is nothing short of terrible and the brakes struggle to slow it down the feeling of invincibility is something quite cool, any gradient, hill or ford was dispensed with ease meant I had quite a soft spot for it after the weekend, couldnt afford to run one every day but wouldnt mind an old one for rural adventures!

[300bhp/ton]

kbf1981 said:

There are sod all cars left now in the UK that are proper off roaders, it's all fashion rather than function:

Two of the best are still available.

In standard trim the Wrangler does everything off road a Defender does or better. And in Rubicon trim you get lockers front & rear as well as the off road TCS, electronically detachable anti-roll bars and a super low low range transfer box. It even comes on proper MT tyres as standard, something Defenders never really did.

3 door SWB and 5 door LWB available.


And of course the Suzuki Jimny...

Basically the size of a Series 1 Land Rover with Defender type suspension and built better.

[jimfoz]

TrivsTom said:

Toyota seem to have a habit of this. They make a decent car and then sell it for years without many updates and wonder why sales are slow? See MR2 spider and Celica. Why would you buy a 5/6 year old Land Cruiser when the swanky new Range Rover is only 2 years old..

Bit like the Toyota Century - that has only been updated twice since 1967 - the last update was 1997 and it has received very little updates for nearly 20 years! Looks like you can get a new one for £67,000.
http://toyota.jp/century/

[Clivey]

jimfoz said:

Bit like the Toyota Century - that has only been updated twice since 1967 - the last update was 1997 and it has received very little updates for nearly 20 years! Looks like you can get a new one for £67,000.
http://toyota.jp/century/

And I hope they don't change it either. For those that haven't seen it, check-out the front seat design: Too cool for school.