Land Cruiser Opinions Please.

[mikeyv]

Currently I have a Toyota campervan which is mostly used as a day van, as we also have a nice caravan, a Bailey Arizona.

We tow the caravan with the campervan.

I'm considering replacing it with a Toyota Landcruiser, and would like to hear opinions on them, good and bad, from anybody with experience of them.

Do they live up to their unstoppable reputation, diesel better for towing than petrol?, real world fuel consumption?, the usual stuff really.

I was thinking of 2008 ish 3.0L diesel, but have noticed that emissions on 2010 vehicles are lower, resulting in VED being around half that of the earlier models(thick end of £500 for 01 - 09), so might have to dig a tad deeper.

All contributions gratefully received.

[Bluesbreaker]

A hundred years ago,when I was on a Kibbutz in Southern Israel,we were given ( foolishly) the use of a Toyota Land Cruiser, when the Israelis,running the Kibbutz weren't driving us,like slaves,working in the fields,in our spare time,us volunteers,used it,to go off-roading in it,the Negev Desert,being our backyard,as it were,about eight of us,would hitch a trailer,to it,load it up with booze,food,sleeping bags,and any girls who were daft enough to come along for the ride,( chortle,chortle) we gave that wagon hell,driving it through dried-out river-beds,at breakneck speeds,over rocks,bottoming -out going over sand-dunes,in fact,doing just about everything that those morons on Top Gear would do to a vehicle-except we got paid in Shekels,while Clarkson and co,get vast salaries,this Toyota got the living day lights thrashed out of her,and it never,ever broke down,the Israelis drive vehicles like idiots,this Toyota was no exception,it was as tough as a Sherman Tank,given the wide choice of 4x 4's these days,for durability,and sheer brute toughness,the Land Cruiser can not be beaten,that's why you see the UN using them,no other vehicle can take the abuse meted out to them in War Zones.

So,yes,I would recommend buying one,sod the fuel consumption,sod the somehow,old -fashioned style of the body,sod what people might say about Land Cruisers being considered a bit ' passé ' I'd have one in a blink of an eye,tough as old boots.

[mikeyv]

Thanks Iain, nice story, think I can count that as a vote in favour!!

Not bothered about old fashioned, ln fact I love the look of them, and I'm pretty 'passe' myself.

Fuel consumption on the petrol model might be a bit of a problem, I can see me getting single figure mpg when towing the van, as I'm a bit lead footed to be honest, so diesel probably a better option.

[harrylime]

No experience of these, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that a Land Rover will get you there, but a Toyota will also get you back

[petayV8]

Great trucks. Very under rated. Didnt think theland cruiser had a 3.0L tho? When you say land criuser i think of the full size amazon one not the colarado but they keep changing the name lol

[petayV8]

One thing diesels are good for is towing. Get the diesel yes

[mikeyv]

Great trucks. Very under rated. Didnt think theland cruiser had a 3.0L tho? When you say land criuser i think of the full size Amazon one not the colarado but they keep changing the name lol

Yep, 3L diesel is the most common by far, these days.

The amazon is now V8 4.5 Ltr diesel, but costs north of £60K new, and maybe £40k ish second hand from a dealer.

Anyway, thanks for your posts gents, I've been doing more research since starting the thread, and seen nothing better, especially from a reliability point of view.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

Bulletproof... Won't go wrong.

There's a reason the UN and the like use them in war torn countries :)

[petayV8]

Just had a look and the big land cruiser wasnt offered with a 3.0l so think were talking about 2 different vehicles. The smaller land cruiser is still good but not as renowned as its big daddy

[bigjap]

the large one is the amazon,usually has the 4.2 diesel in it .they do 4.2 petrol as well,they are large vehicles to have in this country,tho they will pull anything,i' driven most of the older landcruisers, here and in australia,always ultra reliable.the most popular one here is the colorado landcruiser,a bit smaller,i don't know much about them after year 2000,like everything else they are laden with electronics.in oz you can buy the simple basic ones,cos they don't want electonic failures,out in bush ,the land rovers flopped there cos of unreliability,here it is inconvenient if you break down ,there its a matter of life and death.in oz alot of the luxury landcruisers are lexus badged

i think they are the best proper 4x4

[mikeyv]

the large one is the amazon,usually has the 4.2 diesel in it .they do 4.2 petrol as well,they are large vehicles to have in this country,tho they will pull anything,i' driven most of the older landcruisers, here and in australia,always ultra reliable.the most popular one here is the colorado landcruiser,a bit smaller,i don't know much about them after year 2000,like everything else they are laden with electronics.in oz you can buy the simple basic ones,cos they don't want electonic failures,out in bush ,the land rovers flopped there cos of unreliability,here it is inconvenient if you break down ,there its a matter of life and death.in oz alot of the luxury landcruisers are lexus badged

i think they are the best proper 4x4

I drove a petrol/lpg L/C as a courtesy car when getting my LS converted, and it did drive almost lexus like on road.

You have highlighted my one concern though, too much electrickery and all the crap glued to the latest diesels in the name of greenery.

It seems that the suspension can suffer from the same problem that puts me off buying a LS430, and the cooling system likewise, in that coolant can get into the autobox

Trouble is, the older models already attract high ved rates, and I'm wary of what future governments might do to save the polar bears.

Decisions, decisions.